Oregon CS1500 Self-Sharpening Electric Chain Saw

I bought two of these, about 5 years ago. One for my neighbor whose corded saw from another manufacturer died, and one for myself because the price was right and I wanted a new saw. Okay, it is corded. You knew that when you bought it. Here's the deal, though. I used this saw moderately frequently for fairly heavy sawing tasks for 5 years before it quit on me. Yes. It quit on me. I was sawing through 20" thick ash, and had been for some time, when the brushes finally burned up. I thought it was done and went out and bought myself a cordless saw, which I dearly love, but I was just cleaning up my shop and saw this poor fella sitting there waiting for me to decide what to do with it. I decided to open up the motor and see whether I could save it. First, it is easy to open the motor. Four screws and you are in. Second, it is easy to pull the brushes, two screws and twist two little metal bars away and you have them out. Then pull them off the spade connectors and you are free to go. Okay, but no one makes brushes for a cheap corded chainsaw, right? Wrong! $14 later, I have new brushes made for this specific saw ordered from Amazon and provided by Oregon themselves. In this age of disposable junk designed to fail and increase profits, that is called standing behind your product. I give Oregon enormous credit for that. As to all the other stuff, it cuts well with a sharp chain (like any other decent saw), it is reasonably easy to maneuver, at least as good as any other corded saw. It is quieter than gas, a bit louder than cordless electric -- brushless motors are quiet, but they are also expensive. It works quite well, and has put up with more abuse than it was probably designed for. The oiler works as well as any other oiler I have seen. It doesn't leak and it keeps the chain lubricated. The quick sharpening feature works (though it will wear out your chain faster than manual sharpening) and is really convenient when you don't want to stop and sharpen you chain. The chains and bars are reasonably cheap, so wearing out a chain is not a huge issue. If you are a serious forester, get a serious saw. Stihl makes some great ones, but you already know that, and if you are reading this review, I am laughing at you. If you want convenience and are willing to pay for it, get a cordless electric. There are several good ones out there, and they work really well, even on heavy work. Not naming brands because that is unfair. If you want a cheap saw that you can fix when it wears out and that will serve you around the yard trimming trees and cutting up small firewood just fine, probably for many years if you don't abuse it like I did, this is the saw for you. I can't speak for other brands, but Oregon clearly stands behind their product and has made a good one in this saw. Other people make better saws, but not for this price. Most other people won't sell you replacement parts for anything this inexpensive.

I've used mine for two seasons now cutting/bucking firewood, removing saplings, branches and such. What I can say after two years of use: True, you no longer have to fiddle with carburetors, mix oil and gas and worry about ethanol dissolving the gaskets in the carb, but you now have a couple new tasks and that is keeping track of, and constantly untangling, stepping over and keeping the extension cord clear of the saw. I use a 2,400Watt portable power station along with a very heavy 30 foot extension cord when I get firewood or I'm out in a field. The Oregon CS1500 will tax the power supply to 2,400 watts and pop the breaker, if you push the saw. I've also popped the breaker at home on a 15 amp branch circuit, so you gotta let the saw do the work. You can't bear down and force it. This second season I noticed the power draw on the saw (from the readout on my portable power supply) was about 200 Watts lower than it was last year. I switched from traditional bar lube to synthetic 30 weight motor oil and saw another approximately 100 watt drop. I didn't pop a breaker once for the last cord of wood I cut. Evidently it needs a break in period of some 30 hours or so before it loosens up a bit. Last year I removed the self sharpener and got a proper chain for it. The Oregon 62-91 semi chisel .050" gauge 3/8" L.P. chain fits perfectly, cuts waaaay better and allows you to sharpen it traditionally. Also, it doesn't chatter as much. The self-sharpening chain CHATTERED LIKE MAD on full bar length cuts and there didn't seem to be anything I could do about it. I haven't tried a full chisel chain( I don't think?), so I can't comment on that. If you are just a casual user, stick with the self-sharpening chain it came with. It's probably not worth the hassle of modding for casual use, and the self sharpening is really trick, and saves a lot of time. The self sharpening chain is cool and all, but doesn't perform very well if you're used to a good performing gas saw. Also, it's kinda heavy, as to be expected. Also, also, it isn't as loud as a gas saw by far, but is still pretty loud. One thing I definitely like from a safety standpoint is that as soon as you release the trigger, the chain stops almost instantly, while the motor spins down, so there is some type of disconnect. I very much like the one handed chain tension adjustment. I've had a few saws over the years with this option and some were garbage, but this saw is very good. Trigger: is all or nothing. There's no way to do a half throttle blip to remove a twig or something. Quick comment on the oiler: It's a proper oiler that doesn't throw gobs of lube or dry out the bar. It is just about perfect. Resevoir is kinda small. I wish my other saws had an oiler as consistant as this. A corded brushless version of this saw with variable trigger, a wee bit more power (and hopefully a little less weight) would be absolutely awesome. And, I would buy it, if it would handle a 20 inch bar and chain.

