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Amazon is advertising this new chainsaw from Greenworks that would be the first 16" Li-Ion battery powered chainsaw AFAIK. It is powered by the same 40V G-MAX batteries used in the smaller 12" chainsaw and other tools, including the 20" twin-blade lawn mower. The main difference other than the larger bar is the use of a brushless motor and addition of a chain brake. Amazon shows it as being "temporarily out of stock." The price includes a G-MAX 40-volt 4 Ah battery and charger.

Amazon.com : GreenWorks 20312 G-MAX 16-Inch DigiPro Brushless Chainsaw, Includes 40-volt 4 AH Li-Ion Battery and Charger : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Interesting, they appear to show a 'tool only' version as well.

BTW - my 40V g-max hedge trimmer died on it's second use. It just slowed down and then the 'magic smoke' came out of the motor vents. It kinda ran a little slower than my old B&D 18V trimmer but, I have no idea if that was a red flag or not. Worked fine the first time.

guess I'll be calling GW tomorrow.

1 Lucky Texan said:

Interesting, they appear to show a 'tool only' version as well.

BTW - my 40V g-max hedge trimmer died on it's second use. It just slowed down and then the 'magic smoke' came out of the motor vents. It kinda ran a little slower than my old B&D 18V trimmer but, I have no idea if that was a red flag or not. Worked fine the first time.

guess I'll be calling GW tomorrow.

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Bummer on the hedge trimmer. Personally, I wouldn't waste my time with greenworks and just contact Amazon for a RMA. It's clearly not repairable.

On a separate note, it appears that this DigiPro brushless motor is going to be the basis for a new series of tools that promise much better performance than the previous generations of 40 volt G-MAX powered units. I just found this blower / vac that claims a maximum air speed of 185 mph and air volume of 340 cfm. This is much better than the 150 mph and 135 cfm of my Gen1 (pre G-MAX) 40 volt blower and compare very favorably with the 165 mph and 391 cfm specs of my Echo PB-250LN gas handheld blower. Maybe we can finally get a battery powered blower than can actually blow leaves and is just not some sort of wimpy air duster.

Amazon.com : GreenWorks 24312 G-MAX DigiPro Brushless Blower, 40-volt : Patio, Lawn & Garden

MowerMike said:

Bummer on the hedge trimmer. Personally, I wouldn't waste my time with greenworks and just contact Amazon for a RMA. It's clearly not repairable.

On a separate note, it appears that this DigiPro brushless motor is going to be the basis for a new series of tools that promise much better performance than the previous generations of 40 volt G-MAX powered units. I just found this blower / vac that claims a maximum air speed of 185 mph and air volume of 340 cfm. This is much better than the 150 mph and 135 cfm of my Gen1 (pre G-MAX) 40 volt blower and compare very favorably with the 165 mph and 391 cfm specs of my Echo PB-250LN gas handheld blower. Maybe we can finally get a battery powered blower than can actually blow leaves and is just not some sort of wimpy air duster.

Amazon.com : GreenWorks 24312 G-MAX DigiPro Brushless Blower, 40-volt : Patio, Lawn & Garden

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What's involved with the Amazon RMA? Will I have to pay shipping to get this thing back to them? It isn't 'really' a DOA issue, just a very early failure.

I will investigate that.

1 Lucky Texan said:

What's involved with the Amazon RMA? Will I have to pay shipping to get this thing back to them? It isn't 'really' a DOA issue, just a very early failure.

I will investigate that.

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Just go to the Amazon website, log into your account, go to Your Orders and click on Return or Replace Items. I've never used it, but I believe they will give you a RMA with a shipping label and that you will not incur any costs. I'm pretty certain you can return anything for any reason within 30 days of purchase. Let us know if you find out otherwise.

MowerMike said:

Just go to the Amazon website, log into your account, go to Your Orders and click on Return or Replace Items. I've never used it, but I believe they will give you a RMA with a shipping label and that you will not incur any costs. I'm pretty certain you can return anything for any reason within 30 days of purchase. Let us know if you find out otherwise.

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Thanx, looks like you're right. Fairly painless and they even have a way to select 'replacement'. Only problem was, their system never printed the return labels. But I have an email in about that so, they may have to send me a label.

still, looks like it'll work - thanx again for the suggestion!

