We just bought 20 acres over the summer that needs a lot of tree limb clean up. Looking for something that will cut 6" with and easy start. That’s my biggest issue is the dang thing needs to start easy. Also, what protective equipment do you all wear? Thinking face shield, long leather gloves and something maybe like chaps or something in case I hit my leg.
I’ve had my eye on this one from Ryobi:
https://www.ryobitools.com/products/…dless-chainsaw
Friend of friend has one & is happy with it
But, as a person who once hacksawed her own foot :o… I hesitate
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Farm Boss.
IMO, no chain saw will start super duper easy, but the pulls are not hard so it shouldn’t matter once you get the balance of it.
Go to a store and physically handle a couple bar lengths and see what feels right for you.
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We got a Kobalt, the Lowes brand, 40V battery operated, both the chainsaw and the pole saw this past year. These things are AWESOME! I was always afraid of gas chainsaws for whatever reason, but these things are awesome. I have cut some surprisingly big logs with the saw for as small as it is. Just make sure it has bar oil in the dispenser and you are good to go!
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I sold my gas chainsaw when I bought my Makita…18v batteries…chainsaw. No gas and oil to mix, no pull starting…push the button, pull the trigger and away you go. I’ve knocked down hundreds of limbs and about twenty pines of up to a foot in diameter us this fall. Love my saw!
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I started with the Stihl 193 with a 14" bar. It’s a very nice lightweight saw that has enough power, especially for what you’re doing. (I upgraded to a Stihl 261 which is one hell of a sexy saw, but it’s quite a bit heavier, and would have been very difficult for me to learn with. I run a 260 as a backup saw.)
I wear a forestry helmet, safety glasses, chaps, and steel toe boots with cut protection. Regular gloves, although you can get cut protection gloves.
But. Go take a class. Learn how to use a saw, learn how to take care of a saw. Don’t just learn this stuff on the fly, because something as simple as where your thumb is when you’re holding the saw can impact if that saw comes up and smacks you in the face if you get some kickback.
Note that battery powered saws are not stopped by kevlar chaps, due to the way the clutch works. I feel much safer with a gas saw and the right protective gear.
Buying good quality gear and taking care of it makes a huge difference on the “easy to start” aspect of things. Go talk to your local chainsaw store, don’t just buy something at Home Depot.
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My own little chainsaw is a Stihl battery powered 12" bar, model MSA 120C. I love that thing! The AK 20 battery it came with seems to hold a lot of power. It weighs only 8+ lbs including the battery, which makes it very easy to use and lift for higher branches. I’ve used it a lot to clear trails and old logging roads where branches and trees had fallen. It was $299.
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I bought a Craftsman pole saw (battery operated). Primarily, I feel certain I’d maim myself with a regular chain saw, and I like having the bar several feet away from me. Secondarily, I’m not going to do any major limb pruning, just smaller stuff.
I’ve used it several times, and I’m quite satisfied with how much I’m able to do with it. The battery is interchangeable with my weedeater, and it lasts a surprisingly long time while operating the chainsaw.
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Helmet, safety glasses, ear protection (you can get all of that in one helmet, which is nice!!) gloves, chaps, and reinforced toe boots. On the chaps, there seems to be some debate as to whether they will always stop an electric saw, it depends on the type of chap, type of saw etc. The general consensus is that it is better than nothing! I will say that I have walked off jobs where the person with the chainsaw wasn’t wearing good PPE because they claimed ‘they were so experienced they didn’t need to’. Yeah, no. Accidents, slips, and mistakes will happen.
Cutting brush or limbing can be one of the most dangerous things by the way, easy to get tangled, easy to not think about where the blade is versus where your leg is.
You don’t need anything over a 14" blade in my opinion. Not because a 14" blade can cut everything, it won’t. But because a standing tree that needs a longer blade really should be cut by someone with enough experience to know what they are doing.
I have a rule for myself: I am not cutting for production, I do not have to finish the job today. So if I stumble or make a mistake because I am feeling tired. I stop.
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A quick google turns up these guys in WI–I think you’re in that part of the country (ish?)
https://www.fistausa.org/fista/Chainsaw_Training.asp
They could be a good place to start for a class of some sort.