Update: May 2025 I had been using this chainsaw for about a year without incident after switching to ordinary chains and sharpening the chains by hand (without using the Powersharp feature), as I wrote in my original review. A couple of weeks ago, however, the chain grabbed the wood and came off the bar, somewhat violently, perhaps because I was applying too much pressure. No big deal, chains come off saws. I put the chain back on, though, and it came off immediately. After two or three more repetitions, I examined the bar and sprocket, and found that the e-clip (also called an e-ring) holding the sprocket in place was gone. Looked around the ground there but couldn't find it (it's a very small part), and the sprocket+e-clip replacement kit seemed to be out of stock everywhere. So I called Oregon and explained things, and they said they'd send me a new e-clip gratis. I didn't want to wait a week for it though, so I went to a local hardware store and bought e-clips in a few sizes. The first one I tried, 5/16", fit perfectly, and the saw runs fine now. Bumped my rating up to 5/5 on the strength of the excellent customer service (although they didn't expedite shipment). Original review, fall 2024: I have been using this chainsaw for six months or so. I like it a lot, and have not had most of the problems that others here have described. The chain jumped off the saw once, but I think I was not keeping the chain sufficiently taut. I am in the habit of checking the chain tightness every 10 minutes or so, and have not noticed rapid slackening etc. However. While the "Powersharp" automatic sharpening feature seemed very nice the first few times I tried it, I found that after maybe four to six weeks and maybe a dozen sharpenings, it was no longer really cutting. Pulling the lever to sharpen the chain had no effect. Bought a new chain+stone combo, tried using it; essentially the same result. After a while the sharpening feature doesn't work. My understanding is that the depth gauge no longer works because the teeth are reduced in height as they are sharpened. As such, these chains are designed to be disposable, so to speak. They work for awhile, are fine for a few months of continuous use, and then must be replaced. That at least has been my experience. I replaced the second chain with a standard 3/8" 0.05 gauge Sensilin chain, and have been using it for some time now. It's great. Cuts like a dream, and I have not yet had to sharpen it. But armed with files for the purpose and an excellent Youtube video (look up the "No Nonsense Guide to Chainsaw Sharpening" by FarmCraft101, the best video guide to chain sharpening I've seen--indeed, one of the best DIY videos I've ever seen on Youtube), I don't think I'll have trouble sharpening it by hand. In short: an excellent saw, except for the sharpening feature. Replace the chain with a standard chain, and I'd give it five stars; but that's not what you get when you buy it here.

