This is the most wonderful gadget I have ever owned. As a woman, I am not able to lift chainsaws, but I do need to cut limbs and bushes.
This chainsaw does everything I need it to do. Extremely light weight and the battery has lasted as long as I have needed it to complete a job. If necessary, I could always buy an extra battery and be able to work twice as long; however, I have not needed to yet. I recommend this to any one that needs to cut limbs for pruning or cutting down bushes but who does not want to handle a heavy chainsaw. I am ever so pleased with this product.

If you are expecting a "chainsaw", it meets the literal definition, but if you are expecting to cut down trees, don't. This is the third chainsaw in the lineup for us, in line behind my Husqvarna 20 something inch gas and my corded electric. For little things away from the house, this is perfect. Where the gas saw will require rest breaks about every half hour when doing serious cutting, you can cut as long as you have battery power with this. We have other B&D 18v tools, so batteries are not a problem here.

As an example usage, we used both gas and cordless last weekend, the gas saw chewing through mesquite trunks & roots easily, and we could use the cordless to take off the branches so we could haul everything away. Very nice tool to have.

Biggest mark against is the tiny (looks like ~1/4 cup) oil reservoir, it's next to useless, so we use a regular oil can, and just oil the chain completely manually. Easy to set tension, I like that the wrench is stored in the handle.

When I got this chain saw, it was much smaller than I expected. However, for its size it cuts through fairly large pieces of wood. I have the Black and Decker Lawn Center so I now have four units that use the same 18 volt battery. That is just outstanding convenience. I use the batteries all of the way down and then put them on B&D's better charger When they are fully charged, I take them right off of the charger. From what I know of this older battery design (like a cordless phone), that is by far the best way to use them. Also, the 'oiler' mechanism on the chain saw doesn't seem to work very well so I use a separate oil can with an adjustable spout to keep the chain and chain bar lubricated. You can hear and see the difference when you keep the cutting mechanism well oiled. Not having to use a gas/oil mixture (or fuel at all!) or drag a cord around is very very liberating, and I now plan ahead to do all of the different chores in one shot instead of making an ordeal out of cutting the lawn, edging, trimming, blowing off excess, etc.
I had two very large, overgrown and browned-out bushes to take out. The gardener that I spoke to said that it would be about $75.00 to cut them down and take them away. It cost me $90.00 for this chain saw, and now I have the tool for the future. Plus one neighbor helped me take down the bushes and the other used a cart on the back of his car to take them away. A little bonding goes a long way. They also know that I will help them in the future with clearing away bushes or trees. Not bad for a $15.00 difference.

I bought this chain saw because my husband had a shoulder injury. We have a lot of woods and this product has become indispensible!! I am not a fan of battery powered equipment and was very skeptical, but we have been using it for about 4 months and are really impressed. It is lightweight, holds a long-lasting charge and gets the job done - even on 5-7 inch pine trees. It can be carried easily out into the woods for clearing all types of branches and saplings. While not a fan of most powered equipment, even I have found that it is simple to use and makes the job so much easier than using a larger pruner or hand saw. Also we have never had the oil drip problem that many have mentioned so I give it an excellent rating!!

I bought this back in April 2008. I spent a good deal of time puzzling over the user manual, since this is the first chainsaw I ever had. The manual was not clear to me at all, but I finally worked out how to put the chainsaw together. I ran it for about 25 minutes when the chain came loose. Turned out one of the screws that hold the chain assembly together had fallen out. I couldn't find it. Called B&D, and they said they'd ship the screw to me. 2 weeks later, no screw. Called again. They said they'd send another. 2 weeks later, no screw. After customer service assured me that they were sending the part, I went to the DeWalt site that B&D directs you to when you need to buy a part. Turns out the screws were backordered until June 28. In early July, I finally received several screws. Yikes.

Now that I'm able to put the thing together, I have to say that it's lightweight and does cut what it says it will, but getting the chain back on is a nightmare, particularly when you've been using it and it's nice and oiled. Every time I've used it so far, I've followed the directions for tightening the chain, and it still falls off after about 10-15 minutes of use. It does note somewhere that you have to operate the saw for a couple of hour to break the chain in. Guess mine isn't broken in yet. I am disappointed as I find it extremely hard to use thus far.

Black & Decker 18-Volt Cordless Electric Chain Saw #CCS818 received this item from amazon friday june 6,2008 and filled it with oil. all the oil leaked out the bottom in 5 minutes contacted the help desk who had zero product knowledge "a supervisor will call you" they never did sent online inquiry "we will rush you a new oil tank cap"! oil leaked out bottom where there isn't any cap therefore their solution isn't a solution no chain saw to use for my projects..no solution in hand will return this "oily saw" somehow not a good product to order online as it's difficult to get fixed and a "mess" to return i made a big mistake on this one

I had lost my respect for B&D. However, they have made a remarkable turn around. Their products were getting close to junk status. Not sure who was responsible for the change, but they are now in the front of the pack.

