Chainsaws

Best Electric Chainsaw Sharpener For Home or Professional Use

Providing you choose the right one, your chainsaw is going to be a heavy-duty tool capable of sustained use with little issue. However, over time, wear and tear will play their role. The blades will dull and suddenly it will become a lot less efficient and a lot less able to effectively saw wood.

Using dull chains can even cause mechanical problems for your saw in the long run. Rather than replacing a chain every time it starts to dull, however, you can save yourself a lot of money with a good chainsaw chain sharpener. A sharpener can make sense for regular homeowner users as well as professional users using chainsaws as part of their everyday work.

Below, we’re going to take a closer look at some of the most popular models to find which is the best chainsaw sharpener. We’re not going to look just at which sharpens the best, but how comfortable and easy they are to use, what kind of work they’re suited to, the quality of the device’s construction and more.

1. Tek Motion Electric Chainsaw Sharpener with Grinding Wheels – Well built but not as sturdy as you’d expect

An impressive looking tool of cast aluminum, the Tek Motion sharpener definitely looks like a professional device on first impression. It’s adjustable, meaning you can get the right swivel angle for the specification of the blade you want sharpened, not to mention features like a work light and safety guards to make it much more user-friendly. Averaging around $100 for a new model, it’s not the cheapest option we look at, so let’s see if it earns the extra dollars it’s asking for.

The good

If you’re looking to save the time spent manually shaving blades, then the Tek Motion does the trick, taking only minutes to straighten out dull and even improperly sharpened blades. The handle is well-fitted to your grip and makes it easier to control, which is necessary when dealing with vibration problems we’ll explore in more detail a little further down.

The bad

The Tek Motion does come with some issues, however. Despite the weight and the aluminum frame, there is a noticeable vibration to it. In fact, under sustained use, this can put the angle off balance, forcing you to stop and readjust it. One more issue is that the device comes with few supplementary materials, so replacement parts can be hard to find and instructions are non-existent, forcing you to look to the internet for further instructions.

The summary

Pro’s

  • High quality-blades, sharpens as well as you could want
  • Decent handle making it easier to control
  • Comes with an additional grinding wheel
  • Built in light

Con’s

  • Next to no contact information or assembly materials
  • Vibration is very noticeable, leading to loosening handles and throwing off angle adjustments. You better get used to stopping and starting from time to time with this one
  • Doesn’t feel as sturdy as the weight and aluminum frame would lead you to believe
  • First-time electric sharpener owners might not feel so confident with it

 

2. Buffalo Tools ECSS Electric Chainsaw Sharpener – OK for occasional home use but too lightweight for professionals

A lighter weight device, there is a whole ten lbs. of difference between the 7lb. Buffalo and the 17lb. Tek Motion sharpener. However, just because it’s more compact doesn’t mean it’s less powerful. While the Tek Motion boasts a maximum speed of 3000 RPM, the Buffalo reaches up to 4200 RPM. It’s a lightweight, but high performance tool that’s supposed to be suited to being placed on benches, walls and any vice for easy access and storage and is just as adjustable as the Tek Motion but without the handle for easy operation.

Averaging between $40-$50 for a brand-new sharpener, it is by far the least expensive option we’re looking at. But does it also feel cheaper?

The good

The weight is going to be one of the primary points we cover here, as it is remarkably light compared to others on the market. As far as the good is concerned, this makes it much more portable and easier to store. It’s also easier to operate than the other two, which means that the sparse instructions given alongside aren’t really too much of an issue.

Unlike the Tek Motion, it’s surprisingly reliable for sustained use, too. We’ll go into more detail about the problems caused by the plastic stops, but so long as you don’t break them, they can be kept in the same setting for chains for the same saw rather than needing readjustment. This helps you maintain an even cut across each tooth, too.

The bad

The weight, again, is also one of the major downsides. As opposed to the steel stops on the competitors, the Buffalo uses plastic stops, which are easy to break with even the slightest mistake. Light as it is, it’s also less versatile. It can’t be set on any surface for work, you need a vice to make sure it stays still while it’s in operation.

It also looks and feels cheap compared to the others. While it performs reasonably well that can undermine confidence when using it and it may not be the best choice for long-term use. Despite its entry-level price, it might not be the best choice for new users.

Summary

Pro’s

  • Requires less on-the-job maintenance than the Tek Motion
  • Highly portable and lightweight

Con’s

  • Light weight also means it has to be held in a vice and kept in place to work effectively
  • Cheap feeling and might not be as long-lived as the other options
  • No handle for ease of use
  • Plastic stops break easily, worth replacing them with steel instead
  • That need to be more careful with it makes it less friendly to new users

 

3. Oregon 410-120 Bench or Wall Mounted Chainsaw Chain Grinder – Sturdy with good fine control the best electric chainsaw sharpener for heavy duty use

The Oregon is closer to the Tek Motion in design. It’s the same weight, it’s got the built-in work light, it has the handle to allow for easier control of the blade, but with a little added extra power at 3500RPM.

The most immediately noticeable difference, however, is the rise in price, costing closer to $200 when compared to the Tek Motion, making it the most expensive of the three competing sharpeners. It also comes with more grinding wheels, sporting three while the Tek Motion comes with two and the Buffalo with one.

The good

As mentioned, the Oregon comes with three grinding wheels, which immediately gets you more backups rather than having to order in a new supply sooner. It might very well be the sturdiest and highest quality build out of the three, too. It’s sturdy, it’s reliable, it stays relatively still as you use it, and we couldn’t identify any parts prone to breaking easily as was the case with the Buffalo.

The bad

A running theme now is poor instructions and, while they are there, they don’t go into enough detail for new users. There were a lot of issues in particular with two ball bearings that new users might have trouble with (tip: they’re fitted beneath the part that holds the chain, a fact only discovered by removing the red knob on the bottom.) It might not have the constant adjustment issues of the Buffalo, but the clamping mechanism isn’t as tight as we would like it to be, so it might need some adjustment before you’re happy with it.

This is the official video from Oregon which explains how to setup and use the sharpener.

Summary

Pro’s

  • Sturdy, decent quality that explains the higher price.
  • More grinder wheels, you won’t need replacements as soon
  • All-in-all, very satisfactory for long-term use
  • Good handle for control, effective light for visibility

Con’s

  • Might have the worst assembly instructions out of them all and the Tek Motion doesn’t even have assembly instructions
  • Potential clamping problems

 

The verdict: Which is the best electric chainsaw sharpener on test?

This time, it really is a case of “you get what you pay for”. The Oregon is the best electric chainsaw sharpener and a clear winner over the Tek Motion.

The adjustment issues that the Tek Motion suffers from and the constant vibration just makes it feel a little cheaply made. The Oregon, however, feels like a more complete product despite the possibility you might have to make adjustments to the clamp.

Surprisingly, the Buffalo is a lot better than the price would have you believe, but it’s not suited for inexperienced users who might break the plastic stops without more careful use. If anything, it might suit as a cheap replacement for an old sharpener while you save to get a better quality one.

Just do make sure you keep hold of those easily lost ball-bearings in the Oregon and watch the video above that can explain the assembly much better than the manual, still the Oregon is our winner.

One Comment

  1. What about the new ones that you push the bar into and it sharpens in seconds. ?

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