2024 Reviews : Best Cheap Chainsaws for the Money

Well-made, compact — and it’s inexpensive. (Buy from Amazon)

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In this guide you’ll find a range of Cheap chainsaws you can depend on — isn’t that you want? The less you spend the trickier it becomes to find a reliable (and safe) chainsaw. Also, how much is cheap? Under $200, under $300 — we have an article specifically for price ranges.

Look below for current prices on several recommended chainsaws. We look at a variety of chainsaws in each category : Battery, Gas and Electric.

Table of Contents...

1 Intro — Best Cheap Chainsaws

Intro — Best Cheap Chainsaws

Are you looking for a chainsaw but don’t want to spend a lot of money? Is money tight but you have projects around the house you want to get done? Are you the type of person who doesn’t feel the need to buy the best product but you still want to spend you money wisely on a dependable chainsaw?

Well, the focus of this article is on providing you with a list of cheap chainsaws that won’t break the bank, but will get the job done efficiently, effectively, and most importantly, keep you safe while you work.

I highly recommend the Oregon CS1500. Why? For one simple reason, it has proprietary chain sharpening system built into the chainsaw — and it only takes seconds to sharpen the chain. Honestly, Oregon chainsaws are the most underrated on the market. Do you want to manually sharpen your chain.

Craftsman 12″ Cordless Chainsaw / Cheap & Well-Made

CRAFTSMAN V20 Cordless Chainsaw, 12-Inch (CMCCS620M1) — Most underrated chainsaw brand on the market. It sharpens itself!

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Features :

Part of the V20 cordless system
Part of the versa-track wall organization system. Chain Pitch-3/8 inch
High capacity 4. 0Ah Battery pack – for extended runtime
Bubble Level – For precise and level cutting Auto Oiling – With tool free tensioning for minimal maintenance
12 inches Compact design – for cutting in Small spaces
Includes battery and charger
Replacement parts available: chain CMZCSC12, bar CMZCSB12
3 Year Limited Warranty, refer to “Warranty & Support” section below for full details

⭐️ Need more power and you like the idea of having a built-in chain sharpener, Oregon also makes a 40V Battery-Powered chainsaw : model CS300

Looking for something else?

How to Decide?

I did the research for you so you don’t have to. I’m confident that you’ll find something here to fit your budget. Not everyone can afford to buy a Husqvarna 450 or an Oregon PowerNow CS250 and even if you could, that doesn’t mean you should. Most homeowners simply need a chainsaw for light-duty work, such as pruning branches or perhaps felling small trees. There’s no point in spending more money than you need.

Great Buy ► Electric Self-Sharpening Chainsaw| OREGON CS1500

Most underrated chainsaw brand on the market. It sharpens itself!

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Dollar for dollar, I’d say this Oregon model is the best cheap chainsaw for the money. It has one important feature that you won’t find on any other chainsaw — it has a built in lever that you simply pull a few times to instantly sharpen your chainsaw. Unless you want to sharpen you chain then I’d recommend this for most homeowners who require light-duty wood cutting. It’s practical, cheap and well-designed.

Fast Fasts on the Oregon CS1500 : (read detailed review)

Powerful performance: 15A electric chainsaw with integrated self-sharpening system (PowerSharp). The perfect chainsaw for homeowners and DIY, with long-lasting 18-inch guide bar
Built-in PowerSharp self-sharpening system minimizes downtime by sharpening your chain in 3 to 5 seconds. Ergonomic design features Chain Brake for safety. Lightweight design.
Tensioning without tools: Allows you to adjust your chain quickly and easily so that you can maintain the perfect tension, for the ideal cut, with next to no maintenance
Automatic lubrication: Automatic oiling system that provide continuous lubrication to the bar & chain from the oil tank. It keeps the chain lubricated for less friction, to extend the life of your chain even in harsh environments
Instant startup: Corded electric chainsaw gets to work immediately. Low noise: makes less noise than a gasoline chainsaw. No assembly required, chainsaw comes pre-assembled. UL Certified & comes with 3-year warranty.

All of these inexpensive chainsaws are less than $200. Cheap doesn’t necessarily mean poor quality and unsafe, although sometimes it does. A few of these are suspect; with not enough data to conclude their quality one way or another. I point all of this out throughout the article, so you don’t have to guess or waste your time combing through the internet as I did. Gathering the facts is important before deciding which chainsaw to buy, so make sure you look at all of your options and weight the good and the bad.

If you want to buy a chainsaw under $100 then read my article entitled: Fantastic Cheap Chainsaws Under $100. On the other hand, I recently wrote an article that gives you a breakdown of the 6 best chainsaws for homeowners that covers all types of chainsaws, including gas, corded electric and battery powered saws.

Durability | Best Cheap Chainsaws

Gas chainsaws are ideal for heavy-duty cutting but cheaper chainsaws, as I’ve listed here, are not suited for heavy-duty work on a regular basis because they don’t have the durability of professional grade saws. But these cheap chainsaws are still good for felling small to medium-sized trees, cutting firewood (also known as bucking), as well as limbing and pruning.

Gas chainsaws are the most powerful type of chainsaw you can buy; ideal for intensive cutting for extended periods of time, especially when large trees are involved (especially hardwoods), and you want to cut efficiently and safely. Under these circumstances a gas chainsaw is really your only choice. Battery or corded electric chainsaws are useless for heavy-duty cutting.

These particular chainsaws go against the typical usage for gas chainsaws and your expectations need to be tempered somewhat because although many of these can handle medium to heavy-duty cutting, not all of them can be pushed continuously day in and day out. The reason: Well, they simply aren’t constructed to endure high stress on a frequent basis. Having said that, a few of these gas chainsaws are as good as the big brands. Not quite, but comparable, especially for the cheap price tag.

