The 8 Best Chainsaws in Australia

A chainsaw is a power tool that drives a toothed metal chain around a guide bar at high speed, letting one person cut through a fallen log, fell a small tree, or buck a season’s firewood in a fraction of the time a hand saw or axe would take. Every chainsaw sold in Australia splits into two real families: petrol (two-stroke engines built for volume cutting and land clearing) and cordless battery (lighter, quieter units aimed at pruning and jobs under an hour). Corded electric models still exist but have mostly disappeared from local shelves – the cord itself becomes the hazard once you are working near a fence line or a garden bed.

Within those two families the real differences come down to bar length and power source, not badge. Petrol chainsaws in the 45cc to 62cc range handle everything from dropping a dead gum to a full day of firewood cutting, and start either the old pull-cord way or via the newer E-Start push-button system. Cordless chainsaws run on the same 18V to 24V lithium platforms as a drill or blower, trading raw cutting time for near-silent running and no exhaust fumes – actually useful if you are the one holding it at 7am on a Saturday next to a sleeping neighbour. Pole chainsaws bolt a shorter bar onto a long reach pole for pruning without a ladder, and mini cordless chainsaws shrink the whole platform down to light, one-handed work.

The spec that actually separates these eight is bar length paired with engine or battery output, not price. Bar length here runs from 6 inches (light pruning) to 24 inches (felling and large rounds), and the petrol engines range from 45cc to 62cc. The number buyers overlook is chain speed and oiler type: a dry chain burns out a bar in an afternoon regardless of what the engine badge says, so auto-oiling matters more than the horsepower claim on the box.

This guide compares eight chainsaws sold in Australia, from a compact mini cordless pruner at the budget end to a 24-inch petrol saw built for a full day of land clearing, covering the realistic spread of jobs instead of chasing one single pick. If your work is mostly hedges and shrubs instead of actual timber, a hedge trimmer will do the job with less weight and less risk than swinging a chainsaw around at shoulder height – because the right chainsaw for a balcony fig tree and the right chainsaw for five acres of dead ironbark on a Queensland block are not the same tool.

Quick Picks

The 8 Best Chainsaws in Australia, Compared

Product	Link	Type	Best For	Key Spec
Giantz 62cc Petrol Chainsaw 24 Inch	Check price	Petrol	Heavy-duty land clearing	62cc, 24-inch bar, E-Start
Giantz Cordless Pole Chain Saw 20V 8 Inch	Check price	Cordless pole saw	Pruning high branches	20V, 8-inch bar, 2.7m reach
Giantz 6 Inch Mini Cordless Chainsaw	Check price	Cordless mini	Compact, light pruning	20V, 6-inch bar, one-handed
Worx WG322 20V Cordless Chainsaw	Check price	Cordless	Best value cordless	20V, 10-inch bar, auto-tension
Bosch EasyChain 18V Cordless Chainsaw	Check price	Cordless	Occasional garden use	18V brushless, SDS tool-free chain
Ryobi 18V ONE+ 30cm Brushless Chainsaw	Check price	Cordless (bare tool)	Existing Ryobi ONE+ owners	18V brushless, 30cm Oregon bar
Baumr-AG 45CC Petrol Chainsaw 18 Inch	Check price	Petrol	Budget petrol chainsaw	45cc, 18-inch bar, E-Start
Greenworks 24V Cordless Chainsaw Skin	Check price	Cordless (bare tool)	Lightweight cordless pick	24V, 25cm bar, tool-less tensioning

How We Picked

We started with a wide sweep of chainsaws actually sold and shipped in Australia this week, across general retailers and marketplace listings, rather than working from manufacturer catalogues or overseas stock lists. Every product on this list had to show an active Australian stock listing, a real price, and full specifications – no placeholder listings, no import-only stock, and no duplicate product relisted under a second name to pad out the count.

