Yes, Ryobi Made A Mini Pruning Chainsaw With A 12V Internal Battery

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Having beautiful green spaces around your home can be the ultimate status symbol, especially if they're well-maintained. However, keeping front and back yards free of deadwood or making sure the hedges are all the same height can be challenging without the right tools. Thankfully, these days, you can invest in everything from robotic lawn mowers to powerful leaf blowers, which can be lifesavers for people who own large properties. But for the average person, who probably only needs to trim a few small branches every now and then, a small chainsaw could be one tool that can move the needle for you, like the 12V Ryobi mini pruning saw.

With the capability to cut limbs up to four inches thick, Ryobi claims that it's best for yard maintenance tasks like pruning and light limbing. While it doesn't use any of Ryobi's existing battery systems, it does have an internal 12V 2.5 Ah battery. Although the actual runtime depends on a variety of factors, Ryobi says you can usually expect it to work for more than two dozen cuts per full charge. Priced at $69, it's available in the classic Ryobi green and black colorways, comes with a 6-inch bar and chain, plus tool-free chain tensioning. Whether you're looking for a mini chainsaw for use in tight spaces or one for the occasional cleanup after a storm, there are plenty of reasons why you should have one in your home. If you're considering this mini Ryobi chainsaw, here's what people have to say about it.

So far, the chainsaw only has eight verified reviews on the Ryobi website, but each one has been stellar with a perfect 5-star rating, so it's definitely a promising start. Some common positive feedback mentions its lightweight nature, which people said made it convenient to maneuver, especially if you need to navigate dense areas. In addition, the fact that it's battery-powered was definitely a bonus, with a user saying they liked that it didn't have bar oil mess. In particular, one person mentioned that it didn't struggle at all with roots and stalks, so it's limited to just being used for tree branches. Lastly, several users have praised its performance as well as its ability to charge quickly. But take note, there's no option to swap out the battery like other models.

If you're looking for something that doesn't have this problem, Ryobi does have a more powerful version that runs with its 18V ONE+ system. Although it is a little more expensive, the $99 18V ONE+ 6" Pruning Chainsaw has an impressive 4.8-star rating from over 180 reviewers on the Ryobi website. While it does have a slightly lower rating of 4.5 stars from 260+ Amazon users, it's a good option for people who already own the 18V ONE+ batteries. It's also one of the many mini tools we've recommended before that you can get on Home Depot.

Apart from Ryobi, other power tool brands have also rolled out some options that might be worth being on your radar. Among the lightweight chainsaws we've mentioned, some of them come from brands with integrated battery systems, which might help skew your decision. For example, if you're already invested in Milwaukee's M12 family, the M12 Fuel 6-inch Hatchet Pruning Saw might be on the table. Priced at $163.46, this particular mini saw holds a 4.7-star rating from over 360 people on Amazon. With a 2.3 horsepower capacity, it has a 6-inch chain and weighs only 4.1 lbs. Not only is it tagged as an Amazon's Choice product, but an impressive 86% of users think it performs well enough for a perfect score.

But, if you're not particular with batteries, there's also the gas-powered Echo 30.5 CC Gas 2-Stroke Top Handle Chainsaw. Although it's relatively more expensive than other options, you do get up to 5.3 hp with its 14-inch chain. Retailing for $231, it's rated pretty well at 4.1 stars on average by more than 300 Amazon users. But while over 70% of reviewers have given it a perfect rating, a few 1-star reviewers did mention issues with starting it, leaking, and struggling to have defective units replaced. That said, we're still on the fence when it comes to whether USB chainsaws are worth buying, but there has been some promising feedback from the likes of the WORKPROX rechargeable chainsaw.