The verdict is in concerning my powwermatch bar!

[mrpotatohead]

The issue started here in this thread... http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/what-is-up-with-oregon.313488/#post-6357830

...and now Oregon has responded. They said the bar meets their "standards" per say. Glenn at Blount Products said it could have been due to pushing on the saw too hard, or possibly insect dust contamination. He also said the chain looks to have impact damage on one side. Well, I know good and well there was no point of impact, there was nothing to impact the chain. No rocks, fence, nothing. Fell the tree on a regularly mowed lawn with no fence or any object to interfere. Now the tree was rotted and had carpenter ants in the first four or five feet of the tree, I will give him that. But a few cuts in insect infested wood? I am not buying that being the problem, not for the bar at least.

Glenn did however say that my chain is the absolute best maintained chain he had ever seen come across his desk, ever. I did ask him the difference in Carlton and Oregon chain cutters, and he didn't give me a direct answer. He said they brought in the Carlton line and assumed production within their own facilities, and saw some need to improve some of the materials in the Carlton chain, and did so, and market the Carlton to be a "good product," and the Oregon to be the "best product." But never told me which cutter link was harder, if any. He also said that the Carlton had very inconsistent cutter links and they corrected that. At that point I felt Glenn was a mere tool, and wanted to sooooo bad pull a Carlton and Oregon chain off then shelf of a retail store and show him that falsehood. I am not buying what he is saying.

Glenn did offer to send me a new product, but if it is no better than what I have I told him to simply send me back my bar/chain and at least I won't have to straighten another one of their cobbled up chains. So all in all, thanks to Oregon for nothing, and thanks for assuring me to never exchange my money for the Oregon brand again. Ever...

 

[HarleyT]

Put up some close up pics of the chain.
To be fair.

 

[Thommo]

I agree that Carlton had very inconsistent cutters. When i drove a harvester i thought the boss was buying second grade chains to save money, but i found out all Carlton chains were sharpened the same. You just needed to spend a bit of time on a new chain to get all the cutter lengths the same and raker heights the same to make them a good chain. Another problem with Carlton was that some links would have a big chunk of hard chrome on the front of some cutters that would ruin any file. Some Carton chains were ok and others were terrible.

 

[CR888]

The 'grooves' you describe appear to be wear burrs on the bar. Yes its unusual to see such wear in such short time. They need dressing or the B&C won't perform as it should. Were you forcing the saw to cut or letting it self feed through the wood? In your defence the bar paint looks like new showing abuse is perhaps not the cause. The areas of wear are normal but the rate at which its happening is not. Its either a incorrect setup chain or the steel is truly soft.

 

[mrpotatohead]

The 'grooves' you describe appear to be wear burrs on the bar. Yes its unusual to see such wear in such short time. They need dressing or the B&C won't perform as it should. Were you forcing the saw to cut or letting it self feed through the wood? In your defence the bar paint looks like new showing abuse is perhaps not the cause. The areas of wear are normal but the rate at which its happening is not. Its either a incorrect setup chain or the steel is truly soft.

No, I never force a saw. And the fact that the "expert" at Oregon suggested this also let's me know he didn't take in all the evidence into consideration in front of him. He said that my chain had been maintained better than any other chain that ever came across his desk. A well maintained chain doesn't have to be forced...

 

[JTM]

Maybe they use Kobe steel.

 

[HarleyT]

He also said the chain looks to have impact damage on one side.

Let's see this chain!

 

[blsnelling]

So, they offered to replace your bar and you told them to stuff it?

 

[mrpotatohead]

Let's see this chain!

Patience please, it is in the mail heading my way still...

So, they offered to replace your bar and you told them to stuff it?

What difference would it make? Did you see how new mine is? If Oregon's tech is correct, and it is up to par, then I have no interest in a new one seeing it will be in the same condition mine is after mere minutes of use. I can lay the bar on my bench and touch it up with a grinder in a matter of minutes. A new chain, if it is like the one they sent me, will need to have the cutter teeth angles matched from left to right, and then the rakers reset to get it cutting good. Well, it is easier to grind a slightly grooved bar.

My bar is very likely going on my wall when it gets back anyway, and Cannon is very likely about to make another sale. The only reason I would have interest in a new bar would be to sale it on EBay and try to regain some of my loses, but am not interested in that. Blount can keep their merchandise if it no better than this. I simply, and politely do not have the time or patience to keep dealing with their high maintenance products while I am trying to simply get a job done.

 

[Little Al]

Ask them to send you a Windsor Bar & chain since it's been reintroduced here in France it's been good quality it says product of Belgium on the boxes but don't know that refers to product or packaging, but the new kit is better quality than Oregon Carlton seems to have suffered the fate of Windsor some couple of years back it disappeared from the dealers racks

 

[rd35]

I have a brand new 423RNDD025 and Carlton K3L full skip chain that I am going to install on my 066 this weekend. My Dad has an ash tree that needs to come down. He stretched his tape measure around it at the level where he wants it cut at the base (about 24" above grade) and the tape overlapped at the 135 inch mark. So I will likely bury the tip on that brand new 42" bar. We're gonna have a small earthquake on the ridge when she hits the ground! Will be interesting to see how this brand new bar and chain look after making this cut and blocking the base log into firewood. (Oh....and Dad mowed/cleared a spot in the woods for me to drop it on....so now I've GOT to make sure I hit that spot ....pressures on!)

