Scheppach CSH56 Chainsaw

Product Information

For cutting smaller trunks and logs below 64 cm (25”) , choose a chainsaw with a bar around 36 cm (14”) . Combined with a 40 cc motor, a chainsaw of this size will be suitable for the majority of average home users. A 50 cc motor is better suited to medium-intensity tasks as it will cut logs up to approximately 80 cm (32”). You can tell that this is a powerful chainsaw as soon as you start to use it. This is all thanks to its 62cc 2-stroke petrol engine, which has been designed to be eco-friendly and fuel-efficient. It gives the machine a rapid cutting speed, pushing it into the professional realm.

Derek has real-world tested 61 products for DIY Garden, and is one of our most experienced testers. If you want to comfortably move with your chainsaw up and down ladders, choose a weight closer to 5 kg . Scheppach is Europe’s most innovative producer of woodworking machines, having introduced around eighty new models since 1997. For more than 80 years our designers, technicians and engineers have thought about “tomorrow” so that scheppach is always that one step ahead of our competitors. That is what makes the difference when you buy scheppach. We call it progressive forethought. Following the introduction of our Easy to use. Once you’ve mastered starting your chainsaw, you should find it relatively easy to use To find the best petrol chainsaws, I did a comprehensive assessment of a range of chainsaws. My evaluation covered the main dimensions, from assembly ease to power and performance to design, allowing me to provide a well-rounded analysis of each chainsaw’s merits and flaws. Here’s how I tested:

Einhell is a brand that I know and love – I’ve used several of their power and garden tools before, including their electric scarifier, cordless leaf blower, and cordless chainsaw. However, no matter how good their cordless chainsaw was, I needed something a little more powerful to cope with the large trees that Storm Arwen had toppled around my farm, which is where the Einhell GC-PC 2040 came in. According to the brand, this chainsaw was made for hobby gardeners. The work that I had set out for it was a little more than “hobby”– it was a job that I would usually turn to one of my professional chainsaws for, but I had high hopes that this Einhell would be up to the task. You are not limited to only certain areas. Unlike mains powered machines, you can move around the garden freely

You do need a bit of muscle on the starter pull cord as it's not spring assisted and there isn't a decompression valve, but mine started 3rd pull so that's fine. Machine is a little on the heavy side too, fine used at ground level though I guess, the weight being a bit of a bonus and also a sign of it's solid build. It also runs on 40:1 petrol oil mix, not 25:1 as most cheap unbranded Chinese chainsaws do. This is partly down to its small engine size. At 38.2cc, it’s almost half that of some of the other chainsaws that I reviewed. This shouldn’t be an issue for light, occasional work, but it isn’t quite powerful enough for heavy-duty tasks. Before I could get started, I had to assemble the chainsaw. Fortunately, this didn’t take long – I had it all put together in less than ten minutes. All you need to do is insert the bar and chain, which was made easier by the fact that this chain didn’t need to be unravelled. All the tools that you’ll need for assembly are also supplied with the chainsaw. Thanks to its size, as well as its narrower bar, I found this chainsaw to be much easier to manoeuvre than many of the others. If I needed to prune a tall tree and had to take a chainsaw up a ladder with me, then this (or the Husqvarna that I also tested) is probably the one that I would choose. The only downside, compared to the Husqvarna, was the weight of this machine. At 6.5kg, it’s pretty heavy, but this is compensated by the fact that it has a larger engine and longer bar (and lower price tag…!).

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In terms of design, this chainsaw boasts everything that you’d expect from a high-end chainsaw. It has a 50 cm (20”) bar, making it suitable for professional use too, and its trigger, on/off button, primer bubble, and choke button are all positioned for convenient access. It even comes with its own carry bag – granted, this isn’t a huge deal, but for someone like myself who often carries chainsaws around, having a carry bag is definitely convenient. I was dubious about this chainsaw to begin with, simply because I hadn’t heard of the brand before. However, once I got it going, it didn’t stop impressing me. It’s extremely powerful and performed well at whatever task I set it to, whether this was slicing up huge tree trunks or chopping up smaller branches.

The first thing that stands out about the design of this chainsaw is the length of its bar. At 36 cm (14”), it’s significantly smaller than some of the others that I tested, but this could very well be all you need for the tasks that you have lined up for your chainsaw. Husqvarna also incorporated a number of clever design features into this chainsaw, such as the combined choke/stop control that enables you to easily start the machine from either cold or hot. Assembling this chainsaw was very simple. Einhell provides all of the tools that you’ll need for assembly, meaning that the process only took about ten minutes, plus an extra few minutes to fill the machine with oil and petrol. Compare this chainsaw to the others that I tested and you’ll see that it’s one of the most expensive. However, for what you’re paying, you’re getting a fantastic machine that’s not only suitable for light garden work, but can also be used for heavy-duty tasks. That said, as I mentioned earlier, this chainsaw is very similar to the P1PE that I tested. If you’re on a tight budget, then the P1PE, or even the ParkerBrand, is the one I’d recommend. However, if you’re willing to spend just a little bit more on a reliable and trustworthy brand, then the Hyundai is more than worth it. This ParkerBrand chainsaw was the least expensive of the five that I tested, yet its power and performance matched, if not exceeded, that of costlier models. This makes it fantastic value for money. It genuinely surprises me that it’s possible to even get a chainsaw this good for such a low price. I was expecting to find several flaws during the testing process, but there were near to none. Even better, ParkerBrand has added extra value to this product by including a spare chain, a full maintenance tool kit, a measuring bottle, a protective cover, a carry bag, and a one-year warranty. You’d struggle to find all of this at such a reasonable price from any other company!

Design: A well-crafted petrol chainsaw prioritised ergonomics, offering users a comfortable handle and grip. Models equipped with anti-vibration or cushioned handles received top marks as these features enhanced user comfort during extended use. Balanced weight distribution plays a crucial role in manoeuvrability and control, so models that considered and executed this were given better marks. Sturdy boots are a must, and you should avoid wearing loose trailing clothing which could get caught on something. However, petrol powered chainsaws are extremely powerful machines, and those with little experience may find a chainsaw with a long bar harder to control. Petrol bars do tend to have longer bars than corded or cordless types, with the length up to 40cm. Chain Speed Petrol chainsaw engines vary quite significantly, with this one sitting somewhere in the middle of the scale. Again, this is pretty much ideal for the average user – 50cc gives it all of the power it needs to work for several hours straight without any issues.