Small battery pruning saw.

[Alycidon]

Looking at buying a small battery chainsaw for use laying laurels , cutting ivy away from branches etc.  About a 200mm bar. 

 

All my electric and battery drills etc are Makita,  my chainsaws Sthil and and Husky.

 

Both Makita and Sthil have similar models,  i have Makita batteries and charger so that would be the logical choice.

 

Anybody have any thoughts.

 

Thanks

 

A

[AHPP]

Stihl are better but not so much better as to be worth it when you already have the Makita batteries and are only doing small work. I bet a reciprocating saw would do a lot of what you need. Or a silky. 

[Grassyass]

We have the stihl 161 top handle , and the Milwaukee both ok , I did a job for a mate who had the makita top handle I looked down my nose at it at first as it was only 100 quid , but pound for pound if you have the batteries it would be a good buy , as I was impressed with it , he loves  it ,done him a year no issues, 

[peds]

I've heard the Milwaukee m12 tophandle (is it really, though? A tophandle?) is the best out of all the tool brand saws, I looked into the Dewalt options because that's what batteries I have, and they just don't seem as good. Pity.

 

As for the Stihl, I still rave about my MSA 200 to anyone who will listen, and it'll probably fit the bill just perfectly for you. Great saw.

Edited November 17 by peds

[Dan Maynard]

I've got both the 18v single battery and 36v twin battery Makita top handles, had them four years or so and they've done a lot of work.

 

The 18v has an 8" Panther bar on with 1/4 pitch chain, its not very powerful but its small and super light. Its niche is cutting up to say 2" so hedge work, ivy, laurel, bay, yew, those type of jobs as well as bigger tree reductions.

 

The 36v is a chunk heavier, but it cuts easily up to 6", I generally use that for brushing out on dismantles, then switch to a petrol saw for blocking down wood. Mine is still on the 3/8lp bar it came with but chain nearly gone so I'll be switching to 1/4 pitch 10" bar.

 

I'd recommend the Makita if you've got the batteries already. The Panther bars got a bad rep for durability, but Rob has changed supplier to Tsumura so hopefully they are better now, I will change the 8" bar to new panther as mine is worn out and they've been unavailable for a while.

[Foggy]

I’ve used a few battery too handles, t540i, milwaukee, both the 18v and 36v Makita.

 

The T540i was the best, hands down. The t542i seems like it’s much more powerful, and if I was to get a battery top handle meant to replace a petrol saw it’s what I’d get.
 

Milwaukee was surrounded by a bit of hype, and the torque is mad. It feels a bit plasticky and is heavy though, and I wouldn’t buy one for myself. My day to day top handle is an echo 2511 ported by C&S though so it’s always going to be hard to beat that for power to weight. 
 

36v Makita is quite heavy, and a bit of a weird boxy shape but does the job; it got me out of a hole whilst I didn’t have a running petrol top handle saw so I can’t complain. I was running it with a 12” panther and it was very smooth, although the auto turn off was a pain, and the fact it won’t run unless there is zero resistance on the chain is a pain.

 

18v Makita is light, but underpowered. I use it on all my reductions; it’s ideal up until about 4” cuts and then it’s almost useless. I’d get another one of these; it’s a step up from a silky and doesn’t get in the way as much as the bigger saws. Similar issues with auto stop/resistance though. 

[kram]

I have £50 Fakita 6" single handed pruning saw. I was after something extremely light and its 1.2kg including the battery. I did intend to get a brushless one but misread the listing and it has a 775 DC motor. I was going to return it but kept it for the two decent enough batteries. It proved itself one day I only had the 2511 or this and had to cut a low stump. Motor is big enough that its not likely to burn out and has reasonable power.

 

 

 

I also suggest an electric finger chopper, very good if the cuts are all under 40mm. I have done a few fruit trees entirely with it. I regret not getting one with a pole extension! Be very careful where you have your fingers!

 

The finger chopper is also a Fakita. Makita do make them but at a ridiculous price £600+ and with a lower jaw capacity, so this is likely better.

It is great for trimming ivy without damaging bark on a tree.

Edited November 17 by kram

[tim361]

Echo dsc2500 t hands down the best battery pruning saw you can buy

[Dan Maynard]

21 minutes ago, tim361 said:

Echo dsc2500 t hands down the best battery pruning saw you can buy

If I was starting again, I'd probably get one of these, light and powerful.

 

Much more expensive than the Makita setup to get started though, at the beginning i was unsure about battery saws so saved money on Makita, and now I have the batteries so carry on. OP already has mak batteries.

 

It's all a balance of parameters, like saying what's the best petrol top handle. The 540i cuts fast, but it's huge and heavy, like a 540 or 201 petrol. Great for removals but absolutely not the best saw for reductions or a million 1-2" cuts in a conifer hedge.

[Ducato64]

Toolstation/Hawksmoor battery chainsaw.  Very good saw @ £120