Safety chain?

[a. palmer jr.]

I buy and sell used chainsaws all the time and notice any more most of them have this so-called anti kickback chain and it may have it's place but compared to the "good chain" it just doesn't stack up. Maybe it's just me but I'd never buy it unless that's all I could get. I tried both kinds on a big maple a couple or three weeks ago and the homeowner chain acted like it needed sharpening even after just being sharpened. Anybody share my opinion?

 

[Trigger-Time]

With Stihl's newer style safety chain seems IMO to cut about the same
as non-SC. Unless using the tip of bar, the old triple hump stuff was
a diff story. I bought some of Stihl's SC dirt cheap a while back is the
only reason I have any.





TT

 

[CGC4200]

safety chain required on new saws

It's up to owner to swap chain.
The break point used to be 3.8 c.i,. but that regulation was from 1991 &
sure it has been updated. I run Carlton N1C-BL instead of 91VG on
2 smaller Poulans, it cuts OK, but still anti-kickback rated. The H30 .325 NK
on the Husqvarna 435 cuts OK, also anti-kickback rated
If you are willing to run non safety chain, 91VXL and Woodland Pro are
supposed to be good cutters.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

One saw I traded for was a Homelite Zip. It even had a safety chain on it. It kinda looked out of place, even had a roller nosed bar.

 

[Streblerm]

I don't mind the "low-vib" chain. I actually kind of like it, especially in a semi chisel. I don't notice that it cuts much slower than regular chain.

The true "safety" chain is junk IMHO. The ones with the folded rakers or bumpers that fill the whole area between each cutter can go right in the trash as far as I am concerned

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I don't mind the "low-vib" chain. I actually kind of like it, especially in a semi chisel. I don't notice that it cuts much slower than regular chain.

The true "safety" chain is junk IMHO. The ones with the folded rakers or bumpers that fill the whole area between each cutter can go right in the trash as far as I am concerned

The middle one is what a lot of my saws have. I had a newer Poulan saw with one of those on it and you couldn't even tell it was cutting it was so slow. I tried all kinds of tune-ups on the bar and sharpening the chain, to no avail.

 

[CGC4200]

The top chain pictured is type I use on small saws

H30 & N1C-BL both look like that and are anti-kickback rated too.
The middle one looks a lot like VG, I don't like it either.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

On the other hand, I bought a Pro Mac 700 that had all the rakers ground down to almost nothing. It was a miserable saw to run, kept grabbing in the wood and was dangerous..I had to replace that chain with a new, regular one. I'm not used to using the anti-kickback chain but it would be a lot better than the one that was on the Mac.

 

[striperswaper]

if you are using the saw yourself you can grind down the full length bumpers but I would not sell a saw with chain that has been modified

 

[PLMCRZY]

I don't mind the "low-vib" chain. I actually kind of like it, especially in a semi chisel. I don't notice that it cuts much slower than regular chain.

The true "safety" chain is junk IMHO. The ones with the folded rakers or bumpers that fill the whole area between each cutter can go right in the trash as far as I am concerned

I run that middle chain on my echo for the gf, I really dont want her to lose a leg. I've also cut alot of wood with that type of chain i believe its Oregon 91VG. It seems you can only sharpen them so much until you start hitting the links......

 

[Guido Salvage]

Safety chain?

Yup, use 'em on all my trailers. :monkey:

(Sorry, I couldn't resist....)

 

[banshee67]

calling it "safety chain" is so misleading..
can and will still kick back and slice your leg off

 

[a. palmer jr.]

if you are using the saw yourself you can grind down the full length bumpers but I would not sell a saw with chain that has been modified

I've never sold one with that modified chain, it just hangs in the garage. One of these days I'll be pouring some concrete and all the old chain will go in it.

 

[ray benson]

I have used a stihl .325 chain that the extra humps were ground off. The chain cut real nice.