Milwaukee M18 Chainsaw – Any Good?

[Rinspeed]

All things being equal, go with Makita. They are better built and Makita/Dolmar has a long history in chain saw development.

Thats one of the main reasons why I went with the Makita. It's a very solid tool and fits right in the cargo bag of the Grizzly wheeler.

 

[Jax302]

For me, having the M18 batteries for my automotive tools means I'm going default to more Milwaukee tools over other brands.

 

[Dakotadadv8]

Nice to use chainsaws for construction as well

 

[Ryan]

Update on my thoughts...

We had an ice storm a couple months back that took out a ton of our trees. The chainsaw performed really well and the battery lasts about as long as I do... Meaning, I never quit cuz I was out of battery power.

My only real complaint is that it leaks chain oil like mad and no matter how I set it down. I don't think it's the tank. I think it's the oil just flowing out of the tank and on the chain. You'd think setting it down at an angle in an effort to use gravity would help... but every time I come back to the chainsaw, it's sitting in a little puddle of oil.

In any case, I'm happy with it.

 

[Hohn]

I'm on a different battery platform, but my X2 makita saw has been surprisingly capable with just a 16" bar. I see no reason the Milwaukee wouldn't be at least as good.
There's a reason battery is doing well in outdoor power equipment-- the quieter, smoother, no-drama power is addictive.

 

[bulletpruf]

There's a reason battery is doing well in outdoor power equipment-- the quieter, smoother, no-drama power is addictive.

The no-drama piece is the most important, I think. No fuel/oil to mix, no worries about bad fuel, no fuel lines to change, no fuel filters swap, no worries about someone borrowing it and straight gassing it and ruining the top end, etc.

 

[littlelebowski]

Update on my thoughts...

We had an ice storm a couple months back that took out a ton of our trees. The chainsaw performed really well and the battery lasts about as long as I do... Meaning, I never quit cuz I was out of battery power.

My only real complaint is that it leaks chain oil like mad and no matter how I set it down. I don't think it's the tank. I think it's the oil just flowing out of the tank and on the chain. You'd think setting it down at an angle in an effort to use gravity would help... but every time I come back to the chainsaw, it's sitting in a little puddle of oil.

In any case, I'm happy with it.

Honestly, it’s a chainsaw thing, not a Milwaukee chainsaw thing. I recommend storing it on a couple of flat Amazon boxes, they handle the oil quite well.

 

[Rinspeed]

Honestly, it’s a chainsaw thing, not a Milwaukee chainsaw thing. I recommend storing it on a couple of flat Amazon boxes, they handle the oil quite well.

Neither my MS441 or Makita saws leak hardly any oil at all.

 

[Laconic]

New to the forum, late to this party.

The owner's manual says to drain the oil for storage to prevent leaks.

 

[bulletpruf]

I bought one a few weeks ago; nicely built, and it's what I used for quick jobs and stump work. I'd rather destroy it than one of my pro saws.

 

[PeterStoffregen]

The electric chainsaws are normally .043 gauge, which is relatively small for chainsaws (.050, .058, & .063 are "standard").

Hi Folks, I've had my M18 Milwaukee 16" saw now for a few months. Very happy with the quality, the plastic power unit seems very durable. All my Huskies have plastic cover they are standing up just fine. I thought I would get the 16" saw rather than the 14", in case there was a difference other than just the bar. The only complaint is that the chain seems to fly off the bar easily. It usually happens with small brush, when I'm trying to clear a path etc. My feeling is the bar is to long for .043 gauge chain.
My question is; can I install a shorter bar with a thicker chain gauge?...and has anyone done this?

 

[tncatadjuster]

I just converted mine over to a bigger chain and stuck with the 16”bar. Amazon has conversion kits.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

They're work great until they're just out of warranty.

 

[Signing off]

They sent a email showing new models. 70cc power in a dual battery chainsaw. MO betta!

 

[LopezBart]

For smaller cutting jobs (limbing, cutting ocean spray/hardtack, dropping smaller alders) I prefer my M18 Sawzall w/ a 9" Diablo carbide pruning blade. It doesn't mind digging in the dirt. It's also a lot safer than a chainsaw. My 20" Stihl Farm Boss is what I use for felling bigger trees. I may get a M18 chainsaw at some point.

 

[teknikfrog]

The Milwaukee feels flimsy. If you had to do any serious work like slicing up multiple trees after a hurricane I'm not sure it would hold up but as other have said it makes a lot of sense for most homeowners who rarely use the thing.

Completely agree, and I even like mine!

I had a medium sized blowdown ash in my creek and I decided to remove it for the firewood and to keep the creek flowing. I put a _literally brand new_ 12.0ah battery in, fully charged--this is the biggest battery Milwaukee sells-- and did about 5 cuts before the battery was toast. Their "150 cuts per charge" claim is borderline.

Switched to my homeowner-grade gas stihl and finished the job.

It is great for limbing though.

 

[jhendric]

I think I found the ideal use case for an electric chainsaw, when you are chipping a large amount of limbs about every 15 minutes you need to cut one small branch so it fits in the chipper. Deluxe pain in the rear to start a gasser for one small slice then turn it off. That'll be my justification to buy one.

 

[Farmall450]

Hi Folks, I've had my M18 Milwaukee 16" saw now for a few months. Very happy with the quality, the plastic power unit seems very durable. All my Huskies have plastic cover they are standing up just fine. I thought I would get the 16" saw rather than the 14", in case there was a difference other than just the bar. The only complaint is that the chain seems to fly off the bar easily. It usually happens with small brush, when I'm trying to clear a path etc. My feeling is the bar is to long for .043 gauge chain.
My question is; can I install a shorter bar with a thicker chain gauge?...and has anyone done this?

If the mounting type for the bar is correct and the new bar matches the chain, yes.

I will assume the M18 saws all have spur sprockets; if rim you'd have to swap over the sprocket, too. Battery life will suffer from a thicker chain.

 

[bulletpruf]

For smaller cutting jobs (limbing, cutting ocean spray/hardtack, dropping smaller alders) I prefer my M18 Sawzall w/ a 9" Diablo carbide pruning blade. It doesn't mind digging in the dirt. It's also a lot safer than a chainsaw. My 20" Stihl Farm Boss is what I use for felling bigger trees. I may get a M18 chainsaw at some point.

I get a lot of use out of my M18 Sawzall for pruning trees, cutting up limbs, etc, but the M18 chainsaw gets put to use for the heavier stuff. Just used it to cut some 6" x 6" oak timbers into 30" pieces - really dense and heavy hardwood, and the M18 chainsaw handled it with ease.