Makita UC4041A/2 240V 40cm Electric Chainsaw

I don’t often write reviews, but I thought I ought to after buying this: some tools are awful, some are a joy to use - this one is a joy. My first chainsaw (5 months ago) was the Hyundai P6220C petrol which is very good, but it’s heavy, and sometimes it was exhausting getting it started (I’m not a tree surgeon but do cut up quite a bit of wood for our wood burner). In the end, I got the Makita as I knew it would ‘just start’ every time, without me being a mechanic. It’s utterly brilliant. It’s 1lb lighter, and after a few hours you are definitely grateful. It felt 100% safer than the petrol - a superb safety feature is how quickly the saw stops, completely, as soon as you release the trigger; this is like having a second, automatic brake! Actually, the most dangerous thing about this saw is that it is so easy to use, so I suppose I’ll have to be careful not to get complacent.If you’re a lumberjack, get a petrol. If you’re not, get one of these.

Once you work out the correct way for the chain. It's very good. Strong and sturdy. Good safety features if you use correctly. The lead with the plug is very short. Could be or should be at least 3 foot. When connected to the extension end the shortness is difficult to use. Made a single 6ft extension solved the problem. But if it came with a good length of lead it would be ideal

Excellent saw. It has plenty of power and made short work of chopping up a large fallen apple tree today (16 inch diameter trunk). Cuts are quick and easy to make. The unit feels good in the hands and is a good weight and easy to handle safely. The instruction booklet, on the other hand, is terrible. It includes assembly and sharpening diagrams, but these are much too small to show any detail. I will have to Google how to sharpen the chain.NOTE: UNIT DOES NOT SHIP WITH OIL! You should be aware of this and order some biodegradable oil (e.g. Bosch oil) at the same time, otherwise you won't be able o use your new saw! It's probably a good idea to order a spare chain and a sharpening kit as well, as the chain blunts fairly rapidly. I notice in the reviews concern that the bar attachment/chain tensioner is flimsy. I have not found this to be so. It is made of plastic, but provided you don't overtighten it it should last a long time.

Like another customer here. I loved the product when it arrived after very light use. Then a month later while cutting 3 inch branches the problems started. The chain kept coming off upon examination it was the tensioning system that was the problem. The little pin sheared off. This is a lovely saw but the chain tensioning system is badly engineered. Whoever designed this needs sacked. I great item ruined by poor engineering. Don’t buy it’s dangerous and makita need to fix this issue.

Bought this chainsaw to remove trees in my garden. Have always used Bosch but recent reviews of Bosch chainsaws were poor. This chainsaw had good reviews with excellent comments regarding how easy it was to adjust the chain (which is always something to fiddle with half way through a job). Used the chainsaw last week and I was really impressed. After I removed from packaging I needed to fit the chain and bar and add oil to the reservoir. This was completed in 10 minutes after reading the instructional booklet that came with the saw. I carried out the work in the garden with the chainsaw and it performed really well. This chainsaw isn't too heavy to handle and has a safety cut out at the front which stops the motor immediately; always important. The chain and blade has a plastic guard which should be used when transporting. It is powerful enough for most domestic tree work so make sure you have the correct PPE to protect yourself when working. All considered, an excellent purchase for the money!

update: The plastic bit of tensioner which slots into the bar, broke rendering the tool useless. The small plastic pin which slots into the bar is very weak and breaks after some use. I read some other user commenting that Makita designed this to snap first to protect more expenisve parts. I think this is a poor excuse. If this was the case then why is it not sold with a pack of 10 extra replacement plastic bit for the tensioner. Makita should look at replacing this part with a solid metal one.Does the job, good product. Only cons is the chain tensioner is a bit fiddly. You have to loosen the tensioner and tighten it back once in a while. I was using a petrol chainsaw before this and this is much ligher and easier to use for small jobs

I purchased this model as it was updated June 2014, I had researched a lot of chainsaws (electrical) as I had 3 large 40ft conifers to cut down.It was delivered as promised on time and I had the saw up and running in ten minutes after I had fitted the chain which was not difficult but a little fiddly. I recommend you use a good quality chain lube oil which is around £10 for a bottle. 2 of my trees were still growing and was dead, but the Makita had all 3 of them down within 3 hours, I now have a shed full of logs all cut down to size, which were no trouble as the saw made life very easy, I had to re-tension the chain about 3 times which is no bother and also topped up the oil chamber twice. All in all this is a very capable saw for anyone who has a budget of circa £140. I would not hesitate to recommend this highly efficient chainsaw, which also is no where near as noisy as a petrol type.My final bit of advice is purchase a forestry helmet with face guard as the wood chippings fly everywhere, plenty on Amazon for around £25. Thanks for reading Rick.