ECHO eFORCE DCS-5000 18″ Chainsaw Review

As an avid outdoorsman of the Pacific Northwest I wanted a chainsaw for both property maintenance and nature outing purposes. I decided to go with an electric chainsaw due to the convenience of just charging on my workbench. With today’s advancement in battery operated tools, I was not concerned with the potential lack of power of electric vs gas chainsaw.  This is what led me to the Echo eForce DCS-5000 Brushless chainsaw.

What caught my eye with the Echo chainsaw was that it could make 200 cuts per charge. There is no way I would come remotely close to needing that many cuts per charge. I just needed a chainsaw for property maintenance to include removing and pruning trees. I am also an avid overlander (vehicle camping in the wilderness). I wanted a chainsaw I could take with me overlanding for the purposes of felling standing deads for firewood and more importantly being able to push further into the wilderness without having to worry about a tree falling and blocking the road.  Here are some of the key features:

eFORCE Battery Line Benefits:

• Long usage times
• Power for dense/tough jobs
• Quiet operation
• Easy start-up and maneuverability
• Simple maintenance and storage

DCS-5000 18″ Chainsaw Benefits:

• Convenient, packed with features, and most importantly, packed with power.
• Capable of 200 cuts on a single charge
• 18 in. bar and chain for larger cuts
• Flip-lever oil cap for easy removal
• Brushless motor

For the purposes of this review, I used the chainsaw to clear a large tree on a hiking trail I maintain. 

After putting on my safety gear, I cut some smaller trees that the larger one fell on. The smaller trees had a trunk about the size of 10″ or so. The Echo chainsaw cut through the smaller tree trunks with ease as one would expect. The real test was the larger tree with a trunk of approximately 35-40″ and boy was I impressed. The Echo chainsaw cut through it like butter! The chainsaw did not jam or feel like it lost power at any time.

I made approximately 20 cuts with the chainsaw and the battery still showed full life! The chainsaw was easy to control at all times and comfortable to work with. 

Final Thoughts:

The Echo eForce DCS-5000 exceeded my expectations with its strong brushless motor. I had no issues cutting wood from small to large in size. Really easy to operate with an impressive battery life. I would recommend the chainsaw for anyone looking for an electric chainsaw that can handle the same tasks as a gas powered one.