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Einhell 18V vs 36V chainsaw

Updated: 22 October 2026

If you already own one Einhell Power X-Change battery, a 36 V chainsaw listing can look like the next upgrade until you find that the Twin-Pack body expects two of those packs in the tool at once. This page explains what changes between 18 V and 36 V Einhell saws on amazon.co.uk, when one pack is enough, and when a second pack earns its place. Prices and every model sit in the [Einhell chainsaw comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/einhell-chainsaw). Bar length and kit versus Solo sit in the [Einhell chainsaw buying guide](/hub/forestry-tools/einhell-chainsaw/sub/einhell-chainsaw-buying-guide). Peter F. used the saved listings. This is not a laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

If you already own one Einhell Power X-Change battery, a 36 V chainsaw listing can look like the next upgrade until you find that the Twin-Pack body expects two of those packs in the tool at once.

Our top picks

Einhell Einhell GE-LC 18/25 Li Solo

Best overall

Einhell Einhell GE-LC 18/25 Li Solo
8.8/10about £79.99
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Einhell Einhell GP-LC 36/35 Li-Solo

Rank 2

Einhell Einhell GP-LC 36/35 Li-Solo
8.8/10about £129.95
View offer
Einhell Einhell GE-LC 18/25 Li BL Solo

Rank 3

Einhell Einhell GE-LC 18/25 Li BL Solo
8.8/10about £124.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.One pack or two
  2. 2.What the chain speed changes
  3. 3.When 18 V is the right saw
  4. 4.When 36 V earns the second battery
  5. 5.Mains as the third path

One pack or two

Power X-Change is one battery family. Eighteen-volt tools take a single pack. Einhell’s UK battery pages describe Twin-Pack tools that combine two 18 V batteries for a 36 V machine, while each pack still runs an 18 V tool alone. The GP-LC 36/35 and GP-LC 36/40 are Solo bare saws. Neither box includes a battery or charger, and both need two compatible packs fitted together before the chain moves. The mistake is buying a 36 V Solo when you only own one mower pack. The GE-LC 18/25 Solo at £79.99 and the FORTEXXA bare tools run on one pack. The GP-LC 36/35 at £129.95 bare is unusable until the second slot is filled. You charge each 18 V pack on the same Power X-Change charger.

What the chain speed changes

Listing chain speeds are not petrol horsepower. They separate a patient garden cut from a harder push. The brushed GE-LC 18/25 quotes 4.5 m/s. The brushless GE-LC 18/25 BL Solo quotes 6.5 m/s near a 22–25 cm bar. The FORTEXXA 18/30 bare lists 8 m/s at full power and 6 m/s in Eco on one 18 V pack, with a bar near 30 cm in the bullet. On Twin-Pack, the GP-LC 36/35 quotes up to 15 m/s with a 33 cm cutting length. The GP-LC 36/40 bare quotes up to 19 m/s with a 38 cm cutting length. Einhell’s UK shop page for the 36/40 prints 19.3 m/s, and the amazon bullet rounds differently. Use the chain-speed line, not a marketing watt figure. Real wood feels slower when the pack is small or the cut is forced.
Einhell Einhell GE-LC 18/25 Li Solo

Testsieger

Einhell Einhell GE-LC 18/25 Li Solo
8.8/10about £79.99
View offer

When 18 V is the right saw

Eighteen volts is the right platform when you own one pack, cut branches and garden wood, and can accept slower progress than petrol. UK reviewers on the GE-LC Solo praise shared packs, light handling, and tool-free tension, and they criticise pace on thick rounds. The FORTEXXA 18/20 and 18/30 add brushless speed on one pack, with bare-tool pricing and titles you must read in centimetres. For shrubs at ground level, a shorter bar on the GE-PS kit or the FORTEXXA 18/20 may beat a 35 cm rear handle. The Einhell chainsaw for pruning page includes the trained-user warning on top-handle designs. Eighteen volts is the wrong call when you regularly need a 33 cm or 38 cm cut and already own a second pack.

When 36 V earns the second battery

Thirty-six volts earns the second pack when thicker garden wood forces extra cuts on an 18 V saw, and you already have or will buy a second compatible pack. The GP-LC 36/35 is the mid bar: a 33 cm cutting length, a 115 ml oil tank, and tool-free tension. Its UK reviews still compare it with petrol on heavy work. The GP-LC 36/40 is longer and faster, with a 230 ml tank and up to 19 m/s, but only a handful of UK-marked reviews in the sample. Einhell’s UK page for the 36/35 recommends 3.0 Ah or larger packs. Smaller packs may start and then drain in dense cuts. If you will never buy a second pack, a mains GH-EC saw or a higher 18 V FORTEXXA is the honest path. A 36 V body with one pack cannot start.

Mains as the third path

Corded GH-EC saws at £79.00 in this capture use neither 18 V nor 36 V packs. They trade battery runtime for a 230 V lead, about five kilograms, and UK review themes about plugs disconnecting when the cable is tugged. They belong in the decision only as a socket-and-lead choice, not as a voltage upgrade inside Power X-Change.

Common questions

Will my mower battery run a 36 V Einhell chainsaw?
Only if you have two compatible packs to fit at once. One mower pack runs 18 V tools. It does not run a Twin-Pack chainsaw on its own.
How many batteries does the GP-LC need?
Two 18 V Power X-Change packs at the same time, plus the charger capacity you already use for those packs.
Is 36 V a different charger?
You charge each 18 V pack on the Power X-Change charger you use for the platform. Twin-Pack describes how two charged packs mount in the tool.
How much faster is 15 m/s than 4.5 m/s in practice?
Listing speeds are not timed cuts in your garden. Expect easier progress in thick garden wood with the GP-LC when the packs are healthy. Do not expect petrol-equivalent speed.
Is the brushed GE-LC the wrong saw if I only prune?
Not if a rear handle near 25 cm reaches your branches. A shorter bar may still be easier in tight shrubs. That is a bar choice more than a voltage choice.
What Ah does Einhell recommend for the 36 V saw?
Einhell’s UK GP-LC 36/35 page recommends 3.0 Ah or larger packs. Smaller packs may start light cuts and then drain faster in heavy timber.
Does Solo on a 36 V saw mean one battery is included?
No. Solo means no battery and no charger in the box, for both the 18 V and the 36 V bare listings in this set.

Related pages

Best Einhell chainsaw

How to use an Einhell chainsaw

Einhell chainsaw

Einhell chainsaw buying guide: packs, then the bar

Einhell chainsaw for pruning: a short bar, two hands

Sources

Public sources listed for this comparison, October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in that set. We did not run a lab test.

  1. HSE INDG317, Chainsaws at work (retrieved October 2026)
  2. HSE chainsaw PPE (retrieved October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, when a felling licence is needed (retrieved October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, tree felling: getting permission (retrieved October 2026)
  5. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Einhell UK GE-LC 18/25 Li-Solo (retrieved October 2026)
  7. Einhell UK batteries (retrieved October 2026)
  8. Einhell UK GP-LC 36/35 Li-Solo (retrieved October 2026)
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved October 2026)