Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

In that moment where you are lowering the spinning chain onto a log, it feels fine. It cuts just as well as my gas saw (small Stihl model). If that were the whole experience of usage and storage, this would be a five-star review. Unfortunately, there is more to the story. Here are the problems I've encountered which make me regret not choosing another brand: 1. [ Oil leaking ] When stored in the normal position (e.g., on a shelf) the saw leaks chain oil aggressively. I returned the first one to Amazon because of this (after failing to get through to EGO support), and the replacement leaks as well (although less so). I was going to abandon EGO over this and try GreenWorks, but then I learned through reviews that they also tend to leak. Seriously? This is the modern battery-electric future? We can build brushless motors and high capacity batteries, but we can't make a tool that doesn't leak all over the floor? 2. [ Random shutdowns ] Even in light-duty operation, after a few minutes the saw starts to refuse to go when pulling the trigger. When this happens there is no response whatsoever... as if you hadn't pulled the trigger at all. After 20 seconds or so, this behavior goes away and the saw starts working normally again (for a few minutes). Is this some kind of thermal protection feature misbehaving? I can live with this so far, but it is very annoying. Also, both my original purchase and the replacement do this, so it doesn't appear to be a one-off flaw. BTW I have determined that if I store it up-side-down (resting on the shelf on the chain brake and the handle) it does not leak. 3. [ Refuses to start with any resistance ] Have you heard that electric motors have way more torque (than gas engines) at low RPM? That may be true in principle, but it wont help you here. The saw refuses to engage (from standstill or very low speed) if there is any resistance on the chain's rotation. I don't know if this is some kind of safety feature gone wrong or what, but you have to be extra careful not to let the saw stop in an unfinished cut, or to get pinched by pressure from shifting logs/branches. Once you let the chain stop or go to low RPM, it wont start again until the saw is free, so you will be wiggling the saw out of the unfinished cut without any assistance from the chain or the motor. Ideally, of course, you would never get pinched or have to stop in the middle of a cut for any reason, but we do not live in an ideal world. Take care to keep that chain spinning at full speed until the saw is 100% clear of the wood.