All, I have been looking at cordless electric chainsaws for a while.  My drive to and from work is all back roads and I see a lot of dead fall.  I also have an atv with a small trailer and when I ride I am always seeing firewood of opportunity.

I figure a small electric chain saw would be perfect for taking small dead firewood.  It also wont bring a lot of attention because its quiet.  Plus I can charge it via my truck on drives to work with an inverter  
or off of my small solar array.

Is anyone else running one of these?

Thanks

I got one of the 40V Kobalt saws last year, and like it a lot.  Keeping in mind it is only a 12" bar, and isn't supposed to do the work of a bigger chainsaw, it is light, takes little maintenance, and does a great job at cutting limbs and anything within that size allowance.  Much easier to carry that little, lightweight saw around when doing some pruning, or cutting up branches on the ground into manageable pieces.  Uses the same battery as the Kobalt string trimmer I use, which I am a much bigger fan of.  Beats any gas powered trimmer I've ever used hands down.  I have a one acre lot, and even though i have a spare battery charged and ready, I never need it.

A buddy of mine has one of the Makita 14'' versions that uses two 18 volt batteries and loves it for trimming trees and small jobs.

I bought one of those cheap 20V B+D chainsaws-on-a-stick.

It works darned well in spite of all the B+D stereotypes.  I can cut through a 6-8 inch limb with no problems.

It comes apart so it can fit just about anywhere.

I love it.

I have thought about a lithium powered chain saw to keep in my 4Runner...

Ok, I just ordered a Dewalt 16" with the 6AH Lithium Ion battery via Amazon..
Ill post a review once I have a chance to use it...

I bought a 12 inch pruning blade for my Rigid 18v reciprocating saw. Eats through a 6 to 8 inch pine tree easily. Great for pruning/trimming too.

I have a set of balls and a penis, so I use a ax. Just kidding
I thought of one for a quick limb cutter around the house,

Second that, I also have the B+D 10" chainsaw. (both use the same battery).  I have taken down 24" trees with it.  It takes a while to cut a couple of wedges, but works just fine.

I have used a corded Makita that was a great trim saw n small chore saw.

I'd look at a battery one as a light chore saw and for trimming.  

Battery life is the key so keeping a new/sharp chain will help tremendously.

Don't treat it like a gas saw because it won't spin as fast.  Sharp blades n let it work at its own pace, so to speak.

Biggest battery they have for it and stay safe!

Kobalt also makes an 80 volt version - but it ain't cheap.

I keep a Ryobi 40 volt chainsaw in my truck for cutting trees out of roads and trails as well as cutting wood for camp fires without making a bunch of noise and odor.  It works very well for those tasks.  I wouldn't use it to gather cords of firewood though.

I've thought for some time that a battery powered chainsaw would be the thing to get out of the vehicle with in a rich and vibrant urban environment.  You're not brandishing a firearm - you're establishing you're someone with questionable mental faculties who's holding a chainsaw.

Here's my chainsaw collection:

B&D 8" 20V
B&D 10" 20V
Ryobi 18V
Ryobi 18V Pole Saw
Greenworks 80V 18"

If I were to do it over, I would just get the B&D 8" and the GW 80V.  The 8" is great for one handed trimming of limbs, and pretty capable at felling too.  Took down a few oaks with it.  The 80V is a beast and a true gas replacement.

Pole saw is great for clearing cedars without stooping

The 10 inch is 102.00 on amazon right now.  I just ordered one.

I have this one also, works great,

I bought one for my wife. She said it worked good, up until it didn't. Looks like the battery has gone faulty on the 3rd use. Meh.

I've ran 2 and 4 stroke gas string trimmers, leaf blowers, and chainsaws most of my life. Based on my recent luck as a new in-town dweller with intermittent use, and based on using multiple family members (some large farmers) LiIon tools of multiple brands and styles, I am a full convert in the battery power is awesome camp. The only reason I see gas as better now is if you need the extra power for your job, or if your "off grid" for days at a time or working every day all day long.

If you occasionally need to fell a medium tree, clean up storm damage, weed eat a moderate yard every week or two, etc; then I firmly believe the new battery powered tools are where it is at!

You don't have to worry about having additional 2 stroke gas just for tools. They start and run perfectly after sitting, just pull a switch and it works. Compare that to pulling and pulling a pull cord on a tool that hasn't ran in weeks after sitting in the back of a pickup. They can be charged relatively quickly after a few hours work at home, in a vehicle, or by solar. They don't run rough and hardly start after sitting a season or two, they just sit there waiting and when you pick them up all it takes is a trigger pull and they instantly work. 

ETA: I currently have a small fleet of Husqvarna, Stihl, Snapper, and Craftsman gas tools. As they wear and die off I will be converting to a common family of lithium powered tools.

Ok, I finally had the opportunity to get out and run this Dewalt some...

I'm very happy with it.. Cut what you see on less than one charge.
Filled chain oil once. It cuts as good as a similar sized gas saw...

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I want one to throw in the truck for camping.  I am using a buddy's Husqavarna but I am really just storing it for him and keeping the PM up.  I don't have any trees big enough to cut yet.  A little electric would be the ticket for boondocking.

I just carry my Silky Katanaboy. I find it faster and never needs charging.

My father has one of the Ego 56 volt models from Home Depot. He got the an additional high capacity battery pack for it. He is quite experienced with a saw, and is pleased with it. Used it for cutting all manner of logs up to about 12" diameter. We didn't have any larger logs at the time.

I used it also, and it was really handy. It's very quiet and has reasonable power. I made dozens of cuts over two or three hours on small downed trees, all on the same high cap battery pack. Nice that unlike a gas saw, the cordless is silently sitting there and is ready when you need it, compared to a gas saw that you either leave idling for a few minutes, or have to shut it off and re-start it when you need it.

For their low price, and the fact that a lithium battery will hold a charge for a few weeks, I think they would be fine for what you are looking for. If you just had to cut one or two occasional branches, a bow saw will still always do the job in a few minutes and will never run out of a charge or have the gas go bad, but the chainsaw is better to do dozens of cuts in short order.

I use one of these 40 watt Ryobi chainsaws as well.  It works very well for branches, limbs and anything up to say 6".  The limiting factor is battery life and it runs out faster than you would think, but that is the case with all battery powered saws.  I managed to fell a 10" dead post oak stump but it took about three total recharges to get the job done.  recharge time is 1 hour.

Allotted budget is going to be a big factor.

Remember, amp hours is really more important than voltage. Voltage is important but amp hours will give you longer run time but it's also more expensive.

Highly recommend Oregon cordless saw. They have a patented built in chain sharpener that's slick as shit. I also have their pole saw which was my first tool of theirs. Every other brands pole saws are built like a throw away kids toy, the Oregon pole saw in pretty much professional level daily usage built, as is the chain saw.

5amp hour battery will give you 4+ continues hours of run time which outlast me without a break. If you get the 5 amp version it also comes with a faster charger.

I have one of the Remington 8" limb saws that tried to kill me.  The pole broke in use, and I almost dropped a running chainsaw on my head.  So now it is just a small chainsaw that will run off the inverter in my truck, and is enough to clear blockages, etc...

This interests me, I've been looking at the 20v dewalt as a compact saw for clearing back overgrown trees/bushes when out off-roading seldom ran trails.

Just bought a Husqvarna last year. Wish I had bought the DeWalt cordless instead. Almost forgot how much gas powered tools suck compared to cordless these days.