Petrol or electric chainsaw

v638sg7k1a92bx

Trying to decide between these two chainsaws

Husqvarba 14” petrol €185 https://tjomahony.ie/37236-1.html

Ryobi 14” electric €110

I would have thought the petrol chainsaw would have been more expensive?

I’ll be using it for cutting firewood, trimming trees etc

cnocbui

The battery alone will cost €78 to replace in few years due to Li-ion degradation, and the packs still even being available when you need one would worry me.

I'd get the petrol.

Rows Grower

Not too many three pin sockets around where trees usually grow either so I'd go petrol too.

jprboy

Did you read the spec?

Need to consider this also:

Battery and charger not included in scope of delivery, please order separately!

v638sg7k1a92bx

jprboy wrote: »

Did you read the spec?

Need to consider this also:

Battery and charger not included in scope of delivery, please order separately!

I linked to the wrong one, updated to OP.

jprboy

Rows Grower wrote: »

Not too many three pin sockets around where trees usually grow either so I'd go petrol too.

Battery operated, not plug in. (OP linked to wrong one, turns out it is plug in)

What's for dinner tonight?

cnocbui

If you are just cutting up stuff in a fixed place, the electric would be less hassle, but if you need to trim trees, the petrol would IMO be better.

Lumen

Rows Grower wrote: »

Not too many three pin sockets around where trees usually grow either so I'd go petrol too.

I use a 50m extension (2.5mm2 three core) with my 40cm Makita electric chainsaw. That reaches from the house to all of my boundaries.

Electrics are lovely and quiet which makes a big difference if you're chainsawing in your spare time and have neighbours.

Rows Grower

jprboy wrote: »

Battery operated, not plug in. (OP linked to wrong one, turns out it is plug in)

What's for dinner tonight?

Two basic ingredients, check it out.

v638sg7k1a92bx

cnocbui wrote: »

If you are just cutting up stuff in a fixed place, the electric would be less hassle, but if you need to trim trees, the petrol would IMO be better.

I’ve had electric in the past but felt they lacked power. Would a petrol chainsaw have a lot more kick?

mgn

Go for the petrol and get one with an 18'' or 20'' blade, them 14'' blades make hard work of everything.

cnocbui

Wayne Important Quiz wrote: »

I’ve had electric in the past but felt they lacked power. Would a petrol chainsaw have a lot more kick?

Both should have power ratings. Compare them.

I have used a mains cable electric chainsaw that was up there with a small Stihl. Until I used it, i was a bit dismissive of it.

I own a Stihl.

mgn wrote: »

Go for the petrol and get one with an 18'' or 20'' blade, them 14'' blades make hard work of everything.

I once employed a professional forestry worker who earned his livelihood with chainsaws. I was surprised at him only having a 14" bar on his, and he then proceeded to educate me on why, noting there wasn't a tree in the adjacent plantation he couldn't fell with the 14" and how he could do more work, and faster, in a day, than someone wielding a saw with a longer bar.

mgn

cnocbui wrote: »

Both should have power ratings. Compare them.

I have used a mains cable electric chainsaw that was up there with a small Stihl. Until I used it, i was a bit dismissive of it.

I own a Stihl.



I once employed a professional forestry worker who earned his livelihood with chainsaws. I was surprised at him only having a 14" bar on his, and he then proceeded to educate me on why, noting there wasn't a tree in the adjacent plantation he couldn't fell with the 14" and how he could do more work, and faster, in a day, than someone wielding a saw with a longer bar.

Well i'm not a professional but i have cut a lot of trees and hedges over the years and from my experience it's a lot easier to use a saw with an 20'' blade for the simple reason you don't have to stretch or reach as much.

And another thing, if you see a professional coming in with a saw with an 14'' blade to cut a tree, run him, because he is no professional.

Calahonda52

mgn wrote: »

Well i'm not a professional but i have cut a lot of trees and hedges over the years and from my experience it's a lot easier to use a saw with an 20'' blade for the simple reason you don't have to stretch or reach as much.

