Are cordless chainsaws any good?

I had the pleasure for using a few saws yesterday. A Dewalt 60V, an Echo 16" gas saw and a Stihl Farm Boss.

In just pure cut performance alone, the Dewalt was the best. It cut significantly faster through 16" trees than the Echo. And was even a bit faster than the Stihl. The most annoying part about gas saws is that they have almost no torque. If you push at all, the chain stops. You can lean hard on the Dewalt and it just keeps chugging.

The Stihl is very well built though which I would expect for a $400 gas saw.

 

My Ego is okay for light duty work. Not needing gas and just the occasional lube isn't bad either.

Also uses the same battery as the lawn mower.

 

Thread update:
Just saw this new release of Milwaukee’s new tool line and thought this was pretty slick for camping/trail saw.
It’s a 6” M12 chainsaw dubbed “The Hatchet”!

https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Outdoor-Power-Equipment/Saws/2527-20

 

I agree with you 100%. This is most likely the culprit when your gas powered saw is hard to start. Ask any saw shops or small engine repair shops. The ethanol in the fuel screws up the rubber parts in the fuel system. If you can get ethanol free gas I would suggest to do so. I think all of the pre mixed fuel is ethanol free. I have been running gas saws for a little over 15 years (at work and home) and didn't have near as many issues until the ethanol was put into the gas. I think the battery powered saws are great for the smaller jobs, but they just aren't up to the bigger ones yet. The problem is the batteries. The technology just isn't here yet. I think it will be in the future. Just think about how much better they have got with the battery powered tools. Look how far they have come in ten years. My buddy has a tree trimming business and absolutely loves his battery powered arbor saw. But for the bigger jobs like falling and bucking he still relies on the gas powered saws. I guess what I'm saying is that for pruning and cutting small trees ( around 6 or 8 inches) the battery powered saws would work fine. When it comes to the big jobs, the gas powered saws still the preferred tool.