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Alaskan Survivalist
07-07-2010, 04:41 PM
I put this thread here because this is the kind of thing I would carry in a BOV. I was reluctant to buy this saw thinking it would not be powerful enough to cut much wood. I did a YouTube search but the only video I found of it in operation was by a guy that did not know how to use a saw and it constantly bound up on him. I finally took a chance and spent the 100 dollars it cost. If it worked it would be ideal for my purpose. I was not dissapointed. I was able to cut up a wheel barrow full of wood and gather it up in about ten minutes.

http://i540.photobucket.com/albums/gg346/akmofo/IMG_1275.jpg

It still had plenty of battery left but this is more wood than I use on a daily basis with a sheepherders stove to heat a tent. In the picture you can see about my normal wood I keep on hand for one. If I made a daily chore of this the wood would begin to pile up.

http://i540.photobucket.com/albums/gg346/akmofo/IMG_1208.jpg

I can charge it pluging into ATV battery or use a portable solar panel I have to charge it.

http://i540.photobucket.com/albums/gg346/akmofo/IMG_0234.jpg

The saw weighs 6 pounds and can be operated with one hand. I think it would be great for building small cabins also If you pluged it in between use. If I have any problems with durability I will post that here but it is too soon to tell. I have a feeling with proper use it will last a long time. I'm pleased so far.

Camp10
07-07-2010, 04:56 PM
A friend uses one by the woodstove during the winter. Once in a while a log gets cut just a little to long to fit in the stove and this was his fix to that problem. He can trim them up as he brings them inside and everyone is happy.

I dont think he has done much tough work with his but it has handled this chore for a few years now.

Keep us posted on how well it holds up to hard labor.

crashdive123
07-07-2010, 05:35 PM
They are handy little saws. I've used one, but do not own one. For BO possibilities I take my Stihl Farm Boss, as I am more concerned with downed trees blocking my path than firewood (for my climate).

Justin Case
07-07-2010, 05:41 PM
I am curious if they last as long as a cordless sawzall, They work pretty good for the smaller wood if you have the right blade,

Camp10
07-07-2010, 05:48 PM
They are handy little saws. I've used one, but do not own one. For BO possibilities I take my Stihl Farm Boss, as I am more concerned with downed trees blocking my path than firewood (for my climate).

Me too! I never venture off the beaten path without a chainsaw in the truck. There have been many times I have had to cut my way out of camp in the fall after a storm.

I doubt this cordless would take the place of a gas saw for that kind of work but there are plenty of jobs that I might like to try it on.

crashdive123
07-07-2010, 05:57 PM
I am curious if they last as long as a cordless sawzall, They work pretty good for the smaller wood if you have the right blade,

I think it would be better than nothing, but not as efficient as the cordless chainsaw. Nor do I think they could go through as much wood as the one AS has because of their inefficiencies.

Rick
07-07-2010, 06:57 PM
AS - You could also keep it charged with an inverter in the BOV.

Alaskan Survivalist
07-07-2010, 07:10 PM
On comparison to a sawsall I can tell you it cuts 2 times as fast as mine but my sawsall plugs into the wall so to say more would be a guess. I never much trusted cordless tools for that matter anything plastic either. Call me old fashioned. I would agree about cutting large trees. I have cut down huge trees twice the size of my bar lenght with gas chainsaws but power seems to be an issue and while it has an 8 inch bar I would not consider it for logs over 6 inches. My use for it is mainly for firewood in smaller sizes for smaller stoves and for this task it is great. The only advantage it has over a gas saw would be light weight and not having to start it each time you pick it up like when building things. I tell people I've taught to run heavy equipment that if they can handle the small equipment the big equipment is easy. One smaller equipment is faster and requires faster responce but the part that applies here is that you must use small equipment properly for it to even do the job. You can get away with sloppy technique with larger equipment because it has more power. You have to let the saw cut at its own speed. As dumb as it is you can apply more force to a gas saw. The farm boss is a good saw but just as a side note you should know it is not considered a professional saw. Stihl makes both kinds and they make other saws with smaller lighter motors that cut faster because they turn 1000 RPM faster and are made with lighter parts to high specs. The Farm Boss is a great value and a great saw. I use them as my main powerhead but I have at least one of Stihls professional saws when I start cutting for profit. I have Stihls 220 E that is an electric saw that believe it or not is considered one of thier proffessional saws. It cost over 600 dollars when I purchased it 7 or 8 years ago. Don't know what it would cost today. The application needs to be considered with chainsaws. This is a cordless chainsaw and I would not expect too much. I didn't and was pleasantly surprized. I never expected it to work as well as a gas saw or even cheap electrics with a cord. I would say it would be on a par with cheap electric saw as long as the battery is charged. I think two wheel barrows full of wood would run it down but like I said my needs are met with one load.

