DeWalt
DeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt 20" Chainsaw Kit
DeWalt's biggest saw — a 20" bar, up to 3,100W (DeWalt claims 50.2cc-gas-equivalent peak power), and a real 3/8"/.050 chain — aimed squarely at the EGO CS2005 and Milwaukee's M18 flagship. In testing it's legitimately fast, ripping through 16"+ hardwood, and the included hard carry case is a touch nobody else offers at this price. But this is the most polarizing saw in the group: the Ace Hardware aggregate sits at just 3.5 stars, with owners citing batteries that sag or shut down under sustained bucking, mixed durability, and the sheer 17.2 lb heft with the FlexVolt pack aboard. The kit's 4.0Ah (60V) battery is really a 12.0Ah 20V FlexVolt pack, which is great if you own other FlexVolt tools and expensive dead weight if you don't. Buy it if you're FlexVolt-committed and cut intermittently; look at EGO or gas if you're bucking cords every weekend.
Specifications
Highlights
Pros
- ✓Peak output up to 3,100W / 3.49 HP — cuts 16"+ hardwood at speeds that embarrass 45cc gas saws
- ✓Standard 3/8"/.050 70-link chain means cheap replacement loops from any saw shop
- ✓Hard carrying case included — rare at any price in battery saws
- ✓FlexVolt battery back-converts to every 20V Max tool you own
- ✓Tooled chain tensioning with dual bar studs holds the bar more securely than rivals' tool-free knobs
- ✓Metal bucking spikes and a proper inertia chain brake
Cons
- ✗3.5-star retailer aggregate — the weakest owner scores of any major-brand big battery saw
- ✗17.2 lbs with battery, the heaviest saw in its class by a wide margin
- ✗Owners report thermal shutdowns and fast battery sag under sustained bucking; a second $300+ FlexVolt pack is near-essential
- ✗Tooled (not tool-free) tensioning means fishing out the scrench for every chain adjustment
- ✗Durability complaints (oiler and electronics) show up repeatedly in the small review pool
Compare the DeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt 20" Chainsaw Kit
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DeWalt's little 12-incher is the chainsaw for people who own DeWalt drills — a 9 lb (with battery) camp-and-cleanup saw that runs on the same 20V Max packs as the rest of the yellow fleet. ToolGuyd's reviewer famously came in skeptical and left converted: for limbs, small trees, and construction demo cuts it's genuinely handy, with a claimed 90 cuts in 4x4 PT lumber from the included 5.0Ah pack. The recurring complaint in dated Home Depot reviews is the oil system: the cap shipped without a proper O-ring seal for years and the saw weeps bar oil when stored flat — some owners report leaks onto the trigger electronics — so it lives best hung up with the tank near-empty. It's no firewood saw: sustained cutting drains the 5.0Ah pack quickly and the 20V motor bogs in hardwood past ~8". As a grab-it-weekly property saw on a platform you already own, though, it's cheap, quiet, and always ready.
The biggest saw EGO makes and the closest thing to a battery farm saw the 56V line offers — a 20" bar, a real 3/8"/.050 full-chisel chain, 25 m/s chain speed, and a claimed 55cc-gas equivalence that testers largely back up; Pro Tool Reviews said it went through seasoned oak 'like a hot knife through butter.' It's a genuine firewood saw: 135 claimed cuts on 6x6 with the included 6.0Ah pack, a digital display, and an LED work light. The honest tradeoffs: at 19.4 lbs with battery it's one of the heaviest saws in its class, gas or battery; top chain speed only unlocks with a 6.0Ah-or-larger pack; and owners report the familiar EGO habits — bar-oil seepage in storage and chains that need frequent tensioning. If you're cutting cords of hardwood a 20-minute-per-pack reality means buying a second $300+ battery, which quietly turns a $549 kit into an $850 setup.
Milwaukee
Milwaukee M18 Fuel 16" Chainsaw Kit
The saw that proved an 18V platform could cut like gas — Milwaukee ships it with the giant HD12.0 pack (216 Wh) and claims 40cc-plus performance, and Pro Tool Reviews clocked it out-cutting a Husqvarna 460 Rancher in head-to-head bucking. For the legions already invested in M18 tools it's the obvious choice: 150 claimed cuts per charge, full throttle in under a second, and a proper 16" Oregon bar with metal bucking spikes. r/MilwaukeeTool threads are largely glowing about power but honest about the rest: it's 13.9 lbs with the battery (heavier than a 40cc gas powerhead), the automatic oiler is factory-set and owners report it runs wet — flinging and weeping bar oil in storage — and running any pack smaller than an HO 8.0 noticeably blunts performance. It's also a single-battery saw with no dual-charger in the kit, so sustained firewood days mean either a $250 spare HD12.0 or long charging breaks.