I stress durability a lot throughout the article. Sorry, in advance for my repetition but it’s important that you’re reminded. Let the chainsaw do the work with all of these saws and they will serve you well. Push them too hard, too fast, and you greatly increase the likelihood of burning out the motor.

Affordable 40V Chainsaw | BLACK+DECKER LCS1240

most reliable chainsaw, battery — Consistently one of the top selling chainsaws. Great value.

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Also, gas chainsaws allow complete freedom of mobility; enabling you to cut anywhere on your property. without the hassle of an extension cord to manage or worrying about your battery running out juice in the middle of felling a tree. Now that wouldn’t be much fun would it? There’s nothing more annoying than having to recharge your battery in the middle of something important.

On the downside, gas chainsaws are loud and may upset your neighbors if you start working in your yard at 7am on a Saturday. I know they annoy me when I’m lying in bed and I’m awoken by the sound of a gas chainsaw in the middle of a dream. On top of that, gas chainsaws require more maintenance and are heavier than electric chainsaws, as well as the fact they emit fumes.

Ideal for light-duty cutting & pruning | WORX WG322

Worx WG322 : best 20v chainsaw — Ideal for tree trimming, pruning, & firewood.

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If you want to learn more about the differences between gas chainsaws and electric chainsaws, read my Chainsaw Buying Guide.

Before we get into the specifics of each cheap gas chainsaw I just want to clarify something. I know the title of this article is “Best Cheap Chainsaws,” but I think a better term to use instead of cheap is the word “inexpensive.” Cheap tends to mean that something is garbage or poorly constructed. In some cases, that’s absolutely true, but I’m here to steer you towards a chainsaw that’s inexpensive but still maintains a reasonable quality for the price.

You can’t expect any of these inexpensive chainsaws to compete with a professional grade Husqvarna, like the 460 Rancher or a STIHL, but these cheap saws in this article can still get the job done safely and at a much lower price.

Poulan Pro PP5020AV | Cheap Chainsaw

20-inch | 50 cc | 15.4 lbs

Powerful, well-built and easy to start. An excellent chainsaw for homeowners.

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Did you know that the Poulan Pro brand is owned by Husqvarna? Yes, it’s true! I wouldn’t lie to you.

Poulan was originally an independent American company based in Shreveport, Louisiana, founded as Poulan Saw Company in 1944 by chainsaw pioneer Claude Poulan. His first chainsaws were created using engines purchased from Homelite. In 1959 the company was bought by the Beaird Company, also of Shreveport, and was renamed to Beaird-Poulan. The company was acquired by Emerson Electric Co. in 1973, and eventually was purchased by Electrolux.

If you didn’t already know, Husqvarna is owned by Electrolux and Poulan is a subset of Husqvarna. Yes, I know it’s confusing, but to summarize: Husqvarna and the Poulan brand are owned by Electrolux. Just visit Husqvarna and at the bottom right of the page (“our products”) you can select the different brands that Husqvarna owns.

It might be surprising to some of you but it’s common for big companies to own seemingly competitive brands. Poulan chainsaws are low (Poulan) to mid-level (Poulan-Pro) quality chainsaws, whereas Husqvarna is geared towards professional users so they aren’t truly competing with one another.

Learn more about Poulan’s history by reading: Poulan History (PDF Document)

VIDEO : Features of the Poulan Pro PP5020AV. Also, applicable to other Poulan Pro chainsaws.

The Poulan Pro brand takes many of it’s components from Husqvarna, and if you’re new to the world of chainsaws you should know that Husqvarna is one of the largest manufacturers of outdoor power equipment for forestry, lawn and garden care. I find it helpful knowing the history of an organization to help bring context to my buying decisions, but that’s just me.

I should also mention there are two distinct Poulan brands: Poulan and Poulan Pro, with the latter being the premium brand. Think of Poulan Pro as a budget Husqvarna chainsaw. It’s may not be a household name but as you can see the Poulan brand has a rich history and closely linked to Husqvarna. For many good reasons, there are three Poulan Pro gas chainsaws on my list of best cheap chainsaws.

Best Cheap Chainsaw | PP5020AV

I read a lot of chainsaw reviews online and I read a lot of people complaining about things that can be easily solved if people just read the manual for their chainsaw. So, I’ll stress the point here. No matter what chainsaw you buy. Whatever brand, whether online or in the store. Before you ever start up your chainsaw promise me you’ll do one simple thing — READ THE MANUAL .

Poulan-Pro-PP5020AV-gas-chainsaw-side-view — Overall, this chainsaw provides a lot of value for your money.

The Poulan Pro PP5020AV is a mid-sized chainsaw with plenty of power to get through those heavy-duty cutting jobs for homeowners. Weighing 15.4 lbs it has some heft to it so this is more suited to someone who knows how to handle a chainsaw. Comes with a 20″ bar so it’s able to tackle reasonably large trees with ease.

This cheap chainsaw has a fast cutting speed, and has been proven to efficiently tear through wood at a good pace. Very easy on your body with its anti-vibration handles, making it comfortable to hold for extended periods of time while preventing your hands from going numb. Solid construction, and an efficient engine that runs quite clean.

VIDEO : Maintaining your Poulan Pro PP5020AV. Also, applicable to other chainsaws.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a tool-less chain tensioner but it’s easy to access with the built-in scrench holder; always there when you need it. Air filter and spark plugs are easy to get to. And on top of that, it comes with an excellent carrying case. At under $200 you’re getting a lot of saw for not a lot of money.

This chainsaw would be ideal for felling and bucking (firewood) as it’s not as lightweight as you’d want if you were interested in doing a lot pruning, or you’re not physically strong. Can safely cut up to 18″ wood. You’ll be impressed. Yes, it’s true, cheap chainsaws can impress.