PS-To be clear my reason for saying I would carry it in a bov is because It is too much to backpack and a camp luxury.

Rick
07-07-2010, 07:12 PM
How about noise? I would think the battery powered chainsaw would be a lot more stealthy.

Alaskan Survivalist
07-07-2010, 07:21 PM
How about noise? I would think the battery powered chainsaw would be a lot more stealthy.

A lot more quiet!

klickitat
07-23-2010, 10:38 PM
has anyone seen the latest issue of Backwoodsman? There is an article where a guy converted a battery on a cordless into a unit that was now just a mail end and the other end of the cord had 12v battery alligator clamps to hook up to a car battery.

Sort of a neat idea that would be perfect for a saw like this. A standard battery and cord to compliment the package.

randyt
07-23-2010, 10:57 PM
that's a nice set up. I like your solar panel, I've been wanting to get a panel like that for charging cordless tools. any thoughts for a solar newbie like me?

Ole WV Coot
07-24-2010, 07:32 AM
I also use the Sthil Farm Boss and it works fine unless you plan on clear cutting an acre or more. A smaller saw I've tried, heaver I've tried but the Farm Boss does everything I want. Keeping the chain oiled and sharpened properly is the key and Sthil products speak for themselves.

Camp10
07-24-2010, 08:04 AM
and Sthil products speak for themselves.

I'm a Stihl guy also. We carry Stihl (026 pro)saws on all our bucket trucks and I figured if they could hold up to the abuse we give them then they would work just fine for me. I picked up the same model and have not yet been let down by it.

hunter63
07-24-2010, 11:49 AM
AS, nice set up.
I have carried a 14"gas chain saw in the BOV for a long time.
Have had problems with fuel going bad, lines deteriorating.

Have also used a Remington electric change saw (corded) one on pole and one without.(on sale at Menards for $30 bucks).
I leave that one next to the wood stove to trim up logs that are too long...due to PP quaility control)).

I carry several Milwaukee 18v tools when in "work truck mode", Drill/driver, Hachete Sawsal, Flashlight, Circular saw.
Have used a plug-in inverter, to charge batteries.........
All have worked well for different things.

So I guess I just have one question for you.
Does the chain oil drain out when not in use, as it does with all other chainsaws, that haven't run dry? Real PITA

randyt
07-25-2010, 09:37 AM
we used a electric chainsaw at the sawmill to trim boogered up board ends if needed when running them through the sticker. one of these cordless saws would have been real handy.

crashdive123
07-25-2010, 09:51 AM
How did you get boogers on the..........oh, nevermind.:innocent:

randyt
07-25-2010, 11:34 AM
yup, boogered, buggered or just needing a trim job. lol

AirborneEagles
09-17-2010, 05:25 AM
Not a bad idea. I can only imagine running out of fuel and nothing is open to buy fuel and I would be cutting up wood by hand if needed. So in that case, those little electric rechargeable chainsaws would come in handy. Lots of little tree laying around to cut up that fell over and dried up.

canid
09-19-2010, 11:19 PM
from the sound of it, i'd say that little guy works better than most corded electric chainsaws i've used, which where pretty much polished s@#$.

