Einhell GC-PC 2040 Petrol Chainsaw Review

Written by: - Landscape Gardener
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This Einhell petrol chainsaw is pretty much perfect for the average home user. While it’s not one that you’ll be able to use professionally, this won’t matter to the majority of hobby gardeners. Instead, this tool is more than capable of handling everything from firewood cutting to medium-sized tree felling to tree pruning. Its size, in terms of both its bar as well as its engine, gives this chainsaw a versatility that many others seem to lack. 

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Tested

Einhell GC-PC 2040 Petrol Chainsaw[ SAVE 24% ]

Einhell GC PC 2040 Petrol Chainsaw Review
Overall Score 4.6
Assembly Ease
5
Design
5
Performance
5
Power
4.5
Ease of Use
4
Safety
4
Value for Money
4.5
Engine
50cc
Horsepower
2.68 hp
Bar Size
16"
Weight
6.5kg

Einhell, a German company that manufacturers garden and power tools, is a brand that I’m very familiar with. I recently reviewed their electric scarifier, as well as their cordless chainsaw, strimmer, and leaf blower, and have been pretty impressed so far. I didn’t expect anything less from their GC-PC 2040, a petrol chainsaw designed for home and garden DIY work. I had several mature trees to slice up thanks to Storm Arwen, so it was a great opportunity to discover just how capable this chainsaw really is.

Assembly Ease

5

Einhell-GC-PC-2040-Petrol-Chainsaw-Review-assembly

Assembling a petrol chainsaw is relatively straightforward – it has been a similar process for all of the five chainsaws I’ve tested. 

All you need to do is unscrew the side panel so that you can attach the bar and chain. Then, put the side panel back on and use the screws on the side of the unit to tighten the chain. All of the tools that you need to do this have been included with the chainsaw.

Finally, fill it with oil and petrol. Einhell includes a plastic mixing bottle with this chainsaw to make sure that you get your ratios accurate.

Overall, it only took me about ten minutes to assemble this chainsaw.

Design

5

Einhell-GC-PC-2040-Petrol-Chainsaw-Review-design

The first thing that stood out to me about this chainsaw (other than its vivid red colour, which you’ll find with all Einhell products) was that it uses an Oregon bar and chain. Oregon is a brand well-known for its chainsaw expertise, to the point where many professionals favour their high-performance, precision-cutting parts. You can immediately tell that this chain is going to perform well simply by how it was so much sharper than the chains that came with some of the other chainsaws that I tested.

I also noticed that the 16” Oregon bar that comes with this chainsaw is slightly thinner and narrower than other chainsaw bars. I was curious to find out whether this would be a pro or a con!

Just like the other petrol chainsaws that I reviewed, this one has a choke button and a primer bubble. However, instead of an on/off button, it has a small metal switch that you flick on and off. 

Performance

5

Einhell-GC-PC-2040-Petrol-Chainsaw-Review-performance

Unlike some of the other chainsaws that I tested, I had no issues with turning this one on the very first time I tried. It kicked into action as soon as I pulled the cord and performed extremely well after that. 

Its 16” bar meant that, theoretically, I should have been able to cut through trunks that were 32” in diameter (by doing a cut on each side). As I found out with the Husqvarna petrol chainsaw that I tested, this doesn’t always pan out – sometimes, a chainsaw just isn’t able to handle wood that’s too thick. Fortunately, the Einhell had no issues – it happily sliced through trunks that were roughly 32” in diameter, working quickly and efficiently each time, even three hours into the job. 

Its auto-lubrication feature helps to keep things running smoothly, although it’s worth noting that this is a feature shared amongst all of the chainsaws that I reviewed. 

Power

4.5

Einhell-GC-PC-2040-Petrol-Chainsaw-Review-power

In terms of power, this Einhell chainsaw sits somewhere in the middle of the five that I tested. Its 50cc engine is not as powerful as the Hyundai, ParkerBrand, or P1PE (although not significantly so), but it exceeds that of the Husqvarna. I would say that 50cc is an ideal engine size for the average hobby gardener – the Husqvarna was a little too small and the other three take things into the professional realm, so this is definitely the option that Goldilocks would choose!