About a week or so ago, we had a storm that blew over a 50' tall, 14" diameter red oak. While I have a 20" gas powered chainsaw, I've been wanting try out electric saws simply for noise reduction. At around $110, this Oregon CS 1500 seemed like just the ticket. This beast arrived yesterday and I was surprised at how solid it felt. It weighs in at over 12lbs (without chain oil). There's a bit of fussing you have to do before you use it in that you need to prime the chain oiler system. This requires that the bar and chain be removed and running the motor until the oil starts flowing through the lube hole. This is pretty easy since there are no tools required to do it! The priming thing only takes 5 minutes from start to finish -- the instructions are very easy to follow. Once reassembled, I headed outdoors to attack the tree. I gathered up my 12 gauge copper 100' extension cord and got to it. This puppy is a dream to operate! The chain stops immediately upon release of the trigger, it doesn't make any more noise than a circular saw of the same amperage rating, and the chain is razor sharp! Since I was cutting up an entire tree, I needed to slightly tighten up the chain once (again, no tools needed -- just turn the dial). I also had to top off the chain oil reservoir (a small amount of chain oil comes with the saw) once. Less than 2 hours later, the tree was cut up into 20" chunks and stacked (I'll split it later). This baby never bogged down throughout the process. The chain remained sharp throughout. There is a built in chain sharpener so when I was done, I gave a quick pull of the sharpening lever and it brought it back to razor sharp in like 3 seconds. It's all ready to go for the next time. We'll see how this goes with time, but right out of the box, this thing is really pretty amazing. UPDATED March 1, 2023 Over the last few days, I've dropped four rather large trees, one of which is about 20" in diameter (oak!) about easily 65' tall. This saw continues to amaze me. The chain oil fill lasts about 1.5 hours of nearly continuous cutting. It gives me a great excuse to take a break. As I was cutting this up into 20" lengths for firewood, I noticed it works really well up to about 14-15" diameter oak logs, but larger than that, well, it takes a while. I think I'll save the thicker stuff for the gas-powered noise machine. Speaking of noise, I put a decibel meter on this little guy and it is actually loader when not under load. At 3' away, it registered about 94 db with no load and 85 db under full load. This is a whole lot better than the 115 db or so from the gas-powered saw. I hope my neighbors appreciate the difference. I keep waiting for this thing to just break from the abuse, but so far, I'm a truly happy Oregon electric owner!

I think that this saw is perfect for beginners or anyone who anticipates occasional use. One nice thing is that when your finger leaves the trigger, the chain stops instantly. It is critical to follow the directions carefully in prepping the saw the first time. Otherwise you can run into the problems mentioned in other reviews. You will need to disassemble the bar and chain and prime the oil system before reassembling prior to first use. Read carefully on the reassembly instructions and follow exactly without skipping any steps. I’ve only rendered one tree so far (10” diameter hardwood) but found that the saw performed well. The saw is good quality. As with any electric, if it stalls out, don’t keep your finger on the trigger or it can burn up the motor. However, the saw has plenty of power and I did not experience any stalls. The other way to burn up an electric motor is to use an extension cord that is too small a gauge. The voltage drop from too small of a cord will make the motor run hot and stall out easily. Priming the oil was messy so do it outdoors. The saw is very quiet compared to gas saws. Use as instructed and you will likely be very happy. If you are looking for more than occasional use, beware of the auto sharpening feature, it could get pricey since you need to use exactly the OEM chain and bar and need to replace the sharpener along with that.

I really like this chainsaw. I cut down three trees (1 about 15” diameter & 2 about 8” diameter, all three hardwoods) and then dealt with branches & cutting the trunks into smaller pieces. The saw went through them like butter. It was easy to set up the chain after checking out the manual (it’s a bit different from a gas chainsaw setup). I haven’t used the sharpening feature so far, which seem like a good sign. On the other hand, the chain did get a bit longer and had to be re-adjusted on the sprocket (not difficult). Also, the chain did come off the sprocket when I was cutting at an angle. I’m not sure if that was my fault - I may have tilted the bar while cutting. I paid attention to this afterwards and it didn’t happen again. Suggest being super careful with the chain, since it’s pointy as well as sharp. I’m still a bit apprehensive about having to deal with an electric cable, but since I have to be careful about the tree, cutting direction and other safety items, this just adds one more point. On the other hand, having an uninterrupted power supply lets me cut as long as I need to. The housing of the saw is plastic, so my concern is more with chewing up the extension cord than getting electrocuted (although I suppose in a freak manner it might be possible to somehow get in contact with a cut cable that somehow didn’t short the breaker). Anyway, after years of using a small McC gas saw, I’m happy I went with this one and am not looking back to all the issues with fouling spark plugs, smelly 2-stroke fumes, etc. I suppose if I was going up a tree to do some pruning or piece cutting a gas saw might be better, but I don’t like using chain saws in those situations anyway. For that kind of work I prefer my battery reciprocating saw with a pruning/demo blade unless I’m working on a trunk that’s more than ~10” thick. I really like the way the chain & motor stop immediately when you release the trigger. The saw is not super quiet, but definitely a lot less noisy than a gas saw. As others have mentioned, the shipping box is a bit weird (big box for housing and then a smaller one for the bar), but my saw didn’t have any damage when it arrived. I figured if there’d be an issue, Amazon would make an easy replacement. Would buy this again in a heartbeat.

