Sweet New Earth is a reader-supported site. Purchases made through links may earn a commission.
Learn more.
Dewalt 20v Chainsaw Review [2023]
Carl Anderson
Aug 14, 2023
Here is my complete review of the Dewalt 20v Max XR Chainsaw.
In this Dewalt 20v Chainsaw Review, you’ll see:
- What the Dewalt 20v Max XR Chainsaw does well
- What the Dewalt 20v Max XR Chainsaw doesn’t do well
- My opinion of the chainsaw
- Whether it's worth the price
- And so much more
Let’s get started.
Dewalt 20v Max XR Chainsaw Overview
This is the big-picture overview of the chainsaw’s features and design.
This Dewalt chainsaw boasts some impressive stats right off the bat:
- 12” Bar and Chain
- Only 9 Pounds
- Tool less chain tensioning
- “90 cuts per charge”
- Brushless motor
So right off the bat, we know we are dealing with a small, compact & lightweight electric chainsaw.
This baby weighs just under 9 pounds, making it about 3 to 4 pounds lighter than our favorite Oregon chainsaw, the Oregon CS1500.
Of course, the lighter the saw, the longer you’ll be able to use it before you tire.
But do you gain in performance despite the lighter weight and smaller chain?
Let’s put this
Dewalt chainsaw to the test.
Ease of Use
All battery-powered chainsaws come with this nifty feature that they don’t require gas.
This Dewalt chainsaw is no exception, and it’s so easy to use.
You don't have to mix any oil or gas.
All you need to do is slap the battery in and make sure there’s oil for the bar and chain.
Also, it only has two controls:
- The trigger
- The kickback guard
The trigger is straightforward and simple to use. You pull the trigger, and the motor activates.
You use your thumb to unlock the trigger, and then your index to get it to start working.
The kickback guard was a bit weird at first. It’s essentially just an electronic switch that turns on and off the motor.
You push it forward to turn off the motor, and backward to turn it on.
It’s just like gas chainsaws, except unlike gas saws when the kickback guard is activated you can still pull the trigger.
It gives the illusion that the chainsaw isn’t working.
That is not the case, however.
User error.
Now, I just want to reiterate how light this chainsaw is compared to heavier gas models.
If you have difficulty lifting some of those 12, 15 lb chainsaws up to cut high branches, this could be the tool for you.
It’s really only great for small limbs but we'll go over that more down below.
Tool Free Tensioning
It's always a bonus when you use a chainsaw that doesn’t require some sort of wrench to tighten or loosen the chain.
All you need to do is unscrew the large nut next to the bar, and then adjust the tension with the smaller lever.
I’ll walk you through it.
Pop out and unscrew this nut:
Adjust chain with this lever:
Assuming you know how to tighten a chainsaw chain, we won't be more in-depth here.
But if you need more guidance, be sure to check out our guide here.
Just know, if you’re out in the field cutting wood and the chain comes off the tracks, you won’t need any tools to fix it.
Battery Performance
Like every battery-powered chainsaw tool, you can buy a version with or without a battery.
But the one they sell with this saw is a 5.0Ah 20V battery.
The Ah is displayed right on the battery:
What does that mean?
Amp hours are just a unit of measure that describes the capable charge for a battery for one hour.
5.0 Ah batteries can draw 5 amps of battery life for 60 minutes.
Now, this only applies to absolutely ideal conditions.
But how long can this battery last without vibration, perfect temperature, consistent charge, etc...
TLDR; this will not last more than an hour in a true working environment.
It would be fine for around-the-house type stuff but not huge projects.
If you wanted more battery life, you can use a 60V battery with a 20V tool. If a 60V battery was a 3.0 Ah, it will function as a 9.0 Ah hour in a 20V tool.
So not only will you get more lifespan out of the tool, you’ll get considerably more power with the motor.
Bar & Chain
The 12” Bar & Chain is pretty good for anything up to about 8”.
I wouldn’t use this for anything bigger than that. But the chain itself stays sharp for a long time.
However, unlike other homeowner chainsaws, this one seems to have a bit of kickback.
You would think with a true homeowner chainsaw, the chain would be fully anti-kickback but that is not the case here.
You might notice here and there that it’s pretty difficult to start some cuts.
But on the other hand, if you are cutting through a limb with too much pressure on the bar, the chain will begin to skip.
The motor can sense this skipping, and it will turn off the blade.
Also, if you apply way too much pressure, you can overload the clutch, and that will stop the motor, too.
Oil Leakage
Major downside to this chainsaw is that if you leave chain oil in it, it tends to leak oil.
The oil seeps out of the oil reservoir and coats the entire bottom half of the chainsaw, and probably your garage floor too.
There’s no obvious fix here so it’s something Dewalt will have to look into.
I don't know if it's the oil cap, an O-Ring issue or whatever, but it will leak.
Just make sure you leave it as upright as possible to prevent leaking... over an oil pan.