From there we weighted real-world experience over spec sheets: verified buyer reviews and rating patterns from sources including ProductReview and Amazon AU, cross-checked against Australian Competition and Consumer Commission safety notices for the category. Where a listing’s own review pattern flagged a recurring build problem, we noted it in that entry’s Cons instead of burying it in a spec table.

1. Giantz 62cc Petrol Chainsaw 24 Inch Bar – Best for Heavy-Duty Land Clearing

This is the one entry on this list with a mixed reputation, and it would be dishonest to bury that under the spec sheet. ProductReview’s buyer ratings for Giantz’s 62cc petrol chainsaws sit around 2.5 out of 5, with the most repeated complaint being a chain that will not start easily out of the box, and at least one report of a melted plastic shroud around the centrifugal clutch. We are including it anyway because, once running, owners consistently praise the cutting power for the price – one buyer described it cutting through hardwood “like butter” – and a 24-inch bar at this price point does not exist elsewhere on this list.

That trade-off makes sense for a specific buyer: someone clearing a dead ironbark or dropping storm-damaged branches once or twice a year, not a weekend user who wants to pull-start it every Saturday without drama. Budget half an hour the first time you start it cold, expect to adjust the carburettor mixture screw before it idles cleanly, and treat the E-Start button as a nice-to-have, not a guarantee. It is also heavier than it looks – about the weight of a full slab of beer once the fuel tank is topped up.

Next to the Baumr-AG 45CC below, the Giantz gives about six extra centimetres of bar length and a larger engine for similar money. The trade is a rougher first start for more cutting capacity once it is actually running.

Pros

• 24-inch bar handles large rounds and small tree felling
• E-Start button reduces (not eliminates) pull-cord effort
• Noticeably cheaper than an equivalent-spec petrol saw off a Bunnings shelf

Cons

• Reported starting difficulty out of the box on a meaningful share of buyer reviews
• Plastic shroud around the clutch has been reported to melt under heavy use
• No dealer network for parts or warranty support the way a shelf-stocked brand has

Key specs: 62cc 2-stroke engine, 24-inch bar, E-Start ignition, dual handle with anti-vibration mounts

CHECK CURRENT PRICE

2. Giantz Cordless Pole Chain Saw 20V 8 Inch Pruner – Best for Pruning High Branches

A pole chainsaw solves one specific problem: getting a chain up to a branch that is out of comfortable reach without setting up a ladder on uneven ground. This one telescopes from about 1.3m to 2.7m – or close enough, since in practice you will not want to hold it fully extended for long – which is enough to reach most single-storey eaves and the lower canopy of a suburban gum without anyone standing on anything.

The 8-inch bar and 20V battery are not built for anything thicker than a forearm – this is a pruning tool, not a felling tool, and treating it as one will just stall the chain. Two batteries come in the kit, which matters more here than on a handheld saw, since holding a pole overhead drains a battery faster than the same motor would at waist height.

Worth a look if your weatherboard or Queenslander block has a gum or jacaranda dropping deadwood every storm season and you would rather not hire someone for what is, honestly, a twenty-minute job. (The shoulder strap included in the kit stops being optional once you have held this thing at full extension for ten minutes.)

Pros

• Telescopes to 2.7m – no ladder needed for most single-storey jobs
• Two batteries included in the kit
• Light enough for one-handed overhead use in short bursts

Cons

• 8-inch bar bogs down on anything thicker than a forearm
• Front-heavy at full extension – arms tire faster than the spec sheet suggests
• Battery run time drops noticeably when held overhead versus waist-height use

Key specs: 20V lithium battery x2, 8-inch bar, 2.7m max reach, telescopic pole

CHECK CURRENT PRICE

3. Giantz 6 Inch Mini Cordless Electric Chainsaw – Best Compact Pick

At 6 inches, this is less a chainsaw and more a powered pruning saw – one hand, one battery, done in the time it takes to find your actual chainsaw in the shed. It handles kindling-sized branches and small pruning jobs around garden beds or a courtyard fig without the bulk or the fuel smell of anything bigger on this list.

