First Battery Chainsaw

[Dan Maynard]

If you have to keep adjusting the carb, like Stubby said suspect air leak elsewhere. 

[Mark Bolam]

Are you totally set on going battery?

 

Quite expensive outlay with charger and batteries.

 

You sound like you know your way around 2-strokes.

 

The Echo 2511WES is a lovely light little saw and will cost less than £400.

Will happily run a 12” bar.

[woody paul]

Would try new ignition module, I had a 346xp play up last year would bog down and not run nice. After a lot of messing around with carb switched module with one out of another saw and it ran sweet. 

[kram]

If petrol is acceptable, then I would go with a clone 2511 with a carving bar and 3/8" FC chain. I planned to do a comparison yesterday, against the Echo, but ran out of time. The clone runs significantly better for only slightly more weight, a better stop switch too. Fires up every pull and never cuts out between cuts/off throttle like the Echo does.

 

A while back I did a comparason between the Makita uc029 40v and a Fakita 18v. While they both do the job, the Makita is significantly quicker and a 4ah battery lasts ages, even cutting 6" or bigger.

 

However I do not like the .325 speedcut nano chain, and the tensioner constantly loosens.

 

 

 

[Mark Bolam]

My Echo doesn’t cut out, and would go through pieces like that in about a second.

[5thelement]

1 hour ago, Mark Bolam said:

My Echo doesn’t cut out, and would go through pieces like that in about a second.

Yeah, but does your Echo sound as shit?

[kram]

He asked about battery ones, for cutting 4" saplings.

 

2511 is a very good saw, I prefer the clone, I have both..

 

 

[Peter 1955]

On 01/02/2026 at 22:30, Macpherson said:

 

 

Almost forgetting the title of your post I have a Stihl msa 220 which is great although now much more expensive than the £500 with battery and charger that I paid for mine 6 years ago.

Depending on usage you may require 2 batteries but generally I can get away with 1.

 

The other saw that I've experience of is the Makita 36v [ 2 x 18v  batteries ] it's fairly good particularly if you already have the batteries and charger.

In my opinion stay away from the 1/4" picco chain as it's a pain in the effin ass.  Cheers.

 

 

That  Stihl is on the same battery platform as my " beloved 😉" MSA 300, so we're out of the budget category already. 

With the idea that we're mainly cutting sub 4" timber, I'd strongly recommend the little 2x18v Makita pictured elsewhere in this thread.