Does Ryobi's Compact Pruning Chainsaw Pack A Powerful Punch? Here's What We Know

At first glance, a cordless pruning chainsaw seems like a great idea, providing near-effortless sawing of small limbs all around the yard. Their size should make them easy to handle, there's no cord to get in the way, and no noisy gas motor either. However, in a previous article about pruning trees with a mini chainsaw, the tool was described as a "bloody mistake." So when we saw the Ryobi ONE+ 18V 6-inch Battery Compact Pruning Mini Chainsaw, it was the ideal opportunity to find out whether this one packed a powerful enough punch to get the job done properly.

The Ryobi compact pruning chainsaw is competitively priced and uses the same battery as over 300 other cordless Ryobi tools. So, if you already own a cordless Ryobi, it becomes a very attractive option. Ryobi claims it offers 40% faster cutting (though they don't say what they are comparing it with). It will cut branches up to 4 inches in diameter and makeup to 21 cuts per charge. It will, of course, depend on what type of trees you are pruning. Pine is much easier to cut than oak, for example, so factory figures should be taken with a grain of salt. Oil-free design means there's almost zero maintenance, and user-friendly features include tool-less chain tensioning and integrated LEDs to indicate the amount of charge in the battery.

To get feedback on real-world performance, we searched customer reviews. For balance, we checked both Ryobi's own website and independent buyer comments at The Home Depot. Customer Handy Dandy was typical: "This is just the perfect tool for those who want to do some light cutting." Dad49 echoed those thoughts. "I bought this chainsaw for trimming small branches and pruning trees. It does a great job for its size."

A few complaints are almost inevitable with any mass-produced tool, but these are by far the minority, and there's nothing that points to a consistent fault. A Parker who describes herself as a 64-year-old weakling needed two hands to use the Ryobi comfortably but still thought it was perfect. "This chainsaw is easy to use and cut bigger branches than I expected." So, does Ryobi's pruning chainsaw pack a powerful punch? It would seem it does!

Using the correct technique for pruning trees with a mini chainsaw makes a big difference and is well worth investigating, especially for those with limited experience. Safety is another key issue. The Ryobi 18V pruning chainsaw may be small and easy to handle, but if it can cut through 4-inch tree limbs, it will make a nasty mess of an arm or leg. It's important to follow the safety same procedures as you would with a full-size chainsaw.