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Mini chainsaw or full-size chainsaw

Updated: 16 October 2026

You are looking at one hedge and three tools that do not make the same cut. A mini chainsaw or a full-size chainsaw is a bar-length decision. A 6 to 8 inch saw, or the GTA 26 with a 10 cm bar, finishes branches if you keep a second hand on it. A log needs 14 to 20 inches. The [Stihl chainsaw comparison](/hub/power-saws/stihl-chainsaw) holds the prices. Watts against cubic centimetres stay on [petrol or cordless chainsaw](/hub/power-saws/stihl-chainsaw/sub/stihl-chainsaw-petrol-or-cordless). The Products Compared editorial team used the 16 October 2026 listings, STIHL UK, and HSE. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are looking at one hedge and three tools that do not make the same cut. A mini chainsaw or a full-size chainsaw is a bar-length decision.

Our top picks

Seesii Seesii CH700R 6 inch

Best overall

Seesii Seesii CH700R 6 inch
7.7/10about £49.99
View offer
HYUNDAI Hyundai HYC2400E 16 inch

Best value

HYUNDAI Hyundai HYC2400E 16 inch
8.4/10about £88.98
View offer
Stihl STIHL GTA 26 set

Alternative

Stihl STIHL GTA 26 set
5.9/10about £152.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.A short bar is a different tool
  2. 2.The GTA 26 is a pruner
  3. 3.The 6 inch claim, including one hand
  4. 4.14, 16, or 20 inches
  5. 5.Which bar finishes the piece

A short bar is a different tool

HSE guidance says to choose the shortest guide bar suitable for the work, and to keep both hands on a rear-handled saw. The short tools are the Seesii CH700R at 6 inches, the Seesii M8 Boost with an 8 inch bar, and the STIHL GTA 26. Garden-log bars are 14 or 16 inches. Longer bars are petrol: the HYC6200X at 20 inches with a rear handle, and the eSkde at 20 inches with a top handle. The only STIHL product kept here is the GTA 26. The chainsaw buying guide walks bar, then power, then handle.

The GTA 26 is a pruner

STIHL UK describes the GTA 26 as a garden pruner with a 10 cm bar. You hold the main handle and the top handle together. That second hand is the instruction. It is not a licence to cut a trunk. On amazon.co.uk this row is about £152.00, 3.5 stars from 8 reviews. The title includes battery AS 2 and charger AL 1, and it does not state a guide-bar length. One of three UK reviews says the charger arrived with a two-pin European plug. Do not add a travel adaptor. STIHL states up to 70 cuts in 4 cm branches with the AS 2. That figure was not measured here.
Seesii Seesii CH700R 6 inch

Testsieger

Seesii Seesii CH700R 6 inch
7.7/10about £49.99
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The 6 inch claim, including one hand

The Seesii CH700R title and chain-length row both say 6 inches, at about £49.99, with 4.5 stars from 9,284 reviews. Two batteries and a charger are included. The oil bottle is empty, and the box includes an auxiliary handle, so a one-handed bullet contradicts the same listing. HSE still wants both hands. Item weight says 3.7 kg and a bullet says 1.4 kg. The watt field says 900 W and a bullet says 1000 W. Use the rows. The M8 Boost is 8 inches fitted, with a spare 6 inch bar, and no voltage row beside a Makita highlight.

14, 16, or 20 inches

A garden log here is a 14 or 16 inch bar. The HYC1600E is 14 inches and 1600 W on the title. Do not use its 2400 W bullets. The HYC2400E title and row agree on 16 inches and 2400 W, and the brake is not named. The Oregon CS1400 names a brake in a bullet. The best chainsaw page separates those two. This page only says they are log bars. Twenty inches is petrol only, and the wrong bar for a hedge. The HYC6200X is the rear-handled one. The eSkde is top-handle, which HSE does not treat as a lawn substitute. How you hold the saw is on how to use a chainsaw.

Which bar finishes the piece

Branches you can finish on 6 to 8 inches, or on the GTA 26’s 10 cm bar, with both hands: the short tools. Garden logs: 14 or 16 inches. Larger timber: the 20 inch rear-handled petrol saw, not the top-handle one, and not the pruner.

Common questions

Is a mini chainsaw the same as a full-size chainsaw?
No. A mini here is a 6 or 8 inch bar, or the GTA 26 with a 10 cm bar. A garden saw is 14 or 16 inches for logs, or 20 inches of petrol bar for larger timber. They do not finish the same wood. HSE’s rule is the shortest bar that completes the work, with both hands on a rear-handled saw.
Is the STIHL GTA 26 a chainsaw?
Amazon files it under Chain Saws. STIHL UK calls it a garden pruner with a 10 cm bar. You hold it with both hands. This set’s row is about £152.00, with AS 2 and AL 1 in the title, and 3.5 stars from 8 reviews. It is not a firewood saw. STIHL states up to 70 cuts in 4 cm branches with the AS 2.
Can I use a 6 inch saw one-handed?
No. The Seesii bullet claims one-handed use, and the included line lists an auxiliary handle. HSE expects both hands on a rear-handled saw. STIHL expects both hands on the GTA 26 as well. If the cut needs a ladder, hire someone competent instead of freeing a hand.
Will a 6 inch or 10 cm bar cut a trunk or firewood logs?
Treat them as the wrong tools for a trunk. No cut diameter was measured, so a review count cannot prove a 6 inch bar will open a log. The only diameter sentence to repeat is STIHL’s, about 4 cm branches on the GTA 26. Garden logs point to 14 or 16 inches. Larger timber points to the 20 inch petrol bar.
When is 14 or 16 inches enough, and when is 20 inches the petrol job?
Fourteen or 16 inches is the garden-log band. Twenty inches is petrol only here, the rear-handled HYC6200X or the top-handle eSkde, and only for larger timber. A 20 inch bar is the wrong bar for a hedge. Do not compare the HYC2400E’s watts with the HYC6200X’s cubic centimetres as if they were one scale.
Why does the Seesii listing disagree on weight?
The CH700R item-weight row says 3.7 kg. A bullet says 1.4 kg. The watt field says 900 W and a bullet says 1000 W. This comparison uses the rows. The M8 Boost item row says 1.76 kg and does not have that clash. Neither fact is a measured cutting diameter.
Should I buy a 20 inch top-handle saw for a hedge?
No. The eSkde CS62-S7 is 20 inches and sold as a top-handle petrol saw. HSE limits that handle to trained arborists off the ground. A hedge on the lawn wants a short bar, or the GTA 26 held with both hands. The rear-handled 20 inch Hyundai is for larger timber, still not for the hedge.

Related pages

Stihl chainsaw

Best chainsaw for garden logs by an outdoor socket

Chainsaw buying guide: match bar, power and handle

How to use a chainsaw: checks before the first cut

Petrol or cordless chainsaw: fuel, cable or battery

Sources

Public UK sources for handles, kickback, PPE, training, noise, vibration, petrol storage, and the plug. STIHL pages cover bar choice, the GTA 26, and STIHL fuel mix. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in this set. Retrieved 16 October 2026.

  1. HSE INDG317 — chainsaw handles, kickback, and checks (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. HSE — chainsaw PPE (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. HSE — training and competence (PUWER regulation 9) (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. HSE — hand-arm vibration responsibilities (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. HSE — petrol storage at clubs and associations (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Electrical Safety First — garden tool chainsaws (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. STIHL UK — chainsaw buying guide (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  9. STIHL UK — GTA 26 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  10. STIHL UK — chainsaw fuel mix (retrieved 16 October 2026)