Clearly not a professional, or even a skilled DIYer when you talk about stretching or reaching with any tool, not to mind a 20" CS

CJhaughey

Its a guide bar, bar for short not blade!
Every inch of length that you add to a bar saps power from the saw.
If a saw comes with a 14" bar from the manufacturer then its a fair bet that thats what works best on that power of saw.
Most professional foresters run small bars because they keep the chain speed up through the reduction of drag.
A 15" bar can cut down a 30" tree because you can cut from both sides so running someone because they have a small bar is stupid talk.
For limbing and small trees a small bar is best for many reasons not least there is less cutters and less sharpening, but safety plays a big part as well.

mgn

Calahonda52 wrote: »

Clearly not a professional, or even a skilled DIYer when you talk about stretching or reaching with any tool, not to mind a 20" CS

You clearly never used a chainsaw.

mgn

CJhaughey wrote: »

Its a guide bar, bar for short not blade!
Every inch of length that you add to a bar saps power from the saw.
If a saw comes with a 14" bar from the manufacturer then its a fair bet that thats what works best on that power of saw.
Most professional foresters run small bars because they keep the chain speed up through the reduction of drag.
A 15" bar can cut down a 30" tree because you can cut from both sides so running someone because they have a small bar is stupid talk.
For limbing and small trees a small bar is best for many reasons not least there is less cutters and less sharpening, but safety plays a big part as well.

Are you trying to tell me you can't buy the same saw with say a 16'' bar or 20'' bar.
Have you ever cut a 30'' tree with a 15'' bar, works on paper but not that easy in real life, one of the things i learned a long time ago when cutting down a tree, is the less time you spend at the bottom of it the better.
As for sharping a chain, i would do a 20'' chain in 5/6 minutes.

CJhaughey

mgn wrote: »

Are you trying to tell me you can't buy the same saw with say a 16'' bar or 20'' bar.
Have you ever cut a 30'' tree with a 15'' bar, works on paper but not that easy in real life, one of the things i learned a long time ago when cutting down a tree, is the less time you spend at the bottom of it the better.
As for sharping a chain, i would do a 20'' chain in 5/6 minutes.

Very few saws that come with a 16" bar from the manufacturer will also be specced with a 20" bar.
It has to do with both power and balance.
Look at the size of the powerhead, the oiling capability and the bar mount pattern and you will figure out that they are interlinked.
You can buy a longer bar that will fit the saw but will it be able to be adequately lubed?
Example:

Bar length (inch)
14"
Chain type
H37
Sprocket type
Spur 6
Bar mount
Small
Recommended bar length, max
16 in
Recommended bar length, min
14 in


I have cut many trees with a smaller bar than the DBH of the tree, it works fine.
If you are worried about being at the bottom of a tree as you are cutting it then your technique is wrong. The face cut is a process that should not be rushed, it has to be accurate or you will run the risk of the tree falling in a direction that you don't intend it to.
I'm glad that your sharping technique is so speedy. I myself usually take a bit longer depending on what kind of angles I am using and what kind of chain it is.
If I rock it then obviously it will take much longer.

Wanderer78

Wayne Important Quiz wrote:

Husqvarba 14†petrol €185

Husky all the way

mgn

CJhaughey wrote: »

Very few saws that come with a 16" bar from the manufacturer will also be specced with a 20" bar.
It has to do with both power and balance.
Look at the size of the powerhead, the oiling capability and the bar mount pattern and you will figure out that they are interlinked.
You can buy a longer bar that will fit the saw but will it be able to be adequately lubed?
Example:

Bar length (inch)
14"
Chain type
H37
Sprocket type
Spur 6
Bar mount
Small
Recommended bar length, max
16 in
Recommended bar length, min
14 in


I have cut many trees with a smaller bar than the DBH of the tree, it works fine.
If you are worried about being at the bottom of a tree as you are cutting it then your technique is wrong. The face cut is a process that should not be rushed, it has to be accurate or you will run the risk of the tree falling in a direction that you don't intend it to.
I'm glad that your sharping technique is so speedy. I myself usually take a bit longer depending on what kind of angles I am using and what kind of chain it is.
If I rock it then obviously it will take much longer.

https://robertkee.ie/product/husqvarna-445-chainsaw

Just one example of saws with different size bars.

