We have compiled this comprehensive list of chainsaw brands to help readers discover the wide array of brands out there. We think many readers will find that there are many more chainsaw brands than they might have imagined. The list should be useful for people thinking of purchasing a new chainsaw, doing research on brands, or maybe even just curious about what is available.
Table of Contents
Black + Decker
Company Website: blackanddecker.com
Black + Decker is a brand under the parent company, Stanley Black & Decker. Stanley Works and Black & Decker merged in 2010 to form this enormous tool company of well-known brand names. The Stanley Black & Decker’s market value is approximately $16 billion at the time of this article. In addition to Stanley and Black + Decker brands, they also own other brands that are featured here such as DeWalt and Craftsman.
The Black + Decker brand makes corded and battery-powered chainsaws for residential use, in addition to numerous other products including power tools, lawn mowers, pet products, toasters, and much more.
Blue Max
Company Website: northamericantoolindustries.com
Blue Max is made by North American Tool Industries. The company makes products for use by both consumers and professionals. Blue Max manufactures the following chainsaws: 16-inch gas-powered 38cc, 18-inch gas-powered 45cc, 14-inch x 18-inch 2-in-1 gas-powered 38cc, 14/20 inch 45cc bar & chain gas-powered.
Craftsman
Company Website: craftsman.com
Craftsman was a longtime brand of Sears until it was sold to Black + Decker in 2017. The company dates back to 1927 when its primary focus was making tools for farmers. Interestingly, Craftsman tools were never made in-house at a Sears facility. Sears would use outside tool businesses to produce their products.
When you buy a Craftsman chainsaw today, it doesn’t come from a Craftsman manufacturing unit. Rather, they are primarily made by Husqvarna or by one of their brands such as Poulan Pro. Additionally, some products are made by MTD Products who is the parent of popular brands including Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt, and Remington.
Craftsman chainsaws are primilar geared toward the consumer market. They produce electric, gas, and battery-powered chainsaws. They are primarily sold at Lowe’s, Sears, Ace Hardware, and Amazon. The Craftsman CMCCS620M1 displayed below is an example of a battery-powered chainsaw that is gaining popularity for the brand.
- 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
- 12inches Compact design - for cutting in Small spaces
Last update on 2022-11-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
DeWalt
Company Website: dewalt.com
Dewalt started in 1922 by a man named Raymond Dewalt who invented a type of circular saw for woodworking purposes known as as radial arm saw. The company was eventually sold to Black & Decker in 1960 and continued making the saw until 1989 until the saw was sold off. This left Black & Decker with the DeWalt trademark yet no longer a product being made under its name. However, in the early 1990s, Black and Decker successfully rebranded it professional tool line under the DeWalt name after struggling to rebrand under Black and Decker Professional. DeWalt has become a powerhouse in the tool market since the launch under its name.
DeWalt is now a subsidiary of the parent company Stanley Black & Decker. While the company is best known for its power tools, it does have a selection of outdoor equipment that includes blowers, hedge trimmers, lawn mowers, string trimmers and, of course, chainsaws. The chainsaws are 20V and 60V cordless, battery-powered tools.
Earthwise
Company Website: americanlawnmower.com
Earthwise is connected with American Lawn Mower Company (ALMC). Other brands ALMC is associated with are Radium, Root Assassin, Great States, and Scotts as a licensees for their outdoor equipment. The products are heavily geared toward the consumer market. All chainsaws made by Earthwise are battery-powered or corded.
Echo
Company Website: echo-usa.com
Echo is widely regarded as being one of the best chainsaw brands on the market. Its roots come from the Kioritz Corporation out of Japan, which made the first Echo in the 1960s. It was called the Echo CS-80. Kioritz and Shindaiwa (another chainsaw brand) merged to create Yamabiko Corporation which holds the Echo brand today.
Efco
Company Website: efcopower.com
The company is based out of Burnsville, Minnesota and is a division of Comet USA. In addition to chainsaws, they make blowers, hedge trimmers, pruners, trimmers, and split-boom brushcutters. They manufacture a selection of high-quality chainsaws that are gas-powered.
Ego
Company Website: egopowerplus.com
Ego is a popular choice for consumers looking to move away from gas-powered outdoor equipment. The company states that their chainsaws offer a similar performance to a gas-powered chainsaw. They manufacture three battery-powered chainsaws: the Power+ 18″, the Power+ 16″ and the Power+ 14″. They can be found at stores such as The Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and Amazon.com.
Garwinner
The chainsaws are made by Yongkang Puyuan Tools from China.
