M18 FUEL 16 in. 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Chainsaw (Tool-Only)

First, I have owned about 6 chain saws (various brands), including one corded electric. This was my first cordless electric chainsaw that I bought because I already had Milwaukee batteries, etc. I have had and used this chainsaw for almost a year and here are my thoughts: PROS: Weight, handling, cutting, features, and longevity of included 12ah battery are all great. The 12ah battery is good for a day of work in my land maintenance application. Another benefit was this was my first 12ah battery among my stable of M18 batteries. This is the perfect battery for the new high velocity blower and other applications that need a robust battery. CONS: Biggest problem and reason I didn't give 5 stars: The chain comes off more frequently than any other chain saw I've ever used. I tighten the nuts with a ratchet wrench, so they should be plenty tight. This is very annoying and very limiting. Minor problem that has probably been corrected by now: The "helpful" chain direction label under the cover is backwards. I've included photos of that wrong label and the correct label on the outside of the cover. In both photos, the chain is shown in the correct orientation.

Bought this to cut firewood a few times a year. I've owned a few gas and battery saws in the past. This is the only battery powered saw I'd recommend. Cuts through hardwoods reasonably and is fine for limbing up small stuff. My biggest battery is an 8amp hour and it definitely wont last all day if that's your hope. Things I don't love: I don't know enough about saws to properly explain this but I assume it has to do with chain speed. This saw has a tendency to grab logs and roll them towards you. With gas powered saws I never had that issue. I definitely have to brace any/every cut against rolling back to me. I wish the dogs were bigger to help with this problem. Bar and chain are thin. Seems like this makes the battery possible but it definitely feels flimsy. I threw the chain on the second day of use and I feel like I have to focus on not bending/deflecting the bar and chain.

2min out of the box it dropped the chain. Ok, maybe they didn't tension it at the factory. Tightened it like a normal saw, it lasted another 10min of trimming tiny branches. It does have great power but with the delicate little chain and bar it seems handicapped. Also pumps a bit too much oil that gets all over. Nearly as messy as a 2-stroke saw. Being as this is the top offering from Milwaukee and costs >$450 Still I don't recommend it over other options out there that are cheaper or better quality.

I can't say enough about this workhorse. I've had professional lumberjacks up my property and they cannot believe that I've felled as many trees as I have -- and as big as they are -- with this saw. They were truly stunned. I started with an 18" Ego -- realized pretty quickly that it's an urban tool best used for limbing and cutting for firewood. Surprisingly the 16" M18 has run circles around the larger Ego. It goes through oil like a parched horse, but the power of the saw is undeniable. And if a pinch starts to happen, it's usually strong enough to pull you out of a jamb. The motor is quiet enough to start working at 6am without bothering the neighbors, and it cuts through 24" and larger trunks with no problems. The battery lasts a good long while, but I got a second battery so that I could stay out in the field for a few hours. I also like the chain tightening mechanism -- easy screw-in that requires loosening two bolts before you tighten the chain. And the tool you use is hitched to the underside of the body. Sometimes it's a pain to remove, but you eventually get the hang of it. No more worries about gas and pulling a cord to get started. This saw is a workhorse that will absolutely do the job without giving you any issues. When this bad boy dies out years from now, I'm going in right in and getting another one.

This saw is awesome. We bought two of these instead of one chain saw. I helped my buddy cut down 6 trees in his yard. The ranged from 1-2” branches to at the trunks being 2-4’ in diameter. We rented a lift to be able to cut these trees down since some of them were hanging over the house and the garage. These saws worked awesome. Quite and last way longer then I thought on a 12ah battery. The saws are light enough to be able to be safe up in the lift and will cut pretty much anything you put in front of it. We did use a gas saw to cut everything that was to big for the bar to handle. Chain slack says tight and don’t have to readjust very often. The on board tool storage Is nice as well. We didn’t have any issues with batteries over heating either even though the temps were in the high 80’s all 4 days we worked. Honestly don’t have anything negative to say. Thoroughly impressed. I honestly thing this could be a replacement for the saws on the fire trucks for the city I work for with a little more R&R. Plenty of power and no messing with mixed gas or broken pull cords when you need it for an emergency. Great job Milwaukee.

Outperformed my gas chainsaw and there's no carb to deal with worth every penny.

Lightweight, powerful, fast and easy to use. I have arthritis in my shoulder so pull start saws are painful. Pulling the trigger is so simple. I also have a corded electric but cordless makes field work so much easier. Have yet to run down the battery.

I am not a professional cutting trees or an expert on the field. But this chainsaw in comparatives with others that I own, this one is really messy with the oil and the chain-link its always getting off under minimum circumstances. No matter how many times I adjusted in less than 15 minutes the chain came off from the rotor. When to HD and returned, just a headache. It have power but need to fix the bar and chain-link...

First off, the pros: I love how quiet it is compared to a gas saw! I don't have to wear ear pro. Doesn't use mix, so one less liquid to haul around. Pretty lightweight. The power is pretty decent for an electric chainsaw. Cons: The chain tension requires a tool to adjust. Yes, my gas saw does too, but when cheaper electrics have tool-less adjustment it makes this one look bad. The tool is stored onboard the saw (a pro) but it takes another tool to dislodge it in order to use it. If you lose either tool, you're done until you find something else to use. Perhaps this is why it is so tightly secured? The biggest con and the reason I've given it a single star: The chain either falls completely off the bar and sprocket, or just jumps out of the slot. You have to stop, loosen the bar, remove the tension, reinstall the chain, tighten everything back up, and then get back to working. Maybe not a big deal if it only happens once in a while but yesterday after using it a couple hours, it had done it possibly ten times. I lost track it happened so often. You didn't tension it correctly you say! I tried it different ways with the same result. I've run a chainsaw for many years and worked on a tree trimming crew for some of that without ever having a chain jump. I've used gas and electric saws. This is the first time I've ever had a chain issue. And this is a brand new saw. I tried using it for a while to see if with a little wear it would settle in and quite jumping, but it didn't. The time I saved by not having to get out a gas saw and fill it up was greatly outweighed by the numerous times of fixing the chain. If a saw loses its chain, it is worthless. I am glad I have other Milwaukee tools because if this was the only one, I'd never buy another Milwaukee tool. Cut the price down by 3/4 or improve the product is my advice. It isn't worth the price tag or the Milwaukee badge. I'd expect this performance from a $75 saw, not a $300 saw (plus the battery price). Actually, now that I think of it, the Remington $75 saw outperformed this one. I will be trying my Stihl bar on the saw to see if the bar is the issue. Perhaps that may solve the issue. But really, a saw with a faulty bar? Please get it together Milwaukee, you are better than this!

Couldnt wait to use this chainsaw, once it arrived i put my 8.0 ah battery in and went to work. I immediately noticed the chain was getting loose within a few seconds of cutting. So i kept needing to stop and tighten it, and then i notice the bolt to tighten the chain itself is getting bent after the first time tightening it! Unreal, why would a soft metal be used for such a crucial part