Oregon Cordless CS300 Review
Our Verdict
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Oregon Cordless CS300 is not an impressive cordless chainsaw. It has an integrated chain sharpener, which we find to be a cool feature, but it doesn't keep up with the others in our test metrics including noise, ease of use, and battery.
Performance Comparison
Likes
The best thing about the Oregon CS300 is the integrated “PowerSharp” chain sharpening system. In order to sharpen the chain, the only thing that you have to do is lift a lever that holds a sharpening stone against the chain within the saw body and hold the throttle for a few seconds to get a quick bit of sharpening done. Old school chainsaw fanatics may rather sharpen their saws with a file, but for those that are looking to keep a chain sharp with minimal maintenance, this feature could be crucial.
Dislikes
Although the Oregon doesn't register the loudest on the sound meter, the noise that comes from the saw at full throttle is unequivocally annoying. When it comes to cutting performance this saw is near the back of the pack and stops and stalls without much force.
It has a so-so runtime measured at 25 minutes, but its charge time is where it falls near the back of the pack again. It takes the battery nearly 2 hours to charge, which is not a very solid runtime to charge time ratio. It does an ok job of conserving oil but without an indicator window, you're stuck opening the cap to see how much lube you have left.
The chain tensioning system operates well, but we have our reserves about the reliability. Of all of the cordless chainsaws that we've tested the Oregon is one of the only ones that we've ever seen the bar come loose during operation.
Value
This cordless chainsaw does not offer the greatest degree of value. The Oregon is not the cheapest saw that we've tested and it is far from having the highest degree of performance. There are other chainsaws that do a better job but have a lower price tag.
Conclusion
To sum it up, the Oregon CS300 is not a chainsaw that we would recommend that our readers purchase. It doesn't offer much in the way of power or performance, it's not the easiest to use, it's loud, and it has a weak battery.