Chainsaw Repair

The saw can be used with their 1.2, 2.4, or 4.0 Amp-hour, Li-Ion batteries, which all weigh about the same. The 4.0 Ahr batteries have not been released yet, so I was unable to try those.

My first impressions were very positive. it is relatively light, well balanced, and feels well made. It felt lighter in use than the 13.5 pounds (with battery pack) than the specifications indicate, especially when working with the shaft fully retracted. The oval shaft makes it easy to control the rotation of the guide bar and chain.

Use is pretty intuitive, with an tapered/shaped handle and two-part trigger. Everyone I showed it to seemed to understand how to use it right away. Being a battery-powered tool, there is no priming, choke, flooding, etc. It is also quiet, especially between cuts.

The day I used this saw was pretty cold for a battery powered tool, ranging from 10 to 22*F. I actually kept the batteries in a 'cooler' in my car to keep them warm! I used winter grade bar oil, and ran 3 of the 2.4 Ahr batteries, mostly limbing a 24 inch trunk diameter spruce that had its upper half broken off by the storm, and was pleasantly surprised by the battery life.

This pre-release version had a bar oil tank that fills from the end, which is pretty awkward on a 7 foot pole saw, unless you are standing on a deck. The Oregon rep told me that the final version will have a tank with a cap on the side, so it can be filled with the saw laying down. I much prefer a side operated chain tensioner, but this was not too much of a problem with the short chain (34DL loop, which should not stretch much).

I was a little concerned about the knurled, shaft extension collar/locking nut, which is fairly large (about 2-1/2 inches in diameter) - I have small hands, and have had problems with this part on manual pole pruners 'locking up', meaning that I had to use some type of strap wrench to loosen them. I did not have any problems with this one, but only used it for a limited period.

I showed the saw to a number of other responders, and the only negative comment I received was from a guy in the tree business who commented that the chain speed is slower than his gas powered saw, and he did not think that he would like that.

Philbert