Saw types compared: rear-handled, top-handled, pole, petrol and battery as regulators and makers describe them
Regulators sort chainsaws mainly by handle layout, and standards sort them by the work the saw is made for. This page sets out how HSE, CCOHS and standards bodies describe each type, and gives one maker's declared noise, vibration and weight figures for petrol and battery top-handled saws side by side.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the named codes, regulators and makers say. It is not training and does not teach the work. The courses that teach each kind of saw work are covered in the guides on chainsaw tickets and certifications by country, and the UK units for aloft work in chainsaw from rope and harness and powered pole pruner.
Rear-handled saws
HSE's leaflet Chainsaws at work (INDG317) says there are two basic designs of chainsaw, rear-handled and top-handled. It says rear-handled saws have the rear handle projecting from the back of the saw and are designed to be gripped with both hands, the right on the rear handle. It says a chainsaw with the shortest guide bar suitable for the work is chosen as a general rule, and that a range of saws with different bar lengths may be needed.
The standards bodies' public catalogue pages describe the rear-handled saw's standard by use. ISO 11681-1:2022 covers portable, combustion-engine, hand-held chain-saws for forest work by one operator, with the right hand on the rear handle and the left on the front handle. It lists kickback and balance as outside its scope for machines with an engine displacement of more than 80 cm3. For electric saws, the European edition EN 62841-4-1:2020, which the Swiss standards shop shows as withdrawn, applied to chain saws for cutting wood designed for use by one person and operated with the right hand on the rear handle and the left on the front handle.
Top-handled saws
INDG317 says top-handled saws have the rear handle over the top of the engine, are only suitable for use off the ground by trained competent arborists, and are not designed for use on the ground or as a substitute for a small rear-handled saw. The HSE leaflet AFAG308 on top-handled chainsaws says the same and says operators use rear-handled saws on the ground. The fuller list of the conditions it sets, from one-handed use to lanyards, is in the guide on first climbing saws.
ISO 11681-2:2022, as the French standards body AFNOR describes it, covers portable, combustion-engine, hand-held chain-saws for tree service with a maximum mass of 4.3 kg without the guide bar and chain and with the tanks empty, used with the right hand on the rear handle and the left on the front handle by a trained operator. The electric standard EN 62841-4-1 excludes chain saws for tree service as defined in ISO 11681-2, according to its abstract.
Pole saws and pole pruners
The abstract of EN 62841-4-1 says pole-mounted pruners are not covered by that part and will be covered by a future part of the IEC 62841 series. Training for powered pole pruners in the United Kingdom has its own unit, described in the guide on the powered pole pruner award.
Petrol and battery saws
CCOHS, in its safe use fact sheet, says that for electric and battery-operated chain saws, the manufacturer's instructions are followed on safe use, including how to charge and start the saw. HSE's INDG317 includes buying low-noise and low-vibration chainsaws among the ways to control the health risks of noise and hand-arm vibration.
The figures below are the maker's own, printed on its United States product pages for five top-handled saws. They are given for comparison of the declared values only. The maker lists the T435, T525 and T540 XP Mark III as gas saws, and the T535i XP and T542i XP as battery saws with a 40 V battery. Weights are as printed in pounds, without the cutting equipment, and for the battery saws without the battery.
| Husqvarna model | Power | Sound power guaranteed | Sound pressure at ear |
|---|---|---|---|
| T435 | Gas | 114 dB(A) | 103 dB(A) |
| T525 | Gas | 111 dB(A) | 98 dB(A) |
| T535i XP | Battery | 109 dB(A) | 99 dB(A) |
| T540 XP Mark III | Gas | 112 dB(A) | 102 dB(A) |
| T542i XP | Battery | 104 dB(A) | 91 dB(A) |
| Husqvarna model | Vibration, rear handle | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| T435 | 3.9 m/s² | 7.5 lbs |
| T525 | 5.2 m/s² | 5.95 lbs |
| T535i XP | 2.4 m/s² | 5.29 lbs |
| T540 XP Mark III | 3.4 m/s² | 8.4 lbs |
| T542i XP | 4.1 m/s² | 6.39 lbs |
The pages label the vibration figure as the equivalent vibration level (ahv, eq) at the rear handle, and the noise figures as the guaranteed sound power level (LWA) and the sound pressure level at the operator's ear. The same pages also print a measured sound power level and a front handle vibration level for most of these saws; the figures above are the guaranteed and rear handle values only.
Sources
- HSE, Chainsaws at work INDG317 (rev2, January 2013), read October 9, 2026
- HSE, Top-handled chainsaws AFAG308 (April 2013), read October 9, 2026
- CCOHS, chainsaws safe use of chain saws, read October 9, 2026
- SNV Switzerland, ISO 11681-1:2022 chain-saws for forest service, read October 9, 2026
- AFNOR, ISO 11681-2:2022 chain-saws for tree service, read October 9, 2026
- SNV Switzerland, EN 62841-4-1:2020 chain saws, read October 9, 2026
- Husqvarna, T435 gas chainsaw (United States), read October 9, 2026
- Husqvarna, T525 gas chainsaw (United States), read October 9, 2026
- Husqvarna, T535i XP battery chainsaw (United States), read October 9, 2026
- Husqvarna, T540 XP Mark III gas chainsaw (United States), read October 9, 2026
- Husqvarna, T542i XP battery chainsaw (United States), read October 9, 2026