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Redback 18 in 120V Lithium Ion Battery Chainsaw $99.99

$99.99
$299.99
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I just bought one of these because the $99 price and didn't expect much. Overall I am pretty impressed for the price. I already have a 16 inch Milwaukee M18 Fuel saw which cost quite a bit more of course. There are things I like about this saw more than the Milwaukee but you can tell the overall quality of the Milwaukee is better.

I would still saw this is a steal at only $99, especially for the intermittent user. I use my saws a lot so will put this to the test long term. This will also be the one I take camping for firewood in case it gets lost or stolen.

Here is what I like about the saw so far.
-The saw has a lot of power for electric. The peak is more than the Milwaukee
-Tool-less bar cover and tensioner feel like they are decent quality. I have never been a fan of these systems and prefer the more solid but not as convenient nut style covers
-Price is super cheap. Can be considered a disposable.

Here is what I don't like.
-Oil tank is hard to fill and the o-ring is cheap so it will probably be replaced. A squeeze bottle with a nozzle or funnel would help with filling.
-Max power is only at very top of battery charge. You start to notice a reduction in power at 75% capacity or so. You only notice this with the Milwaukee down around 25%
-Only one nut effectively holds the bar cover on this 18 inch saw while the 16 inch Milwaukee has two.
-Heavier than the Milwaukee by quite a bit
-Louder than the Milwaukee by a bit but still very quiet compared to gas
-120V is probably a gimmick. There isn't that much of a difference between this and the 18V Milwaukee.

All in all this seems like a really solid saw for the money, especially for the intermittent home user or something to take camping. Sure, it isn't a professional tool brand but it is nothing to laugh at either. I am going to use it all day on my farm today and see how it holds up.

I may buy another one just for an extra battery as the entire setup is cheaper than than buying just the battery alone.

NOTE: Redback also makes other lawn tools like trimmers and blowers that these batteries interchange with.

https://redbackpowerusa.com/produ...-chainsaw/
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Created 02-22-2020 at 09:45 AM by cwatkin
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cwatkin
02-22-2020 at 11:38 AM.
02-22-2020 at 11:38 AM.
I have used this saw some more and it is growing on me. Subsequent charge cycles seem to have really brought the battery to life. It wasn't nearly as potent on the first charge as the second and third charge. I guess it needed to be conditioned or brought back to life after being in storage.

I figured it wouldn't be much for this price and would have written it off as a scam because it was so cheap but it is actually not a bad deal. I also haven't destroyed it on its first use which cannot be said about other cheap tools I have used.

Another negative I found is that this is not a variable speed trigger which the Milwaukee is. It is a single speed so basically an on/off switch of sorts.

Overall I feel this is a solid deal and bought a second one for an extra battery because it is far cheaper to do this than buy the battery alone. Why all the thumbs down?
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majorhavoc
02-22-2020 at 12:56 PM.
02-22-2020 at 12:56 PM.
Quote from cwatkin :
Why all the thumbs down?
Quote from FeistyLlama495 :
Probably because you mentioned milwaukee, m18 and chainsaw and set off a bunch of alerts like mine for a cheap pos saw. Just my guess tho.... Thumbs down....
That and you left the price out of the title, a cardinal sin here at Slick Deals.
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BrianH1305
02-22-2020 at 03:30 PM.
02-22-2020 at 03:30 PM.
This forum is nothing but a bunch of haters. The op went out his way and took the time to write a thorough review comparing this extremely inexpensive yet convenient tool to another model that is considered a top contender yet unaffordable to some. By definition this saw is a great deal especially considering an honest review and recommendation from someone who seems to understand exactly what makes or brakes a usable tool. I guess everyone stopped hunting deals around here and just comes to share their love for putting others down.
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cwatkin
02-22-2020 at 05:49 PM.
02-22-2020 at 05:49 PM.
Here is the deal. I cut up several 14-16 inch at the base ash trees into firewood lengths today and the saw was running better at the end than when I started. It didn't break or fall apart after cutting one branch. The ash borer has killed all of them around here so have many standing dead trees.

It seems like the battery and saw went through some type of break in period. They saw is a lot quieter and smoother than when I first got it out. The battery also seems to produce more power after a couple charge cycles. The second run was much more potent than the first for whatever reason.

This is better than a cheap throwaway although that is what I assumed it would be. I read the reviews and they were pretty good so took the gamble. I figured it would make a good camping saw and if it got dunked in the river and ruined on a float trip, it wouldn't be something to cry about.

Keep in mind that I am willing to spend decent money on good tools so don't expect this to be something that will last forever. All my Milwaukee M18 stuff is the Fuel series which is their top tier line. The only non-fuel tool is the oscillating tool which is only offered in the brushed motor line.