Do not expect it to replace a real saw for anything past wrist-thickness. The motor stalls quickly under load and the chain needs re-tensioning more often than the bigger units above. For a renter in a Melbourne townhouse with a small patch of garden, that is a fair trade for something light enough to leave in a kitchen drawer. Still, it has limits.

Pros

• Small enough for one-handed use and tight storage
• Noticeably quiet compared with anything petrol on this list
• Cheapest way onto this list if all you need is light pruning

Cons

• Stalls on anything past wrist-thickness branches
• Chain tension needs regular checking, more so than the bigger Giantz units above
• No case included – just the bare tool and charger

Key specs: 20V battery, 6-inch bar, one-handed grip, rechargeable lithium pack

CHECK CURRENT PRICE

4. Worx WG322 20V Power Share 10 Inch Cordless Chainsaw – Best Value Cordless Chainsaw

With more than 3,700 ratings on Amazon AU averaging 4.4 out of 5, this is the most reviewed chainsaw on this entire list, cordless or petrol – and the rating holds up once you read past the five-star average. Buyers consistently flag the auto-tension chain system as the standout feature: no spanner, no fiddling, the chain self-adjusts as it heats up and stretches during a cutting session.

The 20V battery is part of Worx’s wider Power Share range, so if you already own a Worx blower, mower or drill, this chainsaw runs off the same pack – a genuine cost saving the spec sheet does not show. Auto-oiling keeps the 10-inch bar lubricated without manual topping up mid-cut, though the oil reservoir is small enough that you will be refilling it more often than the auto-oiling claim implies for anything beyond light pruning.

Against the Bosch below, the Worx trades a slightly less premium feel for a cheaper price and a much larger, more battery-swappable tool ecosystem – the better pick if you are building out a full 20V yard kit instead of buying one standalone saw, and it sits in the mid-range for this category in Australia.

Pros

• 3,700+ Amazon AU ratings averaging 4.4/5 – the deepest review record on this list
• Auto-tension chain removes a real maintenance headache
• Battery cross-compatible with the wider Worx Power Share tool range

Cons

• Oil reservoir is small and needs topping up more than the auto-oiling branding suggests
• 10-inch bar is on the shorter side for anything past pruning
• Delivery on some Amazon AU listings runs 10 days plus, so it is not a same-week buy for storm cleanup tomorrow

Key specs: 20V Power Share battery and charger included, 10-inch bar, 12.5 ft/s chain speed, auto-tension and auto-oiling

CHECK ON AMAZON

5. Bosch EasyChain 18V Cordless Brushless Compact Chainsaw – Best for Occasional Garden Use

Bosch’s EasyChain is the most polished-feeling tool on this list, not the most powerful. The brushless motor and Bosch’s SDS tool-free chain-and-bar mounting mean you can swap or tension the chain without a single tool in hand, which matters more than it sounds like until you are standing in wet grass looking for a dropped Allen key.

Made in Europe instead of assembled from a generic import platform, it carries a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Amazon AU – a smaller review sample than the Worx above, so treat that number as promising rather than proven. The included 2.5Ah battery suits light, occasional use: a session of pruning, not an afternoon of real cutting.

It suits a courtyard or a small suburban block where the job list is a handful of branches a few times a year, not a rural property with an actual firewood quota. Quiet enough to use before your neighbour’s alarm goes off. Not something you would say about the Giantz petrol above.

