Customer Reviews

McCulloch MCC3516F 16-Inch 3.5 HP Electric Chain Saw

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bought this McCulloch electric chainsaw to replace an old Craftsman electric chain saw. (the Craftsman got ran over by a car)

Compared to my old Craftsman electric chain saw, the McCulloch seems to be wonderful. The first test was to cut a 16" diameter oak branch, cut thru it like hot butter. The "no tools needed" chain tensioner seems to be a good design (design seems to be similar to that used by other manufacturers).

Assuming this thing keeps cutting/running the same way in the long term, then we have a winner.

(note: all the electric chain saws come with cheap looking chains with cutting blades spaced very widely apart along the chain. To be ready for the bigger cutting jobs I sprung for a new $18 Oregon s-54 16" chain.)

Update - Just cutout a 4' diameter 450# stump w/ this E-saw. It keeps doing a super job. In terms of a replacement chain, make sure to get the Oregon S-54 (S is style of cutter, 54 means 54 links). The MC literature suggests use of a S-55, but it is TOO Long and will soon wind up in the trash can. ALSO, the MC factory installed gasket for the lube oil, between the saw and chain bar is total trash. When changing out the chain, pull the bar off, pull out and throw away the MC factory gasket, clean the bar and apply a piece of electrical tape, using a knife to cut out a pathway for oil to the bar. Will lube perfectly now!

This is the second electric McCilloch 16" chain saw that I have owned and it is even better and more powerful than the first. I still use a gas chain saw out in the woods on my property but I usually do just enough cutting with it to get the logs on a trailer so I can take them bach to my shed to cut them up and save the sawdust for on my garden and flower beds as mulch. This electric is lighter and more powerful than my gas saw and makes short work of even 14" well-seasoned oak and poppel logs with a minimum of effort. I highly recommend this sae for anyone who has an electric outlet close enough to their cutting station. It is a real pleasure to work with such an excellent piece of equipment McCulloch 16-Inch 3.5 HP Electric Chain Saw #MCC3516F

The McCulloch3516F chainsaw puts an end to my problem of gas engines that don't start when I really need them to. I have been cutting out maple branches this summer from trees with verticillium wilt - branches up to 8 inches are no problem at all.

This saw has an impressive safety feature: a chain brake that stops the saw instantly as soon as the trigger is released or the safety guard is pushed forward. I mean instantly: there is a loud clunk as the brake engages and the chain stops dead. This takes some getting used to, as the brake engages if you wiggle your finger while running the chainsaw, causing the chain to start and stop. There is no concept of "revving" the chain. It also means there is no "idle" speed for the chain. It is on or off. And that is safe.

You can also consider it a safety feature that the chain has fewer cutting teeth than my gas powered saw chains. I don't know the relative operating RPMs - if they are about the same, this saw seems to cut a little slower, and fewer teeth would do that. This makes the saw less aggressive and less likely to pull out of your control. I like that. As I say, the cutting ability is well in excess of the 8" branches I've been dealing with.

The oil fill is conveniently located so that you don't have to tip the saw to fill it, although a small funnel is helpful.

Overall, I am very happy with this chainsaw.

Ordered the Mcculloch 16inch electric chain saw to do some serious pruning of trees around the house which had severe frost damage. Although an electric chain saw, it cut through trees up to eight inches like a hot knife through butter. Not once did i have problems in two days of cutting. The big pros I noticed while using is realtively lightweight for a chainsaw and you can hold in one hand to use. Once you release the power switch, the chainsaw chain immediately stops! This is a good thing as it keeps body parts attached. One nifty thing about this chainsaw is the chain tightener is outstanding once you figure how it works. No tools, just move the knobs and tighten, couldn't be easier and definitely beats hunting down a wrench to tighten.

Only con is being electric, you have to watch the power cord. Very easy to hit extension cord if not careful. But it wakes you up when you are tired from your yard work.

Let a good buddy borrow it and he was also impressed with the ease of use.

Outstanding for jobs around you house, two thumbs up!

