Are Electric Chainsaws Safer Than Their Gas Alternatives?

Electric chainsaws are incredible, powerful, and dangerous if used improperly. When used correctly, though, they make the hardest of jobs surprisingly simple! Today’s topic of discussion is electric chainsaws and all of the common safety-realated questions that come along with them. Are electric chainsaws safer? What about maintenance – do electric chainsaws need oil? What kind of oil? There are quite a few things to answer today, so we’re gonna skip the pleasantries for the time being.

Are electric chainsaws safer than their gas counterparts? In short, yes – though it’s a bit more complicated than that cut-and-dry answer.

Let’s just dive right in, shall we?

Are Electric Chainsaws Safer Than Their Gas Counterparts?

Let’s start with the title question and get into the others as we go, yeah? It seems only fair to answer that first, seeing as we started to up above.

Are Electric Chainsaws Safer?

No matter what fuels your chainsaw, both gas and electric chainsaws come with a slew of safety features. After all, when you think about it, you’re holding a motorised, extremely sharp chain going very fast – and you’re just wearing jeans, goggles, and leather gloves.

As such, it’s vital that chainsaw manufacturers ensure their devices are as safe as possible. After all, too many mishaps and there won’t be enough whole hands left on Earth to even use a chainsaw.

So what goes into safety when building one? Well, unsurprisingly, chainsaw safety features are pretty much standardized at this point. You’ll find chain brakes, handguards, and a number of other “behind the scenes” features that monitor the safety of your chainsaw, electric or gas.

In other words, gas and electric chainsaws are technically the same in terms of safety, but in the hands of an inexperienced user, electric chainsaws can be slightly more safe. This is because they’re not quite as powerful as gas models, making it harder to lose control.

The largest determining factor in chainsaw safety is power; the stronger the chainsaw, the more dangerous it is. As such, gas chainsaws are generally more dangerous, as they have greater overall power (on average) when compared to electric chainsaws. Unless you’re buying the cheapest chainsaw available, its power source won’t affect the safety features that are built-in.

Conclusion

While electric chainsaws are complicated contraptions, they’re also incredibly useful. If you’re new to using chainsaws, you likely had a lot of questions. Luckily for you, though, you stumbled upon our FAQ to rule them all on electric chainsaws. No matter your question, this document should have answered it. Do electric chainsaws need oil? No – but they need lubrication. Are they safe? Of course!

At the end of the day, the truth is that I cherished this opportunity to whip out the chainsaw and play in the garden. My lady may not have been too happy (nor were my neighbours), but what can I say? Chainsaws are fun when used and maintained properly, and it’s… kinda my job.