Makita Emergency Preparedness and Relief Kit with Chainsaw, Light, and Radio, 18V LXT, (5.0Ah) XCU03PT1, XRM05, DML807

I Received this saw last week and used it over the weekend. I border a wooded wetland and had a fairly large tree clump that had died - trunks ranged from a few inches to about 10". I downed the clump and cut all the trunks in about an hour and a half. Saw cut quickly and effortless and I still had two bars left on the batteries. For lawn cowboys looking for an occasional-use saw to trim trees, etc., this saw will do the job and is hassle free to use. The chain did jump the bar twice, but snugging it up seemed to solve that problem and adjusting the chain is easy with the tool-less design. Also, if you have other Makita tools like I do, you're getting a set of replacement batteries to boot.The only reason I gave the saw 4 stars is the power switch. You press the power switch, a light comes on, then you can run the saw. The issue is that as soon as you release the trigger and the lock-off lever, the power switch turns off almost instantly. You have to press the switch again, depress the lock-off switch and squeeze the trigger. This wouldn't be terrible, but I found the power switch hard to engage with gloves on.For those that are used to starting a gas saw, cutting for awhile, placing the saw on the ground idling, picking the saw up again and continuing to cut by just pressing the lock-off/trigger, this saw could take some getting used-to. I sorta understand it - with a gas saw you can hear that it is running, but with an electric saw, you hear nothing unless the chain is moving so I'm sure that Makita doesn't want someone accidentally powering on the saw because they didn't realize the saw was on. If you keep the lock-off engaged, however, the power button will remain engaged.

I have been buying Makita 18v tools for a while as a professional woodworker and the idea of a cordless chainsaw seemed like it might be a bit too much for the battery technology, but the dual lithium ion 5 Amp-hr batteries deliver. I wanted to put the tool to the test before I wrote a review, this past weekend I spent nearly 2 hrs clearing brush, taking down tree limbs (up to 6") and cutting down 3 dead trees and bucking them up. This saw ran right to the end of the session, about the same as my 18"gas Sachs-Dolmar. No gas, no choke, no pulling my arm out starting, no noise, no earmuffs. The action/torque is not quite the same as the gas saw, but the variable speed trigger does allow for fine controlled cutting for pruning. I also bought the leaf blower so I have two chargers, 4 batteries for continuous work if needed. While the price seems a bit steep initially, this is a professional tool with some heft, so it should last like the other Makita tools that I use on the jobsite. The charger and two 5 AH batteries are selling for $309, so adding $75 for the saw and a grinder makes it a deal. I wish Makita offered a choice of the bonus tool as I now own two cordless grinders, I would have taken a multi-tool or another impact driver.

Either I am the one in a thousand that just received a defective lemon dual battery powered Makita XCU03PT chain saw, or I overstressed this motor on too large of a 26 inch diameter tree trunk, using this Makita that comes with, if I remember correctly, a 14 or 16 inch chainsaw bar. I really wanted to try my brand new Makita just to see if it could handle this large of a tree, but ended up finishing the job with my gas powered Stihl chain saw (which has about twice the power) when this Makita motor died within 20 minutes (yes I then tried two pairs of new fully charged batteries with no success). Because I was within the 30 day return policy, I was able to return to Amazon. This is the first Makita power tool I have ever had to return. Lesson learned, only use this saw with trees with less than 14 inches in diameter, which might be fine for most homeowners that cut down an occasional tree. Larger than 14 inch diameter trees should be left for a professional anyway.

This saw is no toy. Cuts fast, batteries last long enough.Plenty of power with a full charge.Low noise!Variable speed is a welcome feature.This saw is worth the money. The only thing is the on switch times out too soon making bucking firewood cumbersome ,but the sawbuck lets you cut several pieces before you have to set the saw down.

I used this on a camping trip when I went to Colorado.I didn't get to use it much because everybody else was stealing it from me :( :( but we ended up cutting up (10) 10" dead pines. I was a bit nervous I wouldn't be satisfied with the run time but I couldn't be happier. I only had to charge the batteries 2 times for the whole trip and we left enough wood for the next campers. I have almost every Makita tool there is and none of them let me down.

Yes the thumb button is a trifle annoying but this is a nice saw in my opinion. Used it on 5 medium size trees so far and it does the job. Batteries don't last incredibly long but they are enough for yard work. Obviously if you have a lot of wood to cut regularly batteries are not up to it in my opinion. Maybe someday. For the present it beats the heck out of finicky gas engines for small jobs.

I had some storm damage that broke an entire tree. This unit worked to take down the whole upper tree and with an assist from a gas powered 36 in chainsaw finished off the trunk. The batteries lasted for a solid two hours of cutting. Longer than I expected and recharged in a little over an hour. The grinder worked great too on the first job I used it for.

It works very well for a battery operated saw. 14" is a little limiting as it takes longer to cut some big wood. But overall i'm happy with it and I don't need to keep filling it up with gasoline!

Fonctionne très bien. Super satisfait de mon achat. Seulement dommage que le coffre ne soit pas offert avec l'article au lieu du "boffeur"