Here’s another group:
http://chainsawsafetyspecialists.com/
And another, wow, a lot of options for you:
https://www.waa-isa.org/event/saww-level-1-chainsaw-safety-training/
Same. It’s an awesome tool
I have a Black and Decker 20v max saw. Being battery operated, it starts with no issues at all. I think it has a 10” bar. It is very handy around the farm and is fine for almost everything I need. Go try a few and see what you are comfortable with. If you have 20 acres you may want a battery operated one, and a larger one that you can plug in for bigger jobs closer to the house or barn. We have an electric one with a 16 inch bar and it’s lightweight enough that I can use it when I have to. I would not do well with anything that was pull start, just due to my age and the physical limiatations that go with getting old. The nice thing about the B&D 20 volt max line is that they have many tools that use the same battery. We have the telescoping chain-saw-on-a-stick pole pruner, the reciprocating saw, hedge trimmer, weed eater and a few other tools.
I have a massive Stihl 026 with an 18" blade, but my new favorite and the workhorse of cleaning crap up is my Greenworks 40 volt battery powered pole saw with an 8" blade. That thing is a beast, and will cut for as long as I feel like cutting before the battery needs to be recharged. The pole has one removable section, so you can make it about 6’ long, which also works for cutting the bottoms of small trees, as well as reaching up for limbs. I had an about 12" tree fall through my fence and couldn’t get the Stihl to start, so was even able to cut through that with the little pole saw. Being that the blade is at least 6’ away from you, it negates the need for too much safety gear. No chance of cutting your leg, or your face in a kickback. When I use the “real” chainsaw, I wear kevlar chainsaw pants that are too big for me (XH’s), earplugs, boots, and gloves.
You can try to search this forum, but someone we don’t hear from anymore, possibly Tom King, had many opinions on chainsaws, and which he thought were easiest to use. I think he liked a Stihl MS-something.
I love my little Ryobi! I have cut plenty with it, and it’s a breeze to work with, and super easy to start (battery powered). Would never go back to a gas powered one.
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I have a 20V Black and Decker (10" blade?) that I like. I usually don’t cut more than 3" though. Maybe if I have to attack these box elder trees… I have never worn protection, just been careful. I’d worry more if I had a gas one, don’t feel this one is that powerful–which was what I first thought OP would be interested in from the title.
40 V Black & Decker cordless with 12 inch bar. I love it. No mess, no fuss, and no sweating and cussing over starting it. 
I have the Ryobi battery powered as well. I have multiple Ryobi products, so stayed in the brand since I can share batteries.
I did not grow up using a chain saw and am pretty much a total wuss. I wear ear protection, safety glasses, leather gloves and long pants. Chaps do seem like a good idea but I haven’t gone there yet
The Ryobi is easy to use and will tackle small/medium stuff. You may need to go to a gas chainsaw for anything large - I haven’t tried it personally.
I DO cut for production and have for over 40 years. PLEASE work with someone who knows what they’re doing and knows when and how to cut safely and how to teach you to use your machine safely. Watch, ask questions, keep the keys in the ignition and your vehicle headed toward the hospital. There are few things that can kill you more quickly than a chainsaw. At the very least, if you cut yourself, you fill the half-inch wide wound with chain oil and sawdust.
Ear/eye protection. Steel-toed boots. Chaps, or I use a fiber-filled saw-pant designed to clog the saw with fiber if I’m careless. I don’t wear a hardhat. As someone else said, limbing is most dangerous (assuming you know what you’re doing when you fell a tree, otherwise I’d debate that aspect). Always know where your toes are, always have both feet solidly on the ground, always know where the log is going to roll/pinch/kickback.
I used to use Jonsered, then moved to Huscvarna (sp) with a 16" bar. If you don’t buy from a dealer, you’ll get a sub-standard unit. Companies make two different levels of machines; those for mass distribution for backyard operators, and those made for production.
Make sure your chain is sharp and snug, and your bar is balanced. Keep the dogs away. Quit at the first thought you may be getting tired.
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Love my Ryobi little pole chain saw, and drill and circular saw and reciprocating saw that all run on the lithium batteries. I am hooked on this line of tools.
@Tarlo Farm Oh I know, I didn’t mean if you weren’t cutting for production you needn’t worry! Just, because I am not cutting for production, I stop when I am tired. Would that the production guys always could…
Honestly, chainsaws terrify me. Or maybe, more it is trees that do. A friend of my husband’s said the other day: ‘I hate blank, blank, trees.’ That guy cuts them for a living. It is an easy way to die. At the same time, I love the modern chainsaws. Finally, no more staring at a tree that is in the yard and fallen over like some sort of Moby Dick whale carcass. I can get rid of it!!!
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