I also own the Harbor Freight Chicago Electric drill, sawzall, and maybe something else from before the days when I could afford the good stuff. They don't even compare to the Milwaukee stuff. This chainsaw is not the equivalent of the cheap Harbor Freight stuff. It is a real chainsaw and a good tool at a good price. I will agree that the fit and finish of the Milwaukee is better but there is NOTHING wrong with this saw for the money.

Have the haters ever used this saw? I bet not! I bought it on an "educated gamble" and it seems good so far. Only time will tell how well it works out. I have seen a few reviews that mention battery failures so that might be the downfall.

I thought I was being nice by sharing a good deal on something I thought was a decent tool for a good price and this is the thanks I get. This is the whole problem with social media. It brings out the most antisocial behavior in people. Who cares about coronavirus or aids? Social media is the real disease.
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Hartage
02-23-2020 at 04:46 AM.
02-23-2020 at 04:46 AM.
Quote from cwatkin :
Here is the deal. I cut up several 14-16 inch at the base ash trees into firewood lengths today and the saw was running better at the end than when I started. It didn't break or fall apart after cutting one branch. The ash borer has killed all of them around here so have many standing dead trees.

It seems like the battery and saw went through some type of break in period. They saw is a lot quieter and smoother than when I first got it out. The battery also seems to produce more power after a couple charge cycles. The second run was much more potent than the first for whatever reason.

This is better than a cheap throwaway although that is what I assumed it would be. I read the reviews and they were pretty good so took the gamble. I figured it would make a good camping saw and if it got dunked in the river and ruined on a float trip, it wouldn't be something to cry about.

Keep in mind that I am willing to spend decent money on good tools so don't expect this to be something that will last forever. All my Milwaukee M18 stuff is the Fuel series which is their top tier line. The only non-fuel tool is the oscillating tool which is only offered in the brushed motor line.

I also own the Harbor Freight Chicago Electric drill, sawzall, and maybe something else from before the days when I could afford the good stuff. They don't even compare to the Milwaukee stuff. This chainsaw is not the equivalent of the cheap Harbor Freight stuff. It is a real chainsaw and a good tool at a good price. I will agree that the fit and finish of the Milwaukee is better but there is NOTHING wrong with this saw for the money.

Have the haters ever used this saw? I bet not! I bought it on an "educated gamble" and it seems good so far. Only time will tell how well it works out. I have seen a few reviews that mention battery failures so that might be the downfall.

I thought I was being nice by sharing a good deal on something I thought was a decent tool for a good price and this is the thanks I get. This is the whole problem with social media. It brings out the most antisocial behavior in people. Who cares about coronavirus or aids? Social media is the real disease.
The haters are the people version of cheap tools, low quality. They are too childish to understand that people have different price points on what they can afford. As others have said.... their main goal isn't to find a good deal, it's too put others down for not being able to afford what they are willing to pay. Just typical snobbery to stroke their own ego at the cost of others.
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cwatkin
02-23-2020 at 08:11 AM.
02-23-2020 at 08:11 AM.
I agree. There are junk tools and then there are good deals. Apparently this company is based out of Denver although I assume the stuff is made in China for this price. I don't see where it is made.

I actually bought this to be a disposable chainsaw but it is actually much better than that. I am shocked at how nice it is for the money. It may not be Milwaukee quality but it isn't junk either. Someone on a budget or who doesn't use a chainsaw often shouldn't hesitate to buy this. I don't expect it to last like a better brand but it certainly isn't complete junk either.

I am going to take it back out today and plan to use it hard. I fully expect it will hold up based on how it did yesterday.
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normalroth
02-23-2020 at 04:21 PM.
02-23-2020 at 04:21 PM.
In case anyone is wondering, there is a legitimate arborist website where people leave very detailed reviews on saws. These reviews are by professional sawyers and loggers, and they have extensively used the equipment that they review. Here is their review on this saw.

https://www.arboristsite.com/comm...aw.310665/
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cwatkin
02-23-2020 at 06:51 PM.
02-23-2020 at 06:51 PM.
Quote from normalroth :
In case anyone is wondering, there is a legitimate arborist website where people leave very detailed reviews on saws. These reviews are by professional sawyers and loggers, and they have extensively used the equipment that they review. Here is their review on this saw.

https://www.arboristsite.com/comm...aw.310665/
Thanks for posting this link. Apparently the pros don't see it as a bad saw for what it is. For $99 it is a great saw. The box states it has a NEW variable speed trigger. Apparently I got an older model without the variable speed trigger. Maybe this is why it was so cheap. Anyway, it still is a good deal and the shipping is free on this as well so it is $99 out the door.

Something else I cannot tell is where the saw is made. The packaging sure has that Chinese font you see on tools from Harbor Freight and such plus with it being so cheap, you would have to expect it came from China.