Greenworks
Company Website: greenworkstools.com
Greenworks has seemed to come out of nowhere in recent years. It was started in 2007 with a focus on manufacturing tools using lithium-ion batteries and eventually corded outdoor power equipment.
The company makes a nice variatiety of battery-powered and corded chainsaws. They are available in 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18-inch models.
The convenient part about owning a Greenworks is that once you purchase the battery you potentially won’t have to purchase another battery if you buy another Greenworks tool.
Hitachi Koki
Company Website: hikoki-powertools.com
Hitachi Koki (HiKoki) is a subsidiary or division of the conglomerate based out of Tokyo, Japan known as Hitachi LTD. Hitachi also owns the Tanaka brand as of 2007. Other outdoor equipment made by HiKoki are blowers, grass trimmers, hedge trimmers, and lawn mowers.
Homelite
Company Website: homelite.com
Homelite started in 1921 making an innovative gas-powered electrical generator that was sought after in rural areas that lacked power. The year after World War II ended, the company produced its first chainsaw which was powered by electricity. By the 1960s, the company built itself into a powerhouse in the chainsaw market, making everything from light-duty to heavy-duty logging saws.
The company was once owned by John Deere, but was sold to Techtronic Industries in 2001. Techtronic Industries is based out of Hong Kong which produces other familiar tool brands such as Milwaukee and Ryobi.
Homelite’s current focus is on producing outdoor tools for homeowners. The best-seller in the chainsaw category is the Homelite UTA43103, a 14-inch electric chainsaw.
Husqvarna
Company Website: husqvarna.com/us
Amazingly, the company dates back to 1689 where it began making rifles in Sweden. Through the years they have made an assortment of products including sewing machines, bicycles, motorcycles, and lawn mowers. The company used its knowledge in engines from making motorcycles to manufacture chainsaws beginning in 1959. A decade later they would create a chainsaw that was the first equipped with integrated anti-vibration.
Today, the company is a leader in producing chainsaws for just about everyone from the professional to the homeowner. In the U.S. the company classifies their saws as either casual use, all-round saws, powerful robust, professional, or top handle.
Some notable features that can be found on Husqvarna are X-Torq and AutoTune. X-Torq reduces fuel usage while also lowering emission levels. AutoTune allows the chainsaw to automatically adjust to things like altitude, humidity, and temperature to provide peak engine performance.
The most popular Husqvarna chainsaw is the 455 Rancher featured below.
- Powerful 20-inch chainsaw weighs only 13.2 pounds to make light work of all kinds of outdoor pruning, cutting, and sawing
- X-Torq provides lower fuel consumption and reduces exhaust emissions, meeting CARB environmental standards
- Air-injected engine helps remove dust particles before they reach the air filter to improve engine life
- Low vibration design reduces operator fatigue
- Balanced design and ergonomic front handle allows for a better, more comfortable grip
Last update on 2022-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
ICS Blount
Company Website: icsdiamondtools.com
ICS Blount was started in Portland, Oregon in 1990. They specialize in manufacturing saws that are powerful enough for cutting through concrete, masonry, and similar materials for demolition purposes.
Ivation
Company Website: ivationproducts.com
The company has a diversified line of products. Some these products include kitchenware, heaters, dehumidifiers, dishwashers and air conditioners. They make a 16-inch 15.0 Amp electric chainsaw that can be purchased on Ivation.com, Walmart, Home Depot, and other retailers.
Jonsered
Company Website: www.jonsered.com/us
The company started as a Swedish textile mill in the 1830s in the town of Jonsered. It later diversified into woodworking machines; however, it wasn’t until the 1950s that the company placed a heavy focus on chainsaws. The company was eventually sold to Electrolux in 1979. It is now owned by Husqvarna.
The chainsaws made by Jonsered are commonly for professional and semi-professional use. While the majority of chainsaws are gasoline-powered, Jonsered recently introduced a chainsaw that is powered by a 58V 5.2Ah lithium-ion battery.
Kobalt
Company Website: kobalttools.com
The brand is owned by Lowe’s so naturally that is where you will go to purchase one. However, we noticed they can be purchased on Amazon as well. Based on a search of lowes.com, Kobalt produces three chainsaws. All use a lithium-ion battery for their power sources. Kobalt produces an 80V 18-inch cordless, a 24V 12-inch cordless, and a 40V 14-inch cordless.
McCulloch
Company Website: mcculloch.com
McCulloch, led by Robert Paxton McCulloch, brought its first chainsaw to the market in 1948. It was called the Model 5-49 – a heavy two man saw. You can see it in action here. However, in 1949 McCulloch introduced the first one man chainsaw that, of course, had a huge impact on the chainsaw industry. This chainsaw was known as the 3-25.
