Thread: What is the real speed penalty with "safety" chain?

Hi folks.

I see a lot of posters here talk about getting rid of that safety chain. I don't quite understand it. Except for dropping a tree or limb on yourself, a kickback is the most dangerous thing that can happen when you're sawing. And users are commonly advised to wear chaps, helmet, etc.

I know that safety chain isn't "safe" - it will still cut you. But it is designed to reduce the risk and severity of kickback. Similar to the oft-recommended PPE that is designed to reduce the risk and severity of injury. Why not run safety chain?

It is argued that you don't need low-kickback chain, you just need to be careful with your bar tip. Well, you don't need a chain brake either, you just need to be careful. And you certainly don't need chaps, just be careful. Etc...

Finally, I wonder how much slower safety chain really is. I can't find a good actual comparison out there anywhere. I'm surprised someone who likes to post videos of cookie-cutting hasn't done a green vs. yellow faceoff...

I think the speed difference for regular cutting shouldn't be much with a modern sefety chain with ramped drive links (not ramps on the tie straps or whatever those links are called). If you just look at the saw, the ramps are pretty much tucked in under the depth gauges until the chain goes around the bar tip. I know safety chain isn't supposed to be good in bore cutting, but most folks dont' bore cut very much, and Stihl does claim that their new safety chain has "improved bore cutting efficiency".

Also, there's that new Oregon Vanguard stuff, supposed to cut pretty good...

If you spendtime with your bar buried it will suck.


todays chain is safty chain compared to chains and of yesterday.

when I went from RMC3 to RSC on my old MS290, I figured the saw cut between 15-20% faster..it is a marked difference.. I can also say that RMC3 is about useless in a bore cut.

Consider the source.

AS is the land of chainsaw enthusiasts. Enthusiasts in their enthusiasm are, by definition, never satisfied with the mediocre. We won't even leave our mufflers alone, fer chrisakes.

So you are advocating we should all ditch our pro chain and use safety chain. I gotta tell ya, it's more than seconds on a stopwatch. Running safety chain is boring (not literally...), while with pro chain there is a distinct satisfaction of pulling the trigger and having the saw pull hard forward as it takes a bite. It's like the thrust in your back from a strong V-8 engine. It's a key component of a grin-machine.

Putting safety chain on a hot saw would be like running bias-ply truck tires on your 911 Turbo. It just don't make any sense...

I figure my car rides 10% smoother after an oil change... where's the proof?

Originally Posted by brages

I figure my car rides 10% smoother after an oil change... where's the proof?

Dont know about your ride , but all you need is big wood and a stopwatch to answer your first question.

Originally Posted by brages

I figure my car rides 10% smoother after an oil change... where's the proof?

nice try but not even close..

If you want to run safety chain, go ahead and run it. Nobody is stopping you. If you want to hear that your choice is correct answer for everybody, I believe you have come to the wrong place.

Maybe this weekend I'll run some cookies with my 72DP vs. Vanguard on video.

I do some bore cutting. Might as well try to cut with the chain on backwards than to use "safety" chain. The name probably lulls some folks into a false sense of security. After all, it is "safe".

Originally Posted by taplinhill

If you want to run safety chain, go ahead and run it. Nobody is stopping you. If you want to hear that your choice is correct answer for everybody, I believe you have come to the wrong place.

I don't want to hear that my choice is correct for everbody, I just want a quantitative answer. What's the speed penalty? I'm trying to decide what "my choice" actually is...

Besides the boring cuts suffering, safety chain is more massive too with all the extra "shark fins", bumper links, etc. It is effectively taking hp off your saw, and even if its just a bit, homey don't play that here!

Agree the best protection is to maintain good foot position, balance, and a firm grip with both hands.

Originally Posted by kstill361

Dont know about your ride , but all you need is big wood and a stopwatch to answer your first question.

I need a new chain of each type, in order to make it fair... OK, when I need a new chain, I'll buy one of each type... be advised: most of you will probably be dead by then...

Originally Posted by brages

I know safety chain isn't supposed to be good in bore cutting, but most folks dont' bore cut very much, and Stihl does claim that their new safety chain has "improved bore cutting efficiency".

Also, there's that new Oregon Vanguard stuff, supposed to cut pretty good...

They don't? Shoot, guess I missed the memo. I do it all the time, especially when blocking up logs that are piled on one another, or where leaving a little holding strip can keep a cut from closing up, or when dealing with tangled/twisted/torqued blowdowns. Heck, I think that a good 1/3 of the logs in this pile were bore cut, and they were piled up along the side of my driveway!



Though I can see your point - why take unnecessary risks - I think that the issue is about risk management, not risk elimination. Yes, some "low kickback" chains are nicer to work with than others. Some downright suck at doing much of anything. But they're all dangerous, really.

The argument "but we wear chaps" and "but we like chainbrakes" is silly. Do you wear 9+ layer chaps? Do you wear TWO pairs of full-wrap chaps at once? Chainsaw boots? Chainsaw gloves? At some point, you have drawn the line where you feel the safety tradeoff makes the most sense to you. If someone else chooses to draw that line in a different spot, so what?

As for the speed difference, assuming you're buying 3/8" chain, buy a loop of semi-chisel, round-chisel, and square-chisel. The difference will be pretty evident. Add in some safety features, especially on a longer bar, and you'll see the difference as being even more pronounced once you have chip clearance issues to contend with, too.


OMG, more bore cutting!


EDIT: Videos!

Safety chain:


Not safety chain:

Originally Posted by brages

I need a new chain of each type, in order to make it fair... OK, when I need a new chain, I'll buy one of each type... be advised: most of you will probably be dead by then...