How to Choose a Chainsaw
The right chainsaw depends on what you're cutting and how often. Here's a simple way to choose.
Petrol or battery?
- Battery: quiet, no fuel mixing, starts instantly and needs less maintenance. Great for garden work, pruning, firewood and noise-sensitive sites.
- Petrol: maximum power and run-time for felling, big firewood jobs and all-day forestry work.
What will you use it for?
- Occasional garden and property work: a light domestic chainsaw or a battery saw with a 30–35 cm (12–14") bar.
- Regular farm, estate and landscaping work: an agricultural/landscaper chainsaw with a 35–45 cm (14–18") bar.
- Professional forestry: a professional chainsaw built for all-day use.
- Tree climbing: top-handle saws are only for trained arborists working in the tree.
Bar length
As a rule, choose a bar a little longer than the thickest timber you usually cut. A longer bar isn't always better: shorter bars are lighter and easier to control.
Don't forget
- Chainsaw PPE: see our chainsaw PPE guide.
- Chain oil, a spare chain, a file kit and a scabbard (bar cover).
- Regular servicing: we service and sharpen in our own workshop in Frankfield.
Want to try one? Call in to the shop or call us on 021 496 5132.