Best Small Chainsaw – 25cc VEVOR Chainsaw Review

When we started clearing trees on our property, I picked up an Echo CS-590 Timber Wolf Chainsaw with a 20″ bar. It’s a beast—and exactly what you want when you’re dropping larger trees. But there was a problem…limbing branches all day with a nearly 20 lb saw gets tiring fast.

I also have a small electric Craftsman 12 inch Electric Chainsaw, which was lighter than the Echo, but it just didn’t have the power. It would stale and get caught while cutting, especially on hardwoods making the task of limbing trees that much harder.

So I started looking for a small chainsaw that was lighter than the Echo but more powerful than the Craftsman. I knew I wanted a small chainsaw that was gas powered since I didn’t want the expense of buying another electric chainsaw and having to buy a whole new set of batteries for it. That’s when I came across the VEVOR 25.4cc 12 inch Gas Chainsaw.

The Best Small Chainsaw

When I first started my search, I went to Echo’s website to see what they offered since I like my CS-590 so much. I wasn’t looking to spend a lot more money on another saw and the least expensive small chainsaw they sell is the CS-310 which costs $220. Then I checked VEVOR’s website since I had purchased some of their products for my tractor and found the VEVOR 25.4cc Top Handle Chainsaw which, at the time of writing this, costs only $93! I figured at that price it was worth trying and the reviews seemed pretty good.

Why do You Need a Chainsaw?

If you have trees on your property or you’re an RVer who likes to boondock and/or overland, then it’s worth having a small chainsaw.

For homeowners who have trees, having a chainsaw can come in very useful after a storm if you need to take down / cut up branches or just prune back large branches that are encroaching on your house. We have woods on our property and use our chainsaws to help thin the trees and clean up after storms.

For RVers and Overlanders, a chainsaw can come in very handy when going down a backroad that is blocked by a fallen tree, or there is a low branch that is threatening to damage your RV. A small chainsaw will also make quick work of a dead tree you want to cut up for firewood. I would definitely consider it part of my RV Toolkit that we carry with us anytime we’re in the camper.

Key Features of the VEVOR 25.4cc Gas Chainsaw

This small chainsaw had all of the features I was looking for in a saw:

• 12” bar
• 25.4cc engine (1.2 HP)
• Top-handle design (one-handed capable)
• Lightweight: 9.26 lbs (about half the weight of the Echo)
• Integrated chain brake
• Adjustable bar oiler
• Fuel primer bulb
• Lanyard hook (designed for arborists)

The standout here is the size and weight. This thing is compact. It’s noticeably shorter and easier to maneuver than both my larger gas saw and, surprisingly, my electric one despite both having 12″ bars.

Unboxing and First Impressions

For a sub-$100 chainsaw , I wasn’t expecting much—but the package actually came pretty complete:

• Tool kit including a file to sharpen the saw blade
• Bar cover
• Gas mixing container (for 40:1 fuel)
• Funnel
• Earplugs

Assembly was straightforward. Installing the bar and chain took just a few minutes, and should be fairly simple for anyone even if you’ve never done it before.

Out of the box, the saw started after just a couple pulls and idled well. The start-up procedure is the same as most chainsaws – engage the chain brake, turn the kill switch to the on position, prime the full bulb until you see fuel, pull the choke out, pull the starter cord until you hear a pop from the engine, push the choke all the way in and pull the starter cord again until it starts.

After getting the VEVOR small chainsaw started, I let it warm up for a while and once warm, I noticed something when I pulled the trigger to rev the motor – the saw would bog down before climbing into higher RPMs.

At first I thought maybe the chain brake was partially engaged, but that wasn’t it since I was able to rotate the chain freely by hand. That meant there was an issue with the way the carb was tuned from the factory.

Instead of adjusting it immediately, I started cutting with it and ran a few tanks of 40:1 pre-mixed gas through to let everything break in. After some use, it did smooth out a bit, but the bogging was still there and seemed to have gotten a bit worse. So I grabbed a set of carb tuning tools and spent a few minutes dialing it in. That completely fixed the issue.

Now the saw is instantly responsive when you hit the trigger.

What You’ll Need to Run this Chainsaw

There are a few things you’ll need to buy along with this chainsaw in order to start using it.