The Amazon listing has been updated with new images that appear to be actual design photos rather than drawings. It is now shown as available for pre-order as either a bare tool only for about $220 or including 4 Ah battery and charger for about $340. The chainsaw housing appears to be more substantial than the 12" 40 volt version with metal bucking teeth and a chain brake integrated into the hand guard. A proper sprocket tip bar is used, but unfortunately a skip tooth chain as well. Since the bar is a standard 16" size, it should be a simple matter to replace the chain with a normal one.

Amazon.com : GreenWorks 20312 G-MAX 16-Inch DigiPro Brushless Chainsaw, Includes 40V 4amp GMAX Battery + Charger : Patio, Lawn & Garden

http://www.amazon.com/GreenWorks-20...2-fkmr0&keywords=greenworks+digipro+brushless

Also updated is the Amazon listing for the blower / vac, which now includes a photo image. It is being sold on pre-order as tool only for about $180 or including a 4 Ah battery and charger for about $302. Apparently it does not include the vacuum attachment, which may be an extra cost option.

Amazon.com : GreenWorks 24312 G-MAX DigiPro Brushless Blower, 40-volt : Patio, Lawn & Garden

http://www.amazon.com/GreenWorks-24...8-1-fkmr2&keywords=greenworks+g-max+brushless

Here's a short promo video for the chainsaw:

Update on the blower / vac

It now appears that the vacuum attachment feature will be included with the blower, which helps explain its higher cost when compared to the other G-MAX blower model. Also, it claims a 10:1 mulch ratio, which suggests that it will have a metal impeller. More details here >>> Amazon.com : GreenWorks 24312 G-MAX DigiPro Brushless Blower, 40-volt : Patio, Lawn & Garden

More images of the chainsaw:

I have used cored electric chainsaws and I find they only good for some light duty trimming. This being a cordless battery operated chain saw just my thoughts are its going to be just for very light duty and small jobs.

I just received notification from Amazon that the chainsaw is now in stock and available for purchase, but only with the battery and charger included. The tool only model has still not been released. I pre-ordered one about two months ago and the estimated delivery date to me is sometime late next week. I'll post more details after I receive it and have a chance to run it, although I currently have nothing meaningful to test it on.

MowerMike said:

I just received notification from Amazon that the chainsaw is now in stock and available for purchase, but only with the battery and charger included.

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Thanks for letting us know! I notice it's now $400, but could have sworn it was listed at $370 earlier this week when it was not yet in stock. Guess it pays to pre-order.

Mark Widmer said:

Thanks for letting us know! I notice it's now $400, but could have sworn it was listed at $370 earlier this week when it was not yet in stock. Guess it pays to pre-order.

Click to expand...

It was only $340 two months ago when I pre-ordered it. :biggrin:

The blower / vac is also now in stock for purchase, but only with the battery and charger included like the chainsaw. It too has reverted to full price, which is $50 less than the chainsaw. The difference between the complete packages and the tool only versions in both cases is $150, which is close to the cost of a 4 Ah G-MAX battery and charger when bought separately, so there is little advantage to buying it complete if you already have a battery and charger for another tool, and simply want an additional battery.

The chainsaw arrived today and at first I thought it was a dud, because it would not start when I inserted the battery, pushed the lockout button and pulled the trigger as I do with all my other hand held electric tools. The manual's instructions seemed to indicate that was the way to start it, but I then noticed something else in the descriptive figure and on the chainsaw itself. In addition to the lockout button and the trigger switch, there is also an On/Off switch, which powers the unit on digitally and must be switched on for the unit to operate. It works like a spring loaded toggle, push and release to turn on, then push and release again to turn off. When the saw is turned on, a green light illuminates and there are four quick beeps to indicated that the unit is ready for use. If the chain brake is pushed forward, a red light will also appear and there will be a continuous series of warning beeps. There are many other beep and red light sequences for various faults, such as overheated battery and an overload condition. In most cases, the saw will auto power down to prevent damage, so even if you don't release the trigger damage will be averted. So, basically there are three separate switch circuits: On/Off, inertia chain brake, and trigger.

Overall construction seems a lot more solid than my other electric chain saws. The bucking teeth are steel, instead of a plastic case molding and all the fasteners are star (Torx) head. It weighs nearly 12 lbs with the battery installed, which is about 2-1/2 lbs more than my other Greenworks 40V Li-Ion chainsaw with a 14" bar and chain. It runs at a much higher speed too, and comes equipped with a genuine Oregon sprocket tip bar and chain, instead of the no-name skip tooth chain on my other electric saws. Then auto chain oiler has a nice tether on the cap to avoid loss and seems to works well. The saw includes not only the usual plastic scabbard, but also a nice two-piece soft carry case, with a separate velcro scabbard piece that can be removed if the plastic scabbard is being used, although it will fit over it if need be.