Alaskan Survivalist
11-04-2010, 08:54 PM
Update, Having used it a few months now I have found it's limitations and full usefullness. My barrel stove requires large logs to burn any lenght of time and this saw will die within two cuts of a 6 inch frozen log, but it will cut several days worth of smaller stuff up to 3 or 4 inches that burn well in my modern airtight stove. Final opinion is it's a great saw for small brush that would burn in newer stoves or smaller camp stoves but should not be considered for anything else. It sure is easy to grab it and sled and cut a few days worth of wood and be back inside 30 minutes later.

klickitat
11-04-2010, 08:57 PM
Update, Having used it a few months now I have found it's limitations and full usefullness. My barrel stove requires large logs to burn any lenght of time and this saw will die within two cuts of a 6 inch frozen log, but it will cut several days worth of smaller stuff up to 3 or 4 inches that burn well in my modern airtight stove. Final opinion is it's a great saw for small brush that would burn in newer stoves or smaller camp stoves but should not be considered for anything else. It sure is easy to grab it and sled and cut a few days worth of wood and be back inside 30 minutes later.

how much actual time do you have on it now?

Alaskan Survivalist
11-04-2010, 09:04 PM
Hard to guage but I would guess about 15 hours. I've had to sharpen chain twice. Does that help.

klickitat
11-04-2010, 09:10 PM
yes, I am curious as to how durable it is going to be.

Alaskan Survivalist
11-04-2010, 09:17 PM
I have similar concerns but at this point it has paid for itself. I make sure I change batteries as soon as it slows down and don't arc motor hoping this will help lifespan. It does not have the power to have serious wear. I think electric motor is probably the weak point. Not sure how long batterries will last either. I'll update when it craps out completely.

canid
11-04-2010, 09:22 PM
the battery discharge (and therefore cutting efficiency per amp/hour) will be greatly determined by cutting resistance, thanks to heat loss increasing with load.

wildWoman
12-28-2010, 09:25 PM
I don't see this being very useful in the North in the winter time, though, unless you have maybe micro hydro or windpower. I don't know about you, but our solar panel is utterly useless from about mid-October until mid-February, so you'd need some other gas guzzling machinery to charge the saw.
I don't go for this bugging out stuff but if the idea is to go from A to B with all sorts of supplies being unavailable, I'd opt for a plain old handsaw. Just my $0.02 :)

JPGreco
12-29-2010, 11:03 PM
I would agree that I'd rather have a regular saw for a BOL situation. That and I'm not much of a fan of black and decker, which it looks like is the maker.

However, simply for the "neat" factor, it works.

Alaskan Survivalist
12-30-2010, 02:56 AM
This saw has its limitations but it also has its usefulness. When used within the limited context I have mentioned it serves me well but expanding it beyond that would be a stretch. I know it is easier for me than lugging around a gas chainsaw and much easier than using a hand saw. It is most suitable for small wood and I would say almost useless for anything over 3 inches in diameter, but when it comes to gathering a sled full of alder from the woods next to my house it kicks ***!

Ole WV Coot
12-30-2010, 09:56 AM
I will admit to using a cordless recip saw to cut down a small pine tree and it worked fine with a Big Ugly blade. I only did it because I was too lazy to get the Sthil. I guess a cordless anything has a use and I am partial to DeWalt for some reason.

Brazito
01-01-2011, 10:33 AM
Have you cut anything hard like oak? I'd consider that saw rather than carrying the Jonsered around in the truck.

crashdive123
01-01-2011, 11:34 AM
Have you cut anything hard like oak? I'd consider that saw rather than carrying the Jonsered around in the truck.

I don't have that particular saw, but my little 10" Remington electric goes through oak just fine with a sharp chain....it is corded though.

hunter63
01-03-2011, 02:22 PM
So after carrying my 14" chainsaw around in my trucks all these years, (last time I left it home, I needed it?), I might consider one.
Maybe even check out Harbor Freight, as I don't plan to use it much.

Crash, I have a couple of the Remington electric saws as well, one on the pole and one on sale at Menard's for $28 bucks, (no brain-er), and are really handy if next to a plug.
If you need to cut a piece or two, and don't want to fill the chain oil-er, gas, and fight the gas saws.

Too bad Dewalt or Milwaukee doesn't make one (yet?), as the batteries form these tools fit a lot of different units.
I'll never buy a Black and Decker any longer as even like voltages use different batteries.
Same with Craftsman (mostly made by B&D).

