The Worx 16-inch electric chainsaw (http://goo.gl/0O4RKB) comes preassembled in the box. Unboxing it is thus a simple affair, as the box merely contains the saw (with a protective plastic chain and bar cover in place), some chain oil (barely enough to get started), and a product manual. We’re moments away from defending our RV from the steady onslaught of aggressive trees…
But first, let’s RTFM — read the friendly manual. The manual contains some helpful advice, like “use common sense.” (Page 11.)
Buck that log! (Click the pic for more info on this Worx chainsaw.)
Actually, the manual does contain useful information and I recommend you spend some time with it. The upshot is that using a chainsaw is a serious business, and quite dangerous.
There’s a reason that most horror movies include at least one chainsaw-wielding maniac. Every year there are some 28,000 chainsaw-related injuries in the United States, and that’s yet another statistics club you don’t want to join.
Let’s consider safety. The primary danger to a chainsaw operator is called kickback. No, I’m not talking about illegal under-the-table payments being made to our esteemed local government officials, for which our own (former) mayor is now serving prison time.
Kickback - it's not just for politicians anymore. (Click the pic for more info - on the chainsaw, not the corrupt politician.)
When I say “kickback,” I’m talking about the rapid push backwards of a chainsaw that can occur when the wood pinches the saw chain. Kickback occurs when the rotating chain is stopped suddenly by contact with a more solid area. This can throw the saw rapidly backward toward the operator.
Kickback is bad news, since no one enjoys a chainsaw to the face. In fact, there have been cases when kickback has led to severe head and neck injuries which proved to be fatal. Got your attention now? Good. Respect the saw.
If you have any common sense (as recommended on Page 11 of the manual), the prospect of kickback injuries should be fairly terrifying. Don’t believe me? Let’s just say that these gruesome injuries are well documented on the internet.
A saw that rips through a pine tree like a hot knife through butter will have no problem tearing up your fingers, hand, abdomen, or your face and neck. Safety measures are not to be taken lightly.
Thankfully, modern chainsaws like this Worx are equipped with numerous safety features. For example, the Worx chainsaw is equipped with a “chain stop lever” that serves as kickback protection. The saw will not operate until the lever is rotated to the appropriate position towards the operator. The design idea is that kickback will engage the lever and stop the chain.
The Worx chainsaw is also equipped with a low-kickback chain and a reduced kickback Guide Bar. Both items reduce (but do not eliminate) the odds of kickback.
Since the saw arrived assembled, with the chain properly tensioned, start up was a straightforward affair. It’s a simple matter of plugging up to power, rotating the aforementioned kickback guard to its proper position, depressing the safety lock-off button, and pulling the trigger. But first we need to add oil.
Since the supplied oil is a meager 3.38 ounce (100 ml) bottle, I supplemented it with some oil of my own. The capacity of the oil reservoir is 200 ml, so Worx includes exactly half of the oil you really need. I can’t think of any reason they choose this miserly approach. I suppose the company saves a little money; but wouldn’t it make more sense to supply a proper amount of oil and charge customers a few pennies more?
With the saw properly oiled, I started by bucking logs. We have a few trees that have fallen on our property (far away from our Airstream) and they needed to be cross cut into manageable lengths for disposal. The Worx unit did a fine job. As expected, the saw can reasonably tackle trees with a circumference in the 12-16 inch range.
The Worx saw handles modest trees with ease. (Click the pic for more info.)
Initial cuts went quickly and smoothly. Make no mistake: bucking logs is a lot of work (much more strenuous than it looks). Nevertheless, I was pleased with the saw’s performance when tackling this task.
I also used the saw to fell a couple of small pine trees. The Worx WG303.1 chainsaw will make short work of smaller trees (say, 3-8 inches in circumference). It easily and quickly felled the pines.
Of course, I’m confident it will handle most tree branches with similar ease.
After bucking a couple of substantial logs, I checked the oil reservoir and discovered that much of it was depleted. The saw uses oil. If you buy it, be prepared to fill the reservoir with each use.
Overall, I am pleased with the performance of the Worx WG303.1 electric chainsaw and feel it was a worthwhile purchase. For my (ordinary home and RV owner) purposes, it should perform necessary tasks just fine.
In fact, I can’t think of too many downsides to this unit. Its price and maintenance requirements are low, and its performance seems in line with gas saws of similar size and power output. If you are in the market for an electric chainsaw, the Worx WG303.1 seems a solid choice.