Some additional observations:

1) The saw will auto power off after approximately one minute of inactivity to prevent discharging the battery. The saw can be manually powered off at any time by depressing and releasing the On/Off button, but it is unnecessary to do so when work is done, since it will do so automatically after timing out. The power switch is a continually open circuit, which is closed momentarily when depressed, and all actual switching is done electronically by the digital control unit. :thumbsup:

2) The manual is poorly written, confusing and full of contradictions, omissions and errors. Which is to say, it's your typical Greenworks manual. The instructions for starting the saw were obviously written by someone who has never seen or used the saw, and almost had me calling customer support to figure out why the saw wouldn't start up at first when I tried to follow the manual's instructions. There is no mention in the manual of the operation of the On/Off switch or the auto power off feature. :confused2:

3) in addition to the usual Greenworks 4 year warranty on the tool and 2 year warranty on the Li-Ion battery, there is also a 10 year or lifetime to original owner warranty on the brushless motor. There isn't much that can wear out on a brushless motor other than bearings/bushings and rotor wire insulation, and no doubt other components will wear out and fail long before the motor does. :thumbsup:

4) The stock chain and bar are 0.043" gauge instead of the more normal 0.050" gauge, so it will be interesting to see how this might impact cutting efficiency and durability. It also means I won't using the spare 16" 0.050" gauge chain I have sitting in my parts bin. :frown:

Another promotional type video. I find it amusing that the user is comparing an old saw with a probably worn and dull chain to a new one, however, it does give you an idea of the capabilities of the new G-MAX 16" chainsaw.

The G-MAX DigiPro products are now listed on the Greenworks website. Here's another promo video for the chainsaw:

Another video of the chainsaw in action.

Greenworks DigiPro Blower / Vac

Here's a promo video of the blower / vac / mulcher now on the Greenworks website. I've had mine for two weeks now, and have only used the blower function so far. It's definitely much more powerful than previous cordless blowers I've owned. I has two power settings to extend battery run time when maximum power is not needed, which is 90% of the time. I'd estimate 30 minutes run time at setting 4 (80%) in low power mode with the 4 Ah G-MAX battery. It weighs 8.7 lbs in blower mode with the 4 Ah battery, which is about 1.3 lbs less than my Echo PB-250LN handheld gas blower with a half-full tank.

Re: Greenworks DigiPro Blower / Vac

MowerMike said:

Here's a promo video of the blower / vac / mulcher now on the Greenworks website. I've had mine for two weeks now, and have only used the blower function so far. It's definitely much more powerful than previous cordless blowers I've owned. I has two power settings to extend battery run time when maximum power is not needed, which is 90% of the time. I'd estimate 30 minutes run time at setting 4 (80%) in low power mode with the 4 Ah G-MAX battery. It weighs 8.7 lbs in blower mode with the 4 Ah battery, which is about 1.3 lbs less than my Echo PB-250LN handheld gas blower with a half-full tank.

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looks like it may go on sale saturday?

******
This Saturday, October 5, keep your eyes peeled on Amazon's Today's Deals Page for the GreenWorks Lightning Deal!

$100.00 OFF GreenWorks DigiPro Brushless G-MAX 185 MPH Blower/Vac.
Amazon Today's Deals ******

Re: Greenworks DigiPro Blower / Vac

1 Lucky Texan said:

looks like it may go on sale saturday?

******
This Saturday, October 5, keep your eyes peeled on Amazon's Today's Deals Page for the GreenWorks Lightning Deal!

$100.00 OFF GreenWorks DigiPro Brushless G-MAX 185 MPH Blower/Vac.
Amazon Today's Deals ******

Click to expand...

I just checked and the deal is effective now, but only on the complete unit, which includes the battery and charger. The list price is $349 and the lightning deal price is $245, which is 30% and $104 off list price. However, they have been selling it for quite some time for only $289, so the real savings is only $44. The tool only option remains at full list price of $199. It will be interesting to see how many people bite on this. As of the time that I am posting this, there is less than 3 hours left on the lightning deal and 3% of the available stock has been claimed.

Update at 11:30am cst - 15% of the stock has been claimed with 30 minutes remaining in the lightning deal.

Update at 12.00pm cst - The lightning deal has expired and 16% of the stock was claimed.