Ease of Use

4

Einhell-GC-PC-2040-Petrol-Chainsaw-Review-ease-of-use

Let’s start with weight. At 6.5kg, this chainsaw is definitely on the heavier side. The average hobby gardener would probably find its weight a bit cumbersome. For me, it wasn’t an issue since I’m used to handling heavy power tools.

The chainsaw’s narrow bar that I mentioned earlier turned out to be an advantage rather than a disadvantage. It made the chainsaw much easier to manoeuvre than the others. While I primarily used it to cut up large trunks, its narrow bar makes it versatile enough for such a wide range of gardening tasks.

However, what I didn’t appreciate about this chainsaw was its on/off switch. Due to how it’s positioned, as well as the fact that it’s a switch rather than a button, I ended up accidentally knocking the switch several times while using the chainsaw, resulting in the machine turning off mid-cut. It’s a shame that Einhell didn’t spring for a better switch/button here because trying to use the chainsaw without touching that switch does make things a little more awkward. 

Safety

4

Einhell-GC-PC-2040-Petrol-Chainsaw-Review-safety

Safety is so important when using a chainsaw – this is a machine that has the potential to cause some serious damage. Fortunately, just like the other chainsaws that I tested, the Einhell was equipped with a few key safety features designed to keep the user as safe as possible. 

For starters, it comes with kickback protection, along with an instant chain brake. This not only helps to prevent kickback, but it also means that, should the chain break or derail, it should (hopefully) not come flying back at you. That said, it’s still vital that you wear all of the necessary safety gear when using this, or any, chainsaw.

Again, like the others, this chainsaw comes with a plastic protective cover that slides over the top of the bar and chain, which prevents accidents when the chainsaw isn’t in use. It’s also dotted with several safety stickers. 

Where this chainsaw falls short in terms of safety is with the on/off switch that I previously mentioned. A chainsaw that turns off mid-cut could end up causing a dangerous situation – if you’re halfway through felling a tree, stopping midway could cause that tree to fall in an uncontrolled way. There weren’t any issues with being able to quickly turn the chainsaw back on when it did stop, but this still isn’t ideal from a safety perspective.

Value for Money

4.5

This chainsaw is definitely at the lower end of the pricing scale when compared to some of the others that I reviewed, but that could be attributed to its slightly smaller engine and bar size. However, for what you’re paying, you’re getting a machine that performs very well from a brand that’s known for its reliable power tools. 

In my opinion, the fact that this chainsaw comes with an Oregon bar and chain gives it even more value. This pretty much guarantees quality, which makes the low price of this chainsaw even more attractive. 

The only downside was that this chainsaw didn’t come with many extra or spare parts, other than a plastic mixing bottle for fuel and oil and the tools needed to assemble the machine. Still, this isn’t a huge deal, especially since spares aren’t usually expensive. Even without them, I would say that this chainsaw offers great value for money.

Overall

4.6

This Einhell petrol chainsaw is pretty much perfect for the average home user. While it’s not one that you’ll be able to use professionally, this won’t matter to the majority of hobby gardeners. Instead, this tool is more than capable of handling everything from firewood cutting to medium-sized tree felling to tree pruning. Its size, in terms of both its bar as well as its engine, gives this chainsaw a versatility that many others seem to lack. 

Tested

Einhell GC-PC 2040 Petrol Chainsaw[ SAVE 24% ]

Einhell GC PC 2040 Petrol Chainsaw Review
Overall Score 4.6
Assembly Ease
5
Design
5
Performance
5
Power
4.5
Ease of Use
4
Safety
4
Value for Money
4.5
Engine
50cc
Horsepower
2.68 hp
Bar Size
16"
Weight
6.5kg

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