Customer Reviews for Homelite 16 in. 12 Amp Electric Chainsaw

The blade is very flimsy and won't stay tensioned. The first day I used it I had to keep tightening it every so often and finally something gave, the chain came off and it wouldn't adjust any longer. I took the cover off and found that the tensioning mechanism is simply a lightweight screw that pushes against a plastic edge. In my case the plastic edge finally gave way and the screw jumped up over the edge and left a groove in the plastic (see attached photo). It took a lot of effort to get the screw back down where it's supposed because it was jammed up over the edge. Now that there's a groove there it will probably never stay where it's supposed to. Very poor design and is not able to handle even light work.

I've had this chain saw a number of years now and have nothing but praise for it. While some may think it only for light duty cutting it can do far more. I purchased it when Hurricane Sandy uprooted a very tall evergreen on my property and my gas chainsaw was inoperable. Considering what a contractor would have charged to remove the tree I would have been happy if the Homelite only lasted for this one job. Instead it came through with flying colors and since than I've cut down four more large trees with the tallest being over 50' with this little saw. I use it to cut the entire tree except for the base which I switch to my 16" electric due to the diameters. For my initial investment of $50 and half a dozen chains I've saved thousands.

I bought this 9 AMP Homelite 14" chainsaw to replace a 12" Remington electric saw I purchased years ago as the housing cracked making it difficult to keep the bar and chain tight. It worked real well for me and had seen real hard use sawing up a old building I tore town. I needed this Homelite to replace it so I could do some willow tree removal,etc. So far I'm real happy with this saw. It cut through the green willow branches like a hot knife through butter ! Automatic chain oiler, chain tension. Put some bar oil in it, plug it in,let't rip. NICE! Decent quality for the price,couldn't get any simpler. I expect to get a reasonable life out of this unit with light duty tree trimming and general light chainsaw use.

I've had two of these and they work really well for small trees. This is my second one and I've had it for three years. The first one was over used and it burnt out but that was my fault. You can't use these for 4 hours in a row or they will fail. I've included pictures, with some flair, of a tree I cut down yesterday. I took an hour break in the middle when the chain was hot to the touch. Some things to remember with this. 1. Use the bar and chain oil and make sure there is always some in the reserve. It will go fast. 2. Tighten the chain often because it can get loose and you don't want to break it. 3. Take small breaks if it starts getting too hot. I don't know what too hot is but I, and others here, bunt them out but going too long. Follow those rules and you shouldn't have problems cutting down most small trees.

I bought this 14" electrical chainsaw because it costs more to rent a saw to cut two trees. It is my first time to use the chainsaw, so I have to lean how to set up including to buy and add lubracation as wall as a right extension cord. The small saw works perfect and so efficient to cut the trees, much more easier than I thought befor. See my picturs. Very good saw.

I've had this almost a year now and I like it! I just cut down 2 trees in my yard, both about 6-8" in diameter and cut them into firewood size pieces in less than 30 minutes. I'd put it up against any 14" gas chainsaw! Roll out a cord, pull the trigger and I'm cutting without having to mix gas and oil or pull my arm out of the socket to get it started? There's no other way for me!

I have used my Homelite 16" electric chainsaw for a few months now. I use the chainsaw to cut logs and branches from around the yard mostly hard wood Red Oak, Maple and others. I find the saw easy to use it is quite has plenty of power for logs up to 15" to 16". The Chain is easy to adjust and the auto chain oiler works well, easy to fill, no driping of oil on bench after use. I have never had the chain jump off the chain bar. One con I wish that the chain had a brake auto stop when you let go of the trigger. A big pro not having to mix and store gas, no smell, no noise, very easy to use. Pete in North Carolina.

Great product, Easy to operate, Plug and play, Enjoy

This saw is perfect for jobs around the backyard and for people without a clue about chainsaws. The no tools chain tightener and removal are excellent ideas that work as intended. I noticed a few reviews that said the oiler kept dumping oil while stored. Store it like the photo attached and there is no way it can drain from the bar as the hole is now pointing upwards.

I had a 60 foot pine tree i had to cut down at my cabin cause it had died. I took a chance because an earlier review that said just give it a shot. I did and i took it down in 2 hours cutting it 3 feet at a time with a rope and pully system i rigged up also purchased at home depot. total with bar and chain oil i spent $100. I have no doubt a gas chainsaw would have been a lot faster but as a home owner and not a professional logger I did not want to spend $300+. For a home owner and DIYer you cannot go wrong. The only reason i did not give it 5 stars is that it does go through oil like crazy. But even an $8 bottle of oil is cheaper then a gas chainsaw. I used half a bottle on this tree. Nothing to lose as you all know home depot will take back anything. Two big thumbs up. Happy cutting.

