2020 test6 productsOutdoor Power Equipment
Which Chainsaw Brand Wins?
We compared 6 chainsaw options head to head. DeWalt came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
DeWalt
Price shown in test: $349
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Runner-up
Makita
Price shown in test: $406.55
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Budget pick
Ryobi
Price shown in test: $200
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Specs | No Load Rpm | Noise Level | Weight | Cut Test 4x 4 | Weighted Cut Test | Hardwood Cut Test | Battery After Hardwood | Run Time | Recharge Time | Work To Recharge Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Worx$199.99 | 14 in bar (13.25 in usable), 40V max brushless motor, two 20V 2 Ah batteries, no variable speed trigger (all or nothing), self-tightening chain, 3/8 in pitch chain with 52 drive links and .043 gauge (Oregon bar and chain), six tooth steel gear with two steel pins and a stud, made in China | 4,300 RPM, lowest of all six saws tested including the gas Stihl | 90 dB, quietest of all six saws tested | 10.6 lbs with batteries, tied lightest with the gas Stihl | best of three cuts was the first at 17.14 seconds; repeat cuts were slower at 18.5 and 17.9 seconds; finished last (sixth) of six in the final ranking | 17.7 seconds to cut six 4x4s with 2.5 lb added weight and no downward force applied; finished fifth of six | no numeric cut time given in the transcript; only described qualitatively as struggling and requiring a lot more user input than the other saws. This brand is also the only one of the six omitted from the final hardwood-test ranking recap | nearly used up, down to one bar | 20 minutes no-load, first of all six to run out | 1 hour (60 minutes), fastest of all six | approximately 1:3 |
| 2Ryobi$200 | 14 in bar (12 in usable), 40V lithium brushless motor with load-sensing technology claim, 4 Ah battery, 5 year warranty, 3/8 in pitch chain with 52 drive links and .050 gauge (Oregon bar and chain), six tooth steel gear with two studs (rest of housing plastic), made in Vietnam | stated twice in the transcript as 11,700 RPM at first measurement and 11,690 RPM in the closing recap; kept both figures rather than silently reconciling, likely a minor rounding/caption variance | 99 dB | 11.4 lbs with batteries | first cut 14.4 seconds, second cut 16.8 seconds (stalled out twice), third and best cut 14.1 seconds; finished fifth of six | 9.9 seconds, described as totally crushing this test; finished third of six | first pass 29 seconds (stalled once), second pass 24.1 seconds (best); finished fifth of six in the final ranking recap | two bars remaining | 22 minutes 27 seconds no-load | 157 minutes 34 seconds, slowest of all six | approximately 1:7, worst ratio of all six |
| 3DeWalt$349 | 16 in bar (14.75 in usable), 60V max brushless motor rated 9 Ah at 20V / 3 Ah at 60V, 3 year warranty, 3/8 in pitch chain with 56 drive links and .043 gauge (Oregon bar and chain), six tooth sprocket with one steel stud and one pin, made in China (tool/accessories), charger made in China or Thailand, battery made in China, Japan, South Korea, or Malaysia | 8,156 RPM | 99 dB | 12.6 lbs with battery | first cut 12.2 seconds (stalled once), second cut 10.9 seconds, third and best cut 10.3 seconds, by far the fastest of all six saws in this test | 8.6 seconds, second fastest of all six behind only the gas Stihl (8.3 seconds) | first pass 17 seconds, second pass 15.5 seconds; final ranking recap states the winning time as 15.3 seconds, a small discrepancy from the in-body 15.5 seconds figure, kept both rather than silently resolved; finished first of six | still on three bars, the best remaining charge of the group | 37 minutes 12 seconds no-load | 139 minutes 23 seconds | approximately 1:4 |
