Makita
Makita 40V Max XGT 16" Chainsaw Kit
The saw Makita built after admitting two 18V packs weren't enough — the 40V XGT GCU05 (sold internationally as the UC016G) spins its chain at 5,020 FPM and carries a 42cc-gas-equivalence claim that puts it in a different league from the old XCU04. Build quality is classic Makita: XPT weather sealing, a proper inertia chain brake, tool-free tensioning, and a standard 91PX 3/8"LP/.050 chain you can buy at any hardware store. The catches are cost and runtime: at $629 the kit costs $100+ more than an EGO CS2005 with a bigger bar, XGT packs are among the priciest batteries in OPE, and Makita's own runtime claim — about 30 cuts in 12" cedar on the included 4.0Ah — means firewood days require multiple packs. Home Depot owner reviews (4.3 stars) praise the power and fit-and-finish while flagging exactly that: you'll want a second (or 5.0Ah) battery, and you'll pay dearly for it. For XGT-platform loyalists it's the best saw Makita has ever made; for everyone else the math is hard.
Specifications
Highlights
Pros
- ✓5,020 FPM chain speed — the fastest chain in the 16" battery class, and it shows in cut speed
- ✓Legitimate 42cc-class power that no longer embarrasses Makita next to EGO and Milwaukee
- ✓Standard 3/8"LP/.050 91PX chain — replacement loops cost $15 anywhere, no proprietary sizing
- ✓Outstanding build: XPT sealing, inertia chain brake, metal spikes, tool-free tensioning
- ✓Variable-speed trigger with excellent low-speed control for careful limbing
- ✓45-minute rapid charger in the kit keeps a two-battery rotation viable
Cons
- ✗$629 kit price is the highest in the 16" battery class — an EGO CS2005 20" kit costs less
- ✗Included 4.0Ah pack manages only ~30 cuts in 12" wood by Makita's own claim; spares are $200+
- ✗13.9 lbs with battery — heavier than the LXT saw it effectively replaces
- ✗XGT batteries don't interchange with Makita's own 18V LXT fleet, restarting your battery investment
- ✗Modest 46-review pool at retail; long-term durability record is still thin compared to rivals
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Makita's clever answer to not having a big OPE battery: run two 18V LXT packs in series for 36V, so the enormous LXT tool ecosystem doubles as a chainsaw fleet. The XCU04 is the quietest, smoothest-feeling saw in this class — 11.5 lbs with both 5.0Ah packs, tool-less chain adjustment, and an auto power-off that keeps idle saws from draining batteries. But Makita's own 32cc-equivalence claim tells the honest story: this is the least powerful 16" saw among the big brands, and owner reviews echo it — great for limbing, storm branches, and occasional cordwood, but it bogs in hard 12"+ wood and 'gobbles batteries' under sustained bucking. The X2 arrangement also means every outing requires two charged packs, and the saw stops when the weaker one taps out. As a yard saw for someone deep in the LXT platform it's genuinely pleasant; as a primary firewood saw it's outclassed by EGO and Milwaukee at the same money.
Makita
Makita UC4051A
The UC4051A is what happens when a professional tool company builds a corded chainsaw and refuses to build it to a price: a 14.5-amp motor with real torque, a metal spike bar, tool-less blade-and-chain adjustment, and build quality that makes the $99 corded crowd feel like toys — priced, at around $279, like it knows it. The buyers are specific and satisfied: shop users cutting stock, urban tree services doing ground bucking near power, and homeowners who simply refuse plastic tools. Owners praise the smooth, quiet power delivery, the effective rubberized vibration damping (rare in corded saws), and current-limiter protection that keeps the motor alive under abuse. The honest question is the price: at nearly three Worx-es, you're paying for durability and refinement in a category most people treat as disposable. For daily or weekly corded use it's the only serious choice; for four weekends a year, it's overqualified.
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.