Battery life is really effected by the cold so the more fresh batteries you have the better off you are.
Found this out installing roof top HVAC units units in the winter.

Alaskan Survivalist
01-03-2011, 02:37 PM
The quality does not even come close to a Milwaukee so I use it tenderly.

crashdive123
01-03-2011, 02:59 PM
So after carrying my 14" chainsaw around in my trucks all these years, (last time I left it home, I needed it?), I might consider one.
Maybe even check out Harbor Freight, as I don't plan to use it much.

Crash, I have a couple of the Remington electric saws as well, one on the pole and one on sale at Menard's for $28 bucks, (no brain-er), and are really handy if next to a plug.
If you need to cut a piece or two, and don't want to fill the chain oil-er, gas, and fight the gas saws.

Too bad Dewalt or Milwaukee doesn't make one (yet?), as the batteries form these tools fit a lot of different units.
I'll never buy a Black and Decker any longer as even like voltages use different batteries.
Same with Craftsman (mostly made by B&D).

Battery life is really effected by the cold so the more fresh batteries you have the better off you are.
Found this out installing roof top HVAC units units in the winter.

I use it for work from time to time. I can't carry around my Stihl and gas all the time, but this, coupled with a power inverter works like a champ.

hunter63
01-04-2011, 09:04 PM
So, OK y'all talked me into it.

Bought a Ryobi, iron battery, same as a couple of my drill/drivers.
Don't have the drills/drivers here, so as both are 18v I'm hoping the batteries are the same. work on everything, that will give me 4 batteries.

We have been hauling out lighter pine logs, and I wanted to cut a few, should work quietly at the deer lease.

My service truck I used a inverter to charge my work tools thru the 115 charger.
My old black ford has a plug for 12 power in the bed for inverter powered cooler, and also worked good for power tools.
Wired into lighting circuit, so is only powered up when lights are on, saved dead batteries.

Haven't wird up the new truck yet, but I'm sure it will work as well.
Checked out Harbor Freight, they didn't have any, and I don't think Milwaukee makes one.
So we will give this a try..........

JPGreco
01-04-2011, 10:23 PM
18v batteries are interchangeable between 18v devices of the same manufacturer so you should be good.

and just make sure you know:
18v lithium ion batteries can be used on standard 18v devices of the same manufacturer. Standard 18v batteries usually cannot be put into the lithium ion devices. Standard 18v batteries MIGHT be able to be charged by lithium ion chargers. DO NOT put lithium ion batteries in standard chargers.

JPGreco
01-04-2011, 10:25 PM
Dewalt does make a battery powered reciprocating saw and circular saw, but those tend to eat batteries, so not sure how much they would get through. They are also more limited than a chainsaw in their application.

Brazito
01-05-2011, 12:20 PM
In 1992, Black & Decker started a major effort to rebrand its professional quality and high-end power tools to DeWalt. Currently, DeWalt manufactures and sells more than 200 different power hand-tools and 800 accessories.

Per wiki-pedia

JPGreco
01-05-2011, 03:42 PM
In 1992, Black & Decker started a major effort to rebrand its professional quality and high-end power tools to DeWalt. Currently, DeWalt manufactures and sells more than 200 different power hand-tools and 800 accessories.

Per wiki-pedia

Its been a long known fact that Dewalt and Black and Decker are the same company, just one product is dirt cheap for the person who will use it once a year and dewalt is more of a professional grade. I don't remember who owns what, but pretty much everything equivalent tool you see at Home Depot (Dewalt, Rigid, Porter Cable, Milwaukee, etc) also makes a crappy product. I believe one of the few is Hilti, and Hilti is one hell of a product (especially older models), but costs a lot more in general.

hunter63
01-05-2011, 04:54 PM
18v batteries are interchangeable between 18v devices of the same manufacturer so you should be good.

and just make sure you know:
18v lithium ion batteries can be used on standard 18v devices of the same manufacturer. Standard 18v batteries usually cannot be put into the lithium ion devices. Standard 18v batteries MIGHT be able to be charged by lithium ion chargers. DO NOT put lithium ion batteries in standard chargers.

