Review Katsu Fakita 10" cordless chain saw

[Kram]

I got one of these, mostly for pruning small bits and cleaning vine/ivy while climbing.

FIT-BAT Cordless Chainsaw 10"- No Battery

KATSU FIT-BAT 21V Cordless Brushless Chainsaw With brushless motor the battery lasts almost twice longer than normal brushed motors; 28cm bar length with the no load chain speed 360m/min, powerful motor up to 750W under full battery charged; With a compact size, the comfortable handle design...

www.aimtools.co.uk

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09M5XLDB5

Note its a left handed, theres no chain brake and the oiler is a manual plunger. The tool-less chain adjuster is in the chain cover, which is rubbish! Its a pain to get the cover back on.

Weight 2kg dry without battery.

It is single speed switch, which is a bit rubbish for a brushless tool. Knowing its a left handed tool... They cocked up by fitting a right handed safety switch

If I keep it, I will add a second switch to prevent accidental starts.

I'll be using Lidl batteries one I wire up another adaptor, so havent given it a proper test yet.

 

[mtt.tr]

That looks dangerous, couldn't see me owning I saw that lacks having a front handle.

 

[Nomad]

Looks interesting.
A couple of months ago I used something similar for the first time, the bar was a bit shorter and was a genuine make.

Impressions were that these are a useful tool and I've been thinking about getting a bare no-name one to go with my makita batteries. Thanks for the write up.

 

[Kram]

A handle will be added. I know saws should not be used 1 handed, so after some careful initial tests it will be modified. It also needs a chain catcher.

Looks like sprockets are not the same as standard petrol ones. I'd like to swap the smaller 1/4" chain and bar for faster cutting. The sprocket shaft is 12mm dia with 9mm accross the two flats, if anyone knows where to get a sprocket?

I'll probably buy a Makita DUC254 eventually tho its atleast 4x the cost and the spec is a 500w motor insead of 750w.

 

[Onoff]

I'd leave that where it is, in the box!

 

[James1979]

I’d love to see the rams for that!

Why don’t you just use a silky or an 020 like a normal person?

Edit that wasn’t meant to be rude by the way but normal as in common practice

 

[octo0072000]

I'd leave that where it is, in the box!

i agree seen too many pictures of accidents with idiots using saws let alone a one handed one with no brake

 

[Onoff]

one handed

Says it all!

 

[Onoff]

You have to be very careful I imagine using such kit at work. Probably wouldn't have a leg to stand on if you hurt yourself or the Parkside battery fell off the adapter (and hit someone etc). The company should really be saying nope to you using such on their time.

That coming from someone as you know who will buy cheap crap & loves making Frankentools.

 

[Gragson]

The Lidl Parkside one is a pretty ok for light duty, done a few small trees with it.
Brake, oiler, 2 handed and was only about £20 more

 

[Onoff]

I wanted a 36V Makita aerial one after seeing my BiLs.

Couldn't stretch to that hence buying the Einhell and running on my existing Makita batteries with adapters. I wouldn't use it up a tree though!

https://flic.kr/p/2iUaaRe

 

[James1979]

You have to be very careful I imagine using such kit at work. Probably wouldn't have a leg to stand on if you hurt yourself or the Parkside battery fell off the adapter (and hit someone etc). The company should really be saying nope to you using such on their time.

That coming from someone as you know who will buy cheap crap & loves making Frankentools.

That was what I was getting at really, amongst other things.

It’s good OP is keen at his change in direction but why keep re inventing the wheel?

 

[Agroshield]

For £50, you could throw all the dangerous bits away and that would be a great base for something like a cordless finger sander.

The aluminium body and bar retaining bolts are a good start - a lot easier to fix stuff to than trying to modify, for example, a cordless blower

You could possibly make one of those enveloping pipe sanders out of it (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204303371106).

 

[Erie Fred]

Gonna need a safety mask, try a hockey mask:

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Kram]

Im not using it for paid work. I cant do paid chainsaw climbing yet as I dont yet have the tickets, but Im not sure this counts, its sold as a pruning saw, but yes it would be a grey area if I took it on site.

You have to be very careful I imagine using such kit at work. Probably wouldn't have a leg to stand on if you hurt yourself or the Parkside battery fell off the adapter (and hit someone etc). The company should really be saying nope to you using such on their time.

That coming from someone as you know who will buy cheap crap & loves making Frankentools.

