"Chain saws may evoke images of Leatherface, lumberjacks and landscaping," says McCabe, "but they don't have to be intimidating to use." (Amazon)(Amazon)
Summer's heating up, and with yard work season in full swing, we took a peek at what's been flying off the virtual shelves. One surprise standout? A mini chain saw. Specifically, the Saker Mini Chainsaw — a cordless wonder that's racked up over 25,000 purchases since early 2024. It's lightweight, user-friendly and often $40 or less at Amazon. Curious if it's worth the hype? Keep scrolling to see why this little tool is a big deal for backyard warriors.
Gardening season is just around the corner, and these No. 1 bestselling pruning shears were designed to slice through stems like nobody's business. Made of durable stainless steel, the blades have a low-friction coating and a self-cleaning sap groove to help prevent sticking, and the nonslip handles offer a secure grip.
Check out our full Fiskars Garden Pruning Shears review for more.
Yard in need of some heavy-duty pruning? This small but mighty chainsaw is powerful enough to take down tree branches, yet weighs under 2.5 pounds. Plus, this top-seller is cordless for even more convenience.
One Yahoo editor gave it a try, writing, "While testing the Saker, I first noticed that it was very easy to hold in one hand. I also appreciated the safety features, including a safety lock that must be pressed before the saw activates. This gave me some comfort that it wouldn't just 'go off' if I squeezed it too tight while walking between locations. It's also easier to use than something like pruning shears, which can be heavy and unwieldy and take much longer to get the same job done."
Check out our full Saker Mini Chainsaw review for more.
A small but mighty chain saw sounds well and good — but does it live up to the hype? Well, Yahoo Senior Deals Writer Carrie McCabe put it to the test on some slabs of wood and branches to determine just that. (Check out her full Saker Mini Chainsaw review to see it in action!)
"When Yahoo readers made the Saker Mini Chainsaw one of their top buys of 2024, I was immediately intrigued — what could such a small electric chain saw do?" she muses. "Would it make the branch trimming and shrub-wrangling around my home more manageable? And what is so special about this lil' guy that so many readers have become massive fans? I decided to order one for myself and set to work — and I learned a ton in the process."
According to McCabe, its portable size and uncomplicated design are its top perks. "It weighs just under 2.5 pounds, and the chain saw portion of the tool is a mere 4 inches, but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in power," she says. "The battery is a 20-volt, 1,500-mAh rechargeable that can handle even tough jobs — it might slow down a little with particularly thick branches and logs, but it's still sufficient for most."
She continues, "While testing the Saker, I first noticed that it was very easy to hold in one hand. I also appreciated the safety features, including a safety lock that must be pressed before the saw activates. This gave me some comfort that it wouldn't just 'go off' if I squeezed it too tight while walking between locations. It's also easier to use than something like pruning shears, which can be heavy and unwieldy and take much longer to get the same job done."
All in all, she highly recommends it for smaller tasks like trimming and pruning, though she does note: "I implore readers not to expect the cleanest, smoothest results. This saw is not meant for subtle detail work — it does the best when it's simply hacking away. It's also important to always wear safety glasses or goggles when working with the saw, because the thicker the wood, the more chips and splinters go a-flyin' (often upwards)."
Our readers (and staffers) aren't the only ones raving about this thing — nearly 10,000 Amazon shoppers have deemed it worthy of a perfect rating.
"I'm a 71-year-old woman and I love this little saw," raved one buyer. "It's light, easy to start and a piece of cake to handle. We had a lot of down tree limbs caused by so much snow. I can help my husband with the small stuff while he saws the big stuff. Fun times."
"I'm so glad I didn't spend a bunch of money buying a [much] bigger electric saw," said another cutting customer. "All I really need to do is cut small branches and saplings. This little guy did it with ease. I was really surprised [by] the power, to be honest with you. ... It seems to be built very well. ... It cuts through small saplings like a hot knife through butter. I would most definitely recommend this for small jobs."
"My neighbor and I are putting up a new fence between our properties and had to remove some overgrown small trees and bushes," explained a third. "I bought this little chain saw since my neighbor's is one of those very heavy models that requires an outlet. ... The chain saw works GREAT! We made fast work of the job we had to do and now my neighbors want to buy one too!"
While the reviews are overwhelmingly positive, several users had this complaint: "The only thing that could be better is that it has a 'dual' trigger — the main switch plus a safety-type switch where both have to be pressed," shared a generally pleased buyer. "The 'safety' switch is a smaller round button that is only on the left side of the handle — so that your right thumb can press it. I'm left-handed, so this is a bit awkward. It would be great if they could either put that on both sides or maybe the top of the handle so that it was more ambidextrous."
"It cuts very well, but the thing I'm really impressed with is the battery life," wrote a final fan. "I spent Sunday cutting about 50 branches, and the battery was still nearly full. I 100% expected it to come with a crappy battery because of the ridiculously low price, but boy was I wrong. The only con I have with this product is that you have to keep oiling the chain every so often. It's not hard with a squeeze bottle of chain oil in your pocket, but I wish it had a tank that you could fill that would lubricate automatically."
Prefer something a little less high-tech?
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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.