EGO CS1815 Review: 18 in Battery Chainsaw with 6.0Ah Kit, Pros and Cons

The CS1815 is best at the jobs where a gas saw's hassle outweighs its runtime: storm cleanup, felling small trees, bucking a trailer-load of firewood and cutting stumps and big branches close to the house.

• Instant starts. Pull the trigger and it cuts, with no choke, priming or pull cord, and it stops the moment you let go.
• Gas-class power. EGO rates the 2500W brushless motor as a 50cc gas equivalent with chain speeds up to 22 m/s, and the 18 inch bar handles wood up to about 16 inches in one pass.
• Useful information. The color display shows cut speed, battery charge, LED light status and whether the safety brake is on.
• Working late or in emergencies. The adjustable LED work light lights the cut at dusk or during a storm cleanup.
• Less maintenance. No fuel mixing, spark plugs, air filters or carburetor to gum up between seasons. You still fill bar oil and sharpen the chain.
• One battery for the yard. The 6.0Ah pack runs every EGO 56V tool, including the EGO LB7654 blower.

The biggest drawback is runtime for real firewood volume. EGO's 330 cuts figure is measured on a 4x4, which is 3.5 by 3.5 inches of lumber. A 12 inch hardwood round is roughly nine times that cross section, so a full battery goes much less far on firewood than the headline suggests. Anyone cutting several cords needs a second pack, such as the EGO BA4200T 7.5Ah battery ($439.00), which closes much of the price gap with a gas saw.

The second drawback is the chain choice. A 3/8 inch low profile chain is common on consumer saws because it cuts smoothly with a lower kickback tendency, but it removes less wood per tooth than the full-size chains on professional gas saws, so big hardwood goes slower. The listing does not state the saw's weight with the 6.0Ah battery; check it, because battery saws of this class are not light.

These are recurring themes in published owner reviews, summarized as consensus rather than our own use. Review volume and quality vary by listing, so read them as tendencies, not guarantees.

Praise themes

• Power that surprises owners moving from gas saws, especially in softwood and storm debris.
• No more pull starts, fuel mixing or carburetor problems.
• Quiet enough to cut early or near neighbors without the roar of a gas engine.
• The shared EGO battery works across blowers, trimmers and mowers.

Complaint themes

• Heavy with the 6.0Ah battery installed.
• Big hardwood drains the battery faster than expected.
• Bar oil use and seepage during storage, as with most chainsaws.
• Extra batteries are expensive.

Buy it if

• You do storm cleanup, small tree removal and occasional firewood.
• You already own EGO 56V tools or plan to.
• Pull starts, fuel storage or engine maintenance have kept you from using a gas saw.
• You want an 18 inch bar with gas-class power ratings.

Skip it if

• You cut several cords of hardwood a year; the Husqvarna 455 Rancher runs as long as you have fuel.
• You mostly prune limbs; the lighter EGO CS1613 with a 16 inch bar costs less.
• You are on the Greenworks 80V platform; the Greenworks 80V 18 in. kit is the matching saw.
• You plan to fell large or leaning trees; hire a certified arborist.

Warranty: the listing states a 5-year tool warranty and a 3-year battery warranty. Register the saw and battery with EGO and keep the receipt; chains and bars are normally treated as wear parts.

Electrical safety listing: the listing we drew from does not name a UL, ETL or CSA certification, so look for the certification mark on the rating label or in the manual before you plug it in, and use only the cord gauge and length the manual allows.

Recalls: check the CPSC recall database at cpsc.gov/Recalls for this model before you buy, and again once a year after you own it. Search by brand and model number, and register the product with the manufacturer so a recall notice reaches you directly.