Tool Review: Worx Nitro 16-inch 40-volt Chainsaw 

How this Worx Nitro chainsaw got into my hands plays into how I tested it and what I found, so let’s start there. 

Originally sent to me by the mighty Journal of Light Construction magazine (remember those puppies?), the idea was to test it demolishing decks—going “full send” on decking and joists and railing parts, nuisance bushes, low-hanging tree limbs, etc. That’s something I do, as a deck builder, so it made sense.  

But its primary purpose is to process green wood fiber with bark on it, whether that’s a downed tree, bucking firewood for the cabin or home hearth or wood stove or removing that poorly planted row of shrubs the previous homeowner put in for what appears to be no good reason other than bad taste. There’s also cleaning up after an ice storm, hurricane, or other meteorological calamity.  

You know, chainsaw stuff. 

Out of the box 

The Worx unit has a 16-inch bar which means it’s designed to process 14-inch and under logs. Good thing the blast-door-hard, borderline ancient storm-damaged Japanese Maple I took down with it offered such diameters. I also zapped a deck and poor-taste shrubs.  

The unit runs on two 20-volt Worx batteries. They mount in the center of the handle and the unit ships with a double charger—nice.  

Chain tensioning is wrenchless, but also has no tensioning screw, so you have to pull the bar, snug the chain and twist the locking knob. Easy. Effective. But I’m old school (see above) and I still like a wrench for this.  

Go time 

I’ve tested just about all the cordless units out there processing downed trees—Ida was a direct hit here; we have miles of downed timber and destroyed homes—so I got to see true colors fast. And, I have to say, I like the Worx Nitro for DIY use. It’s a nice, plenty powerful, well-balanced saw that got work done. 

If you have to slog through much more than some light firewood cutting, the entire category of cordless chainsaws can’t hold a candle to carbon. But for firewood at the campsite or bucking logs for the firepit or zapping that bank of “why would you do this” shrubbery cordless will get you where you’re going.  

In a tree

As you can see from the time lapse video, the Worx Nitro chainsaw is balanced enough to use in awkward situations. That doesn’t mean you are; it means the tool is. Don’t mess around with stuff that can get you hurt. A tree on the ground is every bit as dangerous as a tree in the air.

And, generally speaking, combined with its bar length and power, this tool is a sweet spot in the entire category.  

Worx Nitro chainsaw is balanced enough to use in awkward situations. That doesn’t mean you are; it means the tool is. Don’t mess around with stuff that can get you hurt.

On the ground

Once on the ground—and what you see in the video is a single charge, so to process the work on the ground, I had to recharge—the Nitro is capable of slamming through branches and logs.  

There is a beat between pulling the trigger and the chain actually rotating, which I initially found annoying, but quickly got used to.  

Oh, and the deck. Yeah, it plowed through deck boards like they were barely there. But the rooster tail of chips was a nightmare. A circular saw works just fine, just as fast and with a lot less dust.  

If you’re on the Worx battery platform and need a chainsaw—read the directions on safe use; embrace undercutting in downed trees to minimize blade-pinch in the log; don’t get yourself on YouTube—the Worx Nitro 16-inch bar 40-volt chainsaw will do some wood work.  

Tool review rating

Look at the sawdust on the Worx Nitro 40-volt max cordless chainsaw.

I know that Worx is a DIY brand, but holy heck it rampaged this bigger-and-way-older-than-it-looks rock-hard Japanese Maple.

Light, agile, powerful…she chooched way harder than a DIY-positioned brand should. – Great chainspeed, even under real duress.

Rating: DIY chooch 

A Word of Common Sense

Just because the tool works, that doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing.

Read the directions. No beer. Respect the weight of the wood fiber you’re cutting. Come home happy. This saw can help you get there. Beers by the fire after. Ahhhh….

Have you tried this chainsaw? What do you want to know about the Worx Nitro chainsaw?

Do you have questions about other battery-powered chainsaws? (I also tested several other battery-operated chainsaws for BobVila.com.)

Mark

A licensed contractor, tool expert, wood and outdoor enthusiast, and elite Spartan Race competitor, he writes about home improvement and tools for national magazines and websites, and teaches hands-on clinics for other remodeling professionals. Check out his book, The Carpenter's Notebook.

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