Bosch chainsaws come from the green home and garden side of the business rather than the blue professional one, and they are built accordingly: light, simple, tidy to use, and aimed at gardens rather than woodland. We hold 8 Bosch models.
The 18V cordless saws run on Bosch's Power for All battery, shared with their other green-range garden tools, so the same pack fits the hedge trimmer and the mower.
Bosch chainsaws compared
What Bosch does well
Two things stand out on these saws. The SDS chain tensioning system means no tools and no guesswork: a dial takes up the slack and holds it. And the oil systems are better thought through than the price suggests, with level windows and automatic oiling that actually works.
They are also noticeably light. The UniversalChain 35 is easy to hold out at arm's length, which matters more than peak power when you are trimming branches above waist height.
Corded, 18V or 36V
Corded is the value choice. The UniversalChain 35 at 1,800W will cut more wood per pound spent than either battery model, and never stops. It is the right answer if your cutting happens near the house.
18V saws are for pruning: 20 cm bars, light, fine for branches and small logs. The EasyChain is really a powered pruning saw rather than a chainsaw, and is genuinely useful for one-handed work on thin stems.
36V AdvancedChain is the serious one, with a 35 cm bar and enough torque for hardwood. It uses the 36V battery shared with Bosch's larger garden tools, which is a different pack from the 18V range.
Where they stop
Bosch does not make a petrol chainsaw, and nothing in the range goes beyond a 35 cm bar. That puts a ceiling on the work: branches, logs, storm clear-up and small trees, but not felling or a winter of firewood. For that, look at petrol saws or the larger cordless models from Makita, Stihl or Greenworks.
Bosch chainsaw FAQs
Which Bosch chainsaw is best?
For most people, the corded UniversalChain 35: it has the longest bar in the range, the most cutting power and the lowest price. If you need cordless, the 36V AdvancedChain 36V-35-40 is the capable one, and the 18V UniversalChain is a pruning tool rather than a log saw. The EasyChain is for one-handed trimming of thin branches.
Does Bosch make a petrol chainsaw?
No. Bosch's garden range is corded and cordless only, with bars up to 35 cm. If you need petrol, or a bar longer than 35 cm, you need a different brand. That is not necessarily a drawback: for the garden work these saws are designed for, electric is quieter, cleaner and starts every time.
What battery do Bosch chainsaws use?
The 18V models run the Power for All 18V battery shared across Bosch's green home and garden tools. The AdvancedChain uses the larger 36V pack used by Bosch's bigger garden machines. The two do not interchange. Many models are sold as bare tools with no battery included, so check before ordering.
What is SDS chain tensioning?
Bosch's tool-free tensioning system. A dial on the side cover takes up chain slack and locks it, so there is no scrench, no loosened bar nuts and no guesswork. You still need to check tension after the first few cuts with a new chain, because chains stretch as they bed in, but the adjustment takes seconds.
What can a Bosch chainsaw cut?
Branches, logs and small trunks up to roughly the bar length. The 35 cm models will handle logs up to about 30 cm comfortably, which covers most garden work and light firewood. They are not built for felling, for sustained bucking of hardwood, or for professional use.
