How to Choose a Chainsaw

A chainsaw is the most powerful tool most homeowners will ever hold at arm’s length — and the one that punishes a bad buy the hardest. Too small and it bogs down and kicks back in wood it can’t handle; too big and it wears out your arms before the tree is down. Match the saw to the wood you actually cut and the job gets safe, fast, and almost easy.

Battery, gas, or corded — start here

The power source decides almost everything else, so settle it first. Battery saws have taken over the homeowner market for good reason: a brushless 40V, 56V, or 80V unit from EGO, Ryobi, Greenworks, DeWalt, or Makita starts with a trigger pull, makes a fraction of the noise, and has no fuel to mix or carburetor to gum up over winter. Runtime is the trade — expect a solid session of pruning and light bucking per charge, less under heavy cutting. Gas saws (Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo) still own serious work: unlimited runtime on a refuel, more torque for big hardwood, and no battery to run flat halfway through a felling. They cost you noise, weight, 2-cycle fuel mixing, and off-season maintenance. Corded electric is cheap and light but tethers you to an outlet — fine for a backyard woodpile, useless in the field.

If you already run cordless yard tools, staying on that same battery platform is the smart money — one charger, packs that swap between your saw, trimmer, and blower, and no second ecosystem to feed. That one decision often outweighs any spec on the box.

Bar length — bigger isn’t better

The bar is the metal blade the chain rides on, and its length is the single spec buyers get wrong most often. The rule of thumb: your bar should be about 2 inches longer than the diameter of the wood you usually cut, so you slice a log in one pass rather than cutting from both sides. A 14–16″ bar covers the vast majority of homeowner work — limbs, storm debris, and firewood rounds up to a foot or so across. Jumping to a 20″ bar to “have the power” just adds weight, drains the battery faster, and makes the saw harder to control.

Tip: a longer bar needs a more powerful engine or motor to keep chain speed up. Under-powering a big bar is how saws bog, pinch, and kick back — match the bar to the powerhead, not to your ambitions.

The safety features that actually matter

A chainsaw doesn’t forgive. Before you look at anything else, confirm the saw has these — and that you’re buying the gear to run it. A chain brake is non-negotiable: it stops the chain instantly if the saw kicks back toward you, triggered by the front hand guard or inertia. Look also for low-kickback (reduced) chain, an anti-vibration handle system that saves your hands on long jobs, and a chain catcher that traps a thrown chain. The saw is only half the safety equation; the other half is on your body.

• Chaps or cut-resistant pants — the fibers jam the chain on contact. The most important thing you’ll buy after the saw. Shop safety equipment together.
• Helmet with face shield & ear muffs — falling limbs and flying chips are constant; gas saws are loud enough to damage hearing.
• Cut-resistant work gloves — grip, vibration control, and protection while handling the chain.
• Steel-toe boots — ideally chainsaw-rated with cut protection over the top of the foot.

Chain oil, sharpening, and the upkeep no one mentions

Every chainsaw — battery or gas — needs bar-and-chain oil, and the reservoir empties fast. Running a saw dry ruins the bar and chain in minutes, so keep a bottle on the shelf and top it every time you refuel or swap a battery. A gas saw adds 2-cycle fuel to mix, so keep a proper fuel can and fresh mix on hand from your fuel containers. Sharpness is the other half of performance: a dull chain forces the saw, throws fine dust instead of chips, and dramatically raises kickback risk. Keep a spare chain and a file or sharpener with your saw parts and maintenance gear so a dull or thrown chain never ends the job.

For light pruning and limbing you don’t always need a powered saw at all — a bow saw or pruning saw is quieter, safer, and perfect for branches under a few inches. Know when the smaller tool is the right one.

Pick by the job

Frequently asked questions

Still torn between battery and gas, or not sure what bar length your trees really call for? Bring your questions to your local independent hardware store — the folks there cut wood every week and will size you up right, gear and all — or ask us here.