Worx 18" Chainsaw Report - The Most Fun I've Ever Had With A Power Tool
Just before Thanksgiving I reported on the arrival of an electric chainsaw from Worx. I'd ordered it in desperation after struggling with a terrible gas-powered Poulan for a month or so. I'd read lots of happy reviews and had high hopes for this new tool.
Well, after spending the entirety of Thanksgiving's daylight hours waving this thing around, I'm thrilled to report that it has far exceeded my expectations. (I know - it's so rare that I have a positive review for something. I'm usually such a grouch.)
After filling it up with bar-and-chain oil and plugging it in, I had a little scare when it wouldn't start. I checked the outlet, the extension cord, the breaker, and re-read the manual. Then I realized it had shipped with the chain-brake pushed forward - and engaged.
I pulled that back, and was off and running.
After making a few test-cuts on some branches that were lying around, I took it to the felled tree that my Poulan just didn't have the strength to sever. It sunk through the trunk with no effort at all. I had that tree cut up and stacked in fifteen minutes!
Then I went around to the ugly tree stumps that were left from our previous projects. Again, the gas-powered saw, despite having the same length blade, was just too heavy to hold sideways and close to the ground, and too under-powered to make the cut. With the Worx, I was able to get right next to the ground, push into the bark with the little metal teeth near the body of the saw, and leverage it across. It felt a bit like carving a turkey, appropriately enough. Amazingly, the saw came right out the other side of the stump, leaving the top in place like a parlor trick!
I ran inside to grab the wife. I pointed to the stump and asked her if she thought I could cut it down to the ground. When she said "I don't think so," I pushed it over. Ta-da!
After taking care of a few of those, I felt confident enough to tackle the tree that blew into our pool during the last wind-storm. I'd planned on leaving this job to professionals. Some preliminary research showed that a 45' tree in an awkward position like this could cost $1200 or more to remove. But I thought if I could get a few of the limbs off in advance, it might leave an easier job for the pros to finish.
Well, working slowly, one branch at a time, I was able to reduce it to the state you see in the top picture. I was fortunate that one of my first major cuts caused a large part to fall close to the edge, so that I could attack more of the branches without leaning over the hole.
Once much of the top was gone (and that weight removed) I felt safe enough cutting through the lower trunk, notching from the bottom first to direct the rest of the top into the hole.
Then it was just a matter of bucking the thick base into short enough sections to carry.
This is where I was so grateful that I'd spent a little more for an 18" saw. (There was a 16" model available for $30 less.) I was able to make each of these cuts in a single pass, in under a minute, with no physical effort. The only delay came when that big 15 Amp motor tripped the circuit breaker. After that I backed off a bit and followed the advice of dads and instruction manuals everywhere: "stop pushing and let the tool do the work."
It was time to tidy up the burn pile in the pool. With half a tree lying on top of it, there was just too much to light safely on fire. We'd been adding to it all year, so it was at capacity already. (Burn season starts in January - I can't wait!) So I wound up climbing in there, chopping up the rest of the tree, and chucking dozens of logs up, out, and over the edge. (It turned out to be a great full-body workout.)
Crawling around on a pile of brush doesn't necessarily provide the best footing. I'd never have attempted this with a gas-powered saw. But with the electric, you can put it down until you're ready - and it only runs when you pull the trigger. There's none of that endless yanking on the damn starter cord, or fussing with the choke, or igniting the pile you're standing on with a hot muffler.
Once during the day a branch pinched the blade and caused the chain to fall off.
Replacing it was remarkably easy. There's just one knob to loosen, and the side panel pops off. You just put the chain back on and screw it back together, and the knob auto-tensions the chain! Plus, I was able to brush out the accumulated wood-pulp and oil while I was in there. With my fingers!
It's such a simple, elegant design that I was back to work in five minutes.
Here's some more shots of the aftermath. (Yeah, we really have a lot to burn come January.)
I've got no personal connection to this company, and I'm not sharing any affiliated links or anything. It's just, damn, I really like this saw. I'm so accustomed to being disappointed by products that when something actually works, I go a little overboard. I hope these guys start making electric cars soon. I would buy one in a hot second.
What's the last tool you bought that you were really happy with?
My toy 😁
That's a nice one. It's so clean!
Mine got covered in paint when I was trying to un-clog a can of spray-paint. Admittedly not my smartest moment.
My goal is to build a tiny house so it would get a lot of use then but for now it's random projects in my apartment, like when I build cat shelves and mount them to the walls, so it stays pretty clean. ;)
Oh yes, now I remember your tiny house posts! That would definitely give a drill plenty of use!
You may notice a small shed being repaired in the last photo above. We may have some tiny house news about that coming up, we'll see. (Unfortunately it's not the kind that can be pulled behind a trailer...)
There is nothing that compares to a steaming hot chainsaw. With the right technique, you can do anything, even art with it.
Maybe someday! I've got to make something out of all those giant pine logs. I was thinking of carving them into outdoor seating. But all that sap!
I like your ear protection - safety first! Can't say I've seen a pool full of wood like that before. Christmas came a little early this year.
Okay, a recent happy tool purchase was this pineapple slicing tool by OXO. We eat a lot of pineapples, so it's very useful.
Yeah, I probably should have used proper eye protection too. But glasses count, right?
And then there's all the poison ivy vines I cut through. We'll see how much of a rash I've got in a week!
That pineapple slicer is new to me. I'm intrigued!
The frames of your glasses look pretty sturdy, so yes to safety.
Don't even get me started about poison ivy. Devil vine! I still have a scar from last year's encounter.
If you use one or more pineapples a week, I recommend investing in one of these gadgets (I've taken the liberty of including "gadgets" in your "tool" category). It's faster and more consistent than a knife, in my experience.
I think our fav has got to be the mag drill. It's something where you just can't use any other tool to do the job. It's never given us a prob. The beams that hold the shop roof up are old railroad rails and this thing goes through them like butter to attach the roof frame and rain gutters!
(similar to this)