Just by noticing the spike in my car/mower/quad oil prices, I figured bar oil jumed too, BUT, I paid $18 for a gallon of Stihl bar oil a few weeks ago. Oh my, my cheap dago butt's gonna have to pour with a steadier hand from now on.
Holy oil shock batman !!!
- Thread starter Dale
- Start date
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If you want a less expensive alternative, check out TSC oil for $8.99. Better yet, buy it when it's on sale for $7.
I stocked up on it when it was $5/gal a couple years ago.
I stocked up on it when it was $5/gal a couple years ago.
KarlP
ArboristSite Operative
My brands went up too.
Summer weight is now $9.
Walmart.com: Poulan Bar and Chain Oil: Garden Center
Winter weight is now $8.
Walmart.com: Super Tech Bar and Chain Oil, 1 Gallon: Automotive
Summer weight is now $9.
Walmart.com: Poulan Bar and Chain Oil: Garden Center
Winter weight is now $8.
Walmart.com: Super Tech Bar and Chain Oil, 1 Gallon: Automotive
zogger
Tree Freak
Man! I never tried stihl oil, that is wicked expensive! Have you really seen a big difference from cheaper brands? I was using the husky oil for awhile, then tried tractor supply for a few bucks cheaper...dang if I can see much difference.
I can't say I have tried a whole lot of different bar oils in my life. In ye olden days, I just used car oil for mix oil and bar oil. Won't call 'em the good old days, I'll call it the stinky smelly old days.
Modern oils are just so much better, bar or mix, I think even the cheaper oils are better than what passed for premium just some years back.
Gasoline now though...different story. Premium no ethanol right from the pump seems to be the equivalent of olden days lowest octane cheap stuff that sat around a few months in the sunshine....and that's the best I can get around here, I won't even consider the 87 octane corn liquor gas. I don't even care if it is fresh from the tanker, I've tried it in way too many small engine things to not notice how sucky it is and what a short shelf life it has, even with proper storage.
I was running a little tiller today, fired right up one pull. Same as it did a few weeks ago when I first used it this year. Sat all winter with the local no ethanol premium in it, worked just fine, like olden days gas more or less. With ethanol fuel, I had to drain the tanks, run the machine dry etc all the time, now I don't bother. Now two stroke mix I will drain back into the can, any unused stuff, just so I can shake it up again, that's all.
For the bar oil, tractor supply on sale. In the colder weather, it stays inside and stays warm, then right into the saw warm. When I refill, I let the saw sit a few minutes with fresh bar oil poured in, let the engine heat spread to it, then fill the other tank with premix and go cut again. Not long, just a few minutes, either take a break or touch up the chain before the mix goes in.
If you open it back up and stick your finger in the bar oil side, you can feel it got warmer just from that few minutes heat transfer, so I know it will pump better, especially in my older impulse/crank pressure oil pump saws.
For 18 bucks a gallon that stuff better haul the saw out to the woods itself, do all the cutting while I nap under a tree, load all the wood, and wake me up with coffee and a croissant when it's time to go home.
Dale...there's cheaper oil...and it works just as well. I'm the first one to admit I favor Stihl saws but don't let those pirates at the dealership con you into buying their oil.
EXCALIBER
ArboristSite Guru
If it says Stihl you are just paying way too much for a name. I would put my Dolmar 7900 against any like sized saws from stihl in performance and less than half the cost. I have not noticed any difference in bar oils from name brand to cheap off brand, so I just buy the cheap stuff when its on sale.
Holy falsies flatman!!!!!!!!!! Yea, better not waste a drop!!!!!!
The stihl brand bar oil has been $18 a gallon for some time now at my True Value- Stihl dealer in Junction City, KS. Me dont buy!
Couple of years back I bought bar oil every time I saw it at $5 a gallon. Got some from Bailey's with the free shipping deal. Got some more from TSC, an a bit from Menards. My buddies thought I was nuts. As I walk past that 40 or so gallons of bar oil every day I smile.....
roger m
ArboristSite Operative
stihl bar oil is 12.00 a gallon at my stihl dealer i guess prices vary depending on where you are located,i have heard good stuff about the TSC bar oil also:biggrin:
Guido Salvage
Supreme Saw Whoreder
Almost 20 years ago I stopped into a Hechinger (long defunct big box hardware store) that was having a going out of business sale. They had jugs of Poulan bar oil at $.99 per gallon. Needless to say, I got a cart and loaded it up with every jug they had.
