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Thanks for the links. I wish I had the same number of ounces in Palladium or Gold as I do in silver...
Gas powered weed-eaters also make me jittery the rest of the day too. The electric ones don't seem to do that. Problem, that I had with them is that the batteries were worthless after a year. I do have a corded edger that works fairly well.
Although I found that training my son on how to help out in the yard is much more pleasant than doing it all by myself.
Thanks for the links. I wish I had the same number of ounces in Palladium or Gold as I do in silver...
Gas powered weed-eaters also make me jittery the rest of the day too. The electric ones don't seem to do that. Problem, that I had with them is that the batteries were worthless after a year. I do have a corded edger that works fairly well.
Although I found that training my son on how to help out in the yard is much more pleasant than doing it all by myself.
Your post caused me to recall my experience with a battery powered chainsaw. After a particularly bad winter, years ago, I wanted to clear debris from my back yard. My old chainsaw was gas, wasn't used often, and had clogged. It also needed oil mixed with gas, shook like heck when it worked, and stank.
My decision was to go green, due to a positive experience with a battery powered trimmer. This resulted in a purchase of one black and decker battery powered chain saw for about $100 that was awful, without support from Black and Decker. The Black and Decker was and still is an atrocity, a mockery of chainsaws. I decided to double down and spend $431 on an Oregon PowerNow saw as I was convinced it was possible to get at least 15 to 20 minutes of power in a battery to run a chainsaw, the electrical needs seemed within the range of the possible.
The difference was night and day, the Oregon saw works for up to half an hour, and cuts most anything. The Black and Decker mostly spent it's power running the chain off itself without any load.
Some friends thought $431 was nuts for a chainsaw, but it's been around for a while, and always starts up instantly, not much noise, and little vibration. It's just a plain, easy, reliable, way to cut wood. I've been able to cut tree and tree limbs up to about 8" with it.
A problem with green electric products is the difficulty getting reasonable reviews, and the expense of decent higher end devices. I have a battery powered trimmer, and mower, my last gas device is a large 22 year old snow blower. I understand a battery blower isn't possible with current technology, but am concerned an electric unit wouldn't work well either even with a 100' extension cord.
IMO a failure of green is fanboyism, so many sites will rate anything that claims to be green as wonderful. Not all green chainsaws or lawn mowers are equal, some are downright awful. My Black and Decker experience was an atrocity. Yet many sites and people rated it well, it's green you see!
Overall, I agree that your subjective reviews from "green" websites are skewed.
I have a electric chain saw on a stick and I only expect it to cut MAYBE 2" branches. It does up to that well. I don't expect anything else out of it. Sometimes the expectation of what you want it to do and what it is designed to do are different? BTW - I agree that the B&D electric chainsaw is junk...
For Example, I have the Ryobi Battery tools drill, light, sander, *** saw, sawzall, and a skill saw. I find that the drill and the light are OK. The sander, sawzall, ***, and skill are really for the emergency I need to make a couple of cuts, rather than I am working on my house and need to cut all day long with it, type tools. I guess you could if you had a dozen batteries at the ready with enough chargers. I can kill the battery on the skill saw with only a few cuts of 1 x 4 or 1 x 6. BUT if I made my cuts with the corded chop saw and I am now on the roof, those tools are a life saver. And however took over for the Ryobi batteries sucks - the new batteries are garbage - to the point I bought a Harbor Freight battery drill for $16 instead of replacing the 18v batteries that barely lasted a year the last time I bought a 2-pack new for $48.
Good to know about the snow blowers - I was looking at small corded ones. (I may be moving to snow)
Some friends thought $431 was nuts for a chainsaw, but it's been around for a while, and always starts up instantly, not much noise, and little vibration. It's just a plain, easy, reliable, way to cut wood. I've been able to cut tree and tree limbs up to about 8" with it.
I could probably do it faster with an axe but I'm experienced with an axe. If I was going to purchase an electric chainsaw I'd get one that is corded. Just not practical for me, the trees are large where I live and it seems we're ending up cutting up one a year on average.
This was after Irene, the tree falling was a shame because it was a hickory. Lost 3 trees for that storm.
There is another one leaning here that had to come down, that's a rock maple:
tehcoalman - Yes - you have trees that battery/electric whatever isn't gonna "cut-it" so to speak. I have palm fronds and small branches that are close enough to the house that a 100' extension cord is all I need. (most of the time my 25' will work)
Post a picture of the bar that wood makes... BTW, I like the yard you have... One day, I will have a house on some "real" property rather than the 1/2 acre I have now.
I could probably do it faster with an axe but I'm experienced with an axe.
I guess and axe would work, but I'm content with my chainsaw. I'm a bit old and sedentary, with a battery my chainsaw weighs less than half my old gas unit, and is ready to go at any time without clogging or oil / fuel mixing.
and is ready to go at any time without clogging or oil / fuel mixing.
If you aren't going to use a chain saw a lot the key is to completely empty the fuel tank by running it out of gas. Be sure you are not using old gas. I only mix a gallon at a time and since I have other 2 cycle tools it doesn't sit around that long.
One day, I will have a house on some "real" property rather than the 1/2 acre I have now.
Actually it's a small lot for this area, 1 1/2 acres and those pictures are most of it. That's the neighbors house in the distance. All lawn and trees but I'm backed by woods owned by the neighbors with almost no possibility of development.
