Side by Side Comparison of: Makita vs US Wire and Cable

the best saw for home use works wonderful for small jobs

I love it. Plenty of power. Surprised at how much oil it consumes at the default setting but I'm leaving it alone because I want to preserve the chain as long as possible.

It's a little on the expensive side, but worth the investment. There are many reviews on the oil leak and it can be quite annoying at times. My review is more functional than physical. Changing the chain tension is a breeze. It cuts precise - that's what I love about it. I needed a saw where I could slice an old king maple that had split during a storm. The Makita did the trick.

This is my 4th Electric Chainsaw and I've owned at least 8 gas saws. I switched to electric several years ago due medical and age related limitations. I have hundreds of hours using various saws. Most recently and previous to this saw I had two Worx electric saws. They are a good saw for occasional light duty work. However after going through two of them in 18 months I decided the Makita might just be worth the money. Wow! What a saw! First off, disregard the guy who says he does not like the chain fastening/tightening system. It is hands down as good as any out there electric or gas and better than the majority of them. 2nd regarding the guy who says the chain oiler leaks when not in use: folks you find me a saw that doesn't weep some oil after you put it away, and I'll show you a saw with a dry bar, burned chain, and a broken oiler. That is a necessary and inherent evil of having an oiling system. It's not possible to use liquid lubricants and not have weeping when you put it away. The chain and bar are soaked in oil. Gravity never faileth. The excess is going to run the the lowest point and if the saw is oiling properly it's going to be enough to drip off, usually near the drive sprocket. Buy a roll of paper towels and store you saw on a piece of cardboard. Both the Worx and the Makita are rated to draw 14.5 amps. But, the Makita has many times the torque and the chain speed is higher than the Worx model. I purchased the 14" bar model. But the motor can easily handle the 16" bar. The soft start feature makes the saw behave much like a gas saw. The chain brake is also a good safety feature. The anti kickback brake is functional. But, not excessively sensitive as it is on many consumer grade saws. The tensioner cover is easily removed for cleaning. But, due to a great design with a very open bottom you should not normally have to remove it! This is a commercial grade saw and for most home owners would be a lifetime investment. I'd buy it again. But, doubt I will ever have to do so!

This is a fine chainsaw. The only chainsaw I've ever bought that I'm still happy with. I have a one acre yard with trees and wondered if the cord would be a hassle. It's not.

seems to be pretty good so far. must watch oil levels or fill before every use or else the chain will get destroyed pretty quickly. cut about 3 cords of oak and maple and hasn't skipped a beat.

Great and necessary for high amp draw applications, like power washer, electric chain-saw, so voltage does not drop over this long distance and place motor at risk. It is too heavy to drag around yard for electric mower, but this is the exception. Very handy feature to have plug illuminated when 'live'. Worth the money to spend over ordering the 14g and quite insufficient and very limited usage 16g cords!

Needed a 12 gauge power cord for use with our generator. Avoid the 14 gauge versions if you can because they're not designed for long term heavy loads on the line, especially for tools or motors. This is definitely a high quality power cord and will be great for saws and refrigerators when running long distances without negatively impacting the motors.

I purchased this cord for my husband for our motor home and he is VERY happy that I did. It will power up our unit and never gets even warm to the touch. He has borrowed a friends cord and plugged into that one and said it would be really hot to the touch when he unplugged it, Not the case with this one. He has stated many, many times how happy he is with it.

Purchased this to use outside for my electric snow blower. Works great. I can say it doesn't remain very flexible in very cold temperatures. I was out there in -10 and it was pretty stiff right away. Not a big deal for me as I don't really need the cord to be very flexible when I'm using it to snow blow. Although when you try to put it away and it's almost completely rigid it makes it a little difficult. Very happy with purchase, recommended.

I work in a school shop. It has a series of fixed receptacles in overhead cable trays and it has hard piped dust collection tubes running to specific locations. All of this worked well 50 years ago when the shop was built, but replacements and repairs have resulted in tools that either are close to required power, or close to the dust collection drops, but not both. Connecting the tools to the dust collector results in power cords all over the shop that are 2 or 3 feet too short. Previously, this was solved by installing a whole bunch of cheap 16 ga extension cords all over the shop, and containing the excess cord by tying them to the dust collector runs with bungee cords. Ugly, probably not very safe, and certainly not "good" for the tools. So I am in the process of putting 12 ga line cords on all the stationary tools, replacing the old damaged plugs with properly installed and grounded ones and installing proper strain reliefs at each receptacle.It turns out cheaper to buy a couple of these cords than to buy a comparable length of cable only.

Pleasantly surprised at the quality of this cord considering it was $20 cheaper than the other cords of similar rating and size and made in China. I've used it pretty much every day for over a month now and it's held up well. It is a little heavy physically to work with, but it protects my power tools so I don't mind the workout.

I've only used it once. I don't do a lot of yard work. I was pleased with it.