***THIRD AND FINAL UPDATE*** I was cutting up a few incense cedar rounds left in my driveway by a tree trimming company. The motor exhibited signs of weakness, bogging down even when not cutting anything. The motor completely died after two cuts and would not respond to user input after letting it cool down and resetting the safety features. The auto-lube for the chain was working just fine, and the chain was not over-tensioned. I used this saw on a total of three occasions for light work. The first unit they sent melted the plastic chain tensioning nut after two uses, and the second unit had a defective motor which died on the third use. VERDICT: These electric Oregon saws are PLASTIC CHINESE JUNK. Do not buy them. They destroy themselves after approximately two or three uses. Spend the extra money on a Mikita or Husqvarna, or alternately a gas-engine drive Stihl. ***SECOND UPDATE*** I contacted Oregon and was glad to receive prompt and friendly service. Oregon stands behind their products. The unit was shipped back to their facility free of charge and I received the new unit in the mail this past week. So far this weekend I have cut up approximately two cord of cedar, maple and cherry, jumping the chain once, but overall without any issues. One thing I have observed from the new unit is that it is using significantly more lubrication, keeping the chain a nice glistening, almost dripping, wet. It appropriately slings lube off the chain now if I leave the saw running long enough. The first saw I received, while it was steadily consuming lube from the reservoir, appeared to be more on the conservative side in its application to the chain and would never really "sling" any lube no matter how long I ran it. Final verdict: Pros: For an electric saw, the thing is a beast, allowing you to make use of the full bar length when cutting large rounds. Quiet enough not to piss of the neighbors. The clutch mechanism makes it incredibly safe. The price for a unit this powerful is currently unmatched. Sharpening feature is probably pretty handy, although I have yet to try it. Great support from Oregon. Cons: Catastrophic failure of the saw could potentially result from low lubrication to the chain -- YOU ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY MUST KEEP IT LUBED AND COOL. The side-mounted motor gets in the way sometimes and makes the CG of the saw offset to the left of the bar making it a bit awkward to hold at times. The lube fill cap should have been positioned on the left side to avoid chip accumulation around the cap. Overall, I like this saw. Bottom line: when it works, it works well. For those of you accustomed to using gas saws of mostly metal construction, be mindful that this saw is indeed made of plastic and will melt critical components if things get hot. I'm hoping Oregon takes note of this and improves upon this in the next generation of this saw. For now, careful observation of operating temps and routine maintenance, I am hopeful, should be sufficient in providing a useful service life for this product. ***UPDATE*** I'm changing my rating to one star. After cutting about a cord of wood today, the chain kept coming off. I opened it up, and low and behold, the plastic casing had melted, creating a misalignment between the chain and gear; i.e. it walks the chain right off the gear now. The chain was pretty warm, but that's not all that uncommon if you cut a lot of wood. It was cool enough for me to pick it up without gloves. It appeared to be getting plenty of lube on the chain, and I had kept the reservoir topped off, so I know it never ran dry. The chain was tensioned cold per the instructions. I'll be contacting Oregon for warranty service tomorrow, but from what I read in the manual, I'll have to pay for shipping which will likely be as expensive as the cost of the saw. I will post back the outcome in a few days, but right now I'm wishing I'd ponied up and went with the Makita. You'll notice the casing around the gear hub is metal on the Makita and not plastic like the Oregon. I view this as a serious design flaw with the Oregon.

