Electric Tools 2727-21HD Chainsaw Kit

I want to preface all my Milwaukee M18 reviews with a disclaimer that I do not and have never worked for Milwaukee, nor have I ever accepted anything form them. I Just started switching my 15-20 years of electric tools collecting over to, almost all, Milwaukee 18V. I studied Quality in Manufacturing and have experience in many different construction fields of work that have required lots of different tooling. These tools, so far, for the price, have excelled in the many aspects of quality, upon first use. I have had a couple of defective's sent (different tools, and from eBay, but was refunded immediately), but every single one that has worked out-of-the-box has been great. I am reviewing several Milwaukee items, as I am switching over from the rare 20V Craftsman Professional Red/Black/Silver series (one of the only real 20V sets) that, I believe, was unbeatable when introduced, for it's price point, but was only manufactured for a few years. See below for this tool's review. I'd also like to add to my reviews that every lawn tool has improved my quality of life with outside upkeep much since I have back pain that is easily irritated by 2 strokes and other combustion engines. All of the lawn tools run very smoothly but I also only use the 12.0 Ah battery, as you get the best bang for your buck. Out of the box: PROS: -The blade was already tensioned decently but nuts could've been tighter. -Put oil in it and ran it plain for a bit to lube it up. It uses the perfect amount of oil, in my opinion, to keep the blade well oiled and the parts moist enough to keep easily cleaned. -Upon my third battery use, I got the bar stuck in a decent Russian Olive. Thought I was for sure bending the bar or losing the chain. Neither happened, they're still great. The tree popped off and the saw came out with the chain needing a little tightening. I even destroyed the tree a little more before tightening the chain in retaliation Muahahaha. -Also, on third use, I gave it 9-kinds on the ground on its side for quite some time, trying to cut through heavy roots, stump, and dirt of a Russian olive(I believe, I'm no botanarian). This thing was tough trying to cut through. I had it most of the way chopped up on it before the saw quit. I thought I'd finally drained the battery. Put another in and nope, wouldn't do anything. I'd clogged it with dirt and everything (this was after cutting up a ton of other dead stuff) and the motor was overloading so the overload protection was working perfect. It would barely click over if you'd wait and pull the trigger every 5 seconds or so. I could tell it was having a hard time with all the dirt/debris in it. After about 10 attempts, it freed everything up and started running like a beast again. I called it a night then because I was already worn out and my chain was getting that way too. It had gone through a lot and was on it's 3rd battery. -Very easy cleanup. I took it to the garage, disassembled it (easily with the included tool), cleaned with mineral spirits in my tank (making sure not to blow liquid directly at it, blew it all out real good with compressed air, oiled it all, put it back together with my new blade (I'll sharpen the 1st in the meantime), and it's like mint condition again, aside from a couple tiny spots of paint on the bar that have came off where the hardening was done. -Oh, the little hidden tool for tightening is excellent and stored nicely. I've wondered why this hasn't been a thing for years. CONS: -WTF is up with the trigger area, Milwaukee? It has a hole for a foot like you're starting a combustion engine pull-start but isn't necessary. If anything, it makes for a nice huge storage spot for the wonderful little wrench. The battery bay needs moved behind the hand grip/pointing under it, giving the tool a better balance point. I bought this tool to replace (hopefully) my Stihl 2-stroke 14" topping saw in the picture that can often be used 1 handed. So far, it's doing great with it's ease-of-use and power with the 12.0 Ah batteries. but is a little tough with 1 hand -Need more than 1 battery if you're going to be working a lot. I feel as a homeowner of about 4 acres, 1 wooded, I need about 2-3 12.0 Ah batteries for the Chainsaw, Weedeater, Hedge Trimmer, and Blower when needed. I don't usually need to use them all in the same day but there's no way you'd need over 3 with how much work you could do plus if you had to have some on fast charge. You can wear yourself a little with 1 session of a 12.0 Ah battery on about any tool, although 2 batteries often guarantees you'll get done what you need. -The teeth by the handle need to be a little longer, probably 1/8" even. It does grab a lot of the time but if there is something small in the way, the teeth have a hard time getting to the material. Conclusion: I think if this saw was made more like my Stihl topping saw, with the battery weight distribution in the back, handle grips closer, and a little smaller bar, this thing would be unstoppable. It's still a great saw and I'd grab it any day over my Stihl 14", knowing I can slap a battery in and start eating. It's hard to think how hard it's working for how quiet it is, so people need to remember to be safe with this thing. So far, I can't complain about much after 3 good uses. If I run into problems or perks in the future, I'll update. I can't wait for spring when I can pull it out, without a single thought of gas, and go to town on things. And anyone wondering, yes I've seen certain people's youtube reviews. This is a real-world test and recommendation.

