Makita DUC252Z

DUC353 – Just been giving my new favorite tool a good work out and this is a serious bit of gear!. I am talking about the bigger one with the batteries on iether side of the front handle. I have a double battery charger and two pairs of batteries and with this combo you can go all day! I have just made short work of two full medium-sized trees all chopped… Read more

into fire sized bits. THIS THING IS THE FUTURE FAR PREMIUM TO THE SMELLY OLD TWO STROKE.

Instead of doing a mix in the old gerry can i have a couple of 6amp 18volts humming away in the charger that is running of my solar panels! 10 OUT OF 10!!

Very surprised – Wanted a small top handel saw for prunning and camping, was looking at a different brand and came across this one on a comparison site, already having a ute load of 18v Makita it was a no brainer, well what massive surprise, I was laughing to myself thinking this was going to be a joke of a saw but had to give it a go and I was so wrong, this is… Read more

fantastic, so fast and strong, lasts longer than I want to swing it, anybody can use it, very simple to operate, highly recommend.

Needs a redesign – I bought this saw on eBay from the US because the US version (XCU02Z) has a longer bar and chain (12" rather than 10"). Why does the Australian version have a 2" shorter chain, you ask? I don't know either. Anyway, the saws are otherwise identical. I've now used it for 2 months on fallen timber, small trees etc. It's a huge disappointment. The… Read more

chain has popped off umpteen times now, despite being tightened as much as I can by hand (and I have big, strong hands).

So why is this happening? I think it's because the hand-tightened "tool-free" clamp that holds the bar onto the machine does not hold it securely enough, so that the bar is able to move a little bit backwards during use, and this results in a loose chain, which results in chain dismounts. There is a reason Stihl and Husqvarna usually have two BOLTS to hold the chain bar securely. Now it's clear why they do that. The Makita's hand-tightened clamp needs maximum force to hold the bar in place, and even then you are well advised to lift the chain off the bar every few minutes to check of it's becoming loose. Suggestion to Makita: bring back the twin bolts like other manufacturers.

The oil does not feed as much as it should, even though I've adjusted the flow to full open.. Almost no bar oil flows onto the chain. My gas saws (both Stihl and Husqvarna) feed oil very reliably, but both my Makitas (this one and a corded model I have) do not. I can run the saw close to the ground to see the oily streak that should appear under it, but with the Makitas you have to wait for 1-2 minutes before oil starts flowing. With the major brands, it's immediate. Suggestion to Makita: study how other manufacturers have designed their bar oil feed systems, and copy them.

Another reviewer here says this machine "Uses VERY little chain oil". That's actually a bad thing. Mine uses almost no oil too, but my Stihl and Husqvarna use a full tank of oil for a full tank of gas, which is as it should be. If you don't have oil moving liberally to the chain, the chain life is severely compromised.

I can use it with one hand, which is useful. if you are prepared to check the chain every 10 minutes, this may work for you

Absolutely Awesome – Love it. Cuts through enough wood for over 1 day and night's worth of camp fire wood. Quite thick too. We did some cuts that were longer than our chain bar (had a couple of goes to get through and around the log, but it was impressive) Yes need to re tension the chain, but not a bother at all. Uses VERY little chain oil. We didn't need the… Read more

biggest amp hour batteries either. We used our 2 x 3ah batteries and they had plenty of power to do the wood we needed.

Another makita failure – Bought this chainsaw a few months ago , I chose it because I have batteries and chargers from my work tools ,I am a builder and have used my share of power and battery tools over the past 30 years so I consider myself reasonably experienced , Have taken it to a repair agent twice now as it smokes from motor after a bit of use , second visit they… Read more

fitted a new armature , used it today for about 20 minutes with same result as before, Also have had chain tensioner replaced , pretty poor , will not hold tension for long , I have to say I have a ute full of Makita power and 18v battery tools and they a are as good as any , but when they go wrong you will have to battle to get Makita to look after you.