I had an inexpensive but very effective gas powered 16 inch chainsaw that finally quit starting for me after 10 years or so. I really liked it, but the minimum price for for having it fixed is considerably more than the saw is worth, even more than what I bought the saw for back in the day. So I decided to go with something new. And, I have a bunch of EGO battery operated products that I REALY like, both for the cordless convenience, and the fact that they are even more powerful than most gas operated trimers and blowers. So, I decided to spend the extra cash and give their chainsaw a try, particularly since EGO and Amazon were running a sale that month on the 18 inch saw for the same price that I could get the 16 inch one. And I'm generally quite happy with the purchase. I've never considered a return or anything, but... bottom line, it's really not as powerful as I had hoped. The cheaper gas powered saw I had was definitely more powerful and could handle larger limbs and logs more easily. But, the EGO chainsaw here IS powerful enough to get most of the same kinds of jobs done and the convenience of the battery operation is VERY nice! For those of you new to using a chainsaw, know that when you get a gas powered saw, most of them are two-stroke engines, which means you will have to mix gasoline with oil, and then with a lot of chainsaw brands, you'll have to deal with adding ethanol reduction stuff to keep from clogging the carburetor, just like you do with your 2-stroke lawn trimmer. And while that's not so much of a rigamarole, it definitely can get to be with a chainsaw, particularly when you first start using it. You have to get the mixture JUST right, and "just right" varies some from saw to saw. If you get too much oil in the mix, the engine will emit smoke, not good, you'll need to shut it down and carefully empty the gas tank so as not to get gas all over the engine, which could cause it to catch fire. And believe it or not, too much oil is actually better than not enough because at least you can SEE the smoke and then shut the engine down. Not mixing enough oil in puts extra strain on your engine and could even burn it up if you use the saw for like an entire afternoon, and the only way you have of knowing the mixture is too thin, is that the saw will start to either chortle or just run louder than usual. Too boot, the overall efficiency of your saw is greatly affected by your gas mixture (by the way, you can get 4-stroke saws that just use regular gasoline, but they are both expensive and heavy). I had a guy that knew what he was doing that helped me out when I first got my gas saw, so I avoided any issue with the fuel mixture, and I do highly recommend getting some advice from someone with experience in all aspects of using any kind of chainsaw before you begin using it. It's not a lofty learning curve, but you do need to climb it in order to operate the saw safely and not break it. At least spend some time with video tutorials. Chain breaks are a major pain in the posterior at best and they could take your eye out. So wear eye protection and if you've got some steal toed boots, the most frequent chainsaw accident, which really aren't at all frequent, is dropping the saw on your foot. The other is a buck or a kickback slamming the engine into your face. But pay attention to just a few do's and don'ts and chainsaw accidents or pretty rare, as long as you leave the CLIMBING to the pros. So... if you want to avoid any mixture-to-efficiency issues, this battery operated saw is a GREAT way to go. NO mixing at all and there's NEVER an issue getting the saw started. You do have to do all the other chainsaw essentials like keeping your bar oiled, but not too oiled, knowing the correct angle to cut the size of the branch you are cutting, know how to use wedges, or when the job is just to big for your saw, and of course taking care not to let the saw chain get too heated. I'm afraid the latter gets to be an issue with this electric saw because with a gas powered saw, you can hear the engine start to whine a little too much when it needs a break, not so with this one. Until you get used to its operation, you have to take care because the only way to know you need to rest the saw is when the branch starts to show smoke. These EGO saws are HIGHLY efficient in their speed and consistency and I initially found it smoking at the bar several times before I caught on. But, once you've used it for a job or two, you'll be able to figure out about how long you can cut before giving the saw a break, which I honestly have to say is considerably more often than the mid-level gas chainsaw that I had. Another advantage of the battery operated saw is that starting and shutting it down is just a mater of squeezing the trigger and letting it go. You will NEVER have to choke or re-choke a cold saw. Nice. I do have to cart the battery charger around with me just in case the juice runs out though. It takes about 20 minutes to fully charge and since I have other EGO devices, I take an extra battery to the job for when the chainsaw's battery is charging. Know that you have to have the EGO 5.0 Ah battery to run this saw. The smaller battery for the trimmers will work, just not for very long before the juice runs out. And know too that this chainsaw's battery does use the same charger as all the other EGO batteries and I've found battery life under constant usage for the 5.0 to be like 4 to 6 hours, though I have gotten 7 and 8 on smaller jobs. Now the work I do is light to moderate cutting. Really folks, leave the rest to a pro. Cutting down large trees is a dangerous occupation that requires rigorous training, not anywhere close to a DIY project. Those guys use numerous pro level saws worth 4 times the price of these with just the right length for just the right job. What this is for is the kind of work I do land-lording several rent houses that are well treed, as well as my own home. One of the yards in particular has a gob of huge old loblolly pines I really like, and they do occasionally drop branches up to a foot or less in diameter that I will cut up, occasionally a bit wider. And I also occasionally chop down smaller trees and bushes that either die on me or are planted in a bad place and the roots have gotten to be a problem. I cut up some firewood as well. So, it's light to moderate work and I do it on an average of once or twice a month. I don't need a pro saw for that, neither do you. And this one works OK. It's light compared to my old saw which is nice too boot and as far as durability, we'll see. I'm getting really used to the grab and go qualities of this saw and it's also good not having to carry a gas can around for it. But, of course there's no place to plug your charger in when cutting out in wooded areas. And like I said, I would really like this saw to have a bit more cutting power. Hope this helps you decide.
