May 19, 2022
Whether you’re homesteading or living off grid, it’s important to have some lightweight tools to haul around the property to trim trees and prep firewood.
Where to get this cordless chainsaw
Get this cordless alligator chainsaw with multiple batteries on Amazon. And, if you want to power this after SHTF, make sure you've got a small generator. We like the Baldr for a compact solar generator, and you can read our Baldr review here.
Yes, we earn commissions when you order through the links on this page. That’s how we fund the site, but we only review items we use and highly recommend for the journey toward self sufficiency. Learn more in our FAQs.
Why we like it
This is a lightweight, battery-powered chainsaw perfect for limbing the pine trees around our home. We like it because it's:
A quick way to limb pines with up to 4" branches.
Lightweight enough to carry longer distances.
Small enough that we can haul it in a backpack when we're working up the mountainside or along hiking trails.
Able to share batteries with other B+D products we own, such as our 10" chainsaw, pole saw, and our weed eater.
Convenient when doing a lot of trimming in multiple areas (vs. carrying a gas-powered chainsaw around and having to start it and stop it repeatedly). We usually do the big work with the gas chainsaw, then follow up with the Alligators to do trimming and cleanup.
Able to be used by older kids quite easily.
Possible to even do quick aesthetic trimming with little hassle.
How this cordless chainsaw impacts our prepping efforts
Being battery-powered, we'll be able to use this for some time by using our solar generator for charging, even if the grid goes down and fuel is scarce. We also like the safety features — and simplicity of use — that make it easier to share with people helping on the property. It makes quick work of limbs so we're able to cut firewood quickly — up to 4" in diameter — and our larger chainsaws take care of the rest.
This means:
More firewood for warming our home, now and into the future.
Better fire mitigation to provide more protection from forest fires.
Easy to pack into remote areas where trees need to be limbed.
Our biggest complaint
Our biggest frustration with this chainsaw is that it seems impossible to find replacement blades. We even tried to have a new blade made at a local farm and ranch store but they couldn't find the right size chain. Most people will probably not need to replace the chain over the life of the chainsaw but we like to always have backups on hand.
Specs
This uses 20-volt MAX lithium-ion batteries that can also be used in other B+D yard tools, runs about 30 minutes per charge, and is very easy to carry and use with its "clamping jaws."
We recommend buying this cordless alligator chainsaw with multiple batteries.