Milwaukee M18 Fuel 16" Chainsaw Kit vs Makita 18V X2 LXT 16" Chainsaw Kit
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
Milwaukee M18 Fuel 16" Chainsaw Kit
- Genuinely gas-class cutting speed — beat a Husqvarna 460 Rancher in Pro Tool Reviews' head-to-head
- Ships with the HD12.0 (216 Wh) pack, the biggest battery any 18V saw kit includes
- Full throttle in under a second with a well-tuned variable-speed trigger
- Shares batteries with 250+ M18 tools — the kit pack powers your whole jobsite
- Quality 16" Oregon bar and chain plus dual-stud bar retention, not proprietary hardware
- 5-year tool warranty, longer than most gas saws in this class
- 13.9 lbs with battery — noticeably heavier than gas rivals or EGO's 16" saw
- Aggressive factory oiler setting; owners report oil-slinging and bar-oil puddles in storage
- Needs an HO 8.0Ah+ pack for full power, so bare-tool buyers with compact batteries get a slower saw
- $499 kit price is steep against EGO's $329 CS1613 unless you're already on M18
- The .043" narrow-kerf chain dulls fast in dirty wood and stretches early in its life
Makita 18V X2 LXT 16" Chainsaw Kit
- Uses standard 18V LXT packs — the kit's two 5.0Ah batteries power hundreds of other Makita tools
- Light and nimble: 11.5 lbs with batteries, more than 2 lbs less than Milwaukee's 16" saw
- Noticeably quieter than competitors — owners prune at dawn without neighbor complaints
- Auto power-off and battery gauges prevent the dead-battery surprises common on other saws
- Tool-less chain tensioning and a large, easy-fill oil reservoir
- Kit includes a dual-port rapid charger, so both packs recharge simultaneously
- Only 32cc-equivalent by Makita's own rating — the weakest 16" saw in the big-brand battery field
- Burns through battery pairs fast under real bucking; owners report short work sessions per charge
- Needs two charged packs every time — one flat battery sidelines the whole saw
- 3,940 FPM chain speed trails EGO (20 m/s ≈ 3,940) and far behind XGT's 5,020 FPM in cut feel under load
- Makita has shifted OPE focus to 40V XGT, leaving LXT saw accessories in maintenance mode