The 7 Best Gas Chainsaws of 2026

The 24-inch bar is the reason to look at the 460 Rancher, but the 60.3cc engine is what makes it useful. With 3.6 horsepower and a 13.2-pound powerhead, it is a two-handed saw built to pull a long chain through big trunks. The extra length gives you a single pass on logs that stop a 20-inch saw.

Husqvarna's Smart Start and air-injection system are the quiet luxuries here. The purge-and-choke routine is simple, and the centrifugal air cleaner keeps more dust out of the filter when you are cutting in dry wood. The seven-degree offset front handle and LowVib dampeners make a long bucking session less punishing than the displacement suggests.

We prefer the 450 for mixed yard work, but the 460 is the one we want when the wood is genuinely big. It has the torque to keep a 24-inch chain moving, and the weight helps steady the saw in a deep cut.

The 24-inch bar is a commitment: it needs a 60cc engine, a steady hand, and a supply of big logs to justify itself. For everything smaller, the 450 is easier to live with and leaves money for chains and files.

A 68cc engine and a 24-inch bar for about the money of a smaller name-brand saw is the whole pitch, and the PROYAMA delivers the part that matters: 4.5 horsepower and enough torque to pull the long bar through hardwood. We think the value case is real, provided you understand what you are buying.

The magnesium chain brake and anti-vibration system are not decorations. The brake housing feels sturdier than the price suggests, and the spring mounts take the edge off a long session. The easy-start system also behaves like a conventional saw: choke, purge, pull, and go. The 24-inch bar is the right length for bucking big logs on the ground; it is too much for limbing.

The 14.5-pound powerhead is the trade-off. It steadies the saw in a long cut, but it is a lot to carry up a slope and not the tool for overhead limbing. A 20-inch bar would make it more nimble, though the 24-inch is what gives the saw its purpose.

For a pile of logs and a willingness to tinker, the PROYAMA is a lot of saw for the money. The Husqvarna is the calmer choice when dealer service matters more than displacement.

At the budget end, the question is not whether a 62cc saw can cut; it is whether the rest of the package holds up. The SUPMIXTOOLS answers the first part with a 4.2-horsepower engine and a 20-inch bar, and it answers the second well enough for a homeowner who does not cut every day.

We like the safety switch and the quick-stop chain brake on a saw at this price. The 8,500-rpm chain speed gives it a lively feel in softwood, and the 14-pound powerhead is stable enough to keep the bar level in a cut. Assembly is straightforward, and the included toolkit gets you started without a trip to the hardware store.

The 20-inch bar is the right size for firewood up to about 16 inches, and it leaves room for the occasional larger limb. The engine has enough torque to keep the chain moving when the wood is green, though this is not a saw for a steady diet of 24-inch hardwood. For a first gas saw, the controls are familiar and the learning curve is short.

The 62cc engine is the reason it earns a place, and the 20-inch bar is the reason it stays useful as you move from limbs to firewood. It is a value play, not a lifetime tool.

A 12-inch top-handle saw is not a smaller version of a firewood saw; it is a different tool for a different place in the tree. The JPNTECH puts a 25.4cc engine and a 1.2-horsepower output into an 8.6-pound package, with a wrap-around handle that lets you keep the saw close to the branch.

The spring-assisted pull cord and simple knob make the starting routine manageable, and the 11,000-rpm engine has enough speed to zip through green limbs. The 12-inch bar is the point: it reaches into tight crotches and overhead cuts where a 20-inch bar would be in the way. We also appreciate the included mixing bottle and funnel; it removes an excuse to guess at the fuel mix.

We treat the JPNTECH as a limbing and pruning saw. It is happiest in branches up to a few inches across, and it is light enough to carry up a ladder or into a thicket. Use it two-handed even though the top handle invites one hand; the control is better and the kickback risk is lower.

The 12-inch bar is the ceiling, and the 8.6-pound package is the reason it gets carried into places a bigger saw never reaches.

Two bars in the box is the practical hook here, and we think it is the right way to sell a 62cc saw: a 20-inch for general cutting and a 22-inch for bigger logs. The NEO-TEC pairs them with a 3.5-horsepower engine and a dual-tank design that separates 550 milliliters of fuel from 260 milliliters of bar oil.

The anti-vibration system and extended pull rope make the saw feel more expensive than the sum of its parts, and the side-mounted chain tensioner is easy to reach. The 25:1 fuel mix is clearly labeled, which matters if you are new to two-stroke equipment.

The NEO-TEC is a kit saw, and that is its appeal. You get the second bar, a mixing container, gloves, and a tool kit in one purchase, so you are not hunting for extras before the first cut. The 20-inch bar is the one most people will leave on; the 22-inch is there for the occasional bigger log.

The two bars are the reason to choose it; the storage and mix are the reasons to think about whether you need the kit. A single-bar saw with dealer support is simpler.

The quick-switch bar mount is the detail that separates this one from the other budget saws. The WTHW comes with an 18-inch and a 20-inch bar, and the mount is designed to let you swap between them without a full teardown.

The 58cc engine makes 3.5 horsepower and turns a 91-foot-per-second chain, which is enough to pull the 20-inch bar through oak and hickory without bogging down. The 14.5-pound powerhead is in the same range as the other full-size saws here, and the double-spring anti-vibration system keeps the handles from buzzing.

The inertial chain brake and automatic oiler are the right features for storm cleanup, where you are moving from one branch to the next and not always thinking about the chain. The 550-milliliter fuel tank and 260-milliliter oil tank are generous enough for a session, though this engine is thirsty when you keep it in the wood.

The 18-inch bar turns the same powerhead into a lighter limber, and the 20-inch bar handles the trunk. That is the case for the quick-switch mount, and the case against settling for a single bar.