The company has had quite a few owners since it launched in 1943. McCulloch was purchased by Black and Decker in 1974, went to a private company in 1984, Husqvarna acquired the European segment in 1999, Jenn Feng acquired the North America division in the same year, and Husqvarna eventually purchased McCulloch North America from Jenn Feng in 2008. McCulloch is a brand of Husqvarna as of today.
The company makes a selection of electric, gas, and battery-powered chainsaws for just about any task around the property.
Makita
Company Website: makitatools.com
Makita is a Japanese company that manufactures an array of outdoor power equipment and power tools. If you have browsed The Home Depot tool section lately, you likely have spotted one of their power tools on display with its familiar water blue color.
The company’s roots date to 1915 when it began selling and servicing motors. It wasn’t until the late 1950s that Makita started constructing electric power tools. They acquired the German chainsaw maker Dolmar in 1991 and eventually consolidated the Dolmar name into the Makita brand.
According to Chain Saws Direct, the high-quality manufacturing of Dolmar chainsaws was not lost when they were acquired by Mitka. If you purchase a red, gas-powered chainsaw with the Makita logo, this is a signal that the saw was manufactured according to the high-standards of Dolmar. A water blue colored chainsaw is a Makita battery or electric chainsaw that still will be a high-quality piece of equipment for its category.
Milwaukee
Company Website: milwaukeetool.com
Milwaukee was founded in 1924 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as likely expected. It is currently owned by Techtronic Industries who is also associated with Ryobi and other non-chainsaws brands such as Dirt Devil and Hoover. The company makes high-end 16-inch lithium-ion brushless chainsaws. Milwaukee states that their lithium-ion chainsaw model #2727-21-HD has the same power as a gasoline-powered 40CC chainsaw.
Oregon
Company Website: oregonproducts.com
Oregon was launched in 1947 as the founder, Joseph Buford Cox, discovered a way to improve upon the saw chain. The chain had a major impact on the timber harvesting industry and the basics of Cox’s design are still used today.
The company now makes and variety of consumer and professional products. Some of these products include lawn and garden equipment, protective gear, and outdoor power equipment. The chainsaws include self-sharpening cordless and electric powered saws. If you are looking for an inexpensive electric chainsaw, the Oregon CS1500 is one of the favorites for this category of saws.
Poulan Pro
Company Website: poulanpro.com/us
Poulan Pro is a brand owned by the Swedish company Husqvarna. It was also once owned by Emerson Electric in the 1970s and Electrolux in the 1980s before being spun off with Husqvarna by Electrolux.
Like several other companies featured here, Poulan dates back to the early 1900s when it was known as Poulan Saw based out of Louisiana.
Today, the company makes a range of outdoor power equipment for lawn care, snow removal, trimming, gardening and tree care. Their primary target for their chainsaws is the consumer with both gas and electric powered models. The company sells their chainsaws under “Poulan Pro” (colored black & yellow) and “Poulan” (colored black & green) with Poulan Pro being the higher-end model.
Redback
Company Website: redbackpowerusa.com
Redback is based out of Colorado and specializes in producing 120V electric landscaping tools. They currently make a 120V lithium-ion chainsaw with an 18-inch cutting length. The tool weighs only 16.5 pounds (with the battery) and provides up an approximate 45 minutes of run time with the 3.0Ah battery. Redback is a brand of Frictionless World LLC who’s other brands include RanchEx, Trophy Strikem Dirty Hand Tools, and Vinsetta Tools.
Remington
Company Website: remingtonpowertools.com
It all started in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the early 1920s for Remington. The first products were powered saws and drills. A little over 30 years later the company would manufacture its first chainsaw that was powerful enough for professional use. Moving forward to the 1990s, Remington launched its first electric chainsaw.
Today, the company makes an assortment of outdoor equipment including cultivators, lawn mowers, trimmers, and blowers. The Remington line of chainsaws includes battery-powered, electric, and gas-powered tools designed primarily for use by consumers.
Ryobi
Company Website: ryobitools.com
The popular brand sold at The Home Depot, Ryobi, is known for its cordless technology. It is a popular brand for DIYers or homeowners looking for quality tools or equipment that won’t empty the wallet. Ryobi is a Japanese based company. The Ryobi Outdoor Power Equipment and Power Tools is licensed by Techtronic Industries. The highly-rated Ryobi RY40530 is the current best-seller for chainsaws by the brand.
