DeWalt / Battery
~$279
DeWalt 20V Max XR 12" Chainsaw Kit
30cc class (by bar)
- 20V
- pack
- 12 in
- bar
- 9 lb
- as sold
DeWalt 20V tool owners who need a light saw for limbs, storm branches, and jobsite cuts — not firewood production.
Homeowner · superseded
EGO Power+ CS1201 12" Compact Chainsaw Kit
30cc class
~$279
approx., kit with 2.5Ah battery and 210W charger
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Eight and a half pounds with the battery in it — that number is the whole argument for the CS1201. It is EGO's smallest saw, a 12" bar on a 56V pack rated at 30cc-gas equivalence, and TechGearLab timed it through a 4x4 in 8.1 seconds, quicker than most compact saws twice its bar length would suggest. The catch is runtime: the included 2.5Ah pack gives roughly six minutes of continuous cutting, which is fine for a dozen limbs and useless for a woodpile. Owners also flag a high-pitched whine under load (81 dBA measured) and a flush-mounted oil filler that lets sawdust into the reservoir if you do not wipe it down before topping off. It is a limbing and storm-tidying saw, not a bucking saw, and the 12" bar sets a hard ceiling around 10" wood.
Best for: EGO 56V owners who want a light one-hand-capable saw for limbs, brush, and storm tidying rather than firewood volume.
Specifications
Manufacturer figures except the engine class and single-pass cut, which are derived here. What each spec means
- 8.4 lb with battery
- 30cc-gas-equivalent claim
- 4x4 in 8.1 seconds
What owners like
- Lightest saw EGO sells at 8.4 lb with the 2.5Ah pack — genuinely usable overhead or at arm's length
- Cuts far above its size class; TechGearLab measured a 4x4 in 8.1 seconds and 32 nine-inch pine discs in six minutes
- Tool-free chain tensioning and tool-free chain changes, no scrench hunting
- Shares the same 56V ARC packs as EGO mowers, blowers, and trimmers
- 5-year tool / 3-year battery warranty, matching the best terms in the battery-saw class
Common complaints
- About six minutes of continuous cutting on the included 2.5Ah pack — a second battery is effectively required for anything beyond cleanup
- EGO caps it at 5.0Ah packs and smaller, so you cannot buy your way to long runtime
- 81 dBA with a high-pitched whine under load; quieter compact saws exist
- Flush oil filler traps sawdust — clean the deck before every refill or debris goes into the reservoir
- 12" bar and modest oiler put a hard ceiling near 10" wood
Nearest alternatives
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