This is a great saw. It is light and always start when the battery is charged. It has tons of power. It cuts as fast as a gas-powered saw. The 12-amp battery last a long time

I bought the Milwaukee 16" bar chain saw, because I had a 22Ft. Dead ash fall over in my backyard. I've heard great things about the electric saw, but I was still skeptical. The wood of this ash was extremely seasoned. I set about cutting it up. The kit came with the 12 amp battery, which is a must and anyone doing any sort of regular cutting, should have two. On a single charge I was able to cut 9 pieces roughly 24" in length and roughly 18" in diameter. Quite good! I charged the battery and cut 5-6 more chunks, but these were over 2ft. in diameter, but the saw made it through on the second full charge. Like I say, this wood was seasoned hard-ash! Saw did a great job. Highly recommend for somebody doing occasional cleanup or even some weekend warrior cutting, just be sure to invest in a couple batteries and a rapid charger.

Update, Oct. 2024: There's been a lot of improvements in battery powered chainsaws, don't see Milwaukee doing any of it. They should, it's a shared battery system for many. I would no longer purchase this saw, many are better. My Milwaukee leaks chain oil wherever I set it... this is VERY annoying. Again, I would consider going a different route. Review from 2019: First of all, I'm a contract logger who uses Stihl chainsaws every day. I have a bunch of M18 tools of all kinds, and a battery chainsaw offers lots of advantages... low noise, no fire danger, convenience. I've used the Milwaukee saw for a little over a month. I am carrying both it and a Stihl 362 on my log loader, and grab the electric whenever I can... I run the loader without ear plugs, and no need for them with the electric saw. I use it predominately to limb, but buck small logs as well... it's plenty powerful and fast in these cases. With the 12 amp/hr battery it is good for about a tank and a half of gas in the Stihl... not bad at all. I have a 12 amp and a 9 amp battery which gets me through a day of intermittent use on the loader. I must comment on a couple common problems. Throwing the chain. This is usually operator error. Cut straight and cut wood, not brush at an angle... you'll soon learn how to keep it on most of the time. Sometimes, it just comes off, but YOU did it! Sharpening... I use a round file. I make sure the chain is proper tightness on the saw, put the saw in a vise so it doesn't move around, file one side, turn the saw around and file the other side. Just get your angles right. Round filing is pretty easy and forgiving. The little narrow chain and bar is a big part of why this thing cuts fast... keep it sharp, be gentle with it, and it will perform well. I would not have bought this saw if it did not have the 2 bar bolts. That's the best way to hold the bar in alignment. Yes it takes a tool... I use my standard Stihl bar wrench. 2 bolts is a good thing, tighten, evenly, and don't over tighten. Learn to love them. Bad things. The trigger safety seriously STINKS. Very unergonomic. Put it on top like a real chainsaw, so you squeeze the grip safety and pull the trigger. Handle is longer than it needs to be. Not sure why. An 18 inch bar would be way better. A little more chain speed would be good... so a little more power is always welcome, but not at the expense of battery life. The battery box is bigger than the battery... where is that bigger battery to fill up the box?? That would sure be welcome. All in all, I thing this thing is great. And it's on the same battery platform as my other stuff, which are arguably the best tools on the market. So... it's a great first try, and I'm looking forward to a new improved model. And don't even think about a different bar holding system... if it doesn't have 2 bar bolts, this will be my last one. I hope this helps. But if you're on the fence and have a need for a small chainsaw, you could do worse.

I use it for cutting down and logging small trees in my yard. Probably not the best thing for field use, but since it's near the charger it's great without all of the long term storage issues of a gas unit. About two - three hours of relatively constant yard use, the huge battery recharges in about 2 hours. This was the best kit price I found, and you definitely want the largest HD battery you can get. I tried it with a smaller (5.0) Milwaukee battery while charging the big one, and found that it would overheat the battery which would then shut down for a while. No permanent harm to the battery, it would come back on once it cooled. Might be best to avoid using the smaller battery.