Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2017
This is the first Makita tool I have ever returned (XCU03). I have many, many Makita 18v tools at my home and my ranch, including two of the prior cordless chainsaws (XCU02, which is actually one of my favorite Makita tools). The problem, as others have noted, is the "power" switch. This seemingly redundant power switch is a bit strange, as the prior XCU02 (like nearly all my Makita tools) has no redundant "power" switch. You simply inset batteries and pull the trigger.
In and of itself, the power switch would not be much of a problem, except that it has an auto-shutoff feature that deactivates the unit after 4 seconds of non-use. 4 seconds!!! At first I thought this would just be a minor bother to press the power switch, but in practice I found it quite frustrating to have to press it every time I moved to make another cut, especially wearing heavy work gloves. What I found myself doing to compensate for this problem was to keep pressing the tool trigger (revving the motor) every 2-3 seconds, which prevents a time out. However, this "solution" results in the saw blade spinning (dangerously) while I am moving. This is clearly a safety hazard. Further, I found that I tend to rush to get into position to prevent the saw from timing out - another safety hazard. And, it seems to me that pressing the trigger every 2-3 seconds would drain the battery prematurely. So, as a result of this new "safety" feature, this tool is actually far more dangerous than my other power tools.
This defect was so serious that I contacted Makita tech support. I explained the situation and was informed that my unit must be defective, as this chainsaw was designed to auto power off after 1-2 minutes, and not after only 4 seconds (ahh, that makes more sense). Makita support recommended I return that defective unit and replace it. Several days later the new unit arrived, and I anxiously tested it. Same thing! Powers off after 4 seconds. Disappointed, I again contacted Makita and a different rep told me that the unit is designed to auto shutoff after only a few seconds. He said it was indeed a new "safety" feature, and could not be changed by the user. Of course, I explained experience and safety concerns with the unit, and suggested Makita change the timeout interval to at least 15 seconds. He didn't seem inclined to take my concerns seriously, and we agreed I should just return the second unit as well.
Following this disappointing development, and upon learning that the new "feature" was not actually a power switch, but a safety switch, I looked for ways to possible override it while in use. I considered opening it up and trying to wire around the switch, but decided that I was better off just continuing to use my very functional XCU02 chainsaw, and my Stihl gas chainsaw. However, after playing around with various switch combinations on this new chainsaw, I discovered that if you continue to hold down the trigger release lever in the top of the handle, the unit will not power off until after 60 seconds! That is actually a most helpful discovery, as once I practiced not letting off the release lever between cuts, the new unit was almost as good as it should have been designed originally. I do find that I still accidentally release the lever and have to interrupt my progress to reactivate the safety switch. Nonetheless, I find I no longer needlessly pressing the trigger between cuts.
However, I discovered all this quite by accident. Neither the Owner's Manual nor Tech support informed me of this option, which is an oversight. I have no doubt that there are many users who are unaware of this function and who find it necessary to "rev" the saw between cuts to keep it from timing out. Makita should at the minimum revise the manual, and preferably revise the design to allow at least 15 seconds before the unit times out.
Otherwise, this is a nice chainsaw, which I plan to keep a few days longer to evaluate further. I do note that unlike the XCU02, the XCU03 seems to have very poor low end torque. Mine stalls if I don't fully rev it up before engaging the balde in the wood. In fact, this chainsaw behaves far more like my gasoline chainsaw, which also has the internal combustion engine's poor low end torque. This unit also seems to have a much shorter battery life that the XCU02, despite having a brushless motor (which may explain the low torque compared to the brushed motor). I got about 45 minutes of useful life from the XCU03 with new 5ah batteries (the XCU02 would run for at least twice that long on the same batteries). However, in fairness, the 03 cuts much faster and therefore consumes power more aggressively.
I will update this review as I learn more, but wanted to make potential buyers (and possibly existing users) aware of the safety issues and possible works arounds, as well as flagging to Makita the need to address this problem in the existing units.
UPDATE: After using this replacement saw for another week, I have returned it. I had hoped that I could remedy the "safety" switch issue by simply holding down the trigger lock. But, what I found in practice is that I have to release my right hand to adjust the log for the next cut, or to move branches away for the next cut, and of course thus results in the tool timing out. I got so frustrated that I just taped the trigger lock closed, which worked fine and made the saw very useable. However, this is in itself a larger safety issue. And, despite this temporary improvement, I found that more often that not I reached for the smaller XCU02 saw to cut everything under 4-5", especially as it has far better torque than the 03. Moreover, my wife greatly prefers the 02 because it is more compact and easier to handle.
Interestingly, I just bought one of Makita's larger battery string trimmers, which has a power switch system very similar to the XCU03 chainsaw's. However, the trimmer switch times out after one minute (vs 4 seconds), which makes it perfectly safe and useable.
In summary, until Makita corrects the power switch problem, I cannot recommend this saw. Once Makita fixes the switch issue, this chainsaw will be useful as a replacement for my smaller gas chainsaws, as it does cut fast.