Pros

• Tool-free SDS chain mounting – no separate tools needed for maintenance
• Brushless motor for quieter, more efficient cutting than brushed cordless rivals
• Compact and light enough for one-handed control over a full session

Cons

• Small battery capacity limits real runtime to light jobs only
• Fewer Amazon AU reviews than the Worx above, so the rating is less proven
• Replacement Bosch 18V batteries are not cheap if you need a second one

Key specs: 18V brushless motor, battery and charger included, SDS tool-free chain system, made in Europe

CHECK ON AMAZON

6. Ryobi 18V ONE+ 30cm Brushless Chainsaw – Best for Existing Ryobi ONE+ Owners

Sold as a bare tool with no battery or charger included, this Ryobi somehow still costs close to twice what the fully-kitted Worx above does – a detail that is easy to miss scrolling past the product photo. It only earns its price if you already own a Ryobi ONE+ battery from a drill, mower or blower, because buying the battery and charger separately on top of this price defeats the entire value case.

For an existing ONE+ household, though, it is a well-reviewed tool: over 2,100 Amazon AU ratings averaging 4.6 out of 5, the highest of any product on this list. The brushless motor and 30cm Oregon-brand bar and chain put it a size class above the compact Bosch and Worx units above, closer to a small petrol saw’s cutting capacity without the fuel and exhaust.

Auto-oiling and tool-less tensioning carry over from the rest of this list’s cordless entries – the difference here is raw cutting capacity per charge, not features.

Pros

• Highest review average on this entire list – 4.6/5 across 2,100+ ratings
• Genuine Oregon-brand bar and chain, not a generic equivalent
• 30cm bar closes most of the gap to a small petrol saw

Cons

• Sold as a bare tool – no battery or charger, and the asking price does not reflect that
• Only worth buying if you already own compatible ONE+ batteries
• Heavier in the hand than the Bosch or Worx once a full-size battery is fitted

Key specs: 18V ONE+ brushless motor (bare tool), 30cm Oregon bar and chain, auto-oiling, tool-less tensioning

CHECK ON AMAZON

7. Baumr-AG 45CC Petrol Chainsaw 18 Inch SX45 – Best Budget Petrol Chainsaw

This is the cheapest petrol chainsaw in this guide and roughly half the price of the 62cc Giantz at the top of this list, for an 18-inch bar instead of 24. Amazon AU buyers rate it 3.8 out of 5 across 17 ratings – a smaller sample than most of this list, so read that number as directional, not definitive.

E-Start button ignition and a dual exhaust system carry over from the rest of the Baumr-AG range, and the balance feels lighter in the hand than the bigger Giantz above, which matters over a long cutting session. Budget for basic servicing – a fresh spark plug and a carburettor check – within the first few tanks of fuel, which is standard advice for any budget two-stroke, not a defect specific to this unit.

Pros

• Cheapest petrol option in this guide by a clear margin
• E-Start reduces pull-cord effort versus older petrol designs
• Lighter and better balanced than the larger 62cc unit above

Cons

• Smaller review sample than most entries here, so treat the rating cautiously
• 18-inch bar rules out felling anything truly large
• Basic servicing (spark plug, carby check) recommended early, same as any budget two-stroke engine

Key specs: 45cc 2-stroke engine, 18-inch bar, E-Start ignition, dual exhaust

CHECK ON AMAZON

8. Greenworks 24V Cordless 25cm Chainsaw Skin – Best Lightweight Cordless Pick

Greenworks sells this as a “skin” – tool only, no battery, no charger – which keeps the sticker price the lowest of any cordless saw on this list, but only if you already own a compatible 24V Greenworks battery from a mower or blower. Buy the battery and charger separately and the total cost lands close to the Worx above, so check what you already own before assuming this is the budget pick. Check your shed first.

At 155 Amazon AU ratings averaging 4.2 out of 5, it has a solid track record for what is a light, simple tool: a 25cm bar, a rear lock-off switch to prevent accidental start-up, and tool-less chain tensioning. Run time on a 4Ah battery is about 20 minutes of actual cutting, which suits light pruning, not a real backlog of branches.

