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Published September 17, 2026.
In this Milwaukee vs DeWalt chainsaw comparison, the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 16-Inch Chainsaw (2727-21HD) is the better all-around buy. It suits homeowners who buck through limbs 12 inches or thicker, without switching to gas. It also carries a 5-year limited warranty that beats both rivals here. The DeWalt 20V MAX 12-Inch Chainsaw (DCCS620P1) costs $182.15 as a kit and wins for lighter trimming jobs. Its 3-year warranty and shorter bar make it the wrong tool for anything bigger than a downed branch.
After the last hurricane pushed through the Gulf coast, I spent a week running a chainsaw from sunup until the gas ran out. I cleared three water oaks off my fence line and my neighbor’s driveway. Storm season after storm season, my hands have learned the difference. A saw that stays properly tensioned on hour four feels nothing like one that doesn’t. A saw that feels light off the shelf can feel like a different tool entirely by 3 p.m.
- Best Overall: Milwaukee M18 FUEL 16-Inch Chainsaw (2727-21HD).
- Best for Light Trimming: DeWalt 20V MAX 12-Inch Chainsaw (DCCS620P1).
- Best Value: Greenworks 80V 18-Inch Chainsaw (2000002).
| Chainsaw | Bar Length | Battery Included | Kit Price | Warranty | Cost per Warranty Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee M18 FUEL 16-Inch (2727-21HD) | 16 in | 12.0 Ah | $499.00 | 5 years | $99.80 |
| DeWalt 20V MAX 12-Inch (DCCS620P1) | 12 in | 5.0 Ah | $182.15 | 3 years | $60.72 |
| Greenworks 80V 18-Inch (2000002) | 18 in | 2.0 Ah | $209.99 | 4 years | $52.50 |
How Long Is the Milwaukee M18 FUEL’s Bar, and Is That Enough?
The Milwaukee M18 FUEL 16-Inch Chainsaw (2727-21HD) ships with a 16-inch Oregon bar and chain. That’s long enough to buck through most storm-downed oak and pine limbs in one pass. Milwaukee’s own product page markets the saw as matching a 40cc gas chainsaw. That’s Milwaukee’s own comparison, not an independent lab’s.
For light pruning, a 16-inch bar is more saw than most jobs need. But once limbs run past 10 or 12 inches across, a shorter bar means more repositioning per cut. That’s common after any real storm. That tradeoff is why the Milwaukee earns the top spot here, despite its higher price.
Is the DeWalt 20V MAX Powerful Enough for Real Yard Work?
The DeWalt 20V MAX 12-Inch Chainsaw (DCCS620P1) pairs a 12-inch bar with a bare-tool weight of 7.8 pounds. That figure comes from tool distributor RS Hughes’ published spec sheet. It makes the DeWalt the lightest saw here by a wide margin. Low weight matters when you’re trimming overhead branches one-handed.
However, the 12-inch bar caps what the DeWalt can cut in one pass at roughly half the Milwaukee’s capacity. As a result, treat the DCCS620P1 as a trimming and limbing tool. It’s not built to buck a fallen trunk after a storm.
Does the Greenworks 80V Cut as Fast as Its Spec Sheet Claims?
The Greenworks 80V 18-Inch Chainsaw (2000002) lists a chain speed of 35 feet per second on its own product page. That’s the only chain-speed figure any of these three brands publishes directly. Paired with an 18-inch bar, the longest of the three, that speed lets it handle wider logs than either rival.
Where the Greenworks gives ground is battery capacity. Its kit ships with only a 2.0 Ah pack, smaller than the Milwaukee’s 12.0 Ah battery and less than half the DeWalt’s 5.0 Ah pack. Expect shorter run time per charge, even though the bar itself out-cuts both rivals on paper.
Milwaukee vs DeWalt: Which Battery System Locks You In Further?
Milwaukee’s own product page lists the 2727-21HD as compatible with more than 300 tools across the M18 system. That’s the largest cross-compatible lineup of the three brands compared here. If you already own M18 drills or other yard tools, the included 12.0 Ah battery powers those too.
