DeWalt 20V Max XR 12" Chainsaw Kit vs DeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt 20" Chainsaw Kit

DeWalt 20V Max XR 12" Chainsaw Kit

DeWalt / Battery

DeWalt 20V Max XR 12" Chainsaw Kit

30cc class (by bar)

~$279

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DeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt 20" Chainsaw Kit

DeWalt / Battery

DeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt 20" Chainsaw Kit

60cc class (by bar)

~$529

3.5/5 Ace Hardware

The DeWalt 20V Max XR 12" Chainsaw Kit costs about $250 less; the DeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt 20" Chainsaw Kit sits a class up (60cc class); the DeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt 20" Chainsaw Kit swings a longer bar (20 in).

SpecDeWalt 20V Max XR 12" Chainsaw KitDeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt 20" Chainsaw Kit
Approx. price~$279kit with 5.0Ah battery and charger~$529kit with FlexVolt 4.0Ah battery and charger
Engine class30cc classplaced by shipped bar length60cc classplaced by shipped bar length
Power typeBatteryBattery
Use caseHomeownerFarm & Ranch
Rated power—3.1 kW
Voltage20 V60 V
Kit battery5 Ah4 Ah
Bar length12 in20 in
Single-pass cutabout 10 inabout 18 in
Bar range12 in18-20 in
Chain3/8" low-profile pitch / .043" gauge Oregon, 45 DL3/8" pitch / .050" gauge, 70 DL
Weight9 lbwith 5.0Ah battery17.2 lbwith FlexVolt 4.0Ah (12.0Ah at 20V) battery
Warranty3-year limited3-year limited

Tinted cells mark the better figure on that row alone: more engine, longer bar, lighter, cheaper. A lighter weight is only a win on the same basis.

What owners like and complain about

DeWalt 20V Max XR 12" Chainsaw Kit

  • Cheapest way into a name-brand battery saw if you already own 20V Max packs — bare tool often dips under $150
  • 9 lbs with battery and compact enough for one-hand-assisted limbing (with care)
  • Tool-free tensioning knob makes chain adjustments genuinely painless
  • Quiet enough for neighborhood use and campground-legal where gas saws draw glares
  • Low-kickback 12" Oregon bar/chain suits nervous first-time chainsaw owners
  • 3-year warranty with DeWalt's huge service network behind it
  • Chronic bar-oil leakage — the oil cap seal is the single most repeated gripe in years of retailer reviews
  • 20V motor bogs in hardwood much past 8" — this is a limbing saw, not a bucking saw
  • Sustained cutting flattens the 5.0Ah pack in 15-20 minutes of trigger time
  • No chain brake lever — it relies on a low-kickback chain instead, which serious users consider a real omission
  • Newer DCCS621/DCCS623 models are lighter, leaving the 620 feeling dated at full price

DeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt 20" Chainsaw Kit

  • 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
  • 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
DeWalt 20V Max XR 12" Chainsaw Kit in fullDeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt 20" Chainsaw Kit in fullMore matchups