Pros

• Lowest sticker price of any cordless saw here, if you already own the battery
• Safety lock-off switch prevents accidental start-up
• Tool-less tensioning matches the rest of the cordless entries on this list

Cons

• Battery and charger sold separately, so the real cost depends on what you already own
• 20-minute run time on a 4Ah battery suits light jobs only
• 25cm bar is mid-pack, not the smallest or largest cordless option here

Key specs: 24V battery system (tool only), 25cm bar, tool-less tensioning, rear lock-off switch

CHECK ON AMAZON

How to Choose the Right Chainsaw for Your Property

Match the tool to the job, not the job to the tool. Pruning a couple of branches twice a year, or clearing a real firewood quota every winter? A chainsaw bought for one storm-damage clean-up ends up sitting in a shed for years afterwards, so be honest about which one actually describes you. Petrol suits the second case; cordless suits the first.

Bar length should match your thickest realistic cut, plus a margin. A bar shorter than the log or branch you are cutting forces you to saw from both sides, which is slower and considerably less safe than a single clean pass. Buy for the biggest job you actually expect, not the biggest job you can imagine.

Check the chain brake before you check the price tag. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has recalled chainsaw models in recent years over chain brakes that fail to stop the chain on engagement – and not just budget imports, either. A cheap saw with a working brake beats an expensive one with a faulty part every time, so test the brake before your first real cut, not during one.

Petrol still wins for volume, cordless wins for peace and quiet. A 45cc-62cc petrol engine will out-cut any 18V-24V battery saw over a full day, but it also means fuel, exhaust, and a real noise complaint if you start it before 7am on a Sunday in a built-up suburb. If your property backs onto neighbours rather than paddocks, weigh that trade-off honestly.

Buy the second battery before you need it, not after. Every cordless saw on this list runs out of charge well before you run out of jobs on a proper clean-up day. A second battery, or a saw that shares a platform with tools you already own like the Worx Power Share or Ryobi ONE+ ecosystem, turns a one-hour tool into an all-afternoon one.

Factor in Australian Consumer Law when something goes wrong. Every chainsaw on this list, regardless of price, is covered by a consumer guarantee that a product will be of acceptable quality and fit for its stated purpose – that protection sits above whatever warranty period the box states, and applies whether you bought from a big retailer or a smaller online store. Keep your order confirmation email; it is the only proof of purchase most sellers will ask for if a fault shows up.

You’ll Also Want

A replacement or backup chain is worth keeping on hand regardless of which saw you buy – a chain that has hit dirt or a nail even once needs sharpening before it will cut straight again. The Giantz electric chain sharpener handles that job in a couple of minutes instead of a trip to a hardware store sharpening counter.

Proper bar and chain oil matters more than most buyers expect – running a chainsaw dry for even one session accelerates bar wear noticeably. Oregon’s bar and chain oil is the same formulation many hardware stores stock under their own house brand.

A properly fitted helmet with ear and eye protection is not optional once you are running a petrol saw for more than a few minutes – chain noise sits well above safe unprotected exposure limits, and kickback happens fast enough that safety glasses alone will not help. The Oregon Yukon safety helmet combines a mesh visor and ear muffs in one unit instead of three separate items to lose track of.

Once the tree is down, a wood chipper turns the branches you just cut into mulch instead of a green-waste skip fee – worth considering together, not as an afterthought if you are clearing more than a couple of trees. Our best wood chippers guide covers the models that pair well with a 45cc-plus petrol saw.

Frequently Asked Questions

Verdict

For most Australian backyards, the Worx WG322 is the pick worth starting with – it has the deepest review record on this list, includes the battery and charger, and covers pruning through to light firewood work without the fuel and noise of a petrol saw. Anyone with an actual land-clearing or firewood quota to fill is better served by the Giantz 62cc petrol saw at the top of this list, as long as you go in accepting a rougher first start in exchange for real cutting capacity. If your job list rarely goes past head-height branches, the Giantz cordless pole saw solves that specific problem better than a full-size chainsaw ever will.