I get what your saying about the smaller bar but to me it makes no sense cutting a tree with a small bar, takes 2/3 times longer and to much hardship, fine if you have plenty of time and only have do it occasionally.

CJhaughey

But in the context of the OP about saws, they were talking about a 40cc class saw, I would consider 14" to be the max that one of them will run efficiently.
I have a few saws, 50cc-56cc-62cc-90cc all with a lot more power than the 1.5-1.6kw that we are talking about.
I run 18" on the 50cc and 62cc and a 28" on the 90cc. They are capable of more but for my cutting I like the balance of the shorter bars.
You can get lightweight bars that balance better but most people don't want to pay almost the same as the saw for a bar.
In the homeowner segment of the market most saws will be running 16" max any more than that and the oilers won't cope and the saw will struggle with the bar buried.

cnocbui

mgn wrote: »

Well i'm not a professional but i have cut a lot of trees and hedges over the years and from my experience it's a lot easier to use a saw with an 20'' blade for the simple reason you don't have to stretch or reach as much.

And another thing, if you see a professional coming in with a saw with an 14'' blade to cut a tree, run him, because he is no professional.

He was a contractor who worked for Coilte and who was recommended to me by them when I asked for suggestions. They warned me he would seem expensive but that he was fast and competent. He lived up to that description to a T and was highly professional and did exactly what he said he would.

mgn

cnocbui wrote: »

He was a contractor who worked for Coilte and who was recommended to me by them when I asked for suggestions. They warned me he would seem expensive but that he was fast and competent. He lived up to that description to a T and was highly professional and did exactly what he said he would.

And can you not see why he was expensive, using a small saw takes twice as long provided it was not a hedge he was cutting.

cnocbui

mgn wrote: »

And can you not see why he was expensive, using a small saw takes twice as long provided it was not a hedge he was cutting.

He was expensive because of the incredible amount of work he did in a single day, not because he was slow. He worked like a demon and charged basically a fixed price for the job.

mgn

cnocbui wrote: »

He was expensive because of the incredible amount of work he did in a single day, not because he was slow. He worked like a demon and charged basically a fixed price for the job.

And if he had a bigger saw he would have it done in half the time and no need for him to work like a demon.
But then again he wanted it to look good so he could charge you plenty.
Professional fraudster springs to mind.

v638sg7k1a92bx

mgn wrote: »

And if he had a bigger saw he would have it done in half the time and no need for him to work like a demon.
But then again he wanted it to look good so he could charge you plenty.
Professional fraudster springs to mind.

Can we stop with this pissing contest please.

Which is better electric or petrol?

mgn

Wayne Important Quiz wrote: »

Can we stop with this pissing contest please.

Which is better electric or petrol?

Petrol

wayoutwest

O.P - compare the chain speeds (measured in metres per second)
Husky 236 =16.3 mps (at full throttle)
Ryobi 18volt = 10 mps (at full charge...presumably decreasing as battery discharges)
The cordless would be ok for occasional light use - pruning small stuff etc, but logging up limbs that are over 6 or 8 inches diameter would be tediously slow.

Lumen

Wayne Important Quiz wrote: »

Which is better electric or petrol?

It's not that simple!

Electric is quieter, cleaner, safer, less maintenance.

Petrol is more powerful and goes all day.

Just like lawnmowers.

CJhaughey

Lumen wrote: »

It's not that simple!

Electric is quieter, cleaner, safer, less maintenance.

Petrol is more powerful and goes all day.

Just like lawnmowers.

I'm not sure about safer. The electric saws have a lot of torque and most safety gear is designed to stall a petrol saw with a clutch by entangling fibres through the chain and clutch system.
Electric saws can cut through PPE gloves/pants etc without slowing because they don't have a clutch.
Maintenance will still require chain sharpening/tensioning and filling of oil just like a petrol saw but obviously no sparkplug or airfilter.


One thing to note that if you are a sporadic user of a petrol saw buying premixed Aspen or similar alkylate fuel will prolong the life of the fuel components by preventing ethanol damage.