Chainsaw Repair

Comparing the two saws side-by-side (photos above), the noticeable differences (aside from the color scheme) include the addition of a small, metal, bucking dog to the front of the plastic case, and the tool-less chain tensioner knob (which most people thought that the earlier version had: that knob secures clutch cover and bar - still need a screwdriver to tension chain).  I am not a big fan of tool-less chain tensioners, but the large mounting knob, and outside tensioning ring are pretty easy to operate: a small turn of the ring makes a big difference in the chain tension.

The brushless motor on the CS300 has a soft start - almost feels like a delay at first.  Also has a 'softer' sound.  Once started, the difference in power in the cut is immediately noticeable.  I found that the newer model cut approximately 25 to 33% off of the time to make cookies in 3 to 6 inch diameter wood, and up to 50% off in larger (8 inch diameter) wood!  I was surprised at the magnitude of this difference, and will do some more comparisons to make sure that these were not a fluke.

Both saws come with a conventional, manually operated chain brake, but do not have an electric 'instant stop' chain brake. The newer model does have an interesting feature: it emits a tone if you pull the trigger with the chain brake engaged.  I assume that this will reduce the number of nuisance service calls, and admit that I have checked the battery charge level on more than one occasion, only to find the saw not working because the chain brake was 'on'.

Both saws come equipped with the PowerSharp chain and have a built-in chain sharpener, operated by the red levers in the photos above. They can also use conventional 3/8 low profile chain, if preferred, or if a replacement PowerSharp chain is not readily available.

Philbert

Some of those PowerSharp demos and videos backfired on Oregon, in my perspective.  All people remembered was cutting the brick, or cinder block, and associated the battery saw and PowerSharp chain with that type of use (abuse) - something that would really damage normal chain, requiring half the cutter to be ground or filed back.  It really damages PowerSharp chain too (!), and requires lots of the cutter to be ground away to bring it back: it is just easier and faster with the powered sharpening system. After dong these demos repeatedly, people complain that the chain does not last!!!

If you take care of the PowerSharp chain, like you would normal chain you will get good cutting and service life out of them.  When I take one to a GTG, people want to grind the chain away doing demos!  I have actually started to disable the sharpening system on PowerSharp saws I bring to GTGs, so that I don't have to continually replace chains!

As far as battery saws in general, they have their pros and cons (we have discussed this in other threads) - this one seems to have significant improvements from the earlier version, while maintaining the same size, weight, cost, battery compatibility, etc.  If you are not a fan of the PowerSharp chain, you can run it with standard 3/8 low profile/Picco chain, and I assume that you will still see the same improvements over the earlier version.

Philbert