Customer Reviews

Makita 5012B Commercial Grade 11 3/4-Inch 11.5 amp Electric Chain Saw

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This saw is a wood cutting machine. The chain speed is over 60mph (5500fpm)! Twice the speed of the next fastest electric chainsaws on the market! (the other makita models) Most other manufacturers won't even tell you their chain speed, because this one beats them so bad. I bought it to carve wood with, and find that it actually cuts hard wood faster then soft wood - the harder the better (it can bog down in soft wood)!
The first one I bought off of Amazon came to me with shipping damage, but when I notified them, I had another one in 2 days, no additional charge, and they even paid the shipping to return the damaged one! EXCELLENT SERVICE! This unit cuts wood far better than most of the gas powered chainsaws I have tried.
There are only 2 things that could be considered downside: the anti-kick back guard on the nose of the bar is a pain...I'm a big boy now, and know how to use a chainsaw, so I ordered a replacement bar without this guard. The other thing is, with that tremendous chain speed, the wood chips come off the bar at 60mph, too, so be prepared to have this sawdust fly everywhere! I completed my first carving with this unit in record time, and then when I looked around, found myself and the entire inside of my garage covered in sawdust and wood chips! This tool is excellent!

I bought this masterpiece a few weeks ago and i love it! Its a dream come true! Its cuts through the thickest materials really fast and is unbelievably smooth! I wouldnt recommend anything else.
This truly us one of the best saws that i have ever come across.

I have owned several of these saws for business, no other small saw perfoms so well. Quick, efficient cutting capability...moving at 5,500 feet per minute it is simply the fastest electric chainsaw on the market. Lightweight, easy to reach oiler...quiet (well, in comparison to my big saws!)
A great choice for the home or business.

Plenty of power. I use for ice carving rarely slows due to hardness of ice Did not know it came with a tip protector and had to change out the bar before use otherwise a great saw at a real bargain price

This is a very fast saw. I got the idea to purchase it from a Tiki Magazine article in which a featured carver used this saw.

Makita tech support was helpful when I needed to swap out the chain sprocket for a different size.

The saw cuts smooth and as mentioned the chain moves at quite a clip.

Things I don't like:
1) A lack of documentation. I had to call tech support to get instructions on changing the sprocket. They should at least have some detailed instructions online.
2) The saw comes with an anti-kickback device which is a chain shield rivoted to the end of the chain bar that covers the end. With this on the bar you can't get the tip of the saw into the wood. Great for cutting logs... rotten for carving. Most of the photos of this saw do not show this "feature." I replaced the bar with a carving bar from Bailey's. This meant I had to change the chain and the sprocket.

The saw is a good performer and has great word of mouth but don't expect to use it for carving straight out of the box.

I use to have a gas powered chain saw. But the infrequent activity means that priming and gas fouling in the plug make it a real hassle, especially when I just need to cut a handful of branches. The time it took to start the gas chain saw is 5 times the time it took to cut the wood. So I got this Makita electric saw. For the occasional branch cutting, this saw is great. There is enough torque and the high RPM makes cutting wood up to 8" pretty easy. This is so much lower maintenance than the gas chain saw.

This saw is quite impressive. A lot of power, lightweight (but well-built), very easy to handle and operate, and quite efficient and fast. Tree branches, tree trunks & stumps, railroad ties and the treated lumber that would require more than one cut with a circular saw, . . . it does it all. It's loud, for an electric unit, and because it's so fast you're covered with chips when you're finished, but it is an amazing unit. You'll have to look long and hard to get anything that works as well and is as durable and dependable for this price.

The Makita 12-inch electric chain saw is an excellent product. I have always used a gas-powered chain and only bought this because I got tired of the constant maintenance needed for a gas chain saw. A couple of trips to the repair shop with a gas chain saw cost more than the purchase price of the Makita. To my surprise, I like the Makita more than my gas chain saw, which new, today, would cost at least twice as much. The Makita starts easily, of course and cuts just as fast for medium sized wood (and faster for small stuff). Compared to a gas saw, the chain seems to move faster with lower torque. Lower torque makes the Makita safer to use than my gas chain saw. When the trigger is released, the chain stops moving more quickly than with a gas-powered saw, which is a nice safety feature. I was disappointed to see a manual chain oiler but, having used it quite a bit, I prefer it to an automatic oiler - it uses much less oil and is less messy. The Makita seems to be rugged and well designed and expect maintenance costs to be minimal. However, for any logs larger than about 12 inches, I have to use the gas-powered chain saw, which has a longer blade. Otherwise, the Makita is preferable in all respects.

My very first chain saw, nicely built, and has paid for itself already; I like quality well built equipment.

Very well made saw which exceeded my expectations. Quite useful in situations where a gas chainsaw is not desired. The Makita can cut through hardwoods up to 6 inches in diameter with almost the same speed as a gas saw. For an older person like me, not having to wrestle with a gas saw to get it started is a great advantage.