6 Best Chainsaws of 2024 - Reviewed

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This is the best battery-powered chainsaw for all types of jobs around the house. Read More

A great gas-powered chainsaw for homeowners that cuts easily. Read More

The Ego Power+ is a powerful battery-powered chainsaw that doesn't slow or bog down. Read More

The Skil chainsaw is a value-packed option that can handle most household jobs. Read More

The Echo chainsaw is a good option for small tasks. Read More

Updated June 18, 2024

A chainsaw isn’t the power tool most homeowners buy first, but when you need it, the best chainsaws are crucial tools to have in the shed. Whether you’re cutting your own wood to burn, clearing brush, cleaning up after a storm, or felling trees, a quality tool will prove to be a homeowner’s best friend.

After slicing logs, lopping branches from felled trees, and cutting up firewood, we named the DeWalt FlexVolt DCCS670T1 (available at Amazon) the best chainsaw, and the Husqvarna 440 (available at Amazon) the best gas-powered chainsaw. However, if you have different needs, there are plenty of other great chainsaws in our guide to pick from.

The battery-powered DeWalt FlexVolt DCCS670T1 is the best chainsaw you can buy.

The DeWalt 60V Max 16-inch chainsaw is the best chainsaw we tested. The 60V, 2AH battery has all the power of a small gasoline saw without any of the drawbacks of noise, maintenance, or fumes. It cut through every one of our tests easily and without hesitation, to the point that we also started using it for other cutting work in our own yards after testing was over.

We managed to cut through a 30-inch diameter log with it, and while we wouldn't recommend it regularly, it was pretty impressive that the DeWalt could cut them.

There’s nothing flashy or particularly special about this saw from a features standpoint. It has the standard chain brake, automatic oiler, and tool-less tensioning. It’s the power and speed that sets it apart.

We even added a timed test between the Ego and the DeWalt since they’re very comparable machines, and the DeWalt cut through one of the log slices 4 seconds faster than the Ego. If you’re a homeowner and you don’t have a specific need for a gasoline-powered saw, then we would pick up the DeWalt, assuming that you don’t mind paying a bit of a premium for overall performance, it won’t let you down.

Cutting power and speed

Tool-less chain tensioning

None that we could find

The Husqvarna 440 is the best gas-powered chainsaw we tested.

Husqvarna is one of the top names in chainsaws, and the 440 is a clear reason why. This is an outstanding homeowner-sized chainsaw and we think it's the best gas-powered chainsaw you can buy right now.

At 40cc and an 18-inch bar, it can cut through just about anything we'd be comfortable tackling. All of the standard test cuts that we made were easy for this saw. Nothing bogged down or even slowed through the 10-inch to 12-inch logs.

Once we started tackling wood that was 18 inches or more in diameter, the saw started to complain and slow down slightly, but it was still able to power through. Over extended use, the gear did clog up a bit more than other gas saws I’ve used, but it was easy enough to clear out.

One thing that we appreciated about this saw was how easy it was to start. There are starting instructions printed right on the handle, which is fantastic for the once-or-twice-a-year user to remember which position the choke goes in when, and how many pulls to make without flooding the engine.

This model also seems to have avoided the carburetor-tuning problem that we had on the smaller Husqvarna that we tested. If you’re looking for a workhorse of a chainsaw for managing trees in a large yard or cutting up firewood for the winter season, then the Husqvarna 440 is a solid option backed by one of the most reliable brands in the industry.

Cutting power and speed

Ease of starting

Chain drive gear can clog

This Ego Power chainsaw provides dependable power that outperforms some gas saws.

The Ego Power+ is a workhorse of a battery-powered saw that was one of the top performers in the category. It claims to be a 40cc equivalent saw, and we believe that because it outperformed the 30-cc Echo CS-310. It never slowed or bogged down in any of our testing, even using it to cut up large firewood logs.

Because it did so well chewing through the firewood, we even tested it on some much larger, 20-inch to 24-inch logs, and it was able to cut through those as well, though with a bit more effort due to them being larger than the bar size.

It’s got all of the features that come standard in the quality tools. A chain brake is a must-have, and like many other battery-operated saws, it has tool-less chain tensioning, which is very convenient. The chain is designed to reduce kickback and has an automatic oiling system to stay lubricated.

