Author Topic: Oregon Corded Electric Chainsaw CS1500  (Read 1887 times)

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Offline Philbert

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Re: Oregon Corded Electric Chainsaw CS1500
« on: December 12, 2014, 09:19:21 pm »
The difference in power and chain speed between the 40 volt battery saw, and the corded electrics was immediately apparent.  While the CS250 was able to cut all of the wood, and certainly offers some convenience being untethered by a cord, it was clearly in another class of saw.  The CS1500 (15 amps, 18" bar) and Makita (13 amps, 16" bar) were very competitive.  Handle spacing was almost identical, except that the Oregon has an angled front/top handle, like Husqvarna saws.  Actual difference in bar length was only 1".

Performance between these 2 saws was also comparable.  I did not do timed tests.  The Makita is maybe 10 years old (a HD rental rescue) with a used PowerSharp chain.  The Oregon is fresh out of the box, with a brand new PowerSharp chain.  So, again, it was not a controlled test.

PowerSharp cuts fairly aggressively, when sharpened (photo 1). Cuts with all 3 saws were very smooth (photo 2).  The PowerSharp chain also noodles well (photo 3)!

There are some objective differences between the corded saws.  The Oregon has a side-winder style motor, and the Makita is an in-line design.  This could affect balance in some situations, and the ability to work in tight spaces (e.g. thick hedges), but was not an issue for this type of cutting.  The Oregon corded saw also has an electric brake: when you release the trigger, the chain stops immediately.  The chain on this Makita coasts, which could be a safety issue.  All 3 saws are equipped with a conventional, lever operated chain brake, similar to those on gas powered chainsaws.

The CS1500 has a surprisingly strong air stream that blows out of the bottom.  I could not figure out where this was coming from at first, but ended up using it to blow off chips.  It also has very large spacing around handles, so that someone with large hands and gloves can easily fit them in there, although, I did not have any trouble grasping either handle with smaller hands.

I am not a big fan of tool-less chain tensioners.  This one was easier to use than several of the others I have tried: a large knob in the center replaces the bar nut, and the large ring on the outside adjusts tension.  I still feel that I can do this more accurately with a screwdriver, and the additional hardware under the cover makes the chain slightly harder to mount.  But this feature is pretty common for a consumer product to remain competitive today.

Bottom line?  I was very impressed with my once-over and this very limited test.  The CS1500 is almost half the price of the Makita (street prices), and cut competitively.  A more objective, quantitative, laboratory test might be to compare it side-by-side with the current (15 amp) Makita model, and with the similarly priced, WORX 15 amp, 18" saw.  But I would feel very comfortable recommending this to a friend.  Equipped with the PowerSharp chain, and the built-in sharpener, this is a good, low maintenance cutting choice, for use in the city, or anywhere near an outlet.

Philbert

 

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