Got wood? If your garden has a problematic tree, or if you need to chop up a winter’s supply of firewood, you’ve got a great excuse to buy a chainsaw. You might think such tools are only for professionals, but thanks to advances in brushless motor technology, a compact cordless chainsaw can be yours for a steal these days.
And if you’re not sure what you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re looking to make short work of pruning or have a few trees you’d like to get rid of, here’s everything you need to know to get the job done - and our recommendations to help you pick the right tool for the job.
How to buy the best chainsaw for you
What type of chainsaw should I buy?
For home use, we’d recommend you pick an electric chainsaw, rather than one with a heavyweight petrol engine. These aren’t as powerful as their gas-powered cousins, but for amateur use that’s not a bad thing. It means they’re far lighter and easier to wield precisely than heavier petrol models, and that in turn means they’re also safer. Lower-powered chainsaws are more neighbour-friendly too – they’re quieter when cutting, and when idling they don’t make any noise at all.
Should I buy a battery- or mains-powered chainsaw?
In most cases a battery-powered chainsaw won’t be as powerful as a mains-powered saw; if you have a mighty oak to fell, you’ll find a corded model the way to go. High-powered battery technology is expensive too, so a mains-powered chainsaw will normally offer better bang-per-buck.
However, a cordless design offers you much more freedom to roam around, which is great if you’re pruning bushes all over the garden. If you really need both freedom and power, check out the DeWalt DCM575, reviewed below, which offers more power than many mains-powered models - albeit at a price.
How do I keep a chainsaw running smoothly?
It’s important to keep the chain on your saw properly tensioned: this will help it last longer and cut better, and crucially it’s safer too. The tension is likely to wobble particularly in the first few hours after you install a new chain, so it’s a big plus if you can adjust the tension without needing tools. A tool-free design also means that if you need to release the chain or bar - say because a branch or trunk has pinched the saw and trapped it - you can do so without having to hunt around for the right tool, and more quickly get back to the task at hand.
What do the manufacturers mean when they talk about ‘bar length’?
The bar – the bit the cutting chain runs around – is a major differentiating factor between different chainsaws. A longer bar means you can cut more wood in one go, but it also makes the saw heavier and a bit harder to wield. If all you have to do is pruning it makes sense to go for a smaller-barred, easier-to-handle model.
What kind of safety features should I look out for?
A chain brake instantly stops the saw if the finger-guard at the front of the chainsaw gets pushed forwards - an effective safety feature in case the saw experiences kickback. Not all electric chainsaws have this feature, and it may not be a deal-breaker depending on the sort of job you’re planning to take on. It’s something to consider, though: if there’s a chance you might end up using your chainsaw to tackle a big gnarly tree, it’s definitely a case of better safe than sorry.
The best chainsaws to buy, from £50
Titan TTB355CHN: A stunningly affordable and surprisingly capable chainsaw
Price when reviewed: £50, Buy now from Screwfix
The Titan brand will be familiar to anyone who spends a lot of time in Screwfix, Titan’s exclusive UK stockist. And this corded chainsaw bears the manufacturer’s familiar hallmarks: a rock-bottom price, coupled with a basic but very effective design. We found it impressively solid, sinking into wood at a magnificent rate and eating up some surprisingly stern tree-felling challenges. And while it’s the loudest saw here, with a sound power of 104.53dBa, it still wasn’t uncomfortably loud.
The TTB355CHN does have a few drawbacks compared to more expensive rivals. Removing the chain cover and tensioning the chain both require tools; there’s an included multi-tool, but it’s an annoying extra accessory to keep track of. We also wouldn’t have minded a slightly longer flex than the three metres provided, although the bright orange shielding is at least nice and easy to spot.
We also felt the Titan was slightly more tiring to use than its closest rival, the £90 Makita (see below): vibration seemed a little worse, and the smaller oil tank meant we were topping up more frequently. For the odd bit of forestry though the Titan is a great performer and a hell of a bargain.
Key specs – Power source: Mains-powered with 3m flex; Bar length: 40.5cm; Chain speed: 13.5m/s; Chain brake: Y; Oil tank capacity: 100ml; Spike bumper construction: Plastic; Vibration: 6.94m/s2; Sound power: 104.53dBa; Weight: 5.2kg
Makita UC3541A: A superb chainsaw whose performance belies its low price
Price when reviewed: £90, Buy now from Amazon for £93.00
While not as cheap as the Titan, the Makita feels like a much more professional tool than its £90 price would suggest. Virtually vibration-free and exceptionally powerful, this well-built, 35cm-bar chainsaw comfortably devoured every challenge we set it.
Setup and chain tensioning is tool-free and fiddle-free, with big chunky adjusters and screws that can be easily operated while wearing gloves. We also appreciated the Makita’s large 200ml oil tank, which means you don’t need to carry a bottle of oil around with you. It’s also the only chainsaw in this roundup to have a removable, replaceable set of spike bumpers – the teeth that bite into wood close to the chainsaw body – a pro touch that frequent users will appreciate.
The 10-metre flex is another plus, allowing you loads of freedom to move around without dragging an extension cable around behind you. Our only complaint is that the black flex can be difficult to spot – the Titan’s bright orange number is a lot harder to lose..
In all it’s a powerful, easy-to-use, comfortable saw that feels exceptionally well-built. For the occasional Paul Bunyan it’s worth every penny.