Bought this chainsaw to cut down a dead orange tree in our backyard. I went for the 14 inch instead of the 16 inch after reading the reviews. This thing is a beast and it's so easy to use. I think I spent more time at the store choosing the chainsaws than what I needed for the tree. All I had to do was open the box, add the oil, and start cutting. Job was done in less than 15 minutes. At the end of the job, we could see some oil sprayed on the ground, but that's not a big problem to me. The only problem I have with this purchase is with Home Depot and not the product (That's why I still give it 5 stars). I bought it new in the store, only to open it and find it used. You can see scratches and oil on the saw itself. But since the saw works perfectly, I am not planning to return it for a new one. But had I known this is a used one, I could've spent less money on a refurbished one.

I have had this saw for 8+ years. It lasted through cutting down 5-italian cypress tress that had grown to about 14" in diameter. This saw made easy work out of all of them. Had to reorder a few parts after it gave out on tree number 6, but can't complain. Worked great after putting on the new part. Great value and great workhorse!

After about 20 cuts on branches less than 8", motor got hot. Chain tension and bar oil fine. Carbon blocks separated from braided wires. No brushes listed in parts list, only motor assembly that is same price as saw. Very disappointed as my 8" pole saw (UT43106) is 3 years old and doing great.

I had two trees on my lot that i needed to cut down. The first chainsaw burnt up and didn't get much done. i seen this chainsaw and it looked like it could get the job done. It worked perfectly, i took the tip guard off and it cut like butter. i cut down two large trees and cut in movable chunks within a hour or so. When done i carved my initials and my wife's.

My old gas chainsaw was giving me fits after sitting unused for months. I went to the Home Depot website to look at new chainsaws and filtered by customer rating. I was shocked that several electric chainsaws were among the top customer rated, so I began looking into them further. I ended up purchasing the Homelite 16" electric as it uses the same chains as my old gas saw (and I already have 5 chains and a sharpening tool), and I was reassured I could return it if I didn't like it. Long story short, this saw amazed me once I started to use it. It doesn't cut quite as fast as a good gas saw, but it has none of the hastles....no finding my 2 stroke oil (which usually involving a special trip to the store...where does it go?), no getting gas and mixing, and most importantly, no pull starting. It even has a simple chain tensioner knob, no stopping and using a special tool.....just twist the knob to adjust. Why don't ALL chainsaws have something this quick and easy? Just top off the bar oil, plug in and go! I don't mind a few extra seconds for this ease and convenience. I cut through 22 inch diameter cedar logs with no problem (will try to upload a photo). Try it, if you don't like it.....return it. Most likely, you will keep it too.

THE PACKAGE WAS IN VERY BAD SHAPE, LIKE SOMEBODY RE-DID IT. DID NOT LOOK LIKE DONE BY THE MANUFACTURER, MOSTLY LIKE THE UNIT WAS A DISPLAY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THE UNIT ITSELF HAD SCRATCHES AN ONE CORNER IS DAMAGE.

I started searching for a new chainsaw after getting a sore shoulder pull starting my old one. I sorted by customer rating and was absolutely shocked that several electric saws were among the top rated. I looked at the Worx and Homelite, and read many (more like ALL) of the reviews and was again shocked at how most seem to really like and recommend electric. I stopped in at Home Depot and looked, but my store didn't stock the Worx saw (online only) but did have a 14 and 16 inch Homelite electric. Still skeptical, I confirmed that I could return it if the electric saw just didn't work for me and was told "absolutely". I purchased the Homelite 16" as it uses the same chain as my gas saw, and I already have 4 chains. Well, I got home, put bar oil in it and immediately cut through a bunch of cedar up to 10 inch diameter with no trouble at all, just as good and fast as my 16" gas chainsaw (except it didn't overheat or hurt my shoulder pull starting it). I love the plug and go.....no buying gas, finding my 2 stroke oil and mixing, priming, and pulling. Impressed with it so far, I figured I would test it on a 12 inch piece of oak....no problem. I took it over to the trunk of the cedar tree and proceeded to cut a 22+ inch diameter piece in just a couple of minutes. I'm sure it may have been a little slower than my gas saw, but it had NONE of the headaches. The reviews were right, I was skeptical, but a very happy camper after 2 hours of sawing up wood with none of the problems I constantly have with my gas saws.....just try one!

