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[J Alynn]

I think it’s a similar principle, yes. I spent a time doing powerlifting and geeking out with the coach about physics, but biomechanics are still something I have only—at best—a surface-level understanding of.

Making a bunch of implied assumptions that arms work as beams, we can guesstimate the difference in torque on the shoulders...
My arms are about 1 meter long when bent appropriately for holding a chainsaw.

My Stihl 391 has a mass of about 9 kg when full of fuel and with a 20” guidebar and chain.
That’s a torque of about 88 Nm (65 ft-lb) on my shoulders when I’m cutting.

A Stihl MSA 300 has a mass of about 5.7 kg without the battery, but with chain oil.
I’m not sure about the backpack adapter mass, but let’s say it’s a full kg (I think it’s likely much less since it’s just a few contacts in plastic).
The torque on my shoulders would be about 65-66 Nm (48 ft-lb).

With a 1.8 kg battery on the saw, it would be 7.5 kg and 73.5 Nm (54 ft-lb) torque on the shoulders.

With the backpack, the torque on the shoulders would be reduced by about 13% compared with the same saw with a battery in the saw.
Compared with the MS 391, the torque would be reduced by about 35%.

I’ll take it.

And there is the science I love. Thank you for mathing for us right brained folks

 

[J Alynn]

While I'm running the Milwaukee equivalent (M18 Hatchet), the DeWalt pruning chainsaw looks to serve a similar purpose. Small, portable and cuts through smaller stuff in a flash. Great for average storm debris when we lose larger branches. I rarely get a bigger saw out nowadays.

Need to look into one if these for small limbing

 

[J Alynn]

We've had a 16" 60V DeWalt saw for a few years now and it is one of the best purchases I have ever made. Why? Because my wife will use it. She won't go near a gas saw due to having trouble starting it, the noise, and the smell. But with the DeWalt she has no issues and is self-sufficient. We have 2 batteries (one that came w/ the saw and one that came with our weedeater) and we quit before the saw does. I think the 16" is a good size as you can take down bigger stuff but it's still small enough that it doesn't wear you out running it.

But I guess to the OP's question, there are only 2 choices - batteries or cords. I think if you had 3 x 3Ah batteries with 2 chargers plugged into the Scout you would have no trouble keeping a saw running all day.

Great to here and appreciate all the feedback.

 

[J Alynn]

GREAT point about the wife thing! My wife won't use the Stihl weedeater, but she'll use the Milwaukee one. She also likes the handheld blower and keeps the driveway and deck clean too, things that were historically my responsibility.

So you are exterior and wife typically interior chores? Seems to be our house rules which works well. And I do majority of cooking and she cleans up which suits me just fine

 

[speedrye]

So you are exterior and wife typically interior chores? Seems to be our house rules which works well. And I do majority of cooking and she cleans up which suits me just fine

Somewhere around there. I handle maintenance/fixing, shopping and chauffeur duties while she handles schooling and inside chores. She enjoys doing stuff outdoors, but more the planting/gardening and occasional clean-up while I deal with the rest. We all dive in when we have storm/tree debris (so many trees!), as the extra hands are helpful then. She does most cooking nowadays, but I still get grill/griddle duties and there are certain meals I make. Kid is more and more helpful each year.