Ok guys I can't take the amsoil BS any more. I'm sure is a good oil but lets use some common sense here. Just to point out an example my current fuel mix is a synthetic, TC rate, Motul scooter oil mixed heavier than 32:1 Probably a lot heavier. (I'm trying to get rid of it.) Normally I run Bel-Ray in everything. Once I get the carb Dialed for the days conditions and altitude the saw DOES NOT SMOKE!! I used to work for the municipal parks department and I mixed the fuel for the leaf blowers at 8:1 or heavier because we had crap oil and I could. once underway they too DID NOT smoke. The spark plugs did not fowl. The spark arrester survived just fine too. In all likeliness if a a stoke smokes the mixture is too rich, and if it does happen to smoke a bit WHO CARES? Run some oil in there and enjoy top ends that give long service lives.
Lets talk Amsoil economics. Why are we mixing 100:1 or going 25K on an oil change? It certainly isn't for longevity is it? It certainly isn't for power is it? If less oil made more power then 200:1 would be better yet and no oil at all would be king-daddy. It must be because the oil cost too much? Even a low-cost, quality chain saw cost more than 200$. Will you save enough $$$ mixing 100:1 to off set repairs or buying another saw? Probably not. Another example. The engine in my pickup would cost me $6000 or more to R&R. Just for parts and machine work. There is NO WAY I'm gonna run my oil beyond manufacture intervals. Period. Don't be a cheapskate and dump some oil in your fuel. Your piston will thank you.
Bullittman
Thank you for your opinion.......I don't agree with most of it. If you have never used Amsoil Saber......you really have no basis to comment on it. No one....even Amsoil........ has required you to run it at 100:1 and they suggest other mix ratios are fine. I use Amsil Saber and it is a great oil. I started to use it in my trials motorcycle mixed at 100:1 when the other oil I was using at 80:1 was oozing too much unburned oil out the exhaust. I called the national importer of the motorcycle and he is a 5 time national champion and he said they had run Amsoil Saber at mixtures of 125:1 with no problems (Trials bikes are low revving and water cooled). I ran the Saber at 100:1 in my trials bike and it ran much cleaner - and I have Poulan Leaf Blower that I am not that fond of and I started using the 100:1 Saber mix in it just out of curiosity. The leaf blower has been using the 100:1 Saber mix for 2 years now and runs great and I started using this same mix in my Kawasaki and Stihl string trimmers and they are both running great as well. For my chainsaws I am stilll using a 50:1 mix......and will probably continue to do that until I learn something different.
I honestly believe that there is nothing magical about Amsoil Saber - except that I belive it is made with a lot higher concentration of lubricant and less solvent to thin the oil out. The Saber oil is only made for "pre-mix" applications and it is too thick for injector systems. The extra thickness of the oil over the Mobil 2T that I had been using became obvious the first time I poured some out in my measuring cup - it is much heavier than other 2 cycle oils I have used. If Amsoil added solvent and thinned the mixture out and recommended you use it at 50:1 - I am sure it would be far less controversial.
As to the cost of oil - I really don't think anyone here is using Amsoil Saber in order to save money - those of us that use it just really like it and think it is a very good oil at whatever ratio we choose to mix at. (I don't use Amsoil in my cars and won't comment on extended oil change intervals). It is however surprising to me how much cost the oil does add to the cost of "mix" for a 2 cycle. Currently a gallon of premium in this area is $ 2.78 ($0.70 a quart) and a quart of good synthetic oil is about $ 9.00. If you mix 50 quarts of gas ($ 35.00) with a quart of oil ($ 9.00) the cost of mix is $ 44.00 or about $ 0.88 a quart....which is $ 3.52 a gallon! If you mixed at 100:1 the cost would be $ 0.79 a quart of mix...which is really only $ 0.09 a quart savings and is not significant.
Those of us that have used Amsoil Saber don't consider that this is Amsoil BS......Amsoil Saber is not for everyone and you obviously have your own opinion. I will however point out that no one has ever posted anything negative about Amsoil Saber on this site that has ever used it. No one has ever had an engine failure or problem that has ever used the oil - the only negative comments have come from those who have never tried it. Prior to my using the Amsoil Saber in my motorcycle I agreed that running at a 100:1 mix was crazy....and some of my early posts on this site showed my ignorance on this subject. Now that I have used Amsoil Saber I am convinced that it is a quality product and can be used safely at 100:1 for extended periods in some equipment.
I do agree with you that most engine problems on this site (excess smoke, oil fouling, carbon deposits, etc) are probably caused by too rich of fuel/air mixtures more than oil mix issues - and I also believe that most engine seizures are not oil related and are caused by too lean of fuel/air mixtures that are caused by air leaks, leaky fuel lines, old gas, etc. Most modern oils mixed at "normal" ratios will allow an engine to run for a very long time.
Go ahead....buy some Amsoil Saber and try it......you might change your opinion!!!!!