Best Small Chainsaw for Removing Tree Limbs: Three 8 to 12-Inch Battery Saws for Limbs Under a Foot

Why limbs want a small saw

The limbs a homeowner should be cutting are the ones under about 10 inches thick and within reach of the ground, and for those a small battery chainsaw is better than a big one: lighter at arm length, easier to control at the end of the cut when the limb drops, and quick to pick up for one cut rather than a session. The three saws here have 8 to 12-inch bars, weigh around six pounds and run on the batteries of two big platforms. They differ in bar length and in whether they arrive with a battery.

This guide is built from the published specifications and manuals of each saw and from recurring owner feedback. We have not run these saws ourselves.

How the three compare

DeWalt 20V 12-inch: for a DeWalt shed

A household with DeWalt 20V drills and a trimmer already owns the batteries, and the DeWalt 12-inch saw sold bare is the cheapest way to add a limb saw to them. Twelve inches cuts limbs to about 10 inches in one pass and it is light enough to hold out at a limb. DeWalt publishes fewer figures for it than for its pruning saw, and owners describe it as the saw that lives on the shelf and comes down for the limb that broke in the wind.

Greenworks 40V 12-inch: ready in the box

The Greenworks kit is the one for a household without a platform: a 6-pound saw with a 2 Ah pack and charger, about 50 cuts in a 4 by 4 per charge, a low-recoil chain, a dual safety start, tool-free auto tensioning and an auto oiler. Greenworks names storm cleanup and pruning as its purpose. The pack also runs Greenworks trimmers and charges a phone through USB, and it is the best value here.

DeWalt 8-inch pruning saw: control in the canopy

Limbs cut from inside a crowded canopy are safer with a short bar, and the DeWalt DCCS623B 8-inch pruning saw is compact, brushless and rated for up to 70 cuts in a 4 by 4 on a 3 Ah pack. It cuts limbs to about 7 inches, reaches between branches without nicking the keepers and is the most controllable saw here. It is sold bare for DeWalt 20V packs.

Removing a limb well

Use three cuts. An undercut a foot from the trunk, a third of the way through, stops the bark tearing. A top cut a few inches further out drops the limb. A final cut just outside the branch collar finishes it without a stub. Keep both hands gripping the saw, stand to the side of the fall, wear glasses and gloves and never cut above shoulder height. Limbs over about 10 inches, near power lines or over a roof are for a tree service.

Which one should you buy

Buy the DeWalt 20V 12-inch for a DeWalt household. Buy the Greenworks 40V 12-inch kit for a complete saw with battery. Buy the DeWalt 8-inch pruning saw for control in a crowded canopy.