Makita XCU03Z 36V (18V X2) LXT® Brushless 14" Chain Saw, Tool Only

I am a relative newbie at chainsaw usage and not young anymore but not very old, and this tool helped me cut down a bunch of smaller trees and trim limbs off of trees. I opted for this saw instead of buying a gas powered saw just for lower maintenance. I already have gas powered lawnmowers to maintain, and do not want to add to that list. I also have the 10" single battery LXT version, which I do not like, it is very under powered. But that saw at least got me started. This saw uses two batteries and can do a lot. For very large trees and complex situations I do hire professionals but for small tree felling and simple situations this saw can do it. I also bought chaps, gloves and a helmet with faqce guard designed for this work, and I usually do it with a second set of eyes around.

Great part-time saw...I never had a reason to consider a chain saw, I recently needed one to fell small trees, shrubs occasionally [tired of hand sawing!]. I will sometimes use on a job site without power and did not want a corded unit that would require me to tote a generator. I wanted a quiet saw b/c a lot of what we do in infill residential construction and I try not to piss-off the neighbors. I also did not want to have to maintain an 'engine'...plugs, oil/fuel, leaking all over etc. Once again a tool that is gonna get used a few times each season, more convenience than hand sawing...I already 'bought' into the Makita 18v system years ago and have been nothing but pleased, so it was natural that I looked at the battery operated units they have. I was impressed with the fact that guys are using them to trim glue-lams in the field with it.Well I bought it and it is simple to assemble and use, the blade tightening procedure is easy. Though I think it dispenses too much oil, I will need to adjust. It is a strong runner and takes down smaller diameter trees with ease. Initially I was using 3.0 Ah batteries which it drains super-quick. I ordered some 6.0 Ah batteries and we will see if that extends the run time. I will post an update.Bottom line if cordless makes the most sense for you as it did for me than you should consider this one.

I found the Makita 14" battery powered chainsaw fun to use and much less hassle than any of the 3 gasoline powered saws I've owned over the years, and they were all well respected brands.I dropped a 12" maple with a lot of top growth. I easily took care of the top and cut up the trunk and large branches into stove-length logs, all in about an hour. The saw handles like a dream in the brush and I never encountered the problem with the saw turning off that was described by some of the other buyers.I do have a major gripe however. The directions for assembling the bar and chain to the saw are absolutely horrible. This assembly process is quite different from the process one would use to put a bar and chain on a typical gas powered saw, so clear instructions are important. First, the print in the manual is tiny. You need excellent light to read it, and then it's still a challenge. Second, the instructions for the assembly process are ungrammatical and unclear, bordering on incomprehensible. I would think a large company like Makita that sells a lot of products in the U.S. could afford to hire an English speaking technical writer to do a respectable job in creating a good user manual. This manual is a disgrace.The diagrams too are misleading and unclear. Numbers are used to link illustrations of parts to their names; then in the same paragraphs, the steps in the directions are numbered. The reader is immediately confused about the meaning of the numbers. It took me longer to put the bar and chain on the saw than it did to fell and cut up that maple.

First of all, I am a committed Makita fan, having bought my first cordless drill back in about 1991. When my 50 year old Mini-Mac chainsaw died, I needed another small saw for use around my yard in town. I have two much larger Stihl saws at my farm but they are too big for most of what I do around the house. I saw this saw on Amazon for what seemed to be a very good price so I decided to give it a try. The saw itself is well built, has a good bar and chain and the overall build quality seems sturdy. I have used it multiple times for everything from cutting up some fairly large tree limbs (6-8") to trimming some overgrown cedar hedges. It seems to go a long time on a pair of 5ah batteries, at least I never needed to swap them out. My only complaint is the "tool less" bar tensioning system. I would be much happier if it had the more standard 1 or preferably 2 nuts to tighten the bar, and a screw for tensioning the chain. The hand crank and thumb wheel look like they will be the first thing too fail. However, for light use around the yard it will probably last a good many years.

Changed review from 2 stars to one. 2 weeks after i sent item back theres no refund. Called Amazon - they said refund will take 30 days. unbelievableMaybe I bought dud. i’ve seen on youtube people are doing 30 12” cuts on same batteries. Mine was dead ofter 2 cuts of 10 ” pine tree.Also, tool comes with 2x5.0ah batteries and I have plenty of 4ah batteries. Tool did not worked with Makita 4ah batteries, not even moved the chain.I have smaller Makita single battery chain saw and that thing is perfect.as i said, i maybe bought dud. But im reviewing what i received.