Anyone who parks an RV near trees will understand the utility of a good chainsaw. The Worx WG303.1 electric chainsaw (http://goo.gl/0O4RKB) brings some interesting benefits to the wood sawing party. It’s the #1 bestselling chainsaw on Amazon for several reasons.
An electric chainsaw = low maintenance & easy starts. (Click the pic for more info.)
When you go shopping for a chainsaw, one of your first decisions will be choosing between gas and electric options. This Worx saw requires electricity. Why not gas?
Gasoline engines give you mobile power. They also give you trips to the gas station. They give you the opportunity to mix an oil and gas concoction. They give you fits when you try to start them once every few months. Finally, they give you backache from yanking that pull starter for 20 minutes. That’s one parting gift I could do without.
Yes, the problem with gas engines is starting the darn things. Sure, they work great when they are fresh out of the box. They work great when they are exercised frequently. But how will they work next year, or the year after, once they’ve been sitting in storage for a while? As famed wood chopper Billy Shakespeare once wrote, there lies the rub.
If you are starting a tree removal business, you should invest in a nice gasoline powered chainsaw. But for us normal folks who cut trees on rare occasions, electric chainsaws have their place.
The major upside of an electric motor is reliability. Starting a Worx electric chainsaw is as easy as you might think. Simply plug it in, depress the appropriate safety switches, and go. Who cares if it’s been sitting in storage for a few months? With an electric saw, it doesn’t really matter.
As for mobility, that’s limited to the length of your extension cord. Of course, we have a Yamaha generator for RV camping that also does a fine job powering tools like this electric chainsaw. At times we’ll simply bring our generator along on certain jobs.
Another benefit of the electric motor is weight; there’s a lot less of it. The Worx saw weighs about 11 pounds. While it’s not exactly light as a feather, it’s lighter than many comparable saws. Also, the weight feels just about right in the hands. When working with wood, you want a feeling of substance in your saw. A little heft can help with the cut.
The Worx WG303.1 16-inch electric chainsaw generates as much power as a 3.5 horsepower 14.5 Amp gasoline motor.
The Worx chainsaw does require a little fossil fuel treatment in the form of chain oil. The saw contains a 6.75 ounce oil reservoir and an automatic oiling mechanism that delivers oil to the bar and chain. Oddly, works only supplies the bare minimum amount of chain oil. I immediately supplemented my saw with a little extra oil so that the reservoir was filled to ideal levels.
In operation the Worx WG303.1 chainsaw is designed to be user friendly. It has an auto tension system with a single oversized knob that secures the bar and chain. The idea is simplification, and this design helps to prevent overtightening of the chain.
Leaning trees may total RVs. (Click the pic for more info.)
Worx likes to say that “you don’t need to be a lumberjack to operate a chainsaw.” Again, for the average consumer who only uses a chainsaw on occasion, the Worx philosophy makes a lot of sense. The saw includes a built-in safety chain brake that helps avoid injury in the event of a kickback.
What about value? The Worx WG303.1 electric chainsaw is affordably priced – in the $100 range. If you want to gauge value, consider hiring a tree removal expert. Most won’t even look at a tree for less than $100. The Worx chainsaw is such a nice value, I daresay that using it once means “it pays for itself.” I’m sure that’s a key reason it’s a #1 bestseller.
We have a number of pine trees that lean (and occasionally sway) in the vicinity of our Airstream. The largest of these trees is too large for this 16-inch Worx unit. Removing trees is a dangerous business, and large trees are best handled by experts.
Where I think the Worx chainsaw will come in handy is dealing with small trees (less than 12 inches in diameter), trees that have already fallen, and large limbs. It seems that after every Spring windstorm, we have some new lumber to cut.
In my next report, I’ll let you know how the Worx chainsaw performs in the field.