Salem Master
An extremely budget-friendly chainsaw brand sold on Amazon. The saws are made in China.
Snapper
Company Website: snapper.com
If you know Snapper, you likely are most aware of them for the lawn mowers they produce. However, the company started in 1894 making saws for the lumber industry. It was called Southern Saw Works at the time. It wasn’t until the 1940s that the company switched its focus to lawn care and the Snappin’ Turtle lawn mower was created.
Simplicity Manufacturing owned Snapper in the early 2000s before being purchased by Briggs & Stratton where the company still remains.
In regard to chainsaws, the company makes a 14-inch 48V lithium-ion and a 18-inch 82V lithium-ion powered saw.
Stihl
Company Website: stihlusa.com
Stihl dates back to 1926 when Andreas Stihl made the first electric chain saw operated by two people. It wasn’t until 1974 that the German-based company founded by Andreas started manufacturing in the United States. The first U.S. facility was opened in Virginia Beach, Virgina with 50 employees building one chainsaw type. It now has 2,100 employees who work on 80 models of Stihl products.
To purchase a new Stihl chainsaw you will need to find an authorized dealer near you (visit the company website for more details). Unlike many other chainsaws, they aren’t at the huge hardware stores or available on Amazon. However, you should expect to receive superior customer service from a knowledgeable staff.
The company manufactures many different types of chainsaws for the homeowner up to professional use. They produce not only gasoline powered saws, but also battery and electric. Additionally, Stihl has a diversified line of other products such as pressure washers, edgers, blowers, lawn mowers, hedge trimmers and more.
These chains are often regarded as the best of best and are known for their superior quality. When they are purchased, most owners expect the chainsaw to last many years assuming proper maintenance.
Sun Joe
Company Website: snowjoe.com
Sun Joe (aka Snow Joe) started in 2004 making a single product – an electric snow shovel at an affordable price. They now sell a huge assortment of products including wood chippers, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, fire pits, and air compressors to name a few. They do not produce gas-powered equipment, but only electric, cordless, and manual tools. The chainsaws manufactured are available in electric and battery-powered options ranging from 10 to 18 inches for the chain sizes.
Tanaka
Company Website: tanaka-usa.com
The company began in 1918 as Tanaka Iron Works. Items that the company produced during its history were internal combustions engines, moped engines, and motorcycle engines. They used their knowledge of engines to manufacture their initial chainsaw in 1971. Ariens purchased Tanaka’s U.S. assets in 1987. In 2007, Hitachi acquired Tanaka where it still remains today. The company currently makes a handful of gas-powered chainsaws ranging from 12 to 20 inches.
Toro
Company Website: toro.com
Toro is headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota and has been in business for over 100 years. They are best known for producing outdoor power equipment for professional contractors, homeowners, and golf course/sports field grounds maintenance professionals.
While they are best known for their lawn mowers, the company does make a chainsaw. It is the Toro Powerplex 51880 that is powered by a 40V lithium-ion battery.
WEN
Company Website: wenproducts.com
WEN was founded in 1951 by a man named Nick Anton. They developed random orbital technology used widely in modern times for waxers, buffers, and polishers. The company produces a diverse selection of products that include power tools, generators, and lawn & garden equipment/tools.
They make a battery-powered and an electric chainsaw. The WEN 40417 uses a 40V Max lithium-ion rechargeable battery for power and features a 16-inch Oregon chain. The WEN 4017 has a 12A motor and provides 12 amps of power. It also has a 16-inch Oregon chain.
WORX
Company Website: worx.com
WORX was launched in 2004 by a Chinese tool company known as Positec Tool Corporation. The brand’s lawn and garden equipment was first sold in China. It was soon brought to the United States in 2005 and was sold on infomercials before being sold at retailers starting in 2009.
The chainsaws sold by WORX are cordless (battery-powered) and electric. The WORX WG322 is one of the company’s most popular chainsaws because of its affordability and functionality. This is a brand to consider for light-duty chainsaw tasks around the home, especially for people who prefer to stay away from gas-powered tools.
Zombi
Company Website: americanlawnmower.com
Zombi is a brand of American Lawn Mower Company. The brand makes a 16-inch 13-Amp corded chainsaw and a 16-inch 58V 4Ah Lithium chainsaw.
Conclusion
While we certainly left a few chainsaw brands off the list, the above should provide a solid foundation of the brands available for purchase. If you are considering buying a new chainsaw, we hope our list helps you find one you will be happy with for many years ahead. If we learned anything from completing this article, it is that there are undoubtedly numerous options available for chainsaws. However, a few major players dominate the market.