Ego Power+ CS1400 Review

Unlike most of the cordless chainsaw manufacturers that we selected for this review, Ego did not begin selling cordless power tools as an afterthought or in response to a change in the market. Since the inception of the company, Ego has been a gasoline-free and cord-free tool manufacturer. Their focus on battery-powered tool shows in the quality and high-end performance of their products. The Power+ CS1400, however, does not quite keep up with every saw in our review. Its wind-up time is on the lower end of the spectrum which isn't a huge deal if you aren't in a hurry. This is also one of the only models that we've seen to date without a battery level indicator. It should be noted that this is the only model that we've reviewed that claims to be weather resistant.

Performance Comparison

Likes

For one, the saw performance of the Ego Power+ CS1400 is above most of the field. It had a quick cutting time in our side-by-side dimensional wood trials, posting an average of 9.5 seconds.

Where the Ego really seemed to shine was when we took it to the wood yard to buck heavy, wet pine rounds. It cuts through larger rounds nearly as easily as the smaller ones.

The Ego is a fairly easy saw to use. In large part, this is due to its simple chain brake system, safety switch, and variable speed trigger. Many of the other saws we have seen have unnecessary extra buttons and switches to get the saw running. Three switches and a trigger offers plenty of protection against the saw being accidentally engaged.

The Power+ did fairly well in our battery tests — it didn't have the longest runtime, but it had one of the fastest charge times that we've ever seen out of a cordless power tool.

The Power+ is one of the best saws we've reviewed to date for noise. It only registered a higher decibel reading than saws that it far outperformed in every other way. From 50 feet away it is one of the less whiny and annoying saws.

Dislikes

Unfortunately, we found that many of the Ego Power+'s performance characteristics that we didn't like fall within the same metrics that displayed its strengths. Despite the fact that this model has an overall good saw performance, the Ego fell behind in wind-up time. A saw that takes so long to get going is not as useful as one that can make quicker cuts, so it loses points in this assessment.

This model does not have a battery in the ideal location and the battery, unlike many other models, takes two hands to attach. Batteries that require one hand to attach or detach are much easier to use because you don't have to set the saw down to attach or remove them. Additionally, this model lacks a battery level indicator which makes it impossible to know exactly how much longer you'll have to make cuts before the saw runs out of juice.

The Ego doesn't have the greatest chain tensioning system. The main knob that holds the bar to the saw body works well, but the tensioning wheel is hard to turn especially with gloves on.

Value

The Ego Power+ is justly priced. It offers a great degree of performance but it also won't leave your pocketbook empty. It missed earning our Best Buy award by a matter of a few points.

Conclusion

Although the Power+ is strong in many aspects this model could use a few improvements to catch up to the leaders of the pack. In general, it's a good choice for an efficient and effective cordless chainsaw.