How to use a Bosch electric chainsaw
Updated: 22 October 2026
You have the saw and you want the first cut to be a branch, not a thrown chain. This is how to use a Bosch electric chainsaw from the five-model set on the [Bosch electric chainsaw comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/bosch-electric-chainsaw): EasyChain 18V-15-7, UniversalChain 18, or AdvancedChain 36V-35-40. Oil and the brake are not identical, so the manual for your article number wins. Peter F. used Bosch's UK DIY pages, HSE guidance, and Electrical Safety First. These saws were not lab-tested. Links to amazon.co.uk can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have the saw and you want the first cut to be a branch, not a thrown chain.
You have the saw and you want the first cut to be a branch, not a thrown chain. This is how to use a Bosch electric chainsaw from the five-model set on the Bosch electric chainsaw comparison: EasyChain 18V-15-7, UniversalChain 18, or AdvancedChain 36V-35-40. Oil and the brake are not identical, so the manual for your article number wins. Peter F. used Bosch's UK DIY pages, HSE guidance, and Electrical Safety First. These saws were not lab-tested. Links to amazon.co.uk can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Oiling | Tension | Named safety | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Bosch Bosch EasyChain 18V-15-7 bare | No automatic oiling | SDS | No chain brake named | 9.6 | about £104.94 | View offer |
| Best value |  Bosch Bosch UniversalChain 18 bare | Automatic oiling | SDS | Tip protector | 9.2 | about £98.74 | View offer |
 Bosch Bosch AdvancedChain 36V-35-40 bare | 50 ml starter oil | Tool-free | QuickStop | 9.2 | about £208.94 | View offer |
On this page
Before you start
Clear trip hazards and keep people off the falling side. The Office for Product Safety and Standards warns that home users face kickback and cut injuries. PUWER and HSE guidance apply at work, and they do not automatically cover a householder. HSE's ground-work pointer is still head protection to BS EN 397, hearing to BS EN 352, eyes to BS EN 1731 or BS EN 166, gloves to BS EN 381-7, legs to BS EN 381-5, and boots to BS EN ISO 17249. Fit the battery only when the chain is seated. Hung-up timber, a building, a line, or work off the ground means you stop. Model choice is on the buying guide.
Oil and the battery
Oil the bar before the first cut. There is no petrol to mix, and the three saws do not share one oil rule. The UniversalChain 18 model page describes automatic oiling, and several boxes include 80 ml. A dry or smoking bar means oil has not reached the chain. The EasyChain's 50 ml bottle is not automatic oiling. The model page says there is none, so you oil the bar yourself. The AdvancedChain's 50 ml bottle is a starter sample. Green 18 V packs fit the two shorter saws. The AdvancedChain needs 36 V. Take the pack off before you adjust the chain.
SDS tension without over-tightening
Tension the chain cold. A chain cranked tight while hot can bind as it cools. You want it on the bar without a sagging loop, not drum-tight. If it jumps off, stop, take the battery off, and refit it. Do not hold the trigger and hope it climbs back on. A chain that slaps the bar is too loose. A chain that will not turn by hand with the battery off is too tight. Branch angles are on the pruning page.
Making the first cut safely
Stand to the side of the cut, with both hands on the saw and both feet on the ground. Electrical Safety First advises against a ladder. HSE's INDG317 says the nose of the bar can throw the saw back, and a brake or tip guard does not remove that risk. Start on the mid-bar once the chain is at speed, and leave the UniversalChain tip protector fitted. Read the AdvancedChain manual's QuickStop check before you rely on it. If the kerf pinches, open it with a wedge rather than twisting the saw. Felling near a house or a power line is a professional job.
Common questions
How tight should the chain be?
On a cold chain, tight enough that it stays on the bar without a drooping loop, and loose enough that you can still move it by hand with the battery off. Over-tightening is a common reason UK reviews cite for slip and for a chain that binds. Check again after the first cuts, because a new chain settles. If you are guessing from a video of a different brand, use the Bosch manual for your article number.
Do you oil before the first cut?
Yes. The bottles in the box are small: 80 ml on several UniversalChain 18 listings and 50 ml on the EasyChain and AdvancedChain listings. Put oil on before you cut, then confirm that the UniversalChain's automatic oiling is actually wetting the bar. On the EasyChain, do not assume automatic oiling. The model page says there is none. A dry bar will blue and the chain will suffer long before the battery is flat.
What if the chain jumped off?
Stop and take the battery off. Refit the chain and tension it cold. Do not keep cutting with a chain that is half on the bar. On the UniversalChain 18, slack after the tensioner has caught on wood is a known review complaint, so look for damage or packed sawdust before you refit. If the drive links are bent or the bar groove is packed with debris, clean it or stop using the saw.
Can you use one hand?
No. Two hands stay on the saw for every cut in this routine, including with the 1.28 kg EasyChain. One hand is how people talk themselves onto a ladder or into a reach they cannot control when the nose catches. If you cannot place both hands and both feet, the branch is not a job for this saw today. A pole pruner is a different tool and it is not in this comparison.
Is the tip protector in the way?
On the UniversalChain 18 it shortens the useful bar and it stops you burying the nose, which is why some reviewers call it a nuisance on larger timber. That is the guard working, not a defect to delete. Bosch lists it with gripping teeth for stabilising cuts from below. Leave it fitted. If your wood no longer fits behind it, you have outgrown this saw and you are into AdvancedChain territory, not into a modification.
How do you test QuickStop on the AdvancedChain?
Use the check in the AdvancedChain manual, not a guess borrowed from a petrol saw. Bosch's model page names QuickStop. The amazon.co.uk bullets do not all repeat it, so the manual is the procedure. Do that check before the first real cut, with the bar clear of your body and of the ground. The EasyChain and UniversalChain 18 listings do not name an equivalent chain brake. Do not invent one by treating the hand guard as a brake.
Can you prune from a stepladder?
No. Electrical Safety First's garden-tool advice is not to use a chainsaw from a ladder. A light 18 V body makes the idea tempting and does not make the fall any softer if the saw kicks. Cut what you can reach with both feet on the ground. Above that, stop. Hung-up limbs are a professional job.
Related pages
Sources
Sources from the research digest. Prices and star lines checked on 19 October 2026.
- Bosch DIY GB chainsaws (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Bosch EasyChain 18V-15-7 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Bosch UniversalChain 18 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Bosch AdvancedChain 36V-35-40 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE chainsaw PPE (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE INDG317 chainsaw kickback (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- OPSS chainsaw safety (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Electrical Safety First garden chainsaws (retrieved 19 October 2026)