I wasn’t sure what to expect with a battery-powered chainsaw, but I could tell upon pulling the Husqvarna Power Axe 350i Cordless Electric Chainsaw out of the box that this was a high-quality machine. While it may be one of the more expensive battery-powered chainsaws on the market, it’s also one of the most powerful.
In addition to a regular mode, I was able to power through thick trees that were less than 17 inches – and I did so quickly thanks to a boost mode button. The 40V battery offers a good amount of horsepower to handle almost all jobs, while various safety features kept me in one piece as I did my yard work. I wish the machine wasn’t as heavy, but at least it doesn’t vibrate much or sound too loud, both of which made for a better experience.
Read my full review to get a better sense of the design of this chainsaw and how it performed on small and big jobs before checking out our best chainsaws guide.
Alex Temblador is a Dallas-based award-winning author and freelance writer who has covered home, design, architecture, and art in publications such as Tech Radar, Tom’s Guide, Real Homes, Gardeningetc, Home & Gardens, Dwell, Architectural Digest, Insider, among many others. She recently bought her first home, a green Sears & Roebuck house that's over 103 years old, sits on half an acre of land, and features a stunning wraparound porch, original hardwood floors, pocket doors, and a butler pantry.
Alex loves to test products for Top Ten Reviews, Tech Radar, and Tom’s Guide buying guides and reviews, which has helped to expand the richness of her first-time homeowner life. The Mixed Latine writer can usually be found working or relaxing in her outdoor spaces.
Husqvarna Power Axe 30i: Key specs
| Model no.: | 970601202 |
| Fuel/power source: | 40V battery |
| Horsepower: | 1.6 |
| Size/dimensions: | 18.9"L x 8.8"W x 9.4"H |
| Blade length: | 18 in |
| Weight (without battery): | 7.72 lbs. |
Husqvarna Power Axe 30i: First Impressions
As I mentioned above, I could tell right away that the Husqvarna Power Axe 350i Cordless Electric Chainsaw was a quality chainsaw with an 18-inch bar. It arrived on my doorstep in a single box. The entire chainsaw is put together, so essentially, you just have to charge the battery provided with the battery charger, and then you’re ready to go. Even the chain was nearly tightened to perfection. I only had to make a very slight adjustment before cutting.
The one thing that surprised me was that Husqvarna doesn’t provide chain oil in the box. Now, I’ve tested three battery-powered chainsaws recently and none of them provided chain oil, but it would have been nice if a small packet was provided. I’ve seen this done for lawnmowers that I’ve tested in the past. Instead, I had to go to Lowe’s and buy a bottle of Husqvarna chain oil.
I like that this chainsaw comes with a single 40V battery, though I was a bit surprised it wasn’t a 60V battery, which would have offered even more power and battery life than a 40V. Still, as you’ll discover from my testing feedback below, the 40V did a great job.
Husqvarna Power Axe 30i: Price & availability
At $479.99, the Husqvarna Power AXE 350i Cordless Electric Chainsaw isn’t the most expensive chainsaw that Husqvarna offers, but it’s not the least expensive either. It sits on the lower mid-range of chainsaws they have to offer. There are considerably cheaper battery-powered chainsaws on the market, though I do believe that the price reflects the power and features that this chainsaw has to offer.
You can purchase this chainsaw on the Husqvarna site, as well as from Amazon, Lowe’s, Acme Tools, Grainger Industrial Supply, and more.
Score: 4/5
Husqvarna Power Axe 30i: Design
The Husqvarna Power Axe 350i Cordless Electric Chainsaw is designed with safety in mind, and that’s something that I appreciate. You can never be too safe when using major yard tools, in my opinion, and after testing a couple of chainsaws, I feel like this chainsaw had the most safety features of them all.
Before we get into the safety features, let’s start with the basics. This chainsaw has an 18-inch bar with an S93G chain that has a .05-inch gauge and Spur 6 sprocket type. Rather than use tools to tighten or loosen the chain, you simply turn the built-in tension mechanism on the side of the machine to the left (to loosen) or right (to tighten). Convenient, right?
Oil must be poured into the chainsaw before attaching the battery. I’m not a big fan of the oil chamber being on the side of the machine. I had to lay the machine on its side and try to pour oil into the hole without getting it on the machine itself. Thank goodness for a funnel. I also wish that I could better see how high or low the oil level was. There a is a slightly opaque viewfinder of the oil chamber, but not enough for me to tell the oil level easily.
The battery fits into the middle of the body of the chainsaw. Once the battery is placed into the chainsaw, it’s much heavier than it is without the battery. I found it to be somewhat heavy for me, but perhaps that’s to be expected of an 18-inch chainsaw.
There are handles behind the battery and in front of it so that you can hold the chainsaw with two hands. In addition to pushing a power button on the control panel to turn the machine on, you’ll need to press and pull two triggers to get the chain moving. The back handle has two triggers – one that you grip and the other that you push forward and down. Without pressing both of those triggers at the same time, the machine won’t start.
