wife suprised me for my birthday.

[Lloyd Smale]

wife surprised me yesterday. I wanted a small saw to keep in the jeep in case a tree was across a road or trail or maybe to cut up a bit of firewood at camp. Didn't want it to stink up the jeep though. My neighbor bought a battery stihl saw last year and brags on it all the time. He cut wood for a living for many years. He was down behind his house last week and cut down 4 trees 8 to 10 inch diameter and limbed them and cut them into firewood sized pieces with his and said it still had half the battery life left. That same day I was stuggling with my gas stihl that had sat about 8 months with old (alcohol) gas. I had to drain it and go get new non alcohol gas to get it to run. Didn't know it at the time buy he was kind of bragging because he knew my wife ordered this thing.


Its only a 10 inch saw but they sell a 12 inch bar for it. I dropped a couple trees with it last night. Power wize I think it has more snort then my little 12 inch stihl gas saw and almost as much as my 16 in saw, not near what my big one has but it isn't intended to be a saw for a guy making his living cutting wood. Its a bit heavier then my 12 inch gas saw but not near as heavy as the bigger one. Whats cool is theres no pulling a cord, no warming it up, no adding gas that can leak or stink. No noise to bother the neighbors or tell everyone within miles that your out in the woods cutting a tree by your deer blind. Grap it pull the trigger and cut. It has a 36 volt battery and the charger will charge it from empty to full in 2 hours. Down side? Its expensive. At 500 bucks I could have bought two of the 12 in gas saws. Even an extra battery cost near what a small gas saw costs. but as long as that battery lasts and for what im going to do with it I don't see a need for another battery. In all the little thing amazed me. I had a old black and decker 12 vt chain saw and it was about useless if you had anything more then a one inch limb to cut.

[Smoke4320]

Sounds great and if you factor in no gas/oil carb rebuilds ect over 3+ years it probaby would be close in cost

[jsizemore]

Happy Birthday.

[curdog]

Happy Birthday Lloyd and hope you have many more.

[farmerjim]

I have the B&D 12 in. It does not have the battery life your Stihl has, but I have 2 batteries. I also have the 40V string trimmer. This battery technology sure has come a long way.

[upr45]

Happy birthday Lloyd! My buddy had a small engine & boat repair shop & hates the alcohol in gas. He carried a product called Star Tron that he swears by, which stabilizes the alcohol. He definitely knows what works. I use alcohol free that comes from a dedicated pump nozzle for all my small engines & a tractor. Only a few gas stations in my area of the UP have dedicated nozzles for alcohol free. Don't need that octane, but never have engine issues.

[LIMPINGJ]

Defiately use Pure-Gas.Org to find the alchol free for your small engines, and Happy Birthday!

[SeabeeMan]

Happy Birthday! I am already into the DeWalt 60V tools (blower, circ saw, trimmer) and have really been eyeing that cordless saw. Glad to hear you like the stihl.

[DerekP Houston]

Happy birthday, sounds like a great gift! I've been pleasantly surprised with the performance of my dads electric yard tools, we'd sworn off them years ago but it appears battery tech has finally gotten them enough "oomph" to get the job done.

[smokeywolf]

The electric chainsaws are really coming into their own. I bought an 8" chainsaw on a pole (limbing saw) about 4 years ago. Was surprised by the power. A little pricey, but still paid for itself on the first job.

[Grmps]

Happy B-Day Lloyd,
I use STA-BIL® FUEL STABILIZER year round in all the fuel I buy In gas cans.
An ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure.
I'm also not a big fan of yard work so I only use premium fuel for my carburated yard tools, I find they just work better with it.
I'm a big fan of Stihl
Enjoy your new toy

[lightman]

Happy Birthday! Battery tools have really advanced in recent years. Battery tools can be quite impressive.

[clum553946]

Happy Birthday, kudos to your wife for being so cool!

[WILCO]

Happy Birthday.

Yes. Happy Birthday.

[Parson]

I have the B&D with 2 batteries, wind dropped a couple trees this week, cut all but one cut With it till both batteries drained, finished with daughters new Stijl but the more I use the electric around the yard the more I like it, light and powerful enough to make quick work of most job and no hearing protection needed, don’t need to remove my hearing aids

[Lloyd Smale]

ya I have one of them too. I used to use it for butchering deer but the Sawzall works much better. The B&D was good if you had to cut a small limb off a tree but that was about it.
I have the B&D 12 in. It does not have the battery life your Stihl has, but I have 2 batteries. I also have the 40V string trimmer. This battery technology sure has come a long way.

