Review: Ficagon Mini Chainsaw

Although it’s easy enough to cut thin tree and other branches with a lopper, I’m always looking for ways to help speed up or optimize a manual process like that. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to also have the ability to potentially cut off thicker branches that you might otherwise have difficulty with with a manual lopper. But does the Ficagon Mini Chainsaw provide that type of versatility?

The Ficagon ships in a storage case, which includes the mini chainsaw with pre-installed chain, two 21V batteries (a nice touch considering the cost of batteries these days), battery charger, some tools for chainsaw maintenance, and a user manual. The mini chainsaw, which helpfully says “CHAIN SAW” on both sides of the rotation panel, is no larger than a regular power drill and has just under 5 inches of cutting surface exposed on the chain.

After charging one of the batteries – which is accomplished by plugging the AC adapter directly into a battery – I was ready to give the Ficagon a go. Frankly, I was not expecting much because of the diminutive chain size, but based on the product page, this should have no problem with 2×4’s or thicker tree branches.

Grabbing my safety goggles, I gave the Ficagon a try. In operation, it’s quite loud, though obviously not as loud as a traditional chainsaw. If you’re going to be using it for an extended period of time, ear plugs are probably a good idea.

It did OK on very thin branches on a crab apple tree, but did really well powering through much thicker branches on a regular tree. This definitely has the power to get through pretty thick branches, so it’s probably best to save the thinner, smaller stuff for a manual tool. The 21V battery definitely gives the Ficagon the necessary punch it needs. Perhaps the only drawback in comparison to its relative power is the smaller chain size.

I would have liked at least one more chain in the box. There’s no indication of what size replacement chain you’re supposed to use, but I suppose when it breaks or dulls I can always remove it, measure it, and then try and match up a replacement.

For this feature-set, you can get similar products for less money and even brand names like Sun Joe with more robust performance. Despite working well and putting its relatively poor and weakly translated manual aside, it’s difficult to enthusiastically recommend the Ficagon in such a crowded product category. It works and does what it says it does, but there’s nothing much to distinguish it from other products in its class.