3 Milwaukee Battery-Powered Chainsaws For Your Next Big Lumber Project
In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of companies producing chainsaws that run on battery power rather than gas, which has traditionally been the method of fueling for the lumber power tools. Of course, a big reason for this shift is environmental, as battery-powered tools don't have any fossil fuel emissions. However, there are other factors as well, particularly if a person has a certain fondness for a power tool brand to begin with.
Take a company like Ryobi. It is a company that has created its ONE+ 18V battery system that allows you to use the same battery for a variety of different tools, and now, that also includes some Ryobi chainsaws. That is an unquestionably smart move if you want to keep customers within your orbit when they need to purchase new tools. Well, the same is also true for Milwaukee Tool.
Milwaukee's battery system is called M18 FUEL, and part of that system is the company's M18 REDLITHIUM batteries that can be used across the M18 line of tools. This could be a drill, a ratchet, and even a radio. This system also includes a good number of chainsaws that the company offers for all of your needs, be they pruning, hedge trimming, or any other major lumber job. The following three chainsaws are just a small selection of what Milwaukee has to offer, and they have been chosen to give you a good idea of the variety of sizes and applications that the company's battery-powered chainsaws offer.
M18 FUEL 16-inch Chainsaw
The first battery-powered chainsaw that Milwaukee put out is still among the company's best. First debuting in 2018, the M18 FUEL 16-inch Chainsaw has been well-reviewed by the likes of Gear Lab and Tool Box Buzz, both of which praise the chainsaw for its surprising power and short wind-up time. Because it runs on a battery and not gas, no time has to pass before the chainsaw is operating a full capacity.
At 13.9 pounds, this is a fairly lightweight chainsaw for its size, though not so light that you won't feel like you maybe don't have a firm handle on it while it's operating. This utilizes the M18 FUEL power system, so if you already have tools within it, you don't need to find yourself purchasing a new battery for it. If you want a battery and a charger to come with the chainsaw, it will cost you $499, and the chainsaw by itself will be $329.
The one big drawback with this chainsaw that these reviews point out is that it requires a good deal of oil to consistently use it, meaning you will find yourself replacing it quite often. Otherwise, Milwaukee's M18 FUEL 16-inch Chainsaw is a totally solid tool to put in your arsenal.
M18 FUEL 14-inch Top Handle Chainsaw
An important note about the 16-inch chainsaw is that it features a traditional chainsaw grip, but that is not the only way that a chainsaw can be designed. If you instead wish to have a chainsaw with a top handle, Milwaukee also offers that in its M18 FUEL line with a 14-inch chainsaw. Like the previous example, this chainsaw also runs on the M18 REDLITHIUM battery, making it an incredibly flexible option for those who already have Milwaukee tools. It has a YouTuber reviewer Tools & Stuff called it "a little beast." And its customer rating on Home Depot is 4.5 out of five stars.
Being a bit smaller than the previous one, the 14-inch top handle chainsaw weighs just 10.8 pounds, making things a little easier if you only want to use one hand while you see (though two hands are always more advisable). This top-handle chainsaw will run you a bit more money than the larger traditional one, as it retails for $349 before you include anything like batteries or chargers. If you would prefer this size of a chainsaw but want a traditional grip for it, Milwaukee also offers that as well.
M18 FUEL HATCHET 8-inch Pruning Saw
Despite their different grips, the previously mentioned chainsaws thus far are both pretty standard for what you expect out of a chainsaw. However, not every chainsaw is built the same for the same purpose. Sometimes you need a compact chainsaw that packs a lot of power to do something specific like pruning a tree. That is where a tool like Milwaukee's M18 FUEL HATCHET 8-inch Pruning Saw comes into play, which is one of Slashgear's favorite mini-chainsaws. With the blade's smaller size and a weight of only 4.9 pounds, it's easier to get into the nooks and crannies of a tree to get those needless branches out.
Not only is this chainsaw easier on your storage space, but it is also a little easier on the wallet, retailing for $279. There's always the possibility that something a little more specialized in its application could be more expensive, thankfully, that is not the case. As with the previous two chainsaws, you can use the M18 REDLITHIUM batteries on this, so no need to buy a bundle if you already have them.
Why these chainsaws were chosen
Milwaukee Tool offers nine different battery-powered chainsaws for sale, so to narrow it down to three for this list came down to a few factors. The biggest was to give the reader a wide range of the different kinds of chainsaws that the company produces. For instance, there are several different sizes of the top-handled chainsaw, but letting the reader know about the design difference took precedence over differentiating the sizes of the same product.
These chainsaws were also chosen because of their functionality within Milwaukee's M18 FUEL system. The company also has a 6-inch pruning chainsaw that runs on the company's M12 FUEL system, but that isn't as versatile as the M18, particularly with other chainsaws. The final reason why these three chainsaws were chosen was because of their exceptionally high user ratings, all of which are 4.7 stars or higher on Milwaukee's website.