DeWalt DCCS677B Cordless Chainsaw Review

The DCCS677B is the tool only. No battery and no charger come with it, so the saw is ready to run only once you add a FLEXVOLT 60V MAX pack and a charger. Inside the carton you get the saw.

The saw runs on FLEXVOLT 60V MAX packs, which are rated at a nominal 54V, and those same packs are dual-rated to run 20V MAX tools. It is built around the larger packs of that line, the 12Ah and 15Ah class, and the peak-power and cut-speed figures are given with the 15Ah pack.

The bare tool is the cheaper way in only if compatible packs and a charger are already in your garage. Without them, the kit version is the sensible route, because a single large pack and a charger are what make the saw usable.

The brushless motor puts out 3,100 W and reaches 4 peak HP with the 15Ah pack. DeWalt rates the saw at 20% more peak power and up to 2.36 times the torque of a 50.2cc gas saw, and says it can cut a 17-inch white oak log in as fast as 15 seconds with that pack. Treat those as the manufacturer's class claims rather than a measured head-to-head.

The owner's manual sets the maximum log diameter at 18 inches. A 20-inch bar does not mean a 20-inch cut, and an 18-inch log is the realistic ceiling.

How it handles in the wood

The saw has a mid-grade 50cc-class feel: capable and convenient, not the fastest or strongest saw in its class. Chip ejection is excellent, and the dual bar studs and metal bucking spikes give it a pro-style feel.

Runtime is the saw's real limit, and it depends on the pack and the wood. On a 15Ah pack, plan on roughly 15 to 25 minutes of continuous hardwood bucking, around an hour of mixed limbing and cleanup, and, as a rule of thumb, the equivalent of about a quarter tank of gas per charge.

Some buyers on Amazon report batteries that die quickly. Those cases usually come from a cold pack, a dull chain or a small pack rather than a defect.

Why the saw cuts out

The Electronic Protection System shuts the tool off on overload, overheat or deep discharge. Once the battery gauge drops to its last bar, expect cutouts under load. A sharp chain and a charged pack prevent most of them.

Charging and pack care

A fast charger fills a pack in about 2 hours, while the standard charger that ships with some kits takes 2+ hours. Packs get hot after heavy cutting and trigger a Hot/Cold Pack Delay before charging starts. Charge at moderate temperatures, never below 40°F or above 104°F, keep the contacts clean and keep packs out of a hot shed. Summer heat performance is less proven than cold-weather performance.

The saw weighs 12.6 lb bare and roughly 15.8 to 17.2 lb with a pack, depending on which one. It is well balanced for its size, and the 20-inch bar means less bending and fewer repositioning moves.

The trigger is not variable speed and behaves close to on and off.

Chain tensioning is tooled: two bar nuts plus a tension screw, with the wrench stored in the rear of the saw. That is more work than the hand-tensioning some smaller saws offer. Vibration is low and the saw is quiet compared with gas, which matters in a residential yard.

The automatic oiler has a visible oil-level window and runs generously, at roughly one tank of oil per two battery charges. The window gets dusty, so wipe it before you check.

The chain is a low-kickback 3/8-inch low-profile pitch chain with a .050 gauge and 68 drive links. The replacement chain is DWO1DT620 and the bar is DWZCSB20. That 20-inch chain is a DeWalt-specific size. A shorter bar and matching chain can be fitted, but the stock setup is what the saw is tuned for.

The chain-jump fix

If the two bar nuts are not torqued properly, the bar can pivot on the tensioning pin and the chain can jump. Torque the nuts to the manual's spec, set tension to about 1/4 inch of pull at mid-bar with light force, and recheck often during the first two hours of a new chain.

The chain brake is both electric and mechanical and stops the chain almost instantly when you release the trigger. The saw also has a low-kickback bar and chain, metal bucking spikes and a rear-handle design.

Wear eye and ear protection and chaps.

• Quiet, low-vibration cutting with no fuel mixing and no exhaust.
• Strong brushless power for its class, with clean, fast cuts through 15 to 18-inch hardwood.
• A 20-inch bar that reduces bending and repositioning.
• Generous automatic oiling and a hard carrying case with room for a battery and charger.
• A 3-year limited warranty, 1-year free service and a 90-day satisfaction guarantee.

• No battery or charger in the box.
• Short runtime for continuous bucking, so heavy users need several large packs.
• Cutouts under load on a low or hot pack.
• No variable-speed trigger.
• Tooled tensioning and a DeWalt-specific 20-inch chain.
• An 18-inch maximum log diameter, which caps what it can take.