| 4Makita LXT$406.55 | 36V brushless motor, 16 in bar (14.5 in usable), comes with an extra set of batteries, 3 year warranty, claimed 45 minute charge time, variable speed trigger, 3/8 in pitch, .043 gauge chain (Oregon bar and chain), six tooth sprocket with two pins and a stud, metal chain cover and chain guard, dual battery indicator, made in China (saw and charger), batteries made in Japan, China, Singapore, Korea, or Malaysia | 10,726 RPM | 98 dB | 11.4 lbs with batteries, same as the Ryobi | first cut 15 seconds (stalled), second and best cut 13.4 seconds, third cut 14.4 seconds (stalled again); finished second of six | 10.3 seconds, a respectable finish about 2 seconds slower than the DeWalt; finished fourth of six | first pass 23.9 seconds (stalled twice), second and better pass 21.4 seconds, moving into second place behind DeWalt; finished fourth of six in the final ranking recap | one battery at four bars, the other at three bars | first battery set ran out at 31 minutes no-load; with the included second battery set, total estimated run time is around 62 minutes | 60 minutes 13 seconds (13 seconds slower than the Worx) | approximately 1:2, tied best of all six with the Milwaukee |
| 5Milwaukee M18 FUEL$445 | 16 in bar, one high output 12 Ah battery, M18/M12 rapid charger, claims one charge equals 150 cuts into 6x6 cedar and up to 20% faster cuts than a standard gas competitor, 6 tooth sprocket with a two-stud design described as more durable than the DeWalt's, made in China (bar, chain, and saw are Oregon-branded) | 6,470 RPM | 93 dB, second quietest of all six saws (behind the Worx) | 14.4 lbs with battery, by far the heaviest of all six saws tested | first cut 16.7 seconds (stalled), second and fastest cut 13.7 seconds, third cut 13.9 seconds; finished tied fourth of six with the gas Stihl (13.5 seconds), though the Milwaukee's own best cut was 13.7 seconds not 13.5, a minor inconsistency in the closing recap kept unresolved | 18.6 seconds, the slowest of all six saws in this test | first pass 22.9 seconds (stalled twice), second and better pass 19.7 seconds, moving into second place, 4 seconds behind DeWalt; finished second of six in the final ranking recap | three bars remaining | 63 minutes 4 seconds no-load, the best single-battery run time of all six saws | 129 minutes | approximately 1:2, tied best of all six with the Makita |
| 6Stihl MS 170typically $180 to $200 | gasoline-powered 16 in bar (15 in usable, tied best with the Milwaukee), 30.1 cc, 1.7 horsepower two-stroke engine, fitted with a new chain for fairness before testing | 15,800 RPM, highest of all six saws tested by a wide margin | 105 dB, loudest of all six saws tested; resolved from an otherwise unlabeled string of six sequential noise readings (90/99/99/98/93/105 dB) in the transcript by matching the summary statement 'the Worx and the Milwaukee are the two quietest saws' and 'a lot quieter than a gasoline powered saw', which only fits if this final 105 dB reading belongs to the gas Stihl rather than the Milwaukee | 10.6 lbs, tied lightest with the Worx | 13.8, 13.8, and 13.5 seconds (best); finished third of six | 8.3 seconds, fastest of all six saws in this test, requiring the least user effort | first pass 21.9 seconds, second and better pass 21.1 seconds; finished third of six in the final ranking recap | not tested | not directly comparable, gas engine not part of the no-load battery run time or recharge time tests | not tested | not tested |
How it was tested
- no-load chain/sprocket speed (RPM)
- noise level (dB, measured 30 in above the handle)
- weight with battery installed
- usable bar length vs. advertised bar length
- cutting speed through nine 4x4 boards (seconds, user-applied downward force)
- cutting speed through six 4x4 boards with 2.5 lb of added weight and no downward force (seconds)
- cutting speed through a honey locust hardwood log, two passes (seconds)
- no-load battery run time
- battery recharge time
- work-to-recharge time ratio
“DeWalt really crushed it in this showdown. Really impressed with the cutting speed.”