Customer Reviews

Makita UC120DWD Commercial Grade 4-1/2-Inch 12-Volt Cordless Electric Chain Saw

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We have used ours for 3 years now and it has to be the best tools we have for yard work. It will actually cut down trees (small ones). It trims, it de-limbs, cuts firewood, clears brush, cooks dinner (grin). We were a little skeptical when we bought it but it has turned into one of our most used tools. It works as described and more. It is also very tough (It gets dropped a lot) and has never failed. We bought an extra battery and recommend that for long days in the yard. The NiMH battery lasts over an hour of heavy use. I would give it 6 stars if I could.

I love this Makita! It is not too heavy and I am able to do an incredible amount of work with it before there is any sign of low battery charge. I have a 7-acre property so being able to easily carry this around to do spot cleanup has come in very handy.

Easy to handle and so light. Great for those hard to reach places like under fence wires, beats using hand loppers! I am worn out just about the time the battery is run down. :)

Adding to this review...just came in to order a chain for this saw. Hot and sweaty...August 14 2011 still running strong. Love this little chainsaw!!! Often saw stuff bigger by cutting wedges or doing what I call a beaver cut. :)

This tool is an absolute gem. I have several acres of forrested land and at times the upkeep is pretty high - I have an 18" gas chain saw but needed something smaller, and easier to manage for the smaller jobs. After a lot of research I came across the Makita but was at first put off by the price of $240. After thinking about it I went ahead and bought it a year ago and have continued to be delighted by it.

The tool is well built, cuts through wood very well and feels safe. I use it on limbs of up to 6" and it deals with them effortlessly. I'd love to give it 5 stars as it really deserves it, but the one issue I have is removing the battery. It's very hard to push in both of the release buttons, and my wife often asks me to do it. I don't know if this is typical, it's not a show stopper, more of an inconvenience, that said it would not stop me from buying it again - though based on it's performance to date I doubt that will be something I have to think about for a good few years.

I've really put it through its paces and it continues to exceed my expectations. The battery life is not as good as others have indicated, but again, I place much higher demands on it that I image most homeowners do.

THIS MAKITA KIT HAS PERFORMED SUPERBURBLY! IN TYPICAL MAKITA FASHION, THE KIT IS EXTREMELY WELL BUILT. THE BATTERY CHARGE REMAINS STRONG AND I HAVE CUT LOGS UP TO 5 INCHES IN DIAMETER WITH NO PROBLEM. ONE SUGGESTION I WOULD MAKE...PURCHASE A SECOND BATTERY (WHICH I DID) TO HAVE ONE CHARGING WHILE THE OTHER IS IN USE. I USE THE SAW ON A FARM WHERE ELECTRIC POWER IS NOT AVAILABLE, AND OUR GAS POWERED SAWS ARE OVERKILL.
YOU WON'T GO WRONG PURCHASING A MAKITA!

I was quite dissapointed when I first received the saw. It quickly tired on small branches and would not allow me to apply any pressure or it would stall out. I called Makita customer service and returned it for repair. They replaced the DC motor and some gears and now it does what it is supposed to do. I love it for trimming branches on trees. I use it on my Christmas tree farm alot to square off trunks after customers cut them down. The extension works well but I do feel the product is a bit pricey.

This product is lite and easy to handle. But I am very disappointed in the lack of speed and power. I know it is a little battery powered saw, but I expected more from the saw and from a Makita product. Also, there's no built in chain oiler. If it would be a $50 to $100 product it would be fine. This is a big purchase for me at over $250. Not worth the money!!

Here is the deal straight up. This chainsaw can cut SMALL limbs shrubs etc. Its not going to cut Firewood or a real tree down. There is a metallic tip on the end you cant cut real logs even if you wanted to. Again great for SMALL trees, limbs etc. Not a REAL chainsaw.

I own 16 acres of land in New England and have been cutting my own firewood, tending to the forest, and clearing up after ice and other storms for 34 years. I have all of the usual tools necessary for these efforts, but always wanted a small chain saw with which to work safely in thickets of tree limbs and branches. Never had it until I had the good luck to see this marvelous little saw as I was checking out the Makita outdoor tools on Amazon.

Using this tool is so much safer and easier than trying to limb a tree or clear an area with just a standard big chain saw. You can hold back a tangle of branches with one hand while you easily zip pieces off with the tip that's on the top of the saw. Those branches that get dangerously entangled in a big chainsaw are safely off in an instant with this saw. If you take your finger off the trigger, it goes off immediately. There's none of that feeling of risk and anxiety that goes with working in storm-tangled areas with a large saw. It also helps a lot that this saw is so much lighter and shorter than a standard chain saw. Not sure of the weight, but I'm a 5'3" woman and I can easily use the saw with little effort for several hours. It's also much easier working in dense woods with a much smaller saw.

I agree with several negative things people have said. I wouldn't use this saw on fruit trees or other trees requiring fine cuts. However, it does cut fine enough for most purposes if you're careful to keep it sharp. Getting the battery off is indeed harder than it should be. It also would be nice if it self-oiled since squeezing the oil in with the little bottle that comes with the saw is pretty messy. The easiest and fastest thing I've found to oil it is just to use Pam or some other cooking spray. When I ran out, I called Makita to find out what the oil that comes with the saw is. They said essentially vegetable oil. The spray is fast and not as messy.

As to battery life, it all depends, of course, on the size of what you're cutting. I have 3 batteries and plan to get 2 more. I can do about 1 hour of cutting 2-3" branches on one battery.

I can't recommend this saw highly enough if you want something to use safely and easily for the types of things I've described.

We needed a saw to remove branches from the trees on our 4 acre property. We have several species of maple and oak trees. I was looking for something that I could take with me around the yard to do trimming that would supliment my 'loppers' without having to pull out my gas chain saw. Remember, this saw is not meant to replace a gas powered chain saw.
I always do as much research as possible before buying a product, both written and from friends and coworkers. While no one had specific knowledge of this particular saw, no one had anything bad to say about any Makita product.
My first concern was the battery. The new standard seems to be 18 volts. Would a 12 volt battery be enough? Yes, so far.
I was hoping that my better half would be able to use it. I did some trimming while she watched and then gave her a chance to give it a try. She is not very big or particularly strong but reported, 'I can handle this'.
We have put several hours use on the saw since it arrived. We both like it and find it easy to use and powerful enough to handle branches up to about 3".
I wish it was self oiling but perhaps Makita will add that in the future.
The main negative is the cost. It is a bit pricey.