I live in Australia, where as far as I can tell there are no laws regarding the size of chainsaw engines. I've cut down maybe 50 trees, taken out some fences b

I live in Australia, where as far as I can tell there are no laws regarding the size of chainsaw engines. I've cut down maybe 50 trees, taken out some fences by mistake when I did it, so not a professional by any means but not a complete newbie either. I own 2 electric chain saws (one 240V and one battery), and borrowed a petrol ones when they annoyed me. Observations: - If you put aside annoyances created by the battery or cord, the electric motors are vastly superior to the petrol ones. Battery aside they are lighter and easier to handle. They always start, they don't get hot, they are quiet. His comments about torque are completely off. He should be able to tell there something odd going on by comparing EV's with gas car. When it comes to short term power even the most gutless EV will demolish the gas car. - A 120V/240V is of course useless if you aren't adjacent to a house. But for work around the house the trade off is the cord vs near unlimited power, very light, superb balance, always starts, infinite run time and cheap. Still, some people can't stand organising that long extension cord. - Batteries fix that, but batteries are heavy and don't last very long. Not lasting long isn't an impossible problem as swapping them over is fast, faster than refilling the chain oil which lasts about one battery charge anyway. But batteries are also expensive to buying all those spares costs a small fortune. - Battery backpacks mean the saw remains very light, remarkably so. I have one. I find myself using small battery packs and hefting the chainsaw around rather than using a backpack. This of course means frequent battery changes, but it only takes seconds. - While a small light electric motor can easily demolish a gas engine at any given speed / torque setting, the power draw places a huge demand on the battery. They overheat. Not a big program as you can swap batteries and let them cool down - but again they are expensive. - The outcome for me is for non-continuous use, battery / electric wins hands down. Continuous use means a carrying around a lot of very expensive batteries, and a lot of chargers so they are read in the morning. The only thing that counts as continuous use for me is chopping up a wood pile. When you are dissecting a tree you are moving most of the time, which gives the battery a chance to cool. - Despite all the complaints above about batteries, my chief annoyance isn't the battery or cord. It's the bloody chains they ship with electric chain saws. Here he is spot on. Rule number 1 is keep the thing sharpened. Or at least it is in Australia, home to some of the works hardest hardwoods. Ironbark is the most common tree on my property. https://www.borthwick.com.au/species/hardness-rating https://www.borthwick.com.au/species/hardness-rating After cutting down just one of them and your chain needs to be sharpened, but manually sharpening a chain is a skilled job. You have to be remarkably consistent over 30 or so teeth. I couldn't do it, so I bought a electric sharpener. They are dirt cheap compared to replacing chains. Beware the still require some "skill" to use, you can't be sloppy about it and take short cuts. Every tooth has to be in precisely the position that matches the chain manufactures specifications, and has to be held firmly while you sharpen. - The Oregon 90PX052X is the most commonly shipped chain with electric and home use chain saws, and it is complete a pain in the arse. I have no idea why, but even with an electric chain sharpener I can only do a few sharpens before the bloody thing starts slicing curves. I bought cheaper replacements from eBay, and to my total surprise they are far better. More chiselled, and far easier to sharpen.