The 18-Volt Cordless Electric Chain Saw is a nice, light and efficient
item. My only suggestion is they should have put it in the 24 Volt
Fire Storm group.

Nice saw. Does what I expected. It is a little slower then a gas model only because of the chain speed. I have used it to cut down and make into firewood 2) 6" diameter trees and still bave plenty of battery left. It does leak chain oil though.

I absolutely love this product. I didn't need a gas chain saw, so this little gadget is perfect for me. I would recommend it to anyone who wants something to use around the yard. I personally use mine for cutting up wood pieces because I make rustic furniture.

As my user name implies, I do volunteer maintenance on the Appalachian Trail. I generally use a 16" Husqvarna for clearing what cannot be cleared with hand saws. Now I have a lightweight, nonpolluting alternative for clearing medium-sized blowdowns. In the customer images is a blowdown that I hiked in 4 miles to check out, reported by e-mail from a hiker to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and forwarded to me. I brought my Black & Decker along with 4 extra batteries from other Black & Decker tools (hedge clipper, leaf blower, etc.) With those 5 batteries I was able to clear all of the obstruction except the very large central trunk, which was later cleared by the U.S. Forest Service. This tool is truly a mighty mite. While it doesn't replace the gas saws, it's a lot easier to haul in for the medium jobs.

Handy saw... lightweight and effective. That is, while the battery charge holds out, which isn't very long at all. And, the battery takes at least five hours to re-charge. So, if you need to do more than trim a few branches, pick up several batteries. Or buy a gas chain saw to begin with.

The saw works and is adequate for the job I had in mind for it, however I was expeting the battery to last longer. It cut 10-15 pieces of 4" wood.

I purchased this cordless chainsaw for my wife's birthday at her request. She loves to prune the bushes and trees but found the hand operated saws too physically taxing. We put the saw to it's first test with some overgrown saplings in our hedge row. The saw easily cut 4" diameter trunks allowing us to dispose of 3-4 trees in short order. It held a charge extremely well, and we must have gotten at least 1/2 hour on our first charge.
I doubt if you could do your Winter stove wood supply with it, but it sure is handy and easy to control. The safety switch takes some getting used to. We found the oil leaked out in storage as prior reviews had warned. Be sure to allow adequate time to recharge the battery when you plan on using the saw.
We are so impressed with the ease of use we are considering other 18v cordless applications which would give us a spare battery. Possibly the hedge clipper.

The saw works very well. The major complate is that the oiling of the blade is continous. I wold prefer to oil at my conveience as oil is used up too quicly.
I would like the battery to beable to hold the chage longer. I know it depend on how had the saw is worked.

gene

This is a handy tool.. It's very easy to use, and does a good job of light trimming around the house. I would recommend getting an extra battery.

I am on my 3rd one of these little chainsaws--while trimming a fairly small tree branch, an internal pin (necessary to tighten the chain) broke on the first one , so I shipped it to B & D service center. They sent a new one promptly. While using the second one on a few small cutting jobs the same thing happened--that same pin broke inside. So I sent that one to the B & D service center too, and my 3rd little chainsaw arrived promptly as well. But I have used this one very little, since the shipping costs to the B & D service center are adding up. The oil chamber is too small as another reviewer mentioned, and all the oil leaks out when you let this thing sit.

On the plus side, I like the light weight, and all I have to do is put in some oil and pop in a battery and I can easily trim small dead branches and overgrown shrubbery by just pushing the button--no pull cords to start it, no smelly expensive gas---

I bought this for my husband from here after seeing a deal on it from the Gold Box deals. I have never seen him so excited over a tool before. He says this is the most useful tool he's ever owned. It does work very well and the battery lasted longer than I expected after reading reviews. He had to trim 12 landscaping timbers and it cut nicely with no problems through all of them. He has trimmed every tree we own lol. The oil does leak but very little and not a big deal.

Obviously won't replace a gas powered saw, but my gas saw is in the repair shop most of the time anyway. More than handy for small jobs. Cuts 4" oak limbs to my surprise. The oiler is manual so it needs to be pointed level or downward to keep the blade oiled. Great to grab for a quick trim without a hassle. I've cut about 10 branches from 2" to 4" around my house roof line over the last 4 weeks and the battery is still charged. It runs slow and ruff compared to a more powerful saw but beats messing with electrical cords or gassing up a bigger saw.

I've had this chainsaw for about three months now. Was very pleased with how it cut branches up to 3" in diameter, but when a storm knocked down a long 12" diameter maple tree limb, I really questioned whether this chainsaw could handle the job. To my surprise the unit had plenty of power and easily made several cuts in the limb to where moving the debris was a breeze.

Other plus includes light-weight which makes for easy easy handling.

As others have noted, the unit does slowly leak chainsaw oil from the reservoir. Really not a big issue ... just drain the reservoir before storage.

