Exactly 2 years ago we published our review of the EGO 45cm brushless EGO chainsaw and came away so impressed that we gave it our highest award.
This time around we’re testing its newest sibling – a bit smaller, a bit lighter, a bit cheaper and it comes with a big bonus: two bars: one 40cm and a 35cm one.
How capable is this new EGO chainsaw, you ask?
Being so similar in design and featuring many of the same advantages as its bigger brother, we’d recommend checking out our previous write-up here.
I’ll focus mainly on some of the differences in this article.
The EGO 40cm unit (model number CS1610E) is one of five chainsaws currently on offer by EGO Australia.
With the smaller bar it weighs half a kilo less than the biggest unit we reviewed and is easy to handle at 3.9kg (plus battery).
This model misses the LED lights that make the 45cm unit such an eminent tool for emergency workers. Frankly, few people would go out chainsawing at night unless there was a fallen tree blocking your driveway or a similar scenario.
The way of tensioning the saw has been improved as the big knob of the larger model would sometimes get in the way of cutting and rotate back a bit to loosen the chain.
Noise Levels
Initially, I feared that the new model would be – for some inexplicable reason – a lot noisier.
Why? It had a yellow sticker on it with 103dB and my older and bigger EGO 45cm was labelled only with a silver 79dB sticker.
What gives?
LWA is the new noise measuring standard and indicates the number of dB(A) at a 0m distance.
It is a more appropriate term, since we often forget the distance when mentioning the sound level.
We use LWA to determine the noise standards of machinery.
So the old label of 79dB is the same as 105dB on the LWA scale.
Both tools sounded very similar when cutting so we tested it with our sound meter.
And the Sound Meter confirms that: both registered around the 75dB level measured at 1 metre distance.
Both saws are very neighbourhood friendly and they don’t need to keep running either in between cuts, making them very safe.
Cutting to the Chase…
Talking about cuts: the EGO website says it will do 130 cuts, 4″x4″ square lumber (w/ 2.5Ah battery).
Generally they test with pine but my reality is I work with hardwood most of the time and with bigger logs.
Check out the amount of cutting below and have a look at the short video as well.
We did a huge amount of cutting up the massive branches of this fallen redgum with both EGO chainsaws.
No problems even though we had to sharpen the chains a few times and frequently changed batteries.
We could get about 60 cuts of various thickness per small battery (2.5Ah).
And that’s pretty good.
No Bar Too High or Too Many…
A smart move by EGO is to bundle another bar and chain with the unit. In this case, a slightly smaller (35cm bar).
Some people prefer a smaller and slightly lighter chainsaw so you have the option.
I think the benefits of having two bars are even bigger. In my case, if I have sharpened the chain a few times by myself, I bring it to the tools shop in town for a professional sharpening.
That might take a few days with travel time etc but now I can just slip on the other bar and “keep calm and carry on”…
I reckon this is the biggest feature of this new model and a $70 bonus.
Just one tip: both chains come in a plastic bag without indication for which bar they are.
The easiest way to find out without opening and unfolding the chains to compare them, is to weigh them.
The one for the 40cm bar weighs 150g and for the 35cm bar you will need the 137g chain.
Let’s Summarise our Findings
What do you get for this EGO 40cm unit (model number CS1610E) when you invest $399?
That’s assuming that you have already a charger and battery.
Otherwise you’d want the CS1611E model priced at $599.
1. The EGO built quality with 5 year warranty
2. Powerful cutting about equivalent to petrol saws
3. Much lower noise levels than petrol saws
4. No muss no fuss, no smell
5. Greater safety with superfast braking
6. Endurance almost unlimited with a couple of batteries and fast charging
Our recommendation?
Hey, it’s an EGO!
And based on years of working with and reviewing EGO outdoor power tools I can testify that this is a most innovative company with great reputation and very high built quality.
You’ll be very pleased with your EGO (and it might do wonders for your own ego as well!)
Have a quick look at the short video.
And you’ll find the product page here