Not quite the same, your up city buildings and cant drop on people far below. Im up trees in a controlled site and fenced off, if its a public footpath etc.. anyone nearby will be aware of falling hazards and with a hard hat, because we are doing controlled drops all the time. A climber cant always see everyone, or hear the groundsman.
Battery is not falling out.

Company is a smaller one that, so far, still allows site managers to be responsible for their risks. H&S can go too far.

I have experienced people working with me. I've been shown nearly everything that I need to know to get all the tickets I want and Im doing it all properly, where its safe for them to allow me. Just taking time for them to pay for the tests. Thats getting off topic..

This is a low powered tool similar to a 4" angle grinder, it doesnt have the same risk that a 2kw 25cc saw has. Its not going to get any use without a handle and kickback cutout. I am not afraid of modifying and improving things. I bought it as the motor etc seems ideal base for it. I dont see any other cheap, powerful brushless cordless tools that would better suit modifying.

As for silky, they are great for branches but rubbish for vine. Not allowed a machete.. This ash I climbed yesterday was quite a easy one, pretty much pulled all the vines down whike climbing up and rashed it when I got back on the floor with the 261, but a tiny, light weight toy saw would be much easier to do it in the tree.

It has dieback but they want to keep it for now. (Photo was way before we finished, I came down to get my coffee..)

Or this, cut a tunnel and went up the inside (job was just a few overhanging branches)

 

[Nomad]

For anyone saying the OP one looks risky, the genuine Fiskars one I used has a lot of the same problems (too small to grip well with 2 hands, no "throw away" engine brake..

 

[James1979]

For anyone saying the OP one looks risky, the genuine Fiskars one I used has a lot of the same problems (too small to grip well with 2 hands, no "throw away" engine brake..

View attachment 394864

That probably get around it by having the pushing chain and kickback zone guarded. Possibly some ‘not for a professional environment’ blurb as well.

To be fair they’re all gimmicky nonsense designed at old biddies pruning things in the garden

@Kram batteries can and do fall. Arguably the risk from dropped object is higher with a battery saw than a petrol one?

As far as targets go, you can control people to a certain extent but I’m guessing you’ve not worked over a conservatory or a greenhouse yet?

 

[Kram]

That probably get around it by having the pushing chain and kickback zone guarded. Possibly some ‘not for a professional environment’ blurb as well.

To be fair they’re all gimmicky nonsense designed at old biddies pruning things in the garden

@Kram batteries can and do fall. Arguably the risk from dropped object is higher with a battery saw than a petrol one?

As far as targets go, you can control people to a certain extent but I’m guessing you’ve not worked over a conservatory or a greenhouse yet?

Not quite a greenhouse, but Ive had targets, makes it more fun

As for batteries falling out, the adaptors Im using are glued in, cant move, and quite a tight fit. It takes effort to get the battery out. Better than an original Makita I think and a bit of an irrelevant point. They dont have batteries tethered to the saw on the cordless top handles - but I could if I felt it were nessasary..

Getting silky back in the scabbard without dropping, before I one handed let go of a heavy branch thats snapping, is more a challenge. Could lanyard the silky.. but then its a pain.

My point is, if it can be safe for old biddies then, that is a low risk that can be managed.


Anyway, the tool has a UKCA marking, meaning it is safe and approved for throwing long distances into a bin

 

[James1979]

As for batteries falling out, the adaptors Im using are glued in, cant move, and quite a tight fit. It takes effort to get the battery out. Better than an original Makita I think and a bit of an irrelevant point. They dont have batteries tethered to the saw on the cordless top handles - but I could if I felt it were nessasary..

I’d never considered if they did or didn’t to be fair. I just supposed there would be some secondary or more means of releasing it?

On a few occasions I’ve been made to put tape around the battery on battery tools when at ‘height’ and that’s only just off the ground.

I’ve seen batteries come off an ugga dugga at height and they just vaporise when they hit the bottom of a wind turbine tower

Admittedly that was the old style bottom loading ones, not the modern slide on style.

 

[mtt.tr]

all this tree talk and i get a phone call! Dead ash near a house, phone wires, road all the good stuff....

Going to crack it out tomorrow am, will be taking me baby echo and husky 550 they are great saws the echo has made me not bother to repair my ms200.

Then hopefully my building materials would have arrived and i can set out some blocks, we've had trees discussed, brickwork and EML lights and i've agreed a diag job and Gbox rebuild all in a week. I don't miss employment