The vast majority of chainsaws designed for home users are only intended for occasional use, and thus not suited for frequent intensive cutting work. Similarly, many professional chainsaws, though more powerful, lack the convenience and ease of operation required for less experienced users. Straddling this oft-neglected line between chainsaws designed for home users and professional machines, however, we find Efco’s superb MT 4400. Designed to meet the needs of a wide range of users, from demanding home gardeners to farmers and professional contractors, the MT 4400’s compactness, versatility and impressive power-to-weight ratio ensures excellent cutting performance with almost any application, ranging from lighter pruning work to cutting and snedding medium-sized tree trunks.

Part of Efco’s ‘Tough Tech’ range, the MT 4400 is driven by an impressively potent 42.9cc two-stroke petrol engine, built with only the highest quality components, including a two-ring piston, a nickel engine cylinder and a forged steel connecting rod and crankshaft. This helps to ensure the consistently exceptional performance required for taking on frequent tough cutting work, while also guaranteeing a long and reliable service life. Also featuring a traditional recoil starter, a decompression valve and an easy access primer bulb to help ensure hassle-free starting, as well as an electronically controlled digital coil to help regulate fuel consumption, this engine therefore provides both clout and convenience in equal measure.

Speaking of clout, there is also a lot to be said for the MT 4400 Euro 2’s cutting gear, which consists of a sturdy 41cm (16”) Microlite^® guide bar and .325” x .050” (pitch x gauge) chain (the MT 4400 Euro 2 is also compatible with a 45cm/18” Microlite^® guide bar). Microlite^® technology means that the MT 4400 Euro 2 boasts a low weight, low vibration and low kickback design, providing much greater levels of control while cutting and making this machine perfect for even the most challenging DIY applications, as well as pruning, lopping and chopping tough tree branches. To help ensure optimal performance the MT 4400 Euro 2 also features an adjustable aluminium oil pump, allowing variation of the oil feed to suit the workload and the bar/chain combination in use, and a lateral chain tensioner which provides a quick and effortless method of tightening the chainsaw chain prior to operation.

Weighing only 4.3kg (without bar and chain) and featuring an impressively compact design, the MT 4400 Euro 2 is astonishingly easy to handle in addition to being magnificently powerful, while a single multifunction lever (incorporating on-off, half-throttle and choke control devices) is also included for added ease of operation. If ever there was a chainsaw which could please everyone, then, it is most probably this one.

*Make sure you are using your chainsaw safely and read our free advice article when you have a spare moment.