Greenworks 12-Inch 40V Cordless Chainsaw Kit Review

Updated January, 2025

product shot of green chain sawThe Greenworks 12-inch cordless chainsaw is powerful enough to cut through most small trees, branches, and logs and at the same time won’t cost you an arm and a leg to buy and maintain. Its size and weight are ideal for someone who is now entering the world of wood cutting and the multiple safety and convenience features in it will make working quite the easy task.

Before you dive deeper into the features of this particular model, feel free to check our full Buyer’s Guide in which we have discussed topics like what exactly is an electric chainsaw, how does it work, what are its advantages and more. We’ve also compiled a short list of some of the best models for this calendar year making your choice really easy.

Features That Make It Stand Out

The thing that defines this model is its affordability. It is cheap and it isn’t trying to hide it. When you take a look around the product you will find where the company has done the budget cuts, as the materials won’t feel premium. They haven’t saved costs on safety features, though, which is what is really important here.

The power of this chainsaw is also quite impressive for both its price and its size. The 12 inch bar can easily cut through branches and small logs and handling the saw itself is a child’s play thanks to weight of the tool – just 6 pounds.

The 40V high performance battery and motor will deliver all the power at your hands without any power loss or fading during the process. Once you are done and want to recharge your batteries you can do it without having to worry about battery memory loss.

Greenworks 12-Inch 40V Cordless Chainsaw Kit

Product Rating: (4.5/5)

Greenworks 12-Inch 40V Cordless Chainsaw

  • Best priced chainsaw for 2019
  • Has an automatic oiling system
  • Weighs 6 pounds
  • Very easy to handle
  • Has a 12 inch bar
  • Can cut through most wood
  • Battery lasts more than 70 cuts
  • Has automatic chain tensioning

Maintenance

One thing that completely blew us out of the water was that this chainsaw had an automatic oiling system. To understand our amazement, you need to realize that this is a feature only premium models like theĀ Makita XCU03PT1 Cordless 14″ Chain Saw have. Seeing it here was a great thing for us to see.

The oil tank is transparent meaning you will always have a clear view of the oil level inside your chainsaw.

One other amazing feature is that this chainsaw has automatic chain tensioning. To put it into perspective, models twice as expensive sometimes have manual chain tensioning.

Other than those features, you will need to constantly check for loose parts on the chainsaw such as loose bolts, nuts, or screws. Always fix those on time as they can lead to further damage to the tool.

Bar & Chain

The bar is 12 inches long here meaning it will be great for trimming tree limbs or cutting logs to prepare for the winter season. It is wrapped with a robust steel chain and has a 3/8 inch chain pitch. This will deliver great power with as little kickback as possible.

Cutting

 

When it comes to wood cutting this saw is good for almost any task that isn’t a big tree which the 12 inch bar simply won’t handle. There is a wrap around handle which will allow you to cut from different positions without ever losing grip.

You will be able to do roughly 75 cuts per charge (as per Greenworks) but a 60-70 cuts result is more objective and real. There is a hand guard at the front that will keep your hands safe from debris and loose chain.

Find out the best chainsaw cutting tips by going to this article.

Safety

We have a slight issue with this saw and that is the fact that there is no kickback protection. The only safety feature is the lock on the trigger which will prevent from accidental turning on of the chainsaw.

If you are looking for something safer to start chainsawing with, then this isn’t the right model for you. Even if we think that safety begins in the head of the woodcutter, having a tool with a lot of protection mechanisms is a must these days, especially when you are learning on it. This is why we wouldn’t recommend this to someone who is just now getting started.

Now that we’ve gone through the major features of this model, let’s check out which are its strong and weak points.

Pros And Cons

Advantages

  • Best priced chainsaw for 2019
  • Has an automatic oiling system
  • Weighs 6 pounds
  • Very easy to handle
  • Has a 12 inch bar
  • Can cut through most wood
  • Battery lasts more than 70 cuts
  • Has automatic chain tensioning

Disadvantages

  • Not strong enough for large wood cutting or felling
  • Materials can feel cheaply made at places
  • Battery life could be better

Do you want to learn how to cut wood with a chainsaw? Go to this article to find out.

Conclusion & Rating

This Rating Was Updated January, 2025: (4.5/5)

Greenworks 12-Inch 40V Cordless Chainsaw

For people that are interested in a model that will be the ideal indoor woodcutter, this is quite the perfect product. It is very affordable, has a decent punch to it, it is really easy to use and handle as it is ergonomic and lightweight, and most importantly – it can handle cutting through wet, soft, or hard wood as long as it isn’t a lot larger than its bar.

You get a 2Ah battery with a charger with this chainsaw and the battery is good enough to last you for way over 60 cuts. This means that you can comfortably have a cutting session without having to worry about recharging. As a whole, thanks to its interesting quirks and advantages over other similarly priced models, we gave this Greenworks chainsaw a solid four and a half out of five stars rating.