I have not found this to be true on 14v Black and Decker, so we will see about Ryobi.
Milwaukee 14v and 18v do fit, just don't use a 18v battery on a 14v drill/driver.


...... I believe one of the few is Hilti, and Hilti is one hell of a product (especially older models), but costs a lot more in general.

My experience is, "If it says Hilti on the box, you are already over your head". LOL, yes the do make a heck of a product.

JPGreco
01-05-2011, 10:13 PM
I have not found this to be true on 14v Black and Decker, so we will see about Ryobi.
Milwaukee 14v and 18v do fit, just don't use a 18v battery on a 14v drill/driver.

Usually on the cheaper brands, yeah, the battery is designed for the tool, not the line. And yes, different volt batteries usually aren't made for interchangeable use. Though, again, being a carpenter, we use the brands designed for us (dewalt mainly, but rigid is another popular brand), which all the tools from any voltage line use the same battery. This is a neccesity for a carpenter since I might go through 3 batteries in a day and if I had to buy 3 different kinds I wouldn't use the brand. My brand new impact drill uses the same 18v batteries that my 6 year old drill uses and it can use lithium ion 18v batteries as well.




My experience is, "If it says Hilti on the box, you are already over your head". LOL, yes the do make a heck of a product.

haha, well again, as a carpenter, I cherish the chance to use them. I used an old hammer drill on a poured concrete foundation and it drilled holes like it was wood.

Rick
01-05-2011, 10:19 PM
Crap. We had to take a class on Hilti fasteners. I think it used a .22 caliber charge to set fasteners in concrete. I may be wrong on the charge but it seems like it was .22. That was one nasty piece of hardware. I never used it after the class. You could kill people with that thing. But the gun was built bomb proof.

JPGreco
01-05-2011, 10:28 PM
Crap. We had to take a class on Hilti fasteners. I think it used a .22 caliber charge to set fasteners in concrete. I may be wrong on the charge but it seems like it was .22. That was one nasty piece of hardware. I never used it after the class. You could kill people with that thing. But the gun was built bomb proof.

Yep, we have one made by ramset. It the size of the round is a .22, but there are several levels of powder. I think it goes brown, green, yellow, red.

And yes, its essentially a gun. I could load it and push it into your chest and pull the trigger. Considering the nail is harder than lead rounds, it might blow right through you. It will shatter any bone it hits too.

Funny story, my coworker had a cop role up to the job site and he asked if someone was shooting a gun somewhere around the area.

crashdive123
01-06-2011, 12:08 AM
I've got several Hilti rotary hammer drills. I picked them up when the company I worked for was liquidating all equipment when the company was sold. I don't remember if I paid $25 or $50 each for them. New, they are around $750. The really cool thing with these (TE-25's) is that they will completely rebuild one for about $225. They are great drills.

hunter63
01-06-2011, 10:41 AM
My best/worst Hilti story involved coring a 4" hole into the top of a bank vault, to install a line set for a Mini split A/C unit.

Concrete was about 18" thick, had steel embedded in it,and couldn't use water/cutting grout.
Was in the attic of the bank...hot,...real glad I had an apprentice, as we didn't have room to bolt down the coring machine, took all day.

I can recall going into the vault and asking the lady that worked in there, if she could move the pallet of money, as it was right under where the ladder had to go.

Think about having to use the statement, "Excuse me, can you move your money? It's in my way...."
One of those "What did I just say?...."

JPGreco
01-06-2011, 10:12 PM
I've got several Hilti rotary hammer drills. I picked them up when the company I worked for was liquidating all equipment when the company was sold. I don't remember if I paid $25 or $50 each for them. New, they are around $750. The really cool thing with these (TE-25's) is that they will completely rebuild one for about $225. They are great drills.

I just might hate you for that... lol

crashdive123
01-06-2011, 10:18 PM
I was at a trade show talking to a Hilti rep. He was really po'd at my former company. They flooded th Florida market with nearly 3000 TE-25's and 1000 TE-1's. Hilti sales took a big hit in Florida because of it. I asked why Hilti didn't buy them all up, refurbish them and turn a nice profit? I can't repeat what he said.