Understanding that this is an electric chain saw I did not expect the power of a gas saw. That said, this 14" 9 amp saw works perfectly well. You have to be a little more gentle is all...

The Homelite 16 inch chain saw is incredibly powerful. It is light weight with comfortable grip handles. A push button oils the chain while running and it can cut through the toughest wood. My chain saw has seen a lot of work and keeps on running like new.

I bought this little guy just to clean-up a few broken branches in the yard. A few days later a local tree cutter dropped of truck full of limbs and branches in the driveway. I decided to buy a Poulan 18" to tackle the wood pile and was very disappointed. I returned the first Poulan because it would not start nor idle and asked for an exchange. The 2nd Poulan was returned two days later for the same issue. But during this all I continued to use the little Homelite and become more impressed over the next few days as the Homelite continued to chew through the bigger branches and limbs. I have a few pieces left and I'll tackle those tomorrow. Very impressed with the UT43103. Very disappointed with the Poulan.

Okay...so I bought the cheapest electric chainsaw I could find on the market. I only expected to use it once, maybe twice a year to trim some 2" branches. I didn't expect great results but thought as long as it cut and didn't vibrate apart or cut my hand or face off I'd get my money's worth. First use it worked great. No problem with my Ponderosa-like 2 inch branches. A neighbor then borrowed it and said it worked great with 5' branches. Yesterday a 30' Mesquite blew over against my house and it was time to see what this (not) Paul Bunyan chainsaw could do. I was extremely pleased with this saw. The tree trunk was about 10" and I had no problem. The chain came loose once (operator error) when I pinched it in a bottom cut. Getting it back on track was easy and took less than 2 minutes. A little common sense goes a long way when putting the chain back in place. I will add I have never owned a chainsaw before. The (I think) 8.5 lb. weight did not pose any problem. For light use with an occasional need for a somewhat tougher use this is a GREAT little saw. I had to laugh. I was sure it would be something I MAY get a half dozen uses out of and that's about it. It absolutely saved my bacon cutting the Mesquite today. Do I think it could do what I did today on a regular basis? No, don't be stupid. Recommend...strong YES.

This saw was great for cutting up a downed apple tree on our property. The chain doesn't like to stay on very well, but I think that may just be the project being more than the saw was meant for. I was happy for the price we paid, and have used it for a few other projects as well.

I purchased this saw to cut Texas Cedar, which is actually a variant of Juniper. Pretty dense and woodworks like hardwood. I made about 15 cuts on logs from 10" to 15". My method of cutting is more difficult as I do not sea-saw while cutting, but hold the saw perpendicular and slightly pull so I have a unidirectional cut across for my slices. I use these 4" to 6" slices for book ends and other crafts. With a new blade it cut like butter but I can also report plenty of power. I had a 10 yr Craftsman 14 inch 8 amp, which was a good saw that simply needed to be replaced, however, there was a noticeable power improvement with the Homelite. In the 15-18 cuts about half of the oil reservoir was emptied on the blade, which I think was good delivery. Hand positions were comfortable and for the money I would call this a top value. One additional item: I immediately removed the kick-back guard so I could cut the very large diameter logs (see attch pic). Not recommended, but without the guard, this adds more utility.

I have always used gas chain saws. This was my first electric. I read a lot of reviews that said the bar/chain oil leaked profusely and that the chain came off frequently. I did not have any of these problems. This chainsaw was much easier to use than gas. Due to the much lighter weight, it is much better for tree limbs. I trimmed branches from 1 to 5 inches with no problem.

Initially i was planning on purchasing a inexpensive gas powered chainsaw for use around my home. After searching a few different stores, i decided to investigate Home Depot! The saw i was looking for had been sold out, so i spoke to the sales clerk from that department. In our coversation he mentioned the Homelite 12.0A 16 in Chainsaw . After reading the specs. i thought that this particular model and type may satisfy my needs. After trying it for the first time ...i was very impressed with it's performance. It is quite powerful(12 amps)... and cut through a 8" tree without any hesitation or slowing down! Real handy also for cutting trimming the dead limbs off some other trees. I would reccomend this saw to anyone who needs a saw for home use. It is powerful, lightweight... easy to use... and very reasonably priced.

beautiful lightweight saw but the oiler does not work. going to see if i can exchange for another one today.