Chain Questions

I have used Oregon 72 Vanguard and Stihl Rapid Super 3/8th .050 . The Oregon 72v cuts great,though it is not great for the dirty conditions that I cut firewood. The Stihl Rapid Super cuts like a beast. But compared to 72v it is more heavy duty in construction and lasts longer. My question is the a narrow(er) kerf chain like the 72v with a heavy duty chassis like the Rapid Super. Any Ideas and please stay on topic.

gallegosmike said:

I have used Oregon 72 Vanguard and Stihl Rapid Super 3/8th .050 . The Oregon 72v cuts great,though it is not great for the dirty conditions that I cut firewood. The Stihl Rapid Super cuts like a beast. But compared to 72v it is more heavy duty in construction and lasts longer. My question is the a narrow(er) kerf chain like the 72v with a heavy duty chassis like the Rapid Super. Any Ideas and please stay on topic.

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Stihl is just twice the chain then Oregon chain.

The steel Stihl uses, there heat-treat, design/function, it is just plain hard to beat.

ShoerFast said:

Stihl is just twice the chain then Oregon chain.

The steel Stihl uses, there heat-treat, design/function, it is just plain hard to beat.

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How about woodlandpro chains? Baileys has good prices on them but ????

gallegosmike said:

How about woodlandpro chains? Baileys has good prices on them but ????

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My motto?

1st Stihl chain

2nd Carlton chain (Baileys WP is Carlton, I been told)

3rd Stihl on backwards

4th Carlton on backwards

5th Oregon chain



In that order!
(I have no problem at all putting a loop of Carlton chain on a bar,,,, I sort of cringe running Oregon chain, bad things happen when you cringe.)

ShoerFast said:

My motto?

1st Stihl chain

2nd Carlton chain (Baileys WP is Carlton, I been told)

3rd Stihl on backwards

4th Carlton on backwards

5th Oregon chain



In that order!
(I have no problem at all putting a loop of Carlton chain on a bar,,,, I sort of cringe running Oregon chain, bad things happen when you cringe.)

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Okay, point taken... I will stick with stihl chain and give away my last used 72v..

I like the Stihl chains also. Seems like they stay sharper longer, but it also seems to take more effort to sharpen them too.

ShoerFast said:

My motto?

1st Stihl chain

2nd Carlton chain (Baileys WP is Carlton, I been told)

3rd Stihl on backwards

4th Carlton on backwards

5th Oregon chain



In that order!
(I have no problem at all putting a loop of Carlton chain on a bar,,,, I sort of cringe running Oregon chain, bad things happen when you cringe.)

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LMAO... I am the same way. The Stihl chain is the best chain out there. Bailey's Woodsman Pro (Carlton) is a close second... I have used Oregon chain... but prefer the 2 mentioned above over it.

Gary

gallegosmike said:

Okay, point taken... I will stick with stihl chain and give away my last used 72v..

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I wouldn't give that chain away, use it for dirty wood and/or stumps.

Going to give away a steel (Stihl) secret here, on look-out for orange/white helicopters now!

Stihl dose something others wish they could (I accept Carlton just use a very good steel?)

Stihl has a trade secret way of hardening there steel from the out-side the cutter ~ in. With a softer inside plate, the chain wears in a way to prolong sharpness. Just as the chrome makes the outside plate hard.

Think about it?

Saw chain cuts a huge amount of wood-fiber, it needs all the help it can get.

Here is a picture of an etched hunting knife showing a ever softer back/hard cutting edge. (you need your imagination to view how Stihl hardens there cutters, but it works)

gallegosmike said:

My question is the a narrow(er) kerf chain like the 72v with a heavy duty chassis like the Rapid Super. Any Ideas and please stay on topic.

