Greenworks
Greenworks Pro 80V 18" Chainsaw
The long-running 80V kit that made battery chainsaws credible for cheap — an 18-inch bar, brushless motor Greenworks rates as 42cc-gas-equivalent, and a 2.0Ah battery with a genuinely quick 30-minute recharge. Lowe's buyers rate it 4.6 stars and repeatedly describe dropping and bucking 18-22 inch trees on a charge, and the price is the hook: it lists at $380 but routinely street-prices at $210-250, an absurd amount of saw for the money. The honest caveats from owner reviews: the 2.0Ah pack is good for roughly 110 cuts and fades fast in big hardwood, the chain works loose and derails more than it should (check tension often), it's thirsty on bar oil, and the saw bogs if you lean on it in oversized logs. Note that Greenworks now also sells a newer 2.5kW Gen III 80V 18-inch (CS80L417, ~$430 with 4Ah) with more power for considerably more money — this classic kit remains the value pick.
Specifications
Highlights
Pros
- ✓Street price of $210-250 for a complete 18-inch 80V kit embarrasses saws costing twice as much
- ✓42cc-gas-equivalent brushless motor handles 18-22 inch trees per Lowe's owner reports
- ✓2.0Ah battery recharges in about 30 minutes — faster than most competitors' packs
- ✓4-year warranty on both tool and battery, double what Stihl gives its battery saws
- ✓4.6-star average across Lowe's reviews with consistent praise for quiet, instant-start operation
Cons
- ✗2.0Ah pack is the runtime bottleneck — about 110 cuts, and big hardwood drains it fast
- ✗Recurring owner complaints of chains loosening and derailing without frequent tension checks
- ✗Heavy bar-oil consumption; owners report topping off constantly
- ✗Bogs when forced in logs near the bar's 18-inch capacity
- ✗80V batteries are pricey if bought alone, which weakens the ecosystem argument
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Greenworks 60V 18" Brushless Chainsaw
The Gen II 60V is Greenworks' volume seller — a 2.0 kW brushless saw the company claims out-torques a 42cc gas engine by 20%, sold as an 18-inch kit with a 4.0Ah battery and 40-minute charger for around $310-350 at Lowe's, Tractor Supply, and Greenworks direct. Its 383 Lowe's reviews average 4.6 stars, with owners consistently surprised that a box-store battery saw fells and bucks real trees — the no-prime, no-choke, instant-trigger start is the most-praised feature among gas converts. At 9.5 lbs bare it's manageable for limbing, and the 65.6 ft/s chain speed is respectable if not pro-fast. The complaint pattern in reviews: the chain can come off under hard use, it bogs in very large logs if you rush it, and the 4.0Ah pack is good for about 140 cuts — enough for an afternoon, not a full firewood day. The 60V battery line spans 75+ Greenworks tools, which is a more useful ecosystem than the 80V line for most homeowners.
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Greenworks 12A 16" Corded Chainsaw
Greenworks' 12-amp corded is the floor of the credible chainsaw market — usually $70-90, light, simple, and exactly adequate for the pruning, storm-limb, and small-log work that most suburban saws actually see. The 16-inch bar is honest about the 12-amp motor behind it: this is a saw for wood under a foot, cut patiently, and owners who treat it that way report years of service from a tool that costs less than a nice dinner. Tool-less tensioning, an auto-oiler with a view window, and Greenworks' 4-year warranty round out a package that undercuts even the Worx on price. The compromises are proportional: the 12A motor bogs where 15A saws push through, the oiler can be inconsistent enough that owners check it religiously, and the build is unapologetically light-duty. As a storm-kit saw that lives in the garage until needed, or a first saw for a small lot, the price makes the argument by itself.
The Whisper Series 12-inch is the chainsaw distilled to its most convenient form: an 18V ONE+ tool light enough to feel like a big pruner, quiet enough that Ryobi built the marketing around it, and compatible with the batteries half of American garages already own. At $249 for the kit — much less as a bare tool — it exists for pruning, storm-limb cleanup, and breaking down small logs, and owners consistently describe it as the saw that actually gets grabbed because there's zero ceremony: click a pack in and cut. The physics are the honest limit: 18 volts through a 12-inch bar is a light-duty proposition, sustained cuts in hardwood drain packs quickly, and anything beyond ~8-inch wood belongs to its 40V sibling. As a second saw for trim work, or a first saw for a small yard, the convenience-per-dollar is unmatched; as an only saw for real firewood, it's the wrong tool and doesn't pretend otherwise.