Oregon CS1500-091 Chainsaw 18-inch 15 Amp Self-Sharpening Corded Electric I'm posting this review after nearly 4 years of use. One reason that I bought this electric chainsaw nearly 4 years ago was the ease of use over the gas operated chain saw. When I was forced to purchase a home risk insurance policy, I had to cut some very wide tree limbs because they represented threat during hurricane season, I cut branches nearly 18 inches wide with this machine with no problem. They cut like butter. I did not even have to press down on the machine, it cuts with it's own weight. This chainsaw has been above par during it's operation. My only advice is keep the chain tight and watch the oil level carefully. Please don't forget to disengage the chain stop when you get it. Another amazing convenience is adjusting the tension without tools: This highly crafted machine allows you to adjust your chain quickly and easily so that you can maintain the perfect tension for the ideal cut with next to no maintenance Truly, I must have save nearly $1000 with this machine after cutting branches from the oak trees. The machine has literally paid itself off several times over. Another amazing feature is the self-sharping stone that is conveniently located at you hand, press for several seconds and wallah, the chain is sharpened , that easy. While I was working outside, a neighbor came to help me with his 18in gas driven chain saw. Let me tell ;you, the Oregon CS1500-091 is second to none. I cut just as fast as my neighbors saw with greater ease of use. One plus is that I did not even have to worry about mixing gas and oil ratios. The automatic chain oiling works well. Again, I've said it with ad nauseam check the oil level after a long cut! Another plus is the the auto sharpener which is convenient and easy to use. When you push the sharpener handle, you could see little sparks as the sharpener stone brushes against the chain/links. I used a 50 feet extension cord with no power drop. But here is the part you've been waiting for, the customer service is outstanding. I called with a question regarding the oil tank on the machine and the customer service rep answered the phone even away from the office. I must add this part, and she speaks good English. I deal with a plethora of customer service reps and they are simply practicing English while they speak with me. Oh yes, no waiting in line, the phone representative is an expert in her field. Mind you, 4 years later, she had no problem giving me her undivided attention. If you don't by from this company, you've lost your mind. I truly recommend a purchase of this highly rated rugged cutting machine. You won't regret it, trust me!! Michael

first of all I was really between a Battery operated chainsaw and electric ! I figured the battery one would tick me off hen i was really in the groove to cut and it went dead so I went looking for electric. I use it around my campsite cutting Slabs and small trees & also at home for odd stuff. I ordered this one do to the self sharpening and it being an Oregon product. When I first got it the box didn't look opened nor did the saw look used but there was no instructions or the small bottle of Chain oil people were saying was in the box! luckily there are lots of Youtube videos on this saw so it was easy to get going. I added some Chain oil and ran it without the blade on for what seemed forever to make sure oil was coming out for the chain .... it took some time but it worked. I took it that weekend to the campsite and got cutting some slabs from a local mill and boy oh boy did it ever cut ! it was AWESOME . I see where people were saying the chain pops off as it did get loose but come on people it is streaching.... it is a brand new chain ! I tightened it 3-4 times the first 1/2 hour and boom perfect. it is just a hand tensioner knob too so super simple. I cut up a ton of slabs that day and not an issue at all . I'm well impressed with this saw my first go around .

La acabo de estrenar y trabaja excelente y el trabajo lo realice en menor tiempo, el único pero es que no llego bien sellada solo con cinta transparente y la caja semi abierta

Para casa es exelente corta súper rápido

J'adore cette tronçonneuse elle est puissante car pour équivaloir a une tronçonneuse a essence il vous faudra une grosse cylindrée. Bien sur vous aller dire faut la branché oui certain mais si jamais j'aurait besoin de temp a autre d'aller en foret (sans prise a proximité) alors j aurait une mini génératrice pour le temp que je l'utiliserait. Vraiment aucun regret

Excelente producto cumple con calidad en sus materiales