All in all, this battery-powered Ego chainsaw is one of our favorite saws. With a full battery or two, we’d even be willing to head out into the woods and take down a real tree with it, which is not true of many battery-powered saws.

Power and speed

Tool-less chain tensioning

None we could find

This value chainsaw won't go all day, but it's an excellent pick for a homeowner who needs a chainsaw for occasional use.

This was one of the chainsaws that surprised us during testing. The 14-inch, 40-colt saw performed much better than we expected when pulling it out of the box. It’s a well-built machine with simple, intuitive controls that are easy to handle and move around with.

On top of that, the Skil chainsaw packs a lot of power in that 40-volt battery. It chewed through any small logs and brush, cut the smaller slices off larger logs, and made it most of the way through firewood-sized chunks before it bound up near the ends of the cuts. Honestly, from a power standpoint, it outperformed the gas-powered Echo 310.

It features all of the functions that you would come to expect for a battery-powered chainsaw. Most critically, it has a chain brake, which we consider a must-have in a tool that is potentially dangerous. It also has tool-less chain tensioning, which is quite convenient out in the field, and a quick charge function, gaining 30% of its battery power in just 15 minutes.

While that’s not going to get you through a whole day of chopping, it is enough to finish up some last tasks for the day without having to wait an hour.

At over $100 less than some of the top-tier battery-powered saws, this is a quality product for many occasional-use homeowners. We think it’s the best chainsaw out there if you’re looking for a featherweight duty, value option..

Powerful for its size

Tool-less chain tensioning

Affordable

Cutting speed

The Echo 310 14-inch 30.5 cc gas-powered chainsaw is the smaller sibling of our Best Overall saw. And like its big brother, it’s a quality machine, provided that you don’t ask it to do too much. It’s at its finest clearing saplings and small trees in the underbrush, or cutting up small logs in the 6-inch to 8-inch diameter range.

Much bigger than that, and this little saw starts to struggle. It regularly bound up and stopped when cutting through the 10-inch to 12-inch oak logs that we tested it on, at both firewood length and the smaller 2-inch slabs. It got through all of those cuts, but it took some effort, and we wouldn't want to use this for bucking cords of firewood or cutting down decent-sized trees.

We certainly wouldn’t want to attack a 25-inch diameter log that the promotional materials say it's rated for.

Like all categories of tools, the right one for you depends on your needs, and for a homeowner looking to keep back the underbrush and cut small trees into manageable chunks, this is a great option. It starts easily, is light enough to carry around and maneuver, and is simple to maintain.

As a gas-powered machine, it’ll keep going as long as you have fuel to drive it without needing to stop. Just don’t expect it to be able to take on a heavy load.

Lightweight and maneuverable

Starts easily

Underpowered for mid-size applications

Unfortunately, this Oregon chainsaw was one of the more disappointing chainsaws that we tested, particularly since it’s also one of the more expensive tools on our list. It’s slow to cut and underpowered. As soon as it hits the wood, you can hear the motor start to struggle.

It was the only one of the saws that we tested that had a hard time getting through the small wood slices, and it took much longer than the other saws to get through full firewood pieces. To its credit, it never bound up while cutting, but it took a lot longer than the ones that did.

The one redeeming factor of this saw is the self-sharpening feature. To use it, pull the sharpening lever for a few seconds while running the saw. Sparks fly, and the chain is sharpened. From visual inspection, it looked like it did a decent job, and the chain stayed sharp through our testing. One great feature, however, doesn’t make up for the severe lack of power at this price point.

Our recommendation is that homeowners interested in a battery-powered saw look at one of the higher-quality chainsaw options on this list.

Wear property safety gear, like gloves, when operating a chainsaw.

Power tools are dangerous. Chainsaws are no different and can cause severe injuries. According to the CDC, there are around 36,000 chainsaw injuries each year, enough to have dedicated an entire webpage to safety tips.

This is one of those tools that can send you to the hospital with a single mistake or lapse in attention. Do I tell you this to make you nervous?

Absolutely. If you’re not a little bit nervous when using one, then you’re probably not being careful enough.

These motorized tools are used by millions of people every year safely, and there’s no need for your experience to be any different. I highly recommend reading through the CDC's safety tips, as well as carefully reading the manual for your model.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Chainsaws are a great tool for any homeowner to have and be able to use comfortably and confidently. But this is one tool where you can never skip over safety.