DeWalt’s 20V MAX platform spans a similarly broad lineup, though the DCCS620P1’s spec sheet skips a tool-count figure the way Milwaukee’s does not. Greenworks’ 80V system is smaller and more saw-and-mower-focused. Its 2.0 Ah battery has fewer other tools to double up on once the saw is charged.
Milwaukee vs DeWalt: Which Costs Less Per Year of Coverage?
Divide the Milwaukee’s $499.00 kit price by its 5-year warranty, listed on Home Depot’s own M18 warranty category page. That works out to $99.80 per covered year, the highest of the three saws. The DeWalt’s $182.15 kit price against its 3-year warranty, confirmed on DeWalt’s official support page, comes out to $60.72 per year.
The Greenworks 80V wins this particular math. Divide $209.99 by its 4-Year Limited Tool & Battery Warranty, stated on Greenworks’ own kit listing. That comes to $52.50 per covered year, the lowest of the three. That number is exactly why it takes the Best Value slot, even with the smallest battery of the group.
Why It’s Our Pick
I’d reach for the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 16-Inch Chainsaw (2727-21HD) first the next time a storm drops trees across a yard. A 16-inch bar and a 5-year warranty solve more real jobs than a lighter, cheaper saw ever will. The DeWalt earns its keep as a second saw for overhead trimming. The Greenworks makes the most financial sense per year of coverage.
None of these three saws is the right single answer for every yard. A homeowner who only prunes small branches gets more use from the DeWalt’s 7.8-pound frame than from Milwaukee’s heavier, more powerful saw. Someone bucking up a downed oak will be glad for the Milwaukee’s extra 4 inches of bar.
How Much Does Each Saw Weigh Once the Battery Is On?
Loaded with its battery, the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 16-Inch Chainsaw (2727-21HD) weighs about 14.5 pounds, per hands-on review site OneProjectCloser’s published test weight. The Greenworks 80V 18-Inch Chainsaw (2000002) comes in slightly lighter at 14.2 pounds with its battery installed, according to Greenworks’ own specification table.
The DeWalt 20V MAX 12-Inch Chainsaw (DCCS620P1) is the outlier: its 7.8-pound figure is a bare-tool weight with no battery attached, so a fair comparison would add its 5.0 Ah pack on top. Even accounting for that, the DeWalt still runs noticeably lighter than either the Milwaukee or the Greenworks, which lines up with its shorter 12-inch bar and lighter-duty role.
Should You Buy the Bare Tool or the Battery Kit?
For the DeWalt 20V MAX 12-Inch Chainsaw, Home Depot lists the bare tool (DCCS620B, no battery) at $189.00. The DCCS620P1 kit, with a 5.0 Ah battery and charger included, rings up at $182.15 — the kit is actually cheaper as of publication. That pricing swing is common with cordless tools. It’s worth checking both listings before buying.
Milwaukee and Greenworks don’t show that same inversion. The Milwaukee 2727-21HD is sold as a $499.00 kit bundling the 12.0 Ah battery and Rapid Charger. Greenworks’ 2000002 kit with its 2.0 Ah battery is priced at $209.99, down from a listed $379.99 on Greenworks’ own site. Anyone holding a compatible battery already should still check for a bare-tool listing, since it can shave real money off the total.
Milwaukee or DeWalt: Which Fits a Small Suburban Yard?
A small suburban lot with a few ornamental trees rarely produces limbs the DeWalt 20V MAX 12-Inch Chainsaw (DCCS620P1) can’t handle. Its 7.8-pound bare-tool weight also makes it easy to store in a garage cabinet between uses. A wooded or rural property is a different situation.
On acreage with mature hardwoods, both the Milwaukee’s 16-inch bar and the Greenworks’ 18-inch bar make more sense. Downed trees on bigger lots tend to run wider in diameter. Between those two, the Milwaukee pulls ahead for anyone running the saw for hours at a stretch. Its larger 12.0 Ah battery and longer 5-year warranty are the reasons why.
Prices are approximate, current as of publication, and change frequently — confirm the latest price with the retailer before buying.
