Dewalt 54V Flexvolt DCM575X1-XE

A powerful and effective little saw but could be more robust – I bought this chainsaw in June 2020 after deciding to buy into the DeWalt tool range, along with a 5-piece DeWalt kit. Buying the chainsaw made sense because the 5-piece kit already came with a couple of 6 Ah batteries which I could run the chainsaw with. Plus the chainsaw was on special at Bunnings for $449, down from the usual $529 for the skin. And I knew I’d need a chainsaw because we were moving to a country property, and would be relying on a wood fire for heating. I also knew I wanted a battery electric saw rather than a petrol saw, and this DeWalt model seemed powerful enough to perform comparably to similar-sized petrol models.

So, how did it go? Well, I must say, I love the saw. I’ve mainly used it for cutting firewood, as well as for pruning/felling trees around the house and a bit of track-work in the local area.

This chainsaw, being electric, has some clear advantages over a petrol saw. It’s much quieter, though I think it's still loud enough to warrant the use of earmuffs. It consumes no fossil fuels nor produces any fumes that you’re unavoidably breathing in as with a petrol saw. Nor does it produce any greenhouse gases (we buy green electricity and recharge from the mains). It should require less maintenance, with less moving parts and less heat. And it’s more convenient, since you don’t have to buy and mix 2-stroke, and since it starts and turns off with the push/release of a button rather than requiring a pull-start.

The main thing holding back battery electric chainsaws compared to their petrol-powered stablemates has been power/performance, and perhaps the cost and run-time of batteries. I think this chainsaw makes good headway in both performance and run-time. While I’ve worked around and observed the use of petrol chainsaws throughout my life, I’ve never used one myself. I found this a very easy saw to learn on, so I can recommend it if you’re a beginner.

Despite my lack of experience on petrol saws, I do feel like this saw performs just as well as a similar-sized petrol saw. It cuts quickly, and rarely does the chain experience enough resistance for the motor to cut out. Given its impressive performance and its other advantages over a petrol saw, a battery electric saw like this one is an obvious choice over a petrol saw for general use. And I can only see performance, battery run-time and battery price improving over time.

I lent this saw to a friend who needed to cut firewood at one point, and he was impressed enough by its performance to go out and buy one for himself. And this friend is perhaps even more averse to spending money than I am!

What else do I like about this saw? It comes with a decent length bar (400 mm), which theoretically enables you to cut through 800 mm diameter logs. I’ve cut through hardwood logs thicker than the bar length without any problems. The chain tension is quick and easy to adjust and doesn’t require tools. The chain also has a narrow kerf, so it’s more efficient by removing less of the wood it’s cutting. The saw isn’t particularly light, but it’s not too heavy either, and is compact enough to carry in my back-pack while heading out on my bike. It also feels reasonably well balanced and comfortable to hold. I noticed that some reviewers complained about the thumb trigger being too stiff to push down, though I honestly haven’t found this an issue.

What don’t I like about the saw? I think it probably has too many plastic components, to the detriment of its durability. I think some of the more critical components should be made of steel/metal instead, such as those holding the bar in place, to make the saw more robust. The bucking spikes are disappointingly made of plastic rather than steel, and are pretty small, and thus don’t perform well. And I’ve found the chain brake to be a bit too sensitive, in that I sometimes trigger it accidentally because it only takes a small knock or push to do so, and my hand only just fits in behind it. It wasn’t too sensitive when it was new, but it feels l Ike it may have accumulated some gunk in the mechanism which prevents it from fully disengaging?

I believe there’s also a mistake in the file size recommended for this sawchain. The chain that came with my saw is a 3/8" LP (Low Profile) pitch, 0.043" (1.1mm) gauge and 56 drive links, semi-chisel, made by Oregon. The manual specifies “For best results, use a 4.5 mm file”, but I believe a 4.0 mm file is the correct size to use. The Sydney Tools website doesn’t specify a file size; the Total Tools website specifies a file size of 4 mm; the Trade Tools website specifies a file size of 4 mm. Other chain manufacturers that I checked which make the same sized chain all specify a file size of 4.0 mm. The friend who bought the same saw and was also initially using the 4.5 mm file as per the instruction manual is now “definitely of the opinion that 4.5 mm is too big and even 4 mm might be a touch too large”. I bought some replacement GB Evo II chains from Peter at Coona Sawchain Supply who confirmed a 5/32” (i.e. 4.0 mm) file was appropriate. The owner at my local Stihl shop stated the 4.0 mm file was correct. I asked the question about the same-sized Oregon chain on Amazon and someone answered that it was 4.5 mm. Oregon, who ought to be the authority on the matter since they made the chain, specify a file size of 4.5 mm on their website, yet when I emailed Oregon support, Jarvis replied and told me “5/32 at 30 degrees is the correct size” (5/32” = 4.0 mm), thereby contradicting their website. I suggested he correct their website, and to advise DeWalt on the correction as well. I didn't get a reply on that, and disappointingly I notice that their website still hasn’t been updated after nine months.

Unfortunately for me, before having done this research, not long after buying the saw, I went to buy a 4.5 mm file as specified in the user manual and discovered that 4.5 mm is quite an unusual file size for a sawchain, as the standard sizes appear to be 4.0 mm, 4.8 mm and 5.5 mm (5/32”, 6/32” (=3/16”), 7/32”). There seemed to be very few options for buying a 4.5 mm file besides the Oregon files. So, I ordered an Oregon file kit on Amazon which was shipped from the US. I do wonder how other owners of this saw have approached this problem.

