Which Gas Chainsaw Brand Wins?
A head-to-head test of 8 gas chainsaw options with the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
VEVOR
Price shown in test: $96
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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 | Claimed Specs | Weight | Starting Ease | Noise Db | No Load RPM | Dyno Torque To Stop Chain | Cut Speed Test Log 3 Cuts | Cut Speed With 5lb Weight 1 Pass | Hardwood Cut Test 2 Cuts | Vibration | Start Force | Average Finish Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1VEVOR$96 | 18-in bar, 52cc two-cycle engine, claims 2.55 horsepower, claims max RPM of 12,000, made in China | 14.6 lb without fuel and bar/chain oil | started on the 7th pull attempt, worst starting result of any saw with a recorded attempt count | 114.6 dB | very close to 10,000 no-load RPM | 23 lb, third place overall | 15.17s, 15.12s, 16.0s, average 15.43 seconds | 16.88 seconds | 21.48s, 22.46s, average 21.97 seconds, third place in this test | 104.5 mm/s | 39.1 lb peak force | 4.4 |
| 2BILT HARD$110 | 18-in bar, 46cc engine, claims 2.4 horsepower, claims a rated speed of 8,500 RPM, wing-nut-held air filter, four bucking spikes described as not very sharp, made in China | 14.57 lb | started on the 4th pull, tied with Troy-Bilt | claims 114 dB, measured at 114.3 dB | almost 11,700 no-load RPM | 16 lb, ran out of steam | 20.41s, 19.82s, 19.41s, average 19.93 seconds | 22.41 seconds | 37.39s, 35.44s, average 36.42 seconds, the slowest average of any saw in this test | 107.6 mm/s | 38.8 lb, about the same as the VEVOR | not tested |
| 3Ryobi$200 | 18-in bar, 38cc engine, the smallest displacement in the lineup, claims an anti-vibration handle, four bucking spikes described as not too aggressive, reusable foam air filter, bar oil and fuel tank at the rear for easy access, made in China with further processing in Vietnam | 11.93 lb, second lightest in the lineup | started on the 3rd pull, tied for the best starting result with the Echo | 113.8 dB, almost as loud as VEVOR and BILT HARD | 11,780 peak RPM | 17 lb, a little better than BILT HARD | 22.88s, 23.08s, 23.34s, average 23.1 seconds, the slowest in the lineup on this test | 22.67 seconds, third place | 39.82s, 39.46s, average 39.64 seconds, the slowest average of any saw, even slower than BILT HARD | 24.6 mm/s, by far the best yet at the time of testing | 32 lb, the least amount of force required at the time of testing | not tested |
| 4Troy-Bilt$225 | 18-in bar, 42cc engine, claims spring assist technology for easy pull starts, claims a low kickback bar and chain, claims a lightweight design, five felling spikes described as sticking out excessively, made in China with globally sourced materials | 12.51 lb | started on the 4th pull, tied with BILT HARD | 112.9 dB, the least noisy saw at the time of testing | just under 12,000 RPM, the most engine speed yet at the time of testing | 16 lb, about the same as BILT HARD | 18.98s, 19.25s, 18.89s, average 18.98 seconds, second place behind VEVOR at the time | 21.27 seconds, moved into second place | just under 35s, just under 30s, average 32.44 seconds, about 10 seconds slower than VEVOR | 51.4 mm/s | 21.9 lb, the least force required of any saw in the final pull-force test | not tested |
| 5ECHO$379 | 18-in bar, 45cc engine, claims a professional-grade two-stroke motor, designed for 89 octane or higher, threaded self-securing air filter, most aggressive felling spikes at time of introduction, large bar/chain oil port, made in Japan | 13.53 lb | started on the 3rd pull, tied for the best starting result with Ryobi | 113.6 dB, about the same as Ryobi | just under 13,000 RPM, most yet at the time of testing; final recap lists it as 12,950 RPM, second place behind Stihl | 24 lb, moved into the lead over VEVOR at the time; finished second overall behind Stihl's 32 lb | 14.76s, 15.12s, 16.36s, average 15.41 seconds, barely moved into the lead over VEVOR at the time; finished third overall behind Stihl (12.01s) and DeWalt (14.15s) | described only as 'only 0.01 seconds slower than the Beaver this time', derived as approximately 16.89 seconds from VEVOR's 16.88 second result rather than stated directly; flagging as derived | just under 25s, 21.89s, average 23.44 seconds | 11.2 mm/s, by far the best yet at the time of testing | 39.4 lb, the most force required at the time of testing | 3.3, tied for first place overall with Stihl |