When you’re buying a chainsaw, you want to make sure that you’re getting a tool that’s the right size for your specific application. A chainsaw that’s too small will frustrate you at not being able to complete the job—or worse, you’ll try anyway and put yourself in a dangerous situation.

A chainsaw that’s too large may tire you out quickly. You may also not be able to keep control of the machine, again creating a dangerous situation.

Our two overall winners are chainsaws on the larger size, but if you’re not planning on working with firewood or any kind of hardwood, these two may not be the best options for you.

The first measure of chainsaw size is the guide bar length, which is very literally the length of the bar that the chain wraps around. In general, bars range from around 6 inches up to 6 feet or more for some professional-grade machines.

As a general rule of thumb, you want to buy a chainsaw with a bar about 2 inches longer than whatever you’re going to be cutting most frequently. So, if you’re planning to cut up 12-inch diameter logs, then a 14-inch chainsaw is what you’re looking at. You also want to think about the kinds of tasks that you’ll be doing.

Smaller chainsaws, in the 6-inch to 12-inch range, are great for pruning trees and shrubs. Some of these, called pole saws, are attached to long, extendable poles to reach up high into branches. They’re good for regular maintenance of your yard and keeping your trees and brush under control. We didn’t test any smaller chainsaws.

Medium-sized chainsaws are those with longer bars in the 14-inch to 18-inch range and are great for a wide variety of jobs. They’re small enough that you can get into brush and cut it back, but large enough that you can cut up or cut down some decent-sized trees. What they’re not going to be good for is getting branches that are high up in trees or cutting trees more than 14 inches to 16 inches in diameter, unless you have training and equipment.

Once you hit the 20-inch bar size, you’re getting into true professional territory. These chainsaws are big and heavy, with power to match. They are primarily made for taking down large trees beyond what the majority of homeowners would be comfortable doing.

The next sizing option that you’ll want to look at is power. For gas chainsaws, power is measured in CCs. In electric chainsaws, power is measured in volts. In both cases, the higher the number, the more power your chainsaw possesses.

For the most part, chainsaws all have a lot of power. But, if you know that you’re going to be cutting primarily through hardwood like oak rather than only pine, you might want to look into something with a few more CCs or volts.

The CC range for the gas chainsaws we tested was from 30CCs to 42CCs, while the battery chainsaws ranged from 36V to 80V. There is a noticeable and important difference in power and weight at each end of those ranges.

When most people imagine a chainsaw, a rope-start combustion engine comes to mind, but these days, battery-powered chainsaws sometimes outperform gas engines.

There are three ways to power a chainsaw: gasoline/oil mixture, electricity via an extension cord, or battery. All three have pros and cons, and you’ll have to decide which one works best for your needs.

Gasoline-powered chainsaws are standard, tried-and-true tools. Their biggest advantage is that they’ll cut for as long as you have gas to power them, and they’ll put out a lot of power. You can also buy a gas chainsaw for quite a bit less money upfront than a battery chainsaw.

Gas chainsaws are generally louder, and you have to deal with both the smell and environmental consequences of the fumes from a two-cycle engine. They also require more maintenance, which can get pricey if you don’t do it yourself.

Finally, you have to factor in the cost of fuel, which is much more expensive than recharging a battery.

If you’re a moderate-to-heavy chainsaw user, bucking firewood or cutting down decent-sized trees, then you’ll probably want to go with a gas saw.

Over the past few years, battery-powered technology has come a long way across the tool industry, and chainsaws have been a major beneficiary of those improvements. Many battery-powered chainsaws have plenty of power and battery life for average homeowner tasks. However, they do tend to have noticeably less power than their gas counterparts.

All of our electric chainsaws completed the same tasks as the gas saws but took a long time and more effort to do some of them.

Battery-powered chainsaws are generally quieter (though still loud) and aren’t going to release nasty fumes. This said, they will run only as long as your battery has a charge, so you will need to either buy a pricey second battery or be prepared to take hour-long breaks whenever your battery runs out of juice.

They also have a higher up-front cost, though the long-term cost of fuel consumption (electricity) and maintenance tends to be lower.

If you’re looking for something basic to clear away debris or brush or cut up some fallen branches, or if you’re concerned about the environmental impact of your tools, then a battery-powered chainsaw might be the right choice for you.