Key specs – Power source: Mains-powered with 10m flex; Bar length: 35cm; Chain speed: 14.5m/s; Chain brake: Yes; Oil tank capacity: 200ml; Spike bumper construction: Metal; Vibration: 4.7m/s2; Sound power: 101.3dBa; Weight: 4.7kg
Black & Decker GKC3630L20: A premium cordless chainsaw with a long-lasting battery
Price when reviewed: £225, Buy now from Amazon for £234.68
The battery-powered GKC3630L20 is an exceptionally handy, 30cm-bar chainsaw that made light work of the various jobs we set it. The tool-free tensioning is a little fiddly, but it’s still preferable to messing around with a screwdriver - and once we’d set the saw up it was keen and powerful. Its chain speed of 5m/s is the slowest here, but by the standards of battery-operated saws it’s respectable enough.
What’s really great about the Black & Decker is how comfortable it is to use. We had no problem cutting through larger pieces of wood - although we had to exercise a little more patience than with corded saws, as the GKC3630L20’s lesser power began to tell on trickier, knottier lengths of wood. It’s long-lasting, though: the battery pack claims to be capable of 560 3.5cm cuts on one charge, and we certainly didn’t manage able to exhaust it during a long period of repeated cutting.
We must mention that we noticed the Black & Decker leaking a little oil while it was sitting idle, which isn’t ideal, and there’s no chain brake. If that bothers you, compare the Ryobi OCS1830 (reviewed below) which costs about the same - once you’ve factored in the price of the battery - and features a chain brake and a larger oil tank.
Overall, though, this is a saw that works really well, and an affordable route to cable-free chainsaw ownership. For those who simply want to get pruning out of the way as fast as possible, it’s a great bit of kit.
Key specs – Power source: 2.0Ah Lithium-Ion battery; Bar length: 30cm; Chain speed: 5m/s; Chain brake: No; Oil tank capacity: 110ml; Spike bumper construction: Plastic; Vibration: 5.5m/s2; Sound power: 92.8dBa; Weight: 5kg with battery
Ryobi OCS1830: This cordless cutter is excellent value - if you already own a compatible battery
Price when reviewed: £134 saw-only, Buy now from Amazon for £140.65
Ryobi’s chainsaw looks cheap at £134, but that price doesn’t include a battery. If you’re invested in Ryobi’s ONE+ range of tools (which includes everything from masonry drills to circular saws and palm sanders) then that’s no problem as you’ll already own a suitable battery and charger. Otherwise you’ll need to buy those alongside the saw itself. Options range from the lightweight 1.5Ah number to the chunkier 5.0Ah unit we tested with, which brings the total price up to nearly £250.
The saw itself is very pleasant in use. We were struck by its low vibration levels and comfortable grip, and it’s relatively lightweight too. Exactly how heavy it is depends on the battery you choose, but even with the largest compatible battery we found it easily wieldable.
Although the OCS1830 has twice the unloaded chain speed of the Black & Decker GKC3630L20, this didn’t seem to make much difference to its cutting ability. Smaller branches were dispatched with ease, while larger logs took a little longer, with the occasional stall during particularly difficult bits.
If you already own a Ryobi battery, the OCS1830 is a smartly economical route to cordless chainsaw ownership. Even if you don’t, it’s an affordable, high-quality tool that easily competes with the Black & Decker GKC3630L20.
Key specs – Power source: 5.0Ah Lithium-Ion battery; Bar length: 30cm; Chain speed: 10m/s; Chain brake: Y; Oil tank capacity: 200ml; Spike bumper construction: Plastic; Vibration: Not stated; Sound power: Not stated; Weight: 4kg with battery
DeWalt DCM575: A fantastic cordless chainsaw that’s both powerful and versatile
Price when reviewed: £260 saw-only; £418 with battery & charger, Buy now from Amazon for £399.99
The DCM575 is an awesome chainsaw: although cordless, it doesn’t compromise on power at all. Indeed, its 15m/s chain speed is the fastest here, and in terms of vibration and cutting efficiency we genuinely couldn’t tell the difference between it and a mains-powered saw.
The secret is a high-efficiency brushless motor, coupled with a giant 9Ah XR Flexvolt battery. This purports to provide up to 65 6x6in cuts per charge, and in our testing we certainly ran out of tree before we ran out of power. Once exhausted, it recharges in about 75 minutes, thanks to its actively cooled fast charger. The chunky battery makes the DCM575 the heaviest chainsaw on test, but the extra weight isn’t too noticeable. And since it’s part of DeWalt’s Flexvolt system, you can share the battery with other compatible tools, ranging from a grass cutter to a leaf blower and even a mitre saw.
Chain tensioning and bar and chain removal are tool-free (as you’d hope for this price), although if we were picking nits we’d have to say the plastic moulded spike bumper feels slightly cheap; we’d have been happier to see a removable metal one.
In all, the DCM575 is a fabulous tool that made effortless work of whatever we threw at it. It’s far from a budget option - for the same price you could buy a high-end petrol model. But, if you want the ease-of-use and easy maintenance of an electric chainsaw, coupled with go-anywhere flexibility, the DCM575 has it all.
Key specs – Power source: 9.0Ah Lithium-Ion battery; Bar length: 40cm; Chain speed: 15m/s; Chain brake: Y; Oil tank capacity: 115ml; Spike bumper construction: Plastic; Vibration: 3.5m/s2; Sound power: 100.5dBa; Weight: 5.4kg with battery
