bar oil...cheap vs arm and leg

[kyle.kipple]

i want someone to explain to me why a few dollars matter so much in bar oil. i use stihl myself because my dad would beat me if he seen me using any other but i want to know why? its not like the bar oil is like a motoroil for a v8. its simply being used for lubrication for a split second then flung off onto the ground. unlike a v8 using the oil constantly and needing the highest proction against heat and wear breakdown.. so if the bar oil is contantly just being used for a mere seconds, why not use the cheaper stuff??

 

[REJ2]

Actually the cheaper sometimes equates to thinner, which works well in the winter. But you are correct in your assessment

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

I use cheap bar oil.

IMO if your chain keeps sliding on the bar, and the wood gets cut.....goal meet!

What is the worse that could happen? If the oil fails, you might have to get a new bar and chain? Right?


This doesn't mean replacing the whole saw.

I know a guy that will only fill his fuel 3/4 full so he's sure he'll run out before the oil does. OCD to the MAX! Bugs the living tar out of me! So what if the bar oil runs low for a bit! Things get a bit tight and hot.....fill the oil and move on and don't do it again!

Now....Keep trying to cut in this condition where the smoke is rolling out of the clutch cover......then we have problems! This guy also turns the kill switch RIGHT back on after killing the saw so he will not forget to turn it on!

 

[hanniedog]

I would be willing to bet that majority of AS members use a cheaper type of bar oil.

 

[TreePointer]

You'll be fine with any dedicated bar & chain oil. They have added tackifiers that make the oil stick a little longer to protect your bar & chain. I get the inexpensive stuff when on sale--Poulan, Tractor Supply, etc.

Tere are some exceptions:
- use a thinner oil in very cold temps
- use a non-toxic oil (usually a cooking oil) for wood that will be used with some foods/cooking methods
- use an oil that's okay for high temps when carving, sculpting, etc.

 

[STIHLTHEDEERE]

stihl bar oil is cheap, stihl bars are not. i do not like buying bars, so i use good oil. i think stihl saws do not pump thin oil well, something about their bar oil seems to work better. the important thing to me with bar oil is that it is tacky and stringy. you really don't want the saw throwing the oil off,you want it in the groove and on the chain. i take very good care of my saws, i buy the best saws i can afford, and the best lubrication for them. if it is a cost issue, $8 a jug vs. $11 a jug x 5 jugs a year? $15 extra per year is money well spent in my book. $15 is not gonna make or break me. i did try some amsoil bar oil last year, with all their hype and claim to fame. it is expensive, it is very slippery,but not tacky. again just my take on this.....

 

[paccity]

i use the tacky husky oil. has ben good to my b&c's and oilers for quite a while.

 

[kyle.kipple]

they are all tacky and all fly off when testing the oiler before sinking in wood. but what im saying is does it really matter that much considering you usually go threw a tnk of oil per tank of gas??? its not like its consealed and being recycled, its being flung of regardless of how sticky it may be, you still filling that tank just as much as your gas..

 

[kyle.kipple]

and no 15 dollars is not making or breaking me. but i have a budget and every penny counts im not rich by any means and every penny is spent worth while so if i can save 1 buck here or there without harm, trust me.. i do. thats why im asking others what harm is brought by using other oils other than stihl.

 

[splitpost]

i use cheap bar oil because STIHL oil is a rip off,am currently running 30w motor oil and have been for months with no ill effect on bars or chains

 

[jeepyfz450]

Sometimes the Stihl oil is the cheaper oil. Stihl oil here is cheaper than echo oil and TSC oil

 

[mdavlee]

I don't even remember what brand bar oil I run. Bought a couple cases of it for $5 a gallon. I guess that's less than half price of stihl oil. I've never bought stihl oil so I'm not sure. The itasca stuff in the green jug works good also. Last I bought of it was $6. It's a little thick in the winter time though. I've never hurt a bar running the cheap stuff so I'll keep running it.

 

[REJ2]

i use cheap bar oil because STIHL oil is a rip off,am currently running 30w motor oil and have been for months with no ill effect on bars or chains

Even our 30 wt. no name brand motor oil is $2.25 a Qt. That be $9 a gallon, how much does bar oil cost in your neck of the woods?

 

[splitpost]

Sometimes the Stihl oil is the cheaper oil. Stihl oil here is cheaper than echo oil and TSC oil

wish that was true here

 

[jeepyfz450]

I paid 7.50 for stihl oil and tsc oil was 10 i think. anyway i laways buy whatever is cheapest

 

[mountainlake]

Like poulan oil, got a bunch of it years ago for just over $2 a gallon, right now I run what ever is on sale some stinks some doesn't. Certianlly would not pay twice as much for Stihl to put thier name on a jug of oil considering you never know what kind of quality comes out of Stihl any more. Steve

 

[kyle.kipple]

only reason i ask is because i was thinking today when ####ing with my saws. my girlfriends dad has a husky 51 and a 55. and my dad has been running stihl for years...currently dad is running ms310 290-270. my dad always religuously used stihl...never replaced a bar. and only time he has replaced chain is due to its just plain filed to many times. and the girlfriends dad uses whatever he can find that is in oil form lol. the cheapest of the cheap ive even seen him change the oil in his vehicles and use that for bar oil..... and yet never replaced a bar and chains was replaced only when filed to the max. neither has had a failure due to bar oil..they always make sure it has bar oil and never had a problem regardless of what its running. or brand name.

 

[REJ2]

cheap bar oil, yeah, used motor oil, not me, but its been done by others many times.

 

[TK]

Now....Keep trying to cut in this condition where the smoke is rolling out of the clutch cover......then we have problems! This guy also turns the kill switch RIGHT back on after killing the saw so he will not forget to turn it on!

He may be flipping the switch to save himself from forgetting - but it's actually better for the switch to be left on.

they are all tacky and all fly off when testing the oiler before sinking in wood. but what im saying is does it really matter that much considering you usually go threw a tnk of oil per tank of gas??? its not like its consealed and being recycled, its being flung of regardless of how sticky it may be, you still filling that tank just as much as your gas..

For the sake of research, take some measurements of your bar and chain. Run a gallon of your regular oil. Take measurements. Run a gallon of the cheap stuff. Take measurements. Compare. You'll have an answer you can validate.

I don't wish to discourage from posting - but the time it takes to take these measurements vs. the time it takes to read and post in this thread.... You'll spend less time measuring.

 

[SkippyKtm]

A wee bit off topic I suppose... :arg: Anybody know of any sales going on for bar oil? I'm looking to stock up if I can get it for around $6 or so. I live in the CT area.