The 4.5 mm file seemed to work okay initially, but after a handful of sharpenings, I noticed the chain's performance deteriorate significantly. One day I was cutting out some large holly tree suckers and it got to the point where it didn’t matter how much I sharpened the chain, it basically couldn’t get through the wood. Was it just my poor sharpening technique, you may wonder? It doesn’t appear so. My 4.5 mm Oregon file came with a guide to keep the sharpening angle at 30 degrees. I also had an experienced friend sharpen it for me, with the same result. What I surmise is that the file was too large for the cutters, such that the edge they were creating on the cutters was too flat, resulting in a chain that wouldn’t cut. I replaced my chain, bought a Stihl 2-in-1 filing guide with 4.0 mm files, and after multiple sharpenings with this file, I’ve had no issues with the replacement chain.

I also emailed DeWalt on this matter. The response from their Technical and Service Team wasn’t entirely clear. They confirmed that all of the ⅜” LP chains take a 4.0 mm file except for the Oregon chain, but seemed to stick with the narrative that the Oregon chains take a 4.5 mm file, and that it was because they wanted to shoehorn customers into buying their accessories. When I pressed them, and forwarded the correspondence I had with Oregon Support, they stated “use a 4.0mm or 5/32” round file” though I couldn’t understand their explanation for why a 4.5 mm file was listed.

Interestingly, DeWalt told me they had switched sawchain suppliers away from Oregon; they didn’t say who now supplies the chains though, or when they switched. Thus if you’re buying one of these saws new, this whole kerfuffle on file size may be irrelevant (assuming DeWalt have updated the manual to state a 4.0 mm file should be used and not a 4.5 mm file). Either way though, whether you have the older version with the Oregon chain or the newer one, the advice, based on the evidence above and my experience is clear - use a 4.0 mm file for this chainsaw.

My saw also developed another problem: while sawing through a horizontal log one day, the bar came loose in the vertical plane, to the extent that it cut the top of the guard. I’m not sure what the root cause of this was, but it seems like the bar was getting quite warm, which caused the plastic casing of the saw to also warm up, and the steel pin that is encased in that plastic that holds the bar in place moved, with deformation of the plastic surrounding the pin, as well as in the raised strip of plastic that fits into a slit in the bar a little further back than the pin. I’m not sure if the heat was due to normal friction (as I had been sawing for a while by that point) or abnormal friction due to the bar/chain not getting enough oil, perhaps due to a blockage caused by gunk build-up in the bar groove or an issue with the oil pump? Hopefully I was just unlucky and it’s not a design flaw. Until this point, I viewed the saw very favourably, but I was disappointed with this occurrence.

What’s disappointed me more is that I’ve been waiting literally more than eight months since I returned the saw under warranty, and I still haven’t received it back or received a replacement or refund. In frustration and desperation, with winter approaching in Central Victoria, I ended up buying another saw (exactly the same model) in March 2022, because without our firewood, we’d freeze during winter and we wouldn’t be able to cook on our wood stove. It’s a long story but I won’t go on about it since my review here is about the product itself, not the service provided by Bunnings or DeWalt.

Having done some research before-hand, I bought this saw because it appeared to be amongst the best battery electric saws available on the market in Australia, and I wanted a high quality saw. I was hoping to be able to use this saw for work (silviculture) where the petrol-powered Stihl MS 261 professional saws are the model of choice. I’m pretty sure this saw doesn’t outperform the Stihl model, but I was hopeful that it would still perform sufficiently well to get by, particularly for something like coppicing work.

I’ve also looked at Stihl’s battery electric models. My Dad owns their top two models and a friend has one too. I’ve used them and liked them, they felt good. Having not done a side-by-side speed test with them though, I can’t say which cuts faster. At any rate, if you’ve already got DeWalt 54V batteries and you’re after an electric chainsaw, this DeWalt model would be an obvious choice.

While writing this review, I checked the current DeWalt offerings and was excited to discover they’ve just released two new models of chainsaw. Both are more powerful, have longer bars, have steel bucking spikes, and seem to be generally more robust. In fact, on paper their new range-topping DCMCS575N-XE appears comparable to the petrol-powered Stihl MS 261 professional saw, so I think it’ll be great for my silviculture work, and I’m keen to get one. I’d love to be able to use an electric saw rather than a petrol saw for this work.

If you’re reading this and wondering whether to get the lower model DCM575 versus the newer models (DCMCS574 or DCMCS575), I’d suggest the DCM575 is a great little saw for firewood collection, camping trips, tree pruning/maintenance/felling around the home, track clearing and light-duty professional work (e.g. landscaping work, construction work). Yes, despite the issues I’ve had with mine, I still find it an excellent saw overall and am happy to recommend it. But for the heavy duty professional user (e.g. forestry worker, arborist), with the caveat of not having tested one, I suspect the newer more powerful models would be the way to go.

Didn’t think a cordless chainsaw could be so good – Surprisingly capable. The 9AH battery does about half an hour of cutting. No trouble going through 50cm diameter gum tree, green or dry. Nice n light, no fumes, no petrol, the bigger 40cm bar vs 30cm bar is much more capable. See the picture which is what I cut up with 3 battery recharges. The tool free chain tension adjustment is terrific. Not sure if it’s recommended but I put the battery in the freezer for 15 mins to cool it down and it’d then fully recharge in a bit over an hour.

It's been a good year of use and I've found that a quality chain is worth it. I got three chains for the price of a Dewalt/Oregon chain and they got blunt in less than 1/4 of the time. So, it actually cost me more in money and effort and time compared to getting a Dewalt/Oregon chain. I've now changed to the 406 mm Milwaukee bar and chain because it's in stock and it seems as good as the Oregon so far.