Yeah, make sure you leave a pan or something underneath the saw because it will leak oil… it’s only a matter of time.
The only way to prevent this is by draining the bar oil after every use which, if you ask me is…
On to the next section:
Bucking Spikes
The plastic bucking spikes on the front of this saw are pretty crucial for this little guy.
Normally, with heavier chainsaws, the saw's weight forces the blade to cut on its own.
With these lightweight models, you need to drive the chainsaw through the wood with your strength - at least, more so than you would with a heavier model.
Now, the bucking spikes help mitigate this with the little bit of leverage that they provide.
Pricing
There are also two prices on battery powered saws: the price with the battery and the price of the bare tool:
f you already have a battery, then you can buy just the bare tool for $159.
If you need a battery, you are looking at $219.00 with the 5-Ah Battery.
The Dewalt 20v Max XR: Things I Like
Lightweight: This chainsaw feels like a feather compared to other models.
It’s so lightweight and easy to use you will find yourself asking, ‘Is this too good to be true?’
No but seriously. Pretty much anyone can wield this chainsaw. It’s small and compact.
Tool-Free Tensioning: One of the coolest features of the chainsaw is that you can tighten the chain without tools.
If for whatever reason the chain comes off the bar out in the field, you don’t have to worry about wrenches, screnches or whatever to get the chain working again.
Not only that, it’s not complicated to understand either. You turn a few levers and you can get back to working once again.
Blade Stays Sharp: The blade on this little guy stays sharp for an extended period of time.
It seems the oil will leak, and the motor will fail faster than the blade will go dull, and I have to at least tip my hat to that.
No Gas: Always feels like a cop out with battery-powered saws to stay you don’t need gas, but it is nice to just be able to pick something up and get to work.
This assumes your batteries are charged but still.
On top of that, you can use larger batteries in the chainsaw to give it extended run time.
Still, we love gas saws, but sometimes you want to just start working.
Safety features: The amount of safety features on this thing are so much that you don't really have to worry about too much.
The motor shuts off at any kind of trouble which can be a benefit for some people.
The Dewalt 20v Max XR: Things I Didn't Like
There’s a lot of things that suck about this chainsaw.
Not Heavy Duty: This is not a heavy duty saw. It’s not really an arborists chainsaw - it’s more like a toy you can use for small tasks around your home.
You won’t use this to cut down a tree.
You won’t use this to cut down huge limbs.
You won’t use this for anything other than small limbs or odd construction jobs where a hand saw might not be appropriate.
Oil Leakage: This chainsaw is going to leak chain oil, and it’s going to leak all over your garage floor. It’s only a matter of time.
Now, pretty much every chainsaw leaks over time, but this one just leaks everything and it sucks.
People might say, ‘Ohhh but there’s plenty of ways to prevent the leaking!’
Whatever.
I bought a chainsaw, I don’t expect it to be leaking. I don’t want to spend an afternoon taking apart a chainsaw or trying to fix the oil cap. I want it to work as described.
Is It Too Light? The chainsaw is very light. Most chainsaws have enough weight to sort of drive their own cuts.
That doesn’t happen with this chainsaw - you kind of need to put some weight behind it. It has bucking spikes which help.
Kickback: For a homeowner saw, this chainsaw has a bit of kickback.
We imagine the kickback is due to how light the chainsaw is compared to other models.
The kickback is annoying because the motor can sense this kickback and shut down.
If you aren’t cutting right, you might find yourself starting and stopping cuts.
Runtime: With the 5-Ah battery, you are looking at a maximum 1-hour runtime. In sub-ideal conditions, this might be considerably less time.
The Bottom Line
I can safely recommend this Dewalt 20v chainsaw for any sort of light limbing on your property.
It’s compact, lightweight, and easy to use for pretty much any homeowner.
On top of that, you don’t need to use any tools to tighten the chain, and there are enough safety mechanisms to prevent any issues.
Now, if you are doing some heavy-duty work like cutting anything over 12” then you’ll want to consider something bigger.
This chainsaw has thousands of positive reviews on Amazon so people do like it. I mean, look at it:
That’s an egregious amount of positive reviews so you know it must be doing something right.
Conclusion
And that’s it!
That’s all we have to say about this Dewalt 20v Max XR Chainsaw.
If you like it, be sure to check it out here.
Battery-powered chainsaws are great tools for the average homeowner, and this one is too.
What were your thoughts about it? Good? Bad?
Be sure to let us know with an email.
Before you go...
If you are into hand saws, check out our other guide on the Best Chainsaws of 2023. We go over every type of hand saw you can imagine.
Related Articles:
Carl Anderson
Carl Anderson is an avid outdoorsman with a keen interest in writing about and reviewing tools. He has over 20 years of writing experience and the only time he isn't feverishly typing away at his computer is when he's outside in nature working on his projects. You can learn more about him here.
Want expert advice backed by years
of experience & successful gardening?
Join to receive guides, insights, and the latest gardening deals!