stihl rm vs rs chains---which one and why?

[clemsonfor]

My buddy said he felt like he got the wrong thing and wanted to return it. I said well does the chain sat stihl and look like stihl chain. He said yes then I said you just have stihl chain wiTh an oregon tie strap or whatever...no big deal right?

 

[Philbert]

. . . . I said you just have stihl chain wiTh an oregon tie strap or whatever...no big deal right?

Anything is possible when people are involved!

My dealer has STIHL chain on 100' reels, that they spin to custom lengths, and pre-packaged (factory spun) loops for the more popular sizes. They also get custom spun loops from the regional distributor when someone wants a chain type that they do not normally stock.

The dealer has little drawers with parts for many brands of chains that they have sold over the years (which is nice for me!). They are supposed to use yellow STIHL tie straps of the correct size and type with pro STIHL chain, and green STIHL tie straps of the correct size and type with low-kickback STIHL chain.

That does not mean that some folks can't make mistakes, or try to cut corners. I have seen tie straps installed inside out. I have seen tie straps from different types of STIHL or Oregon chains installed in loops. I just got a chain with 4 cutters spun in backwards! The low vibration chains even have different Right and Left side tie straps. Some Oregon tie straps may fit some STIHL chains and vice versa, although, there are often differences in thickness, hole size and spacing, etc.

I don't encourage mixing brands, unless identical (e.g. an Oregon tie strap used on an identical Husqvarna chain made by Oregon). If the correct tie strap was used, then the lack of color is incidental, as it wears off quickly in use. If they put the wrong color on, and the customer relied on that information, then some lawyers might get interested.

Philbert

 

[clemsonfor]

Anything is possible when people are involved!

My dealer has STIHL chain on 100' reels, that they spin to custom lengths, and pre-packaged (factory spun) loops for the more popular sizes. They also get custom spun loops from the regional distributor when someone wants a chain type that they do not normally stock.

The dealer has little drawers with parts for many brands of chains that they have sold over the years (which is nice for me!). They are supposed to use yellow STIHL tie straps of the correct size and type with pro STIHL chain, and green STIHL tie straps of the correct size and type with low-kickback STIHL chain.

That does not mean that some folks can't make mistakes, or try to cut corners. I have seen tie straps installed inside out. I have seen tie straps from different types of STIHL or Oregon chains installed in loops. I just got a chain with 4 cutters spun in backwards! The low vibration chains even have different Right and Left side tie straps. Some Oregon tie straps may fit some STIHL chains and vice versa, although, there are often differences in thickness, hole size and spacing, etc.

I don't encourage mixing brands, unless identical (e.g. an Oregon tie strap used on an identical Husqvarna chain made by Oregon). If the correct tie strap was used, then the lack of color is incidental, as it wears off quickly in use. If they put the wrong color on, and the customer relied on that information, then some lawyers might get interested.

Philbert

I didn't think about small differences in rivits and shape etc. Maybe it was just they used stihl non colored straps. I remember him saying There was not colored straps. Maybe they used two non colored straps?


On a side note I was fixing my jncles 026 which had stihl chain on it. I didn't pay enough attention as I didn't touch the bar or chain messing with it. But I think it's full 3/8" chain...on an 18" bar I think. But the yellow tie strap was on left.

 

[Shawn Chamness]

What is the best chain for a stihl ms 271? Right now it has green .325 .063 on it now. What can I get to cut better for falling tree's? I'm not really cutting up for fire wood. I own my own tree Service and that's the only saw I have right now. My 562xp needs rebuilt.

 

[Hermio]

Weighing in a bit late on this thread. I just cut firewood, and it is all hardwood. I normally drag the logs out into a field for safer cutting, though they do get muddy that way. I have used both RS and semi-chisel. The RS cuts probably 30-40% faster for me. I hand sharpen it after every 2 or 3 tanks of fuel, which is about 1 sharpening per cord cut. Yes, the dirt dulls the chain a bit, but not too bad after 2-3 tanks. My hand sharpening time was cut in half or more when I got the Pferd hand sharpening system (also marketed by Stihl at about twice the price); it takes me less than 5 minutes to put a keen edge on my chain, and the result is almost as good as having it jointed at a pro chain sharpening service. So, I still come out ahead compared to semi-chisel. I have also tried a few other brands of full chisel. All that I have tried, including Oregon, cut more slowly than the Stihl RS, and they dull more quickly. So, I think I will stick with Stihl RS from now on, though I will watch reviews from time to time. By way of background, I have used an older Remington saw, a little Echo saw, and Stihl 038 Super and MS441C saws. I just bought an MS500i.Looking forward to using it this fall. I do all my cutting in the fall, though sometimes it extends into January. I don't like cutting in summer. Hot and sweaty and too many insects!