After bucking up two cords of mostly oak and beech firewood I am satisfied with this saw. iI took me a while to realize that it is not a gas saw and should not be forced, especially during the period when the chain was stretching, as the chain easily derailed. The chain tightening feature is very lever and works well, although the chain is a tight fit before it stretches -- someone who has not had experience with other chainsaws might easily become frustrated. Once I had readjusted my expectations I found it very satisfactory. The principle reason I bought it was because I didn't want the noise of a gas saw when bucking up firewood if there was a reasonable alternative, and this saw is that. It appears to be very well made, and is definitely not a toy.

The Makita UC3551A, 14 inch electric chain saw, works very well for me. I cut down a larger dying apple tree into pieces that could be easily handled. Overall, the operation of the chainsaw was great. The user manual and routine maintenance operations had problems. For a first time chainsaw user, the manual was essentially worthless. The diagrams were too small, poorly labeled, and lacked consistent nomenclature. Cleaning the chainsaw after use was an exercise in frustration. Wood parts were packed everywhere. It was difficult to clean, especially the area in and around the mechanism that adjusts saw-chain length. Even after the learning curve, it is a hassle to properly cleanup after use. Would I buy it again? Probably. At least I would know the pros and cons.

This is a very good chain saw, however, the chain tightening mechanism has a lot to be desired. I find the chain gets loose easily and I have to take the cover loose and grab the bar to pull it tight, then tighten the cover piece again. The tightener doesn't seem to do much.

Butter. Ran old HD cord used to build house, unsure of gauge, cord is yellow (yellowjacket). My GFCI's trip if you look at them sideways. Driveway is 150' long, just destroyed garbage tree growing next to power pole out in ROW growing out over driveway, came back in yard and massacred cedar tree trying to die. THEN took it to pool area and removed dying/dead rosemary/etc there. And this is the only time I will use this this year. I will probably clean the oiler area as a number of online folks have said I should, and there is a high probability I may not use this tool until 2018. HOWEVER, given as how I "live on the prairie" as my FIL calls it, this should be the last chainsaw I ever own and HIGHLY recommend it to folks who use it like I will.I do not like the tensioning (tightening of the chain) wheel on this tool. I did not have to use it.When the chain gets dull, I'll buy a backup and take the current chain to someone to sharpen it. I sharpen my own mower blades but will not fool with this (time/effort/tools).When you tighten/loosen, or initially put the chain on the bar, you will notice the wheel moving a piece...that is plastic. And the wheel is plastic.Buy this over the worx. I'm highly disappointed in the limited amount of plastic on this tool...but can't imagine the amount of plastic hiding in the worx that will confound you. FRANKLY-I just gave up and bought the more expensive tool on the YGWYP4 model.I wish I could give you a 10 year review of this tool, but cannot. For now, it's butter, and this is the hot knife.If/when this thing breaks, yep, going back to throwaway tool model. But see above-can't give 10 year review on this.Worx is the same company that owns Milwaukee power tools---and Hoover vacuums---to confuse you more. Hoover vacs are the best.But if you own a 16 yr old pickup like I do, I'm guessing you will choose this tool also. BECAUSE YOU JUST WANT TO BUY SOMETHING ONCE OR MAYBE TWICE INSTEAD OF EVERY OTHER YEAR.

I've heard that these used to me made in Germany. Mine was made in China. It's still pretty well made. I took a star off because the cap on the oil tank leaks. I've rented these in the past and if something can last in a rental environment then you know it's well made.

This is a HEAVY extension cord. Phew!Mine came packaged exactly as pictured on this page.Weight seems more like 20# than 13# as listed, but I didn't weigh it yet. I have mineon an orange reel advertised for 150ft extension cord, and as other reviewers have noted,it BARELY fits (but it DOES fit).If I had it to do over again, I think I'd get the 14ga. For 100ft, I think my power losseswould be minimal, and it would be lighter to carry around and fit on that spool nicer.

Nice heavy duty cord. A bit stiff, hopefully it'll relax after some use.

Cord works great. Seems to be of high quality. I will re-review if any problems arise over time.

Very nice, thick, heavy duty, long, lit to let you know it has power. Very happy with this purchase.The stupid cord reel amazon says goes good with it absolutely sucks. I suppose it would be good if you used it with a smaller gauge wire extension cord. Trying to use it with this cord, i always end up scraping my knuckles. The little clip on the inner spool DOES NOT FIT this cord, and would only fit a VERY small cord, as in what you might find on a lamp. But then why would you need a cord reel for a cord that small, or even have a long extension cord made of cord that small.

I just used this to connect my paint sprayer and painted the fence in the backyard. It was easy to pull around. I don't consider this cord too heavy to work with and was able to wrap it in my hand and put it away. To give you an idea, this felt lighter to me than my 50 ft garden hose. My only qualm is that it tends to get twisted easily. So when putting it away, it is better to get a reel and wrap it around it so it stays in it's original shape. I like that it is yellow and very visible in the grass.

