ArborTimes Spring 2023

You’ll save money in the long run because you won’t have to pay for oil, gas and a variety of maintenance.

If you compare the price of battery-powered chain saws with their gas-powered equivalents, you’ll notice that the battery-powered saws typically cost less. Photo courtesy of Stihl.

might have to cut a four-foot diameter tree off a house during a storm, you just can’t do it with a battery-powered saw yet,” he says. UNDERSTANDING THE COST To be clear, though, it’s not that there’s something lacking in chain- saw battery technology, but rather, equipment makers have to strike the right “balance between cost and tech- nology,” explains Per Kvarby, vice president of product management at Greenworks, an electric lawn equip- ment maker. “Can we put together a chain saw that delivers the power of a 90cc gas saw? Yes, of course, we can. Is some- one willing to buy it? No, it’s going to be excessively expensive, so there’s

that balance of having the technology available at a good price that some- one feels comfortable with buying,” Kvarby says. If you compare the price of battery-pow- ered chain saws with their gas-powered equivalents, you’ll notice that the bat- tery-powered saws typically cost less. That’s one of the reasons experts like Chisolm recommend them for home- owners. But if you want to use them for professional jobs, there’s a little more to consider. Because professionals use their chain saws more oen, they’ll also need more batteries and maybe even more char- gers. These items make upfront costs for transitioning to battery-powered more expensive. But there’s a caveat, as Kvarby points out. You’ll save mon-

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