Kobalt / Battery
~$179
Kobalt 40V 14" Brushless Chainsaw Kit
40cc class (by bar)
- 40V
- pack
- 14 in
- bar
- 11.1 lb
- bare
Lowe's shoppers who want a light, well-balanced cleanup saw and will not be felling anything substantial.
Homeowner
Pay attention to the chain speed on this one. Kobalt rates it at 12 metres per second — roughly 39 ft/s, which is about half what the 80V 18-inch does and well under every other 16-inch battery saw in the catalog. It will cut the wood; it will take its time. Against that, a metal wrap-around handle, a quick-adjust tensioner, an electronic chain brake and a 5-year warranty are a genuinely serious specification for a saw that lists at $299 and has been selling at $199, and the 110-cut runtime from only a 2.0Ah pack suggests the slow chain is doing the motor a favour. The 2.0Ah battery is the obvious upgrade target, and a bigger 80V Kobalt pack drops straight in.
Best for: Lowe's shoppers who want an 80V platform saw cheaply and do not mind a slow chain.
Specifications
Manufacturer figures except the engine class and single-pass cut, which are derived here. What each spec means
- Metal wrap-around handle
- Electronic chain brake
- Often $199 with battery
Where it is strong
- Frequently $199 complete with battery and charger against a $299 list
- Metal wrap-around handle rather than the all-plastic shells common at this price
- Electronic chain brake and quick-adjust tensioning
- 110 cuts from only a 2.0Ah pack — the bigger 80V Kobalt batteries extend it a long way
Where it falls short
- 12 m/s chain speed is the slowest in the 16-inch battery class by a wide margin
- 15 lb with a small 2.0Ah battery is heavy for a 16-inch saw
- 2.0Ah pack is the minimum viable size; a spare is a near-certain purchase
- No manufacturer site — specs and support exist only on the Lowe's listing
- List price swings by $100 between promotions, so timing matters more than usual
Written from the spec sheet and the maker's documentation; owner reports for this model were too thin to summarize.
