5 Best Chainsaws Under $200 (2024 Reviews and Buying Guide)

Looking for the best chainsaw under 200? You have heavy tasks to do such as chopping the firewood or managing those lumbers. How you are going to make it easy and fast?

It's simple. You need to buy a chainsaw. From trimming to pruning, cutting logs of firewood to felling small or medium trees, a chainsaw can just make anything possible. However, it seems that you don’t have much budget, right?

There was a time when you need to pay a large amount to buy the best chainsaw, and the myth existed since then that only rich could purchase a chainsaw. Don’t worry, there are several brands who are offering the best chainsaw under 200. 

It might sound a little alien to you; even it was to me until I came across a wide array of cheap and affordable chainsaws. In this article, we will like to let you browse through those best chainsaw under 200 that suit your requirements and save money as well.

Best Chainsaw Under 200 Ratings Chart

Advantages of Chainsaws

In a chainsaw, the most attractive part is the ease of operation or handling. This is the reason why most people choose a chainsaw. You can easily cut a tree with the help of a normal saw or an ax.

But think again, with the help of a chainsaw, you can save much more time. A chainsaw does your woodcutting at half time. To handle a chainsaw, you need minimum effort, as it does not exhaust you. It runs on gasoline or electric, so plug in the switch and start your job.

How to Choose the Best Chainsaw Under 200

Though in movies we have seen that chainsaw is one of the gruesome objects, and it is true that you need to handle a chainsaw with much care. However, nothing can be more useful than a chainsaw as well, it is an essential tool when it comes to cutting wood. 

Chainsaw are engine-powered devices that cuts with a set of teeth, mounted on a rotating chain of metal that spins around a guide bar. You can use it for a variety of activities from trimming tree branches to pruning, firewood chopping to cutting down a tree.

As you know what a chainsaw is, let me help you choose the best chainsaw under $200. You need to ask these following questions to yourself

1. What is your chainsaw for? 

If you need a chainsaw for light woodcutting, pick an electric chainsaw for easy handling. However, for the heavy-duty tree cutting, a gas chainsaw is the best option. You should consider other factors like dimensions of the wood involved while choosing a chainsaw, how powerful the engine is and so on.

A gas chainsaw is so powerful that can quickly cut woods of tough trees like beech, oak, maple, easily like a butter knife. Thicker trees also need a gas chainsaw. For example, a 16” diameter tree with a guide bar of 18” will be easy to dice and the chainsaw with 12” guide bar will help in repeated cutting.

2. Have you ever used a chainsaw?

If you are buying a chainsaw for the first time, you need to buy a light chainsaw to meet your needs. Electric chainsaw with guide bar of 18” is perfect for the beginners.

It is suitable for medium-sized wood cutting, pruning, and trimming. For professional and trained users, a gas chainsaw is a better option as it is a heavy-duty object, and the handling needs special attention.

Refer to our product reviews and buying guide for professional chainsaws for more info. 

3. How often will you use your chainsaw? 

For a number of occasional users, the electric chainsaw is one of the best options and it requires low to no maintenance compared to gas chainsaws. You just need to make sure it is sharpened. See our review on the best chainsaw sharpeners to help you do this. 

4. Where will you use your chainsaw? 

For use at home, electric chainsaws are the best as they come with noise control options. Whereas for gas chainsaws, the sound is large and require more noise control, which is at times heavy to maintain.

Considerations When Buying the Best Chainsaw Under 200

Chainsaw Safety Features

The cutting speed depends on the power of the engine. The more speed your chainsaw has, the more ease in operation will a chainsaw provide. Since chainsaw is rather dangerous to handle, find out first what kind of safety features it has.

See if it has a non-slip handle for getting a firm or auto-shut feature to stop the machine every time it hits something hard. The kickback reduction features are also important since the chainsaw changes direction, a kickback reduction feature help the user to get a full control.

Chain breaks and tip protectors are two amazing safety features in electric chainsaw and to stop accidental throttle trigger, a throttle lock is required. However, remember the more features available, the higher the price.

Guide Bar Length

You can measure the guide bar length from the chainsaw’s tip to the region through which it passes. The thickness or the diameter of a wood you will cut through depends on how long is your bar length.

If you are going to cut a tree of substantial diameter, choose longer bar length and for the wood of smaller diameters, choose shorter bar length.

Power of the Chainsaw

If you want to cut thick trees for extensive hours, you need a powerful engine. Gas-powered chainsaw is very powerful yet heavy and noisy. However, you can consider the battery-powered devices, just make sure that it has high voltage.

Chainsaw's Weight

Since you will be carrying the equipment while operating, it is important to consider the weight. You do not want to feel fatigued or that pain when bending, make sure that the chainsaw is easy to carry and maneuver.

Give a few tests to enjoy wood cutting with ease of operation.

Check Noise Levels

Chainsaw often comes with the loud noise. However, most modern chainsaws come with noise-reduction features making woodcutting more enjoyable with lower decibel of noise.

Make sure the machine does not go beyond 80 to 90 decibel, as beyond that the sound can be uncomfortable for your ears.

Anti-Vibration Feature

We know that excessive vibration can cause fatigue and discomfort. So, find out if the device is having anti-vibration handle that divides the chainsaw into two parts – cutting bar & the engine, handles and the controls. These two parts, when joined, dampens the vibration mode. 

Protect yourself by reading this article about chainsaw noise and vibration hazards. 

5 Best Chainsaw Under $200

Here is a list of a few chainsaws that will help you decide the best one for you:

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