My now wife was with me and voiced her concerns about my overindulgence. I told her it would be used and it was too good of a deal to pass up. Took me several years of firewood cutting to work my way through all of it.
My now wife was with me and voiced her concerns about my overindulgence. I told her it would be used and it was too good of a deal to pass up. Took me several years of firewood cutting to work my way through all of it.
Stihl Bar & Chain Oil is some of the best you can buy. I used it for years and every time I tried something else I could see a difference... but... but... at 18 clams it ain't that much of a difference. Even at $12.oo it ain't worth it! I stopped using Stihl Bar & Chain Oil when the price hit $9.oo and haven't looked back! I like the stuff from Chain Pro... $4.oo - 6.oo depending...
kartleyBecil
ArboristSite Lurker
I would put my Dolmar 7900 against any like sized saws from stihl in performance and less than half the cost.
Ok, you guys can start yelling at me because lately I have been using used engine oil instead. My car is brand new and just changed the oil for the first time. The oil looked brand new so I figured it was better than the syrup looking summer grade bar oil I had laying around.
I started using tsc baroil last year and i have been happy with it. It was on sale for $5.oo which sure dosnt hurt . I think it is 6 when not on sale. Still the cheapest i have found.
Eecho
ArboristSite Operative
I grab dolmar bar oil by the gallon for 7-8$ depending on the season stihl is 18$ for the same size here so its a no brainer to buy dolmar oil. Its not bad for name brand oil from a dealer . The dolmar 2 cycle is half the cost of stihl too. If it can stop 5100s from frying im buying it too at 8$ a six pack gallon mix . Stihl hp ultra the equivalent to dolmar is 18 $ for the six pack one gallons . The one husky dealer here even sells dolmar oil as its so much better in price .
Nuff said. You guys have me convinced. I'm switching, as I have a TSC close by. I am kind of a proponent of "match the fluids to the hardware", but you all have me convinced.
I have gotten bit before by NOT matching the fluids. I've had quads for over 30 years. ALWAYS used a decent grade "regular" brand of 10W-30 Engine Oil for all the changes. Well 4 years ago I buy a branny new Honda Rincon. First oil change I do what I've always done, and put in a good grade of 10W-30. Started down the road, and IT WOULD NOT SHIFT, and the tranny slipped terribly. Too much of a coincidence, and I knew it had to be the oil. So I get the book out, and SURE ENOUGH, the type of clutch they put in those machines require a "special" oil. I'm sure others have that same "special" oil, but I buy it now from Honda, to the tune of almost $7/Quart. :eek2:
I'm sure bar oils aren't as detremental as a 2-Cycle mix oil can be, and for all the chainsawing I do (4-5 cords/year), I think I'll just stick with the Stihl brand 2-Cycle.
Thx fellers.
I have gotten bit before by NOT matching the fluids. I've had quads for over 30 years. ALWAYS used a decent grade "regular" brand of 10W-30 Engine Oil for all the changes. Well 4 years ago I buy a branny new Honda Rincon. First oil change I do what I've always done, and put in a good grade of 10W-30. Started down the road, and IT WOULD NOT SHIFT, and the tranny slipped terribly. Too much of a coincidence, and I knew it had to be the oil. So I get the book out, and SURE ENOUGH, the type of clutch they put in those machines require a "special" oil. I'm sure others have that same "special" oil, but I buy it now from Honda, to the tune of almost $7/Quart. :eek2:
I'm sure bar oils aren't as detremental as a 2-Cycle mix oil can be, and for all the chainsawing I do (4-5 cords/year), I think I'll just stick with the Stihl brand 2-Cycle.
Thx fellers.
tomtrees58
Addicted to ArboristSite
you guys used any oil? i go thru 3 gallons a week
Then you should be a pro at "good oil at a fair price". Do tell. What's your reccommendation ?
