Milwaukee Introduces More Chainsaw Options for Lawncare Professionals
When you're chopping small trees, especially at heights, you need a reliable chainsaw that can get the job done quickly and efficiently. Milwaukee's M18 Fuel line includes a top handle chainsaw with competitive professional grade performance. We walk you through how this tool will benefit lawn care professionals so you can see what to expect.
Editor's note: Check out our best battery chainsaw article for our top picks.
Milwaukee Tool actually includes two sizes of top handle chainsaws in the M18 Fuel series. You can choose from 12-inch and 14-inch models, both of which Milwaukee claims can cut faster than a 35cc gas chain saw. They have the ability to cut hardwood without the hassles that come with gas power, such as smoke, maintenance, and cost.
Which Milwaukee Top Handle Chainsaw is Right for You?
The main outdoor power tool here is the top handle chainsaw in the 14-inch model. Milwaukee touts it as the best tool for arborists looking for a quiet yet powerful climbing and pruning solution. However, some applications are suitable for smaller saws. The first thing that comes to mind is linebacker. If you just want a smaller saw for cutting branches that get in the way of your wires, a 12" will do.
I don't know about you, but if I'm in a bucket near a wire, I want the saw to weigh as little as possible. If you need stems longer than 12 inches, you don't need to deal with that branch!
performance and electronics
The Milwaukee M18 Fuel Top Handle Chainsaw is equipped with the expected electronics to get to full throttle quickly. too fast? We pull the trigger and it's full throttle in less than a second. Thanks to this technology, you can expect easy control and less downtime.
While Milwaukee tells us these chainsaws can maintain speed without bogging down, we had to test it ourselves. After watching others make multiple cuts with a saw with an XC 8.0 battery pack, it was our turn. On a log that we estimated to be 8 to 9 inches in diameter, we made nearly a dozen cuts—pushing the saw as if with an air tool.
The Milwaukee M18 FUEL Top Handle Chainsaw is built to last. I can stall an air saw – I can stall it by putting unreasonable stress on the chain as it cuts. Having said that, it didn't stop with the clips, and I had a whole bunch of people staring at me all around me. I'm not going to play with this tool with viewers!
What about speed? Well, this chainsaw travels at about 15 meters per second (that's about 49 feet per second). It's not as fast as many pneumatic top handle chainsaws – this is where most of the complaints come from online (we know who you are!) However, what Milwaukee does – like most batteries we've seen and used Driven like a chainsaw – it slows down and gives you torque. This means you don't really see the chain speed drop as much as you go through the cut. It's very confident.
Milwaukee M18 FUEL Top Handle Chainsaw Runtime
After making these cuts and wondering how efficient the tool would be, I took a look at the battery. I still have three quarters of the bar. I'm not the first to use this tool and I can see why Milwaukee would claim up to 150 cuts per charge for a 4×4 cedar with an M18 Redlithium high output XC8.0 battery. We work harder with the tool than you do on a 4×4 cedar.
Additional features
- Easy Access Chain Tensioner
- automatic oiler
- metal bucket nails
- Onboard screch storage
- Lanyard loop
- climbing scabbard
Our only gripe with this chainsaw is the small, thin trigger. I often had to adjust my grip to get the Milwaukee 2826 top handle up to full speed. Over time, I figured it out, but I've always preferred tools that intuitively work the way I expect them to. We plan to do more testing after we get this tool for a full review.
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Top Handle Chainsaw Prices
The 12-inch model retails for $339 bare metal. The 14-inch model sells for $479 in kits. We will update this article as more information on these chainsaws becomes available before the January 2023 release.
Specification
- Model: 2826
- Chain speed: 15 m/s (~49 fps)
- Pole: 12 or 14 inches
- Availability: January 2023