Meanwhile, the price has been increased to $326.48 or about 6% off list price and $37.48 more than the previous discounted price of $289. The tool only price remains unchanged at $199. Since Amazon usually posts an alert when stock level drops to 20 or less and no such alert has been posted, it's a good bet there are still a lot more than 20 of these units in stock.

Update at 10:30pm cst - The price has been further increased to $344.03 or just 1% off list price.

Greenworks DigiPro Blower / Vac

Well, the Amazon price has reverted to $289 (17% off list price), where they were originally. So, I guess this product isn't selling very well. There are only six reviews so far, and only one from an "Amazon verified purchase," which means that only one of those reviews are for an item that actually sold.

Re: Greenworks DigiPro Blower / Vac

MowerMike said:

Well, the Amazon price has reverted to $289 (17% off list price), where they were originally. So, I guess this product isn't selling very well. There are only six reviews so far, and only one from an "Amazon verified purchase," which means that only one of those reviews are for an item that actually sold.

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I wish I didn't already have the small one, it is adequate for most of what I do, but much less powerful than the corded blower I passed along to my SIL.

Re: Greenworks DigiPro Blower / Vac

1 Lucky Texan said:

I wish I didn't already have the small one, it is adequate for most of what I do, but much less powerful than the corded blower I passed along to my SIL.

Click to expand...

One thing I discovered with the small 40V blower is that it works a lot better with the adjustable nozzle tip piece removed. The nozzle tip constricts and disrupts the airflow badly, and is a very poor design. Although it still lacks the blowing power of the large DigiPro unit, it works well enough now to be useful for simple cleanup tasks.

Re: Greenworks DigiPro Blower / Vac

MowerMike said:

One thing I discovered with the small 40V blower is that it works a lot better with the adjustable nozzle tip piece removed. The nozzle tip constricts and disrupts the airflow badly, and is a very poor design. Although it still lacks the blowing power of the large DigiPro unit, it works well enough now to be useful for simple cleanup tasks.

Click to expand...

good suggestion, I have that tip fully 'open' but hadn't considered removing it.

special pricing at Amazon.

Dunno how long it lasts but I saw $199 for the saw/no batt or charger

I think the digipro blower is on sale too

fyi

Back to the chainsaw discussion:

Mark Widmer (in August) said:

Thanks for letting us know! I notice it's now $400, but could have sworn it was listed at $370 earlier this week when it was not yet in stock. Guess it pays to pre-order.

Click to expand...

MowerMike (August) said:

It was only $340 two months ago when I pre-ordered it. :biggrin:

Click to expand...

1 Lucky Texan (a few days ago) said:

special pricing at Amazon.

Dunno how long it lasts but I saw $199 for the saw/no batt or charger

I think the digipro blower is on sale too

fyi

Click to expand...

With the battery & charger it's $300 now. Still lower than last summer, even the pre-order prices. Wonder if that's because we're out of season, or if the price will stay this low or drop even more.

The reviews at amazon look really good. 25 of 32 gave it 5 stars, and only 1/32 gave below 3 stars.

Mark Widmer said:

The reviews at amazon look really good. 25 of 32 gave it 5 stars, and only 1/32 gave below 3 stars.

Click to expand...

The problem is that about half of those favorable reviews are from shills who didn't have to pay for the tool.

Re: Greenworks DigiPro Blower / Vac

I just ordered the blower/vac from Amazon. Currently priced at $249, with the battery & charger (without those the price is now $199, so I'm paying $50 for them).

Reviews were critical of its vacumm & mulching performance, so I was hesitant at first since that was my main reason for getting it. But it looks like it could be useful for blowing snow off my porch and steps as well, at least in small amounts -- when I get a chance to try that, I'll post back with an update.

Amazon is currently selling the bare chainsaw tool only (no battery or charger) for $115.09, which is 54% off the normal price of $249. It uses the 40 Volt G-MAX battery, and will work with either the 2 Amp or 4 Amp versions.

GreenWorks 20022? I was impressed with the way this chainsaw performed and the quality of build. It is a solid machine with no obvious flaws except for the automatic oiling injector being a little too enthusiastic about providing oil to the chain.

Amazon Warehouse (where they have damaged boxs/missing owners manuals or w'ever stuff)
has a digipro for $83


Amazon.com: GreenWorks 20322 DigiPro G-MAX 40V 16-Inch Cordless Chainsaw, Tool Only: Amazon Warehouse Deals