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I have been following electric garden tools for a little while. The biggest issue I have is the up front cost, mostly related to batteries. Stihl and Husqvarna

I have been following electric garden tools for a little while. The biggest issue I have is the up front cost, mostly related to batteries. Stihl and Husqvarna recently released options where I could replace my $400 chainsaw with a battery option, but it would be $600 to run for 30 minutes, and another $150/battery to add another 30 minutes of run time. I don't often run it for a long time, but when I get the chance I don't want to have to cut my work time short or spend an extra $300 to cut down trees and not have to worry about the running time. There is also a company that offers a stand on mower comparable to what I use at home, but it would be about $18k to replace my $4k mower with an electric option. I am interested in the responsible, environmentally friendly, option, but it is hard to swallow.

hedora 6y ago
30 minutes run time is a long time for a chain saw for tasks where you spend more time moving logs and positioning the saw than actively cutting. Those prices do seem high compared to eGo, though I haven’t measured the runtime of my chainsaw, and lack of local service shops is an issue. On the other hand, the same batteries will power their other tools (string trimmers, push behind lawnmowers, etc), so you can have lots of tools for less total money, assuming sporadic use. Either way, the reduced noise, air pollution and maintenance make electric tools a no brainer for most use cases.
- asdff 6y ago
  It depends on how the cutting goes I suppose. Will the electric saw cut as easily as the STIHL? Or, will it be binding up into the wood and struggle with knots? These sorts of complicated cuts we take for granted with our overpowered gas saws might be more challenging and take more time under higher load for a lower powered saw, and those run times probably assume the chainsaw is not under full load and is ran in best conditions (such as, not freezing outside, factory new battery).

hedora 6y ago

30 minutes run time is a long time for a chain saw for tasks where you spend more time moving logs and positioning the saw than actively cutting. Those prices do seem high compared to eGo, though I haven’t measured the runtime of my chainsaw, and lack of local service shops is an issue. On the other hand, the same batteries will power their other tools (string trimmers, push behind lawnmowers, etc), so you can have lots of tools for less total money, assuming sporadic use. Either way, the reduced noise, air pollution and maintenance make electric tools a no brainer for most use cases.

asdff 6y ago
It depends on how the cutting goes I suppose. Will the electric saw cut as easily as the STIHL? Or, will it be binding up into the wood and struggle with knots? These sorts of complicated cuts we take for granted with our overpowered gas saws might be more challenging and take more time under higher load for a lower powered saw, and those run times probably assume the chainsaw is not under full load and is ran in best conditions (such as, not freezing outside, factory new battery).