CRAFTSMAN Electric Chainsaw, 16 Inch, 12 Amp Corded Chain Saw Electric, Ergonomic, Powerful Motor (CMECS600)

I was very impressed with the ease of use and the job that this saw did. Easy to put together and use. Works exceptionally well. It is build well and seems to be very durable. Adjusting the chain was simple and straight forward. The saw was not too heavy. Good product as a good price. I would buy this product again.

This is a decent chain saw. CRAFTSMAN Electric Chainsaw, 16-Inch, 12-Amp (CMECS600) It is not an imitation saw-like thing trying to be a chain saw. There is a review in which a guy mentioned he bumped himself with it while running and did not get cut. He makes this sound like it could be a toy or waste of money. I don't know what he or his saw did, but this chain is very sharp and runs smoothly and true on the bar. The motor is plenty powerful. The saw is nicely balanced and handles like any gas chain saw I've used, except this electric style is quiet, smooth-starting and smooth while running and you don't have to fight gas starting and idle problems. It has the classic chain saw two-hand grips: left hand on top at the balance point with a protective knuckle shield, and right hand on the rear with the switch. (That configuration was a must-have for me.) I cut through branches ~ 4-5 inches in diameter of Lemonade Berry ( a CA tree with medium hard wood) in < 5 seconds per branch. No special effort needed. I'm totally satisfied with the performance of this saw. Some folks have commented that the chain continues to run after you let go of the switch. Yes, the electric motor does not have a brake-when-off circuit (ahem, this would be very easy to do though Craftsman folks!) So the chain will coast down to a stop in a couple of seconds. That said, in my opinion having the chain coasting down for a couple of seconds does not scare me or detract from the utility of this saw. If you are at risk of contacting the chain or bar within a couple seconds of finishing your cut, then I think you need to review your cutting practices, not be relying on a different saw with an instant brake. This saw has an adjustment mechanism for setting the bar position to tension the chain. The big red knob on the side of the saw housing is a clamp knob. There is a smaller knob that drives a pusher screw that pushes the back end of the bar forward to tension the chain. It is easy to adjust, and as long as the clamping action holds up for the long run, it is easy to use and does the job. If there is anything that toes the line of flimsy about this saw, it is this pusher screw mechanism. If I were designing it, I would have payed a bit more attention to materials and pressure points in that setup, but it does seem to work so far. It certainly does make it easy and convenient to re-tension the chain, and that is a good thing. In short, I think this a a decent chain saw capable of cutting branches that are big enough that you would have no practical chance of doing by hand. At $80, it's also a very good price. It was cheaper than hiring someone with a saw to do the job for me. Glad I bought it. Added 6-12-2024: One added note: when you are finished using the saw and going to put it away for storage, be sure to drain the chain oil reservoir. The oil will leak out of the reservoir no matter what position you store it in. Just turn the saw over and pour the remaining oil back into the original container. Not too hard, and way easier than cleaning up a few ounces of sticky chain oil!

This thing actually works pretty good for small jobs and is a whole lot easier than messing with fuel mixtures and spark plugs. Good torque, and 4-5 in. limbs/trunks not a problem. Not recommended for very large logs or trees, because remember, it's only 16 in.

