How To Choose The Best DeWalt Chainsaw For Your Next Lawn And Garden Project

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When you need to choose the right chainsaw for firewood and yard work, you want a reliable, trusted brand name behind the equipment. DeWalt is considered one of the best power tool brands for DIY, professional, and outdoor power tools. It offers chainsaws that have long battery life and plenty of power. If you decide to go with DeWalt, it's important to select a unit that fits your needs and isn't overlarge for them. This will help you avoid fatigue, which can create a safety risk. However, if you need to cut through larger branches and trees, you'll need a larger model that has more power. Balancing these seemingly conflicting requirements can be quite challenging.

Fortunately, DeWalt makes more than a dozen battery-powered chainsaws, giving you plenty of options to find the perfect model for your needs. Begin your search among the models featuring 60-volt batteries. They feature bars as long as 20 inches, designed to handle larger jobs. They also generate significantly faster chain speeds than 20V batteries, improving cutting performance and speed while creating cleaner cuts. To gain the best balance between cutting power, weight of the power tool, value, and size of the bar, we'd recommend the DeWalt Flexvolt 60V MAX 16-Inch Cordless Chainsaw (model number DCCS670T1) for $329 with a battery and charge.

DeWalt's 60-volt battery chainsaws offer more chain speed than the manufacturer's 20-volt models, thus providing more versatility in how you can use the machine. The DeWalt 60V 16-inch model has a chain speed of 15.24 meters per second (mps), while the DeWalt 20V 12-inch chainsaw's chain speed is roughly half as fast at 7.7 mps. A faster speed lets you cut wood smoothly, helping you finish the job faster and safely. It's important to remember that faster chainsaws require stronger protective equipment, like pants, jackets, eye protection, gloves, and caps.

We like the 16-inch chainsaw bar length as an all-around performer. It can cut larger branches and trees of up to 14 inches in diameter in one pass, although you can use it to cut larger trees with dual passes. A 16-inch bar on a chainsaw is good for light work around the garden, too, when you have smaller branches that you want to cut quickly. It's also a good minimum size for cutting firewood. A 20-inch 60V DeWalt chainsaw and battery combination costs almost twice as much ($599) as the 16-inch model, so it's also economical.

A 20-volt battery works better for smaller tools that will be used for low- or medium-stress jobs. They also have less run time before recharging than the average 60-volt battery. It's likely you'll save money over the long term by going with 60-volt battery tools, because you'll be able to do more work in less time.

When picking a chainsaw for your yard and garden, you might find that the DeWalt 16-inch chainsaw doesn't fit your particular needs. For example, if you don't mind the extra weight and torque that could lead to arm fatigue, you could use the 20-inch DeWalt 60V chainsaw instead. It's a good option for those who regularly need to cut large trees for firewood or following a storm. However, if you choose a larger model, it will generate more noise and vibration than a smaller unit. Significant vibrations over long periods of time can lead to health issues like hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Additionally, without taking preventative measures and adding ear protection, prolonged noise from a large chainsaw can lead to hearing loss.

If you're worried about being able to carry and use your DeWalt 16-inch chainsaw successfully, you might want to stick with a smaller unit that's easier to maneuver, like the DeWalt 12-inch model. You'll also save a little bit of money ($249 with a battery).

Interested in a gas-powered chainsaw? You'll have to skip the DeWalt brand, as it only makes battery-powered units. Electric chainsaws generate less noise, require less maintenance, and are easier to start than gas-powered models. For those who need heavy-duty performance, though, a gas-powered chainsaw is the better choice because of its ability to generate far more cutting power than DeWalt battery-powered models can generate.

And of course, if you're already vested in another brand like Ryobi or Stihl, you'll likely want to stick with it for your chainsaw. Both offer options we consider among the top-rated chainsaws worth buying.