The last way to power a chainsaw is to plug it into an outlet. Like battery-powered saws, these are less powerful than their gas counterparts but are still plenty of saw for many homeowner applications. The big advantage of an electric/corded chainsaw over something with a battery is that you never have to worry about running out of juice.

It will run for as long as you need it to, without any breaks. They also tend to be the cheapest chainsaws that you can buy.

Having an extension cord that can reach where you’re cutting is the drawback since you are tethered to that cord. It limits the distance from the outlet you can travel and can be frustrating to work with if, for example, the cord gets wrapped and tangled around logs and branches and rocks and feet.

We decided not to test any corded-electric chainsaws, recommending that homeowners focus on either a gas or battery-powered saw due to the increased portability.

One last decision that you’ll have to make is the brand of chainsaw that you want to purchase, and the benefits or drawbacks of each brand.

A few of the chainsaws that we tested—Husqvarna and Echo—all have dedicated local dealers that you can bring your saw back to for service. There’s something to be said for having a knowledgeable professional nearby when something goes awry, though oftentimes you’re paying a premium for those brand names.

Pricing for one of the big box store-branded chainsaws may be lower, but you’re not going to get the same level of service that you would at a local, dedicated dealer. So, thinking about how you will handle maintenance, and how much access you want to support, is an important step in the buying process.

And, finally, you want to think about longevity. Consider the quality, brand reputation, and warranties offered by each chainsaw company.

Here's a look at how we tested chainsaws outdoors.

To test these gas and electric chainsaws, we recreated real working conditions that homeowners might experience. We wanted to be out in the field, so to speak, using these chainsaws on real trees in real yards, in practical applications.

In my yard, I had a few dead trees, a pile of firewood logs, and a bunch of brush to cut up, so we had plenty of practical applications to test.

Our first test was basic: How easy is it to set up the chainsaw and get it running? I added fuel, charged batteries, filled the bar oil (never forget bar oil—battery-powered chainsaws need it, too!), adjusted the chainsaw chain tension, and started every one of them. With one exception, all of the saws were easy to set up out of the box and fired right up without much effort.

From there, I took each saw through a precision cutting test. I had quite a few beech logs ready to be cut up into firewood. I selected several similarly-sized logs, about 14 inches in diameter, and cut 1- to 2-inch thick rounds off of them with each chainsaw. We didn’t time each test because of the lack of uniformity in log size and engine size. Instead, I paid attention to how easily the saw cut through the wood and how much effort was needed to keep it tracking straight. A good product with a sharp blade should pull itself through the wood without any downward pressure from the user.

Once I ran through the log slices, I went into some precision maneuverability. I had several areas of brush and fallen trees that needed the branches trimmed off. The point of this test is to see how easy it is to wield each saw at different angles—could I cut high and low and side to side with ease, or is the saw burdensome to move around? This is a function of weight, balance, and length.

After these two tests, the original plan was to select the top few chainsaws to buck some trees into firewood. However, at this point, I didn’t have a good sense of which saws were best, since they all performed well. So, I decided to buck trees into firewood-length sections with each of the saws, getting a better sense of how each saw felt in the hand over a longer period.

Finally, I took the chainsaws down into my workshop to do some basic maintenance. I changed the air filter, sharpened the chainsaw chain, replaced the chain, and replaced the guide bar. These tasks were all essentially uniform and very easy across all of the saws. Not one posed any difficulty in doing basic maintenance. The saws all also come with a wrench/screwdriver tool to perform most of these tasks, so the only basic tools you may need to purchase are the chainsaw sharpener and the tool to adjust the carburetor if your model can do that.

The obvious missing test here is felling a tree. We decided not to do this for a few reasons: lack of enough trees needing to be cut down, safety concerns, and my comfort level. I am not an expert logger, and I didn’t want to do something as potentially dangerous as felling trees while using different, unfamiliar equipment each time.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

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Jean Levasseur

Contributor

Jean Levasseur became a professional writer over a decade-long career in marketing, public relations, and technical writing. After leaving that career to stay home to care for his twin boys, Jean has continued to write in a variety of freelance roles, as well as teaching academic writing at a local university. When he's not reviewing tools or chasing toddlers around the house, he's also an avid fiction writer and a growing woodworker.

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