A corded chainsaw is the cheapest way to get real cutting power. Plug it in and it runs at full output all day, with no fuel to mix and no battery to flatten. A 2,000W mains saw with a 40 cm bar costs less than a mid-range battery saw with a 30 cm bar.
The trade is mobility: you are tied to an extension lead, which rules out the far end of a long garden.
The best corded chainsaws right now
| Chainsaw | Bar length | Motor | Weight | Our score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OREGON CS1400 2400 W Electric Chainsaw Review | 40 cm (16 in) | 2400W | 7.26 kg | 9.2/10 | Check price |
| UniversalChain 18 1Bat | 20 cm (8 in) | n/a | 3.2 kg | 9/10 | Check price |
| Makita UC4051A Review | 40 cm (16 in) | 2000W | 5.6 kg | 9/10 | Check price |
| Makita UC3551A/2 | 35 cm (14 in) | 2000W | 5.5 kg | 8.8/10 | Check price |
| Bosch Chainsaw UniversalChain 35 | 35 cm (14 in) | 1800W | 4.2 kg | 8.6/10 | Check price |
| BLACK+DECKER CS2040-GB Chainsaw Corded Review | 40 cm (16 in) | 2000W | 5.5 kg | 8.6/10 | Check price |
| Bosch Home and Garden 3 600 HB8 000, 135 mm 96 dB UniversalChain Review | n/a | n/a | 3.2 kg | 8.5/10 | Check price |
| BLACK+DECKER CS2245-GB Corded Review | 17 in (43 cm) | 2200W | 7.1 kg | 8.5/10 | Check price |
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How much power you need
1,800W with a 35 cm bar covers garden work and branches. For firewood and 40 cm bars, look for 2,000W to 2,400W, which is about the ceiling for a domestic socket. If you need more than that, the answer is petrol rather than a bigger plug.
Leads and RCDs
Cutting through your own extension lead is the classic corded chainsaw accident. Use a heavy-duty lead rated for the saw, fully unwound from the reel, because a coiled cable under load heats up. Plug into an RCD, run the lead over your shoulder and behind you on the opposite side to the bar, and never cut above shoulder height.
Do not use a mains saw in the wet.
Living with one
No fuel to go stale and no carburettor to gum up, so a corded saw that sits all winter still works in spring. Keep the oil reservoir full, the chain sharp and correctly tensioned, and the motor vents clear of sawdust, which is the usual cause of an electric saw overheating.
How this list is put together
The table above is generated from our review database every time this page loads. It is not a hand-written list that quietly goes out of date: if a model is discontinued or its buy link dies, it drops out automatically, and anything newly added to the relevant section appears without this page being touched.
Specifications come from the manufacturer or the retailer listing rather than our own bench testing, and we say so plainly. Where we hold a score it reflects how the saw compares with others at the same bar length and price, not an absolute verdict.
Prices are deliberately not printed here. They move weekly, and a stale price is worse than none, so the buy links take you to the current one.
Last updated November 2026