[Lloyd Smale]

About every station around here sells alcohol free premium. Most likely because of the heavy snowmobile traffic around here.
Happy birthday Lloyd! My buddy had a small engine & boat repair shop & hates the alcohol in gas. He carried a product called Star Tron that he swears by, which stabilizes the alcohol. He definitely knows what works. I use alcohol free that comes from a dedicated pump nozzle for all my small engines & a tractor. Only a few gas stations in my area of the UP have dedicated nozzles for alcohol free. Don't need that octane, but never have engine issues.

[Lloyd Smale]

Little hint the guy at the stihl dealership I frequent gave me that made a lot of sense. When you go to a pump and select premium about the first gallon of gas your going to get is what the last car there pumped. There is probably a gallon or so in the line up to the nozzle. He said to pump a gallon or two into your car or truck first and then fill the can for your small engine stuff.

[robg]

That's a good wife,electric is the way things are going now the batteries are improving.

[texasnative46]

Lloyd Smale,

Sounds like that you picked the right wife & that she's a PEACH, too.

yours, tex

[abunaitoo]

Happy Birthday

I use only plug in chain saws for home.
Wire gets in the way sometimes, but no gas, no noise, no maintenance, can't be beat.

[blackthorn]

Happy Birthday and many more to come!

[buckwheatpaul]

Happy birthday Lloyd....what a great gift.....I have a whole stable of gas Stihl saws and what you report is encouraging......keep us posted.....Paul

[pworley1]

Happy Birthday! Congratulations on the gift and the wife who bought it.

[Blanket]

Happy Birthday and congrats on the gift, but we need to talk about the difference in a homeowner limb saw and one made for working

[Lloyd Smale]

ya shes a keeper. Went though a bad one to get here though!
Lloyd Smale,

Sounds like that you picked the right wife & that she's a PEACH, too.

yours, tex

[snowwolfe]

Happy Birthday! Battery tools have really advanced in recent years. Battery tools can be quite impressive.

Same for me! Happy birthday. And will add I bought a Echo battery saw with a 16 inch bar last year and it is the first saw I reach for for small jobs. Battery lasts for about 30 minutes of cut time unless I am cutting logs about 12 inches then it depletes faster.
Good luck with your new saw.

[Lloyd Smale]

Been 45 years since I used a saw to make a living and 15 years since I even had a wood stove to feed. I find it more comical that guys that buy a cord or two every year think they need some huge pro logger sized saw to get it done. Kind of like buying a 300 ultra mag to kill whitetail at a 100 yards. Mine collects dust and my 16 inch yard saw will probably collect dust right next to it in the future. Just watched a you tube video where a gun was comparing a Makita battery saw to a husky about the same size. He cut six chunks off of a 8 inch pine tree with each saw to see which was faster and the battery saw won. After a few days with this battery stihl ill say right here that it is all the saw my little 12 inch gas stihl is and if anything seems more powerful. You never hear it bog like a small gas saw will. Son in law came over last night and it impressed him and he drove away with my 12 inch gas shihl. It wont replace the two bigger saws but probably could. Sthil sells a slightly larger 14inch battery saw and if I could have only one saw right now that's what id probably have sitting on the shelf.
Happy Birthday and congrats on the gift, but we need to talk about the difference in a homeowner limb saw and one made for working

[EMC45]

Our folks in Park carry them in their patrol vehicles in case of downed trees. I thought they were hokey at first when I saw them, but I was assured they hold their own big time. No stink or dripping leaking bar oil/gas.

[snowwolfe]

Our folks in Park carry them in their patrol vehicles in case of downed trees. I thought they were hokey at first when I saw them, but I was assured they hold their own big time. No stink or dripping leaking bar oil/gas.

Hate to burst your bubble but these saws still require bar oil.

[EMC45]

Hate to burst your bubble but these saws still require bar oil.

Good point. Didn't even think about that.

[Firebricker]

Lloyd, Happy Birthday my friend.

[mold maker]

Make sure to remember her BD. It'll be hard to beat that gift, but I know you'll try.
At some point, BDs are just another day, but this one was sure special.
Happy Birthday!!! And many more together.