Remember the electric knife craze? This one was left over from that period. Serious power drop about 1/4 into use with a fresh battery charge, and takes about 6-8 hours on recharge to get going again. Buy the extra battery as your spare. With both, you will have enough for an evening of 10-12 4 in. diameter pieces, and by morning, one battery will be good to cut 5-6 new pieces to get your morning chill off! Huge waste of money. Get a gasoline engine saw!

Good points: Instruction booklet is well-written. Fairly easy to put together. Is lightweight.

Bad points: Battery took over 1 day to charge and died after about 1/2 hour of use which is very frustrating. Had to re-charge it for another 24 hours and try again, and again it ran out of adequate power in 1/2 hour. Seemed to leak oil no matter what, as well.

This chain saw is perfect for light work in and around the home. Easy to use. particularly in avoiding fuel mixing or long electrical cord entanglements, etc. Have used it for several projects, all of which were accomplished with no problems. Battery fully capable and recharging is efficient and easily accomplished. Highly recommended, well-worth the price.

Impressive power and battery life. Keep an eye on the chain slack, bar oil and debris buildup, and this thing should last a long time. Decent cuts on 5-6" limbs of soft willow, but some binding on smaller, soft limbs or limbs with variable bark depth (like pine). Overall, a really good value.

Works great for small jobs - battery lasts longer than expected (actually about the amount of time advertised). Was able to use to chop "firewood" from broken tree limbs easily.

I found this to be a very useful tool - not a replacement for a full-sized, gas powered chain saw, but great for taking down small tree limbs and such. The saw is particularly useful for small tasks in areas or positions where you might not want to be swinging a big, heavy chain saw - sloped areas where an errant tree branch needs trimming is a great example. It's small and relatively trouble free - can easily be used by someone who might find a full size chain saw daunting..

I bought this on sale, at a little more than half of msrp. That seemed like a good deal.

This is the perfect saw for ladies. I'm 59 and have several small trees that require trimming. Paying some one $100+ per trim is just too costly.

The saw is light enough, quiet enough, yet powerful enough to meet my needs.

My only complaint is the user guide. The numskull who decided that putting the diagrams all in the front, with the instructions in another place should not be made employee of the month!

Sharp. Fast. Easy. Light. great for trimming trees and branches under about 6 inches in diameter. Does leak oil as others have mentioned. Good battery life but it does take a LONG time to recharge. Very effective for trimming branches and small trees. We have used it 3 different times with excellent results. Wait for it to go on sale and it is a great buy. Much easier and quieter than the gas powered chain saws.

Good saw for small jobs. I have cut 4"+ limbs, however don't force the saw,you will stall the blade. Blade speed could be better. Suggest purchase additional battery so you can keep going. Can be used 1-handed but as always, Work Safe.

This did a very competent job of cutting the branches of a tree that had fallen on our driveway 1/4 mile from our house. It's very light weight and starts immediately and doesn't have the kick I dread from the gasoline chain saws my husband used. I don't want to have to hire someone to do every little job of this kind and this fills the need.

This B&D chain saw is fine for me because I didn't want gasoline engines or electric cords. The short bar is OK for me because I'm only cutting down saplings. The unit is very easy to carry into the woods. The battery doesn't hold a charge for very many minutes of operation, however, so plan on short work sessions or get a spare battery.

Got this to avoid carrying a gas chain saw around. Since I have other products from Black and Decker that use the same battery pack, this was a complement to my collection. Used it to expand a notch in a post that has a light mounted to it; made the cut just fine. Got a spare chain from Do-It-Best, was not available on Amazon. Considering our over 100 trees on our property are about 1/3 Ash, 1/3 Aspen, and 1/3 Fir, this should come in very handy. The Ash and Aspen are what I plan on trimming in late March, 2008, so we can ride our mower without getting clobbered in our faces.

Everyone I told about this chainsaw had doubts that it would be useful. After receiving it promptly and easily putting it together, I brought it around to show family and friends. Everyone was impressed with both its cutting power and ease of use.
Being an older woman with limited arm strength and a little afraid of power tools, this turned out to be perfect for me! It's easy to use, light, powerful enough for small jobs and holds its charge a half hour or more. It also has the added bonus of having the same battery as other great Black and Decker tools.
I read all the reviews before I purchased it and some said they were disappointed because it isn't as powerful as say, an electric or gas saw. Well, duh!
I love this cute little tool!

I read the other users reviews of this product before buying and was not too surprised then when it performed well. As one reviewer mentioned the oil reservoir is fairly small, therefore needs frequent filling. I would have liked the reservoir filler neck to be slightly larger to facilitate adding oil when the temperature is low and the oil is thick. (I'd spill less). All things considered, I'm very pleased with my purchase. It will not replace my gas powered chain saw for the big work, but for small branches and trees it is easier to handle in tight places.

I bought this chain saw last year and it is perfect for smaller jobs - easy to use and can be highly recommended to people who have never used a chainsaw before. For bigger trees the battery does not last very long and I would recommend to buy a second one. - All in all great product!

I am very pleased with this product. It was a Christmas gift for my husband and he couldn't be happier.