Two reasons, A)*most* 4 cycle engines need to remain in the upright position because they need to pump oil and B)Weight.
I have a 4 cycle trimmer head (with attachments for blower, edger, hedge trimmer) IT is a bit heavier than the 2 cycle but runs cleaner and is much easier not having to kee mix gas around.
I have looked at those and used to use one when I bought my first house in 2000, but I have never seen one that cuts high enough. 2.5 inches is the max usually and that's way too low for non-warm season grasses. I f I could find one that goes up to 3.5 even, I would use it in a minute.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dakster
Overall, I agree that your subjective reviews from "green" websites are skewed.
I have a electric chain saw on a stick and I only expect it to cut MAYBE 2" branches. It does up to that well. I don't expect anything else out of it. Sometimes the expectation of what you want it to do and what it is designed to do are different? BTW - I agree that the B&D electric chainsaw is junk...
For Example, I have the Ryobi Battery tools drill, light, sander, *** saw, sawzall, and a skill saw. I find that the drill and the light are OK. The sander, sawzall, ***, and skill are really for the emergency I need to make a couple of cuts, rather than I am working on my house and need to cut all day long with it, type tools. I guess you could if you had a dozen batteries at the ready with enough chargers. I can kill the battery on the skill saw with only a few cuts of 1 x 4 or 1 x 6. BUT if I made my cuts with the corded chop saw and I am now on the roof, those tools are a life saver. And however took over for the Ryobi batteries sucks - the new batteries are garbage - to the point I bought a Harbor Freight battery drill for $16 instead of replacing the 18v batteries that barely lasted a year the last time I bought a 2-pack new for $48.
Good to know about the snow blowers - I was looking at small corded ones. (I may be moving to snow)
I just bought a Greenworks (I think that was the name) corded snow blower on Woot. They had them for $100. For me, where I might need to use it once every 3 years, electric is way better any way as I can store it.
I too have wanted a catalytic lawn mower for a while. Just seems like a good ide, even though I am far from your typical "tree hugger" why pollute more when you don't have to. I thought they were coming, but I guess not.
The other day, I saw this mower at Home Depot. EGO Power+ - Power Beyond Belief Has a 56 volt battery that is removable. It says you have a 45 minute run and 30 minute recharge time. If you could get a second battery, you could do pretty much any size lawn. I have an 8 year old mower with a Honda GCV 160 engine that has some horrible carb on it that you have to replace about every 4-5 years (cleaning just will not fix them) or it will surge like crazy. That EGO Power plus is looking pretty good to me.
Your post caused me to recall my experience with a battery powered chainsaw. After a particularly bad winter, years ago, I wanted to clear debris from my back yard. My old chainsaw was gas, wasn't used often, and had clogged. It also needed oil mixed with gas, shook like heck when it worked, and stank.
My decision was to go green, due to a positive experience with a battery powered trimmer. This resulted in a purchase of one black and decker battery powered chain saw for about $100 that was awful, without support from Black and Decker. The Black and Decker was and still is an atrocity, a mockery of chainsaws. I decided to double down and spend $431 on an Oregon PowerNow saw as I was convinced it was possible to get at least 15 to 20 minutes of power in a battery to run a chainsaw, the electrical needs seemed within the range of the possible.
The difference was night and day, the Oregon saw works for up to half an hour, and cuts most anything. The Black and Decker mostly spent it's power running the chain off itself without any load.
Some friends thought $431 was nuts for a chainsaw, but it's been around for a while, and always starts up instantly, not much noise, and little vibration. It's just a plain, easy, reliable, way to cut wood. I've been able to cut tree and tree limbs up to about 8" with it.
A problem with green electric products is the difficulty getting reasonable reviews, and the expense of decent higher end devices. I have a battery powered trimmer, and mower, my last gas device is a large 22 year old snow blower. I understand a battery blower isn't possible with current technology, but am concerned an electric unit wouldn't work well either even with a 100' extension cord.
IMO a failure of green is fanboyism, so many sites will rate anything that claims to be green as wonderful. Not all green chainsaws or lawn mowers are equal, some are downright awful. My Black and Decker experience was an atrocity. Yet many sites and people rated it well, it's green you see!
Buying Black and Decker was the problem, not nearly anything like the brand used to be.
The trick when buying any kind of tool or equipment is to stay away from consumer models. If you can buy it at a Sears, Home Depot or Lowes, junk. Some people have positive experiences with buying at those places and sometimes I do as well but I've learned that if it is a tool or piece of equipment, I source it from industrial supply centers and then only buy the very best.
Years ago I had of all things, a Toro electric blower. It mulched too and was super powerful. They key to distance is larger wire cords (smaller number gauge) and that can make a big difference. Another one of those get the best things. The typical extension cords sold in the box stores are junk, even the so called "contractor" models. They slap "contractor" on anything they want to get rid of, it means nothing.
Point on about the fanboys in Green. Most are geewiz Google knowledge people who talk the talk but rarely do. Their contributions revolve around taking the trash out and maybe sorting through paper.
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If I was going to purchase an electric chainsaw I'd get one that is corded. Just not practical for me, the trees are large where I live and it seems we're ending up cutting up one a year on average. 
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