• Fuel. The VEVOR requires 40:1 two-stroke fuel. You can either buy two-stroke oil and mix your own using the container they provide with the chainsaw, or what I prefer are pre-mixed high octane cans of fuel. The reason I prefer these is that they are ethanol free so they are shelf stable for a long time and easy to use. No mixing required and if I bring the chainsaw along in our camper, I can just toss a can in there with it.
• Bar oil. Every saw requires bar oil to properly lube the chain while running the saw. Any bar oil will do but I have been using this Husqvarna brand bar oil in all my saws and really like it.

Chainsaws, even small chainsaws, and felling trees can be deadly. Make sure to get training and always use the proper safety gear when running a chainsaw.

At a minimum you should have:

• Basic safety training. I’ve attended some works shops at Overland Expos and watched a lot of YouTube videos to help learn how to safely fell trees and use a chainsaw.
• Chainsaw chaps. These chaps are designed to cover the vital areas of your legs and stop the chain on the chainsaw if you happen to cut your leg. I have these Husqvarna chaps and have enjoyed using them – they’ve also done their job once already.
• Chainsaw specific gloves. Like the chaps, these specialized gloves will help stop the chain before it has a chance to cut into your hands / fingers.
• Helmet with face shield and hearing protection. I like running a combo helmet that has a shield and ear muffs similar to this helmet with an integrated face shield and ear muffs.

Cutting Performance

This is where the VEVOR surprised me. Compared to my electric Craftsman:

• Way more power
• No stalling in normal cuts
• Easily handles hardwood trunks and branches

The only time it struggled was when I really pushed it into a cut—which is expected for a saw in this class. I was also able to bore cut smaller trees, which was nearly impossible with the electric saw. Because of this I began using the VEVOR 25cc Chainsaw to cut down many of our smaller trees because the Echo was overkill for those.

The top-handle design is typically for arborists who use it when they have to climb trees to cut them down in pieces and because of this these saw can be used one-handed, have a lanyard ring and are very compact. I read that because of the handle design and compactness, these types of saws can be harder to handle and potentially more dangerous. That said, in use I have not found this saw to be any more dangerous that my other saws and find it very easy to handle.

Once a tree is down, limbing (taking off all of the limbs and smaller branches from the main trunck) with it is very easy. Because of it’s short length and ability to be used one-handed (carefully), I can maneuver it between dense branches and use my other free hand to pull the cut branches out of the way.

For limbing and light felling, this thing punches well above its price point.

Reliability

I’ve been using the saw for a few weeks now, and:

• It hasn’t failed to start and even after sitting for a bit, it always fire right up
• Build quality feels solid for the price
• It’s the only chainsaw I own that doesn’t leak bar oil everywhere (the Craftsman leaves puddles behind)

It’s still too early to tell what the long term reliability will be. That said, the one red flag I have is that VEVOR does not sell replacement parts for this saw. From what I’ve read, this is saw is a clone of the popular Zenoah G2500 which has been cloned by many other companies. That means there are inexpensive parts across the internet for these saws, however I have yet to order any to confirm that they do fit. I do know the VEVOR uses a common type bar and chain so that will be easy to replace.

That said, if the saw keeps performing the way it has, if there does come a day when it stops working and I can’t find a replacement part(s) then I would seriously consider buying another. Top-handle saws from name brand companies start at $500 and go up quickly from there and for that price I can buy more than five of the VEVOR small chainsaws.

If you buy on VEVOR’s website, use code VTOPUS for 8% off your purchase.

Final Thoughts: This is the Best Small Chainsaw

If you already own a big saw like I do or need a small compact chainsaw, this is a great small chainsaw. It fills the gap for:

• Quick jobs
• Limbing
• Situations where you don’t want to wrestle a heavy saw

If you’re looking for the best small chainsaw for property work, overlanding, or general use –this VEVOR 25.4cc top handle chainsaw is honestly hard to beat for the price (and it’s even less if you use code VTOPUS for 8% off on VEVOR’s website)

It’s not going to replace a pro-grade saw—but it doesn’t need to. It just needs to start, cut well, and not wear you out. So far… it’s doing exactly that for me.