This is my second one. First one is ~5 years old and still works great. I use it a lot and just wanted another. I was also curious to compare the two to understand how it is wearing. tldr; this saw is a very capable and durable work-horse, not just a 1 or 2 projects toy... Why 4 stars and not 5? It would strongly benefit from a chain brake. The left hand guard is just rigid plastic. In most larger chainsaws flicking that guard forward actuates a brake that stops the blade in a few 10ths of a second. I would be equally happy with some sort of electro-mechanical brake that slows the motor when you release the switch. But if you use it a lot, it's slow & frustrating to have to hold the saw for 1-2 seconds after every cut while it slows to a stop. I try to just set it down in a safe place, but that risks touching the moving blade to dirt (which instantly dulls the blade). The alternative is to reposition to a the next cut while it's still slowing down, but then one careless motion can cut your leg, the extension cord, or something else you are fond of. So please, craftsman, add a brake! You'll have a much better and safer product! Now some usage tips: 1: If the saw seems wimpy and bogging down: Check chain's sharpness, lube and tension (obviously). Less obvious is the length and quality of the extension cord. The saw is rated 12 amps but I've seen it spike to as high as 18 amps during a heavy cut. High current X the resistance of a long extension cord mean's the motor might only be seeing 90 or 100V instead of the 120V at the wall. That dramatically lowers torque and motor efficiency. I've used it with up to 200' of extension cord. I use heavy 12 gauge cords with replacement plugs and sockets. Since the saw is ungrounded, I wire the ground parallel to the neutral (white wire/wider tine). That trick lowers the resistance of the cord by 25%. (but label the extension "Ungrounded!" and put it back to normal when you are done sawing) Also don't use more cord than you really need. 12 gauge is best, 14 is okay for shorter runs but avoid cheap/lightweight 16 gauge cords unless it's really short. A 30 foot 16 gauge cord has as much resistance as 75 feet of 12 gauge. (or 100' if you use the ground mod I described) Extra for experts: Check your line votlage with a meter. It's nominally 120V but can be as high as 132V or as low as 108V. The good news is you can safely boost it up to 132V, at the start of a long extension cord run to compensate for line losses. I repurposed the transformer in an old 10 Amp 12V battery car charger (rewired as a step-up auto-transformer) to do that. It looks sketchy but works great. (Note: I know how to predict the failure modes and how to test them. I won't try to tell you how to do it. But if you know enough to figure it out, and understand the real risks of messing around with line voltages, it's a neat trick) A slightly safer option would be to buy an industrial 12V >=12 amp transformer that is rated for auto-transformer configuration and use that. Anyway, it helped a lot and didn't hurt the saw. 2: If it's not cutting true (pulling to one side when cutting bigger logs) it's probably a dull/damaged blade. But it can also be a twisted, bent or worn bar. Learn to sharpen the saw & keep spares on hand. Mainly, keep the tip at least 2-4" away from the dirt at all times! If the chain derails, get in the habit of flipping the bar over when you reset it. If the cutting behavior changes, the bar is probably part of the problem. 3: Use branches, wedges, etc to elevate logs before cutting them up in to rounds. Generally think ahead how you will fell the tree and limb it to keep the trunk elevated. 4: If a limb is under tension, be very careful cutting it so it doesn't bind on the blade. (you may want to keep it to hold the trunk up). I'll make a few partial cuts 1-2' away from the trunk to relieve the tension, before taking the limb off at the trunk. It only takes a few seconds, but freeing a stuck bar can easily take 5 or 10 minutes (longer if you damage the blade) 5: Think ahead, and try to predict how everything you cut will move as/after you cut it. If you guess wrong, stop and *think harder* about what happened! There is a learning curve. If you are going to cut a lot of trees/limbs you need to understand the forces involved to stay out of trouble. It's interesting and keeps you alert. 6: Wear gloves, safety glasses and ear plugs. It's quieter than a gas saw, but could still contribute to hearing loss. 7: Wear old clothes! Bar oil and sap get everywhere. After a day of clearing downed pine trees, I look like I was working on a 30 year old diesel car! Obviously, the bigger the tree, the bigger the risks. So start small and stay humble. (There is a very fine line between "clever" and "stupid".... keep a sharp eye on it!)

I really love this unit. Its a go getter. Every bit a really good chain saw. No issues. Works perfectly.

Like the Craftsman tools of years ago, designed with thought and simplicity. Made in China but its done very well Powered up out of the box and then cut a 4x4 like butter.

very good for the price. much lighter than the gas models. it has handled everything so far

Much heavier than expected. Chain continues to run after stopping trigger! Seems dangerous in this regard. Cuts well and performs generally as advertised.

Cuts almost as well as my 16" Stihl gas chainsaw. Easy to change and/or tighten the chain. Oiler works well with no issues. Just took down a dead 14" apple tree. Super hard wood and went through it like butter.

Muy buena potencia para ser electrica, consigue una extension electrica y podras hacer muchas cosas con esta sierra

Buen producto a buen precio

Great saw, wish it had a chain break though. Lots of power and cuts well.

Adjusting chain after install took some time. Once done very easy to use. Powerful enough to cut a 1 ft diameter elm trunk. No issues. No overheating. Good product for the price.