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Not sure what your asking here gallegosmike. Try the Oregon LGX chain, its a heavier built chain then their other 3/8 chain. Another trick is run .063 bar/chain. All your replaceable tips and rim sprockets are .063 anyway .I once saw a .050 chain cut with a highspeed camera slowed down to ultra slow motion and the chain flopped in the kerf and at the tip like a fish. .063 is the most efficent combo. Baileys sells bars in .063 as short as 16".
Stihls 3/8 RS chain is always .063 between the cutters, Oregon is .058 in the .050 & 058. Oregon pretty well invented the hooded cutter design and started to mass marketed it in 1946. Also Oregon were the first to do large scale study on kickback and thus resulting in development of safety chains and bar tips.At one time Stihl figured their Quickstop chainbrake was all the market needed. Oregon had the LP safety chain back in the 1970s, and then developed the more efficent cutting LG around 1981. I field tested that chain for them,also their radial ported rim sprockets, powermatch tips in guard and double guard tips, all setting the standard in the industry. When I briefly worked for Stihl in 1989 all Stihl had to offer for safety chain was the RS chain with the sloped ramp on the tie-strap directly in front of the cutter's straight depth gauge.When I met Hans Peter Stihl, he told me right to my face that the ramped tie-strap was just an optical illusion!! It was later on that Stihl put the ramp[like the LG Oregon] on the depth gauge in the early or mid 1990s. Oregon is continually advancing saw chain design ,like the antivibe a few years back and Stihl is always playing catch up.

I never had a problem with Oregon chain and I have filed and used alot of Stihl chain. I like filing the Oregon over the Stihl and for the high price of the Stihl I think I'm getting a better deal with the Oregon. For holding an edge? Maybe its just the way I operate my saw ,I see no difference in either chain.

Ideas on this Chain

How about stihl Rapid Super Comfort chain vs Rapid Super? The kerf looks a tiny bit narrower for less vibration....

gallegosmike said:

How about stihl Rapid Super Comfort chain vs Rapid Super? The kerf looks a tiny bit narrower for less vibration....

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I'm not too up on Stihl sawchain lately but I think their comfort chain is their version of anti-vibe. Kerf width doesn't affect vibration so much as cutter design.

Narrower kerf has nothin' to do with vibration.

It's all about the cutter, and tie strap design.

Gary

gallegosmike said:

Okay, point taken... I will stick with stihl chain and give away my last used 72v..

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Oregon is just fine, but I wouldn't want the Vanguard.........

Try 72LP(X) or LGX, or stay with Stihl RSC.

I prefere RSC when I have the choise, but no big deal at all.

HolmenTree said:

Oregon is continually advancing saw chain design ,like the antivibe a few years back and Stihl is always playing catch up.

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HolmenTree said:

I'm not too up on Stihl sawchain

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:monkey:

How about quit feeding this guy BS then. Stihl chain holds a edge longer and is better built.

2000ssm6 said:

:monkey:

How about quit feeding this guy BS then. Stihl chain holds a edge longer and is better built.

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Now, now, wheres your manners . I meant to say I'm not up too much on Stihl sawchain "lately". If you read my earlier post 1989 was a long time ago. Like I said I see no difference in edge holding.Heavier built doesn't mean BETTER BUILT only OVER BUILT. Because Stihl doesn't have the capability to build a chain as light as Oregons and keep it strong.

HolmenTree said:

Now, now, wheres your manners . I meant to say I'm not up too much on Stihl sawchain "lately". If you read my earlier post 1989 was a long time ago. Like I said I see no difference in edge holding.Heavier built doesn't mean BETTER BUILT only OVER BUILT. Because Stihl doesn't have the capability to build a chain as light as Oregons and keep it strong.

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Riiiight, I value a Stihl bashers opinion alot, "lately".:monkey:

HolmenTree said:

Now, now, wheres your manners . I meant to say I'm not up too much on Stihl sawchain "lately". If you read my earlier post 1989 was a long time ago. Like I said I see no difference in edge holding.Heavier built doesn't mean BETTER BUILT only OVER BUILT. Because Stihl doesn't have the capability to build a chain as light as Oregons and keep it strong.

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No difference cutting dirt?

Going a step further, I will say that not only dose Oregon chain not hold an edge as well for me, it never seems to stop stretching.

Having just a few hours of Oregon-stretch on a chain no longer seems to fit and feels notchy on any sprockets I want to run.

After reading all the hype on here, I tried a couple of Stihl chains and was expecting more. Didn't stay sharp any longer, and it was harder to file. I went back to Oregon. I suspect it's all in what you're used to.

spacemule said:

After reading all the hype on here, I tried a couple of Stihl chains and was expecting more. Didn't stay sharp any longer, and it was harder to file. I went back to Oregon. I suspect it's all in what you're used to.

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The pointy/shiny end goes the direction of travel.

One could think that by trying a "couple" , laws of averages would have one on right?