You would have thought I posted a Shopify link or something based on the response from the haters. Shopify is polluted with scammers selling too cheap to be true tool sets from all the big names in case you don't know. If you ever see Shopfy on anything, it is a scam.
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cwatkin
02-24-2020 at 12:00 PM.
02-24-2020 at 12:00 PM.
Quote from FeistyLlama495 :
OK I stand corrected, some people on here ARE looking for cheap junk. All I ask in the future is to not compare it to a quality brand knowing it'll set off alerts for people looking for good deals on quality equipment and not just looking for a cheap tool. Thanks and good luck with your purchase!
So I take it you have used this saw and can rate it as cheap junk that is just a waste of money? I take you it you have read the review posted on the arborist site by professional tree people and can say it is cheap junk?

I personally feel it is a great deal for the price and it has put up with two days of hard use from me. I did gash the bar but have it flipped over as a workaround for now so the chain won't jump but will take the bar to a saw shop and have it matched with a new one.

Something else I have noticed where this has a definite edge over the Milwaukee is the heat generation. It draws fewer amps to produce the same wattage as an 18V saw. The Milwaukee and its batteries gets pretty hot under load when cutting large logs near the diameter of the chain bar and will hit a thermal cut out if you continually cut large logs. You then have to switch batteries to let the hot one cool down for a while or let the whole thing cool down for a while. This 120V saw didn't do this. It just kept cutting until the battery ran down but the battery or the saw never felt warm.

All in all I don't think this is a bad deal at all. In fact I think it is a really good deal. Sure, it isn't perfect and there are things I like better about the Milwaukee but I am not sure I would have spent the extra money on the Milwaukee had I ended up with this thing first. Not everyone needs a commercial grade cordless saw although I don't think this thing is exactly light duty either.
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redaces95
02-24-2020 at 12:13 PM.
02-24-2020 at 12:13 PM.
Got one thanks op!
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cwatkin
02-25-2020 at 09:03 AM.
02-25-2020 at 09:03 AM.
Quote from FeistyLlama495 :
Damn you're hitting this hard. Now I'm starting to think youre promoting your own product or something. The more you talk the more I know this thing is junk.....
No, I have no ties to this company but see no reason to bash a product without actually using it either as you are clearly doing. In fact I had never even heard of them until a little over a week ago when I found this deal. My first impression was that it was some scam tool site because of the low price but it didn't quite fit the mold for that. If it was a true scam, it would have been a big brand like Milwaukee, Dewalt, or Makita and not something no one has ever heard of. I decided to look into it some more and realized this was a product that actually existed and had been purchased by real people as there were Youtube reviews and such. I ordered off their eBay site just in case for extra purchase protection and it showed up sooner than promised.

I wasn't the one who posted the Arborist Site review but it only confirmed what I already found out myself. People like you are what is wrong with social media. They are called keyboard warriors and think they know it all. For all you know, this saw might not exist and you could say it was a scam site I was posting because the price is so cheap. On the other hand, I own one and have not only touched and held it but used it for several hours on Saturday and Sunday of last weekend cutting everything from small brush to medium sized trees (14-15 inches at the base). I made a point to continually cut the tree trunks into logs without giving the thing a rest and it actually did this better than the Milwaukee. I had more issues in the small brush actually but that is typical with any chainsaw from my experience.

I didn't have high expectations for this saw. I will admit I bought it because it was cheap. The purpose was to be a saw that could get destroyed or whatever while enjoying the area rivers. I bought it as a disposable but ended up being very pleasantly surprised! I will admit that I thought it was going to be trash myself.

I own just shy of 50 acres at my farm with much of it being wooded. I own gas saws as well and use everything I own hard. I am not the homeowner on a half acre lot that might use a chainsaw once a year when the Bradford pear tree in their front yard loses a limb or splits in two. I use chainsaws often.

Hey, the thing is cheap enough that you need to buy one yourself to show everyone how bad it is! Of course you are right and cannot be convinced to change your opinion because you are just another keyboard warrior.
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Original Poster
cwatkin
02-25-2020 at 08:51 PM.
02-25-2020 at 08:51 PM.
I do hope Milwaukee comes out in a chainsaw in the new MX Fuel line as the 18V doesn't quite do it for higher demand tools. The advantage of the higher voltage is apparent in that the lower amp draw doesn't cause the tool to overheat nearly as easily, even in this cheapo no-name saw.

MX appears to be 72V (80V max). https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Inn...ns/MX-FUEL

Dewalt has the FlexVolt where you can use the same batteries in 20 or 60 volt tools. Makita has it where you can run two 18V batteries together and get 36V. This is heavy but allows for the use of existing batteries.

Milwaukee appears to just be having another line built from the ground up. Odds are this will be a better bet in the end but will require investment in new batteries, chargers, and such. A more potent chainsaw would be my first purchase if I ever bought into the MX line.
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