 

[blsnelling]

What difference would it make? Did you see how new mine is? If Oregon's tech is correct, and it is up to par, then I have no interest in a new one seeing it will be in the same condition mine is after mere minutes of use. I can lay the bar on my bench and touch it up with a grinder in a matter of minutes. A new chain, if it is like the one they sent me, will need to have the cutter teeth angles matched from left to right, and then the rakers reset to get it cutting good. Well, it is easier to grind a slightly grooved bar.

Seems like they couldn't win if they wanted to. What did you expect them to do..redesign their product line? If it was a defective product, they rectified that. I really don't know what you hoped to accomplish based on your response.

 

[Mad Professor]

The issue started here in this thread... http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/what-is-up-with-oregon.313488/#post-6357830

...and now Oregon has responded. They said the bar meets their "standards" per say. Glenn at Blount Products said it could have been due to pushing on the saw too hard, or possibly insect dust contamination. He also said the chain looks to have impact damage on one side. Well, I know good and well there was no point of impact, there was nothing to impact the chain. No rocks, fence, nothing. Fell the tree on a regularly mowed lawn with no fence or any object to interfere. Now the tree was rotted and had carpenter ants in the first four or five feet of the tree, I will give him that. But a few cuts in insect infested wood? I am not buying that being the problem, not for the bar at least.

Glenn did however say that my chain is the absolute best maintained chain he had ever seen come across his desk, ever. I did ask him the difference in Carlton and Oregon chain cutters, and he didn't give me a direct answer. He said they brought in the Carlton line and assumed production within their own facilities, and saw some need to improve some of the materials in the Carlton chain, and did so, and market the Carlton to be a "good product," and the Oregon to be the "best product." But never told me which cutter link was harder, if any. He also said that the Carlton had very inconsistent cutter links and they corrected that. At that point I felt Glenn was a mere tool, and wanted to sooooo bad pull a Carlton and Oregon chain off then shelf of a retail store and show him that falsehood. I am not buying what he is saying.

Glenn did offer to send me a new product, but if it is no better than what I have I told him to simply send me back my bar/chain and at least I won't have to straighten another one of their cobbled up chains. So all in all, thanks to Oregon for nothing, and thanks for assuring me to never exchange my money for the Oregon brand again. Ever...

Get the bar hardness tested at a machine shop

 

[CR888]

You should have taken the replacement IMO, all manufacturing facilities have a bad run on occaision. I've used hundreds of feet of Oregon chain & I would not describe it to be poor quality. Powermatch bars aren't my choice of replacements but I have 3 in 16", 20" & 25" and they are not bad made in Canada bars. I highly doubt you would get 2 duds in a row if infact the first one was a dud at all.

 

[mrpotatohead]

Seems like they couldn't win if they wanted to. What did you expect them to do..redesign their product line? If it was a defective product, they rectified that. I really don't know what you hoped to accomplish based on your response.

If it was a bad bar, replace it with a good one. Seeing they say it is NOT a bad bar, what good will it do to replace it with another bar that, like I said my previous response to you, replace it with something of equal quality? Is that explained clear enough for you now?

You should have taken the replacement IMO, all manufacturing facilities have a bad run on occaision. I've used hundreds of feet of Oregon chain & I would not describe it to be poor quality. Powermatch bars aren't my choice of replacements but I have 3 in 16", 20" & 25" and they are not bad made in Canada bars. I highly doubt you would get 2 duds in a row if infact the first one was a dud at all.

The tech at Oregon, Glenn, said the bar was not defective. If it is not, which I will take his word, then that is my cue to simply not buy a product that I am dissatisfied with. I have p!entry of other options that stand up to much worse conditions than what this bar has been put through without issue. I am sorry if I have offended certain people's name brand, but I have provided a video that clearly verifies my complaint.

And by the way, me and Glenn had a good conversation, and there was no bad blood when we hung the phone up.

 

[mrpotatohead]

Get the bar hardness tested at a machine shop

Eh, thought about that, don't think it is worth the money. They supposedly done that somehow at Oregon, I will see when it gets back.

 

[blsnelling]

I am sorry if I have offended certain people's name brand.

No brand loyalty at all here.

 

[Rockjock]

So, they offered to replace your bar and you told them to stuff it?

Brad I would think the Shipping to Ontario Canada would far out weight the value of the bar. I can only assume the OP did send it to the Manufacturing facility in Guelph for analysis.

 

[mrpotatohead]

I have a brand new 423RNDD025 and Carlton K3L full skip chain that I am going to install on my 066 this weekend. My Dad has an ash tree that needs to come down. He stretched his tape measure around it at the level where he wants it cut at the base (about 24" above grade) and the tape overlapped at the 135 inch mark. So I will likely bury the tip on that brand new 42" bar. We're gonna have a small earthquake on the ridge when she hits the ground! Will be interesting to see how this brand new bar and chain look after making this cut and blocking the base log into firewood. (Oh....and Dad mowed/cleared a spot in the woods for me to drop it on....so now I've GOT to make sure I hit that spot ....pressures on!)

I have confidence you can do it. Your avatar pic is evidence of a sharp intellect...

 

[CR888]

Put pics of your chain up, I want to see this 'absolute best maintained chain that has crossed my desk' ........Also at this point I would not question any other members 'intellect', many have perhaps questioned yours but have politely kept it to themselves in an attempt to help you.