| 6Husqvarna 440$399 | claims Smart Start easy startup, 40.9cc two-stroke engine, claims 2.4 horsepower, large fuel fill port, felling spikes described as just as aggressive as the Echo's, durable side cover secured by two metal dowels and a threaded stud, snap-in air filter, made in Sweden | 11.85 lb, the lightest saw in the lineup | started on the 5th pull, not quite as good as most of the other chainsaws | 114.1 dB, one of the loudest at the time of testing | 12,514 RPM, second place behind Echo | 17 lb, same as Ryobi | 18.68s, 16.31s, 15.38s, average 16.79 seconds, moved into third place behind VEVOR and Echo; described as the slowest saw in the lineup to warm up | 21.84 seconds | 28.04s, 23.34s, average 25.69 seconds, moved into third place behind Echo | 10.5 mm/s, a little better than Echo | 37.3 lb, a little easier than Echo | not tested |
| 7Stihl MS250$430 | 45.4cc engine, inward-facing clutch and outward-facing sprocket for easy bar and chain installation, claims 3 horsepower, claims a side-access chain tensioner, most aggressive felling spikes in the lineup, easy-access air filter cover, no fuel primer bulb (unlike the other saws), made in USA | 12.39 lb | 9 pulls, by far the most of any saw, described as excessive for a brand new chainsaw | 115.8 dB, by far the loudest in the lineup | 15,378 peak RPM, by far the most in the lineup | 32 lb, the most torque of any saw tested | 11.46s, 11.87s, 12.7s, average 12.01 seconds, fastest average in the entire test-log test by a wide margin | 12.65 seconds, fastest in this test, moved into the lead | 18.37s, 17.81s, average 18.09 seconds, fastest average in the hardwood test, narrowly ahead of DeWalt's 18.25s | 44.8 mm/s, vibrates a lot more than Husqvarna | 44.8 lb, by far the most strength required of any saw tested | 3.3, tied for first place overall with Echo |
| 8DeWalt | battery powered, 20-in bar and chain (longer than the 18-in gas saws), 60V system, tested with a new chain and a fully charged 12 Ah battery | 15.71 lb, the heaviest saw in the entire lineup | not tested | 96 dB, by far the quietest saw in the lineup | not tested | not tested | 14.08s, 14.14s, 14.24s, average 14.15 seconds, second place overall behind Stihl | 16.52 seconds, second place behind Stihl | 18.01s, 18.48s, average 18.25 seconds, a very close second behind Stihl's 18.09s | 9 mm/s, vibrates the least of any saw tested | not tested | not tested |
How it was tested
- ease of starting, pull count
- starting force required in lb
- no-load sprocket RPM
- sound level in dB
- weight
- chainsaw dyno torque, force to stop the chain
- cutting speed on a standard test log, 3 cuts
- cutting speed with 5 lb of added downward force, 1 pass
- cutting speed through hardwood, 2 cuts
- handle vibration in mm/s
- overall average-finish ranking across all graded categories
Data notes and caveats
The video declares an explicit tie for first place: 'the Steel and the Echo finished in a two-way tie for first place with an average finish of 3.3.' Per the declared-tie rule this is recorded as winner:null, with the tie and each side's tradeoffs (Stihl cuts fastest but is loudest, hardest to start at 9 pulls, and vibrates most; Echo is more refined, starts in 3 pulls, and vibrates far less) preserved in both products' own notes. VEVOR is separately and explicitly named the best value pick (average finish 4.4, under $100). BILT HARD, Ryobi, Troy-Bilt, and Husqvarna are not given individual average-finish scores in the transcript's closing recap, only the top-tier tie and the value pick are quantified. DeWalt is a bonus battery-powered saw explicitly called out as an unfair comparison and excluded from the average-finish scorecard, though its raw cut-speed and vibration numbers are fully narrated and preserved. Every gas-saw brand name in this video is heavily caption-mangled: VEVOR appears as Vaver/Beaver/Fever, BILT HARD as Built Hard/Buildhart/Build Heart, Ryobi as Robi, Troy-Bilt as Troybuilt/Troy belt, Husqvarna as Husvarna/Husbarna/Husman, and Stihl as Steel; all resolved against the description's brand list, and for Husqvarna and Stihl further confirmed by real model numbers spoken in the transcript (Husqvarna 440, Stihl MS250). No meta chapters were present (chapters: null).