I bought this to replace an old, lesser-duty extension cord that I hypothesized was to blame for my electric mower failing. I bought this as both a replacement and upgrade, figuring it would provide greater power to the mower. It turns out I was right about the cord being the weak link. While expensive, this was a far cheaper option than replacing the mower.The only con I have should probably be directed at the mower, but the cord is so dang thick that the keeper mechanism on both my mower and trimmer do not accommodate the bulk of the cord. I've resorted to a velcro strip mechanism to lash the cord to the mower's handle, but I just have to let the cord dangle from the trimmer. This has resulted in the cord being pulled out of the trimmer multiple times as it snags on something. Hopefully, this won't impact the lifespan of the cord, though it it quite annoying.

Beware of the drive unit on this new model. There appears to be a "thermal set" material used in the worm gear to act as a safety device for the motor; It works as a 'shear pin' of sorts. The 'older model did not have this. This is a weak point of the saw and Makita has not worked out the bugs. Mine went out after a month of use.I will have to start storing spare parts to have a reliable saw. Suggestion: buy a used 3530A , the older model, it is a much better saw.

This chain saw works beautifully but leaks oil when not in use. A friend who has a similar model does not leak and suggests I have it serviced for a leaking gasket. 'Not what I had expected from this otherwise quality product.

Limited use thus far. Not crazy about the means of attaching and adjusting chain.

This cord is so heavy - and while I know it has to be, it makes it really cumbersome to carry around. I bought it for my electric snowblower and in cold temps this cord turns into a stiff, unmoving mass. I'm sure in the warmer months it will be great but I wont need it then.

Cord is not suitable for low temperatures. Some reviews indicated it will work below 30 degrees. Electrically it works fine. Flexibility is the main issue. Well built cord though.

Great length, gets tangled easily, too stiff for my use. I had a 75 footer that was very flexible even in very cold weather, this isn't a great replacement...

I use these only for occasional use when portable generators are needed to provide back-up power. I would recommend a heavier duty extension for commercial-industrial use, however.

it was a good buy but I will say, if your thinking about buying one of these, it's very heavy, weight wise. If weight is a concern for you, go with a lighter gauge.

The wire is heavy duty, but the connecting ends both male and female are cheap quality. The price on Amazon is much better then elsewhere and that offsets some of the quality issues.

Too thick and very heavy for my taste.

Made in China

Due to weight of cord it does not stay connected to items. I would not buy it again.

Beware of Big Deals, Inc. I don't believe they are shipping an authentic branded "US Wire & Cable" product.The actual cable was imprinted with "Ningbo Linsheng Electrical Co.".The cable did not come with the expected product packaging stating "US Wire & Cable", only the cable with shrink-wrap.The female connector was very loose, and could not be tightened, which is a sign of an inferior product.I had to buy a short extension adapter, to make the cable usable, to prevent it from continually falling out of any tool connector.(Cost of return shipping made it cost ineffective to request a refund.)I checked online that Ningbo Linsheng is a real Chinese manufacturer, and the cable did include UL labels, so I hope the cord is safe.But it appears falsely advertised and sold under the "US Wire & Cable" branded listing.Big Deals, Inc. and the listing said that some US Wire products are now made in China, but I suspect that disclaimer only gives them cover to sell any Chinese knockoff. Lack of any "US Wire" brand labeling leaves doubt.

So stiff when temperature is at only 32 degrees Fahrenheit that it is nearly impossible to handle.Plug ends are not what I would describe as heavy duty. There are easily bent.Just remember it's stiff stiff stiff in cold temperature if you consider 32F cold.

The lighted end doesn't light any longer would not recommend any cord with a lit end the cord still works effectively as an extension cordif it was possible I would return this and replace it with a cord without a lit end

the extention cords are fine,nothing wrong with them,but I will never buy anything from this company again.

Terrible quality. DO NOT BUY

To stiff to use with electric snow blower. Found a more flexible and less expensive locally.

It catches file on my second use!I plugged in a snow thrower that uses 15A, which is the labelled as max allowed current on this cord. It was only fine in my first use, which lasted about 2 hours. However, when I used it a second time to clean up after a huge storm, only after going on for 30 mins, I noticed a white flash from the connector, then it started to burn! Feeling surreal myself (WHY WOULD AN EXTENSION CORD BE MADE OF COMBASTIBLE MATERIAL ANYWAY?!), I unplugged it, and plugged in again after cooling down. But it immediately burn again and made the whole connector roasted black. You can imagine how frustrated and exhausted I feel with the snow thrower but no extension cord and having to shovel the whole front paved walkway myself!

Cord did not work. How hard is it to check an extension cord before the factory ships it out?

This is one of the worst cords out there, I'm a rough framer and use cord daily, and this cord is extremely stiff damn near impossible to roll up and casing feels like a cheap breakable plastic.