I bought this saw last summer when my old gas saw was on its last legs. I have cross cut and then sliced in half lengthwise about a cord of hardwood, up to about 12" in diameter for use in woodturning. As other reviewers have said, the saw has ample power and good safety features. It's got as much or more power as any of the 'homeowner' level gas saws I've used over the years and is much lighter. I was very pleased to find the chain sprocket is metal, unlike some other electric saws. I also have not had any problems with the saw heating up during use.
The only problems I have found are small--1. it's pretty hard to see how much bar oil is in the tank even though you're supposed to be able to easily see the level. 2. when cutting in rip fashion (which only woodturners are going to want to do) the cuttings clog up around the base of the bar fairly easily. I highly recommended this saw.

Edit: March 2012. Having used the saw for a while, I have one additional comment. The tool-less adjustment stopped working after a while. I discovered that the oily saw dust gets into the area of the attachment of the bar and gums things up. From time to time (more often than I would like), I have to take the cover off and clean everything out. Then it works fine again. This also contributes to the chain coming off the bar and being difficult to impossible to get back on.
Edit: May 2012. I've been unable to split 16" blocks lengthwise and discovered that the saw only has 14" of bar outside the housing. Stihl has 16" of usable bar on a 16" saw. For a little dishonesty, and the other small problems, I'm removing 1 star.

Having used both gas and electric chain saws for more years than I care to remember, this little beauty is far more than I'd hoped for. Yes, it requires a cord to function and, without a handy "Current Bush", serves no useful purpose, but for trimming trees or cutting up firewood in a yard it beats H*** out of fighting the frustration when a gas saw refuses to start or remain running. I have another 14" electric MuCulloch along with a 16" gas Homelite and consider this to be a combination of the best qualities of both the others, the convenience of the small electric and the greater cutting ability of the gas powered Homelite. This little beauty appears to have as much power as the gas saw without the hassle of mixing fuel and the ongoing maintenence associated with it and cuts far faster than it's small electric brother. If I was forced to have a single chainsaw, in my present position(Pleanty of fire wood handy, just in need of cutting to the proper dimensions), this baby would be may choice without any douts or reservations.

Nice chainsaw, works great, well built. The instant-stop chain is very safe, but a bit abrupt when releasing the trigger. I wish there were a half-way release that turned off the motor but did not engage the instant stop break.

Pros - inexpensive compared to gas chainsaws, lightweight, cuts with good power, will do most anything that a gas chainsaw will do. like the automatic chain oiler and easy tension adjustment.

Cons - If you are cutting larger branches and trees, a gas is better. However this will work on 8-10" size very well.

I bought this chainsaw in Aug '11. I didn't get a chance to use it until yesterday (Apr '12). It will not turn on.
The time has expired to return to Amazon. McCulloch customer service was of no help. They didn't have a clue. They gave me the number of the closest warranty service center (60 miles) away, but that number has been disconnected.
I can drive it to a further service center (assuming they are in business) but it isn't worth my gas/time for a $90 item.
This brand new chainsaw goes into the trash.

Update: I ended up giving it to a friend of mine more mechanical then me. The safety brake on it seemed fairly flimsy so I didn't put enough pressure on it, but he did and it works perfectly well. It is his now.

The saw works very well, overall. I have some minor complaints:

1- The chain drive gear cover requires a Phillips screwdriver to get the cover off. This is just dumb ! There's no good reason why it shouldn't have a thumbscrew similar to, but smaller than the chain tensioner thumbscrew. As someone pointed out, the chain gear area regularly gets clogged with oily sawdust that needs to be cleaned out. I can't figure out a good excuse for this design mistake.

2 - The "instant chain stop" feature woks well, but the remaining motor drivetrain makes a loud howling screech until the motor actually stops. Makes me think there might be something wrong with the drivetrain. The saw seems to work well, though. Time will tell.

3 - The oil filler neck is titled to the side, not vertical to the saw when placed on level ground. This makes viewing the oil stream going in and the rising oil level unnecessarily difficult. This is another obvious design mistake.

4 - This is my first chainsaw, but it seems the bar oil reservoir is ridiculously small ! I have to refill it every 10 minutes of use.

After reading other reviews for this model I immediately threw out the stock chain without ever using it and replaced it with an Oregon model S52 chain (dual chains is model ST52). Note that it fits fine although it is advertized as a 14 inch chain and this saw is advertized to be 16 inches. Go figure...

Also, after reading about the risk of burning up the motor due to using a too lightweight extension cord, I bought a
"US Wire 65100 12/3 100-Foot SJTW Orange Heavy Duty Extension Cord". It's heavy, alright !