At the front of the chainsaw, it almost looks like there are two handles – but one of them is not. The handle closest to the battery is a handle. In front of the handle is a chain brake. This is a fantastic safety feature that will automatically stop the chain from moving if the machine feels the chainsaw kickback. It can be pushed forward to lock the chain in place or backward to unlock the chain. I used the chain brake to lock the chain when I didn’t want to turn the power off and needed to set the chainsaw on the ground to move cuttings out of the way. Better safe than sorry!
Next to the power button is a boost mode button. Press it once to turn boost mode on, and press it again to turn it off. I could hear the difference in the engine output when the boost mode was turned on.
Overall, I felt like this Husqvarna chainsaw is made of top-quality materials and is designed very well.
Score: 4.5/5
Husqvarna Power Axe 30i: Performance
I tested the Husqvarna Power Axe 350i Cordless Electric Chainsaw in two places – my yard and my parents’ yard. I wanted to get a sense of how the machine worked, so I started out by cutting through various pre-cut logs that I had in my wood pile and worked my way up to an old tree that had limbs that were over a foot in diameter.
The chainsaw cut through small and medium-sized logs without any effort at all. I could feel right away that this chainsaw had a lot of power, so I quickly moved on to some old trees with limbs that needed to be sawed off. Even in regular mode, the chainsaw powered through without any issue. I barely had to maneuver or push the chainsaw – it basically worked its way through thick tree limbs with ease.
I tested the boost mode on limbs that were about 16 inches thick. I could feel and hear the difference between boost mode and regular mode. In boost mode, the chainsaw sliced much quicker through the limb. I probably don’t need to use boot mode for most jobs unless I’m slicing through a really thick tree that’s 15-17 inches in diameter. I think the regular mode would do just fine and save some battery power.
Even after testing the chainsaw twice for 30 minutes each, I was surprised that the battery was still over 50 percent full. The 40V Husqvarna battery is efficient in horsepower and battery life. It seemed to take about an hour to fully charge.
While gas-powered tools are really loud and usually produce lots of vibration, that wasn’t the case with this chainsaw. Yes, it’s heavy, so my arms were a bit tired, but they weren’t sore after each use. Plus, this chainsaw isn’t as loud as gas-powered ones.
I measured a noise level reading of 90dB while testing this Husqvarna chainsaw. This is equivalent to a motorcycle or subway train. While it wasn’t the quietest chainsaw I had on test at the time of writing (that was the Sun Joe 24V-X2-CS16 48-Volt IONMAX Cordless Chain Saw), it is still a quieter option compared to gas-powered rivals, which often exceed 110dB.
I felt really safe and secure using this chainsaw. The handles are well placed to allow me to balance the chainsaw as I cut, and the bumper spikes provide great leverage and control as I cut through large limbs. I loved the fact that I needed to hold two triggers at the same time and press the power button for the machine to start up. The chain brake also gave me peace of mind when using the chainsaw.
This chainsaw comes with a cover for the bar, which should be used when storing it. It doesn’t take up too much room and can easily be stored on the wall without the battery inside of it.
Score: 4.5/5
Should I buy the Husqvarna Power Axe 30i?
| Attribute | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price & availability | Somewhat expensive but comes with a 40V battery, boost mode, and is widely stocked. | ★★★★ |
| Design | Battery-powered chainsaw with an 18-inch bar, multiple safety features, and a control panel with a power button and boost button. | 4.5/5 |
| Performance | Great sawing performance for small and large limbs with plenty of control; slightly heavy. | 4.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
How does the Husqvarna Power Axe 350i Chainsaw compare?
The Sun Joe 24V-X2-CS16 48-Volt IONMAX Cordless 16-inch Chain Saw is a lighter chainsaw that’s less than half the price of the Husqvarna chainsaw I tested. With a 16-inch bar, it can’t cut anything over 15 inches, but that’s still a fairly large limb. In my testing, I found that it doesn’t have the power (or even a boost mode option) of the Husqvarna, but it cuts fairly well.
The Dewalt 60V Max 18-inch Brushless Battery Powered Chainsaw will be able to cut the same width as the Husqvarna, and it might do so with a little more power thanks to a 60V battery. Unfortunately, you’ll have to use a tool to tighten the chain. At least it’s more affordable than the Husqvarna.
If you don’t want any interruption to your chainsaw projects, go for the Husqvarna 450 Rancher Gas Powered Chain Saw. It’ll allow you to prune thicker trees thanks to a 20-inch bar. Sure, the chain needs to be tightened by a tool, and starting the machine will require some cranking, but it’s a high-quality, heavy-duty chainsaw that will get most home jobs done. Surprisingly, it’s about $30 cheaper than the battery-powered one I tested.
How I tested the Husqvarna Power Axe 350i Cordless E-Chainsaw
The Husqvarna Power Axe 350i Cordless Electric Chainsaw arrived in December. After charging the battery and buying chain oil, I tested the chainsaw a few times in various places around my yard and my parents’ yard. This included cutting through logs and limbs off trees. I made sure to test all the features of the product to provide an in-depth review.
Find out more about how we test.
