Best chain
- Thread starter snoozeys
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
MCW
Somebody's talking crap here & it ain't the tree!
Is as good or better?, oh my some things never change,
HE LIVES!!!
SawTroll
Information Collector
Is as good or better?, oh my some things never change,
Depends on exact model and application, and partially also on pitch and gauge.Good to see you post again ol' friend!
PhilKawasakiuser
ArboristSite Operative
Both a Husky 20" bar and a Sthil 20" bar will both take 72drive links. Always check though, as long as chain gauge, pitch of chain, and drivers match up to your saw and bar, then any manufacturer of chain can be used to my knowledge.
Can't agree more about the difference in quality having a Stihl chain makes Yesterday I went over to a nonbelievers place who wanted help cutting something his saw wont handle an to show him I put on a practically dead chain. I took the file to each tooth an did 2 passes. When I showed up he immediately said, " Hey uh you cant possibly think that chain will cut anything?." I was half way thru the 20 inch wide aged mesquite burl in a few seconds when I stopped it an grabbed my other saw with a better one on an it went thru the rest like nothing. I think he is sold on Stihl brand chains now. The dull chain one I tapped against the brick wall at W.O.T. then continued to cut thru 2-3 inch mesquite limbs. Homelite chains ive found r the worst. Sometimes the expensive option is actually less expensive overall. Husq, oregon, Carlton chains are ok but nothing beats a Stihl. I always look for one by stihl first when replacing. Never had a new duramax carbide yet tho. Not being able to sharpen it myself was the holdup. Yellow=full chiz/pro & green is a safety chain. I have used both an don't see a huge difference.Yellow cut faster an last a little longer but not much. Buying online is less expensive as long as you know what will fit. Here walmart clears out inventory around xmas at 30-70% off but you can't get stihl brand there.
Can't agree more about the difference in quality having a Stihl chain makes Yesterday I went over to a nonbelievers place who wanted help cutting something his saw wont handle an to show him I put on a practically dead chain. I took the file to each tooth an did 2 passes. When I showed up he immediately said, " Hey uh you cant possibly think that chain will cut anything?." I was half way thru the 20 inch wide aged mesquite burl in a few seconds when I stopped it an grabbed my other saw with a better one on an it went thru the rest like nothing. I think he is sold on Stihl brand chains now. The dull chain one I tapped against the brick wall at W.O.T. then continued to cut thru 2-3 inch mesquite limbs. Homelite chains ive found r the worst. Sometimes the expensive option is actually less expensive overall. Husq, oregon, Carlton chains are ok but nothing beats a Stihl. I always look for one by stihl first when replacing. Never had a new duramax carbide yet tho. Not being able to sharpen it myself was the holdup. Yellow=full chiz/pro & green is a safety chain. I have used both an don't see a huge difference.Yellow cut faster an last a little longer but not much. Buying online is less expensive as long as you know what will fit. Here walmart clears out inventory around xmas at 30-70% off but you can't get stihl brand there.
PhilKawasakiuser, why does the yellow chain last longer than the green safety chain? Better quality? Stronger metal?
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2010
- Messages
- 14,732
- Reaction score
- 84,744
- Location
- Plymouth, Mass. America's Hometown
Been using Baileys' WP chisel chain for 6 years. Better cost. But once and a while spring for some Stihl chains for my 262 and 026.
Same. Exact. Chain. (except for the 'bumper' links, which don't cut).
Any difference in chain life has to be due to difference in use, or difference in the way chain is maintained.
Philbert
The likelihood that the chain will be discarded at a point in it's life where the cutters are somewhat longer for the "green" or even reduced kickback chains could make the premise the statement discussed here somewhat true.
To discuss what chain is the best and not even specify a size is a bit hard to comment on. I think there is more difference in the smallest chains Stihl vs Oregon. 13 RM vs 25 AP for instance. The Oregon best for vines.
PhilKawasakiuser
ArboristSite Operative
If I was to use a larger saw that was always for cutting hardwood and had a 20-24" bar but ended up without a good chain I can swap out besides a 14" and the bar fit and numbers matched would it possibly end up causing damage to the saw or little bar if I was to be cutting extremely soft stuff such as paper mulberry and did this for the entire tank as if I was using it like before and on mesquite which is far from as soft as that.
PhilKawasakiuser
ArboristSite Operative
I don't have a clue and it might not actually last longer. I am still basically a slightly educated beginner mostly from reading posts here. I would say that the homelite chains might be the worst I have tried. Once I hit a nail with a homelite chain which ruined it. An acquaintance of mine didn't use bar oil and kept ******** that he should have used his bow saw instead since its lighter until he found out what he did wrong. Everyone can make a foolish mistake including me. I damaged a saw because I had the gas cap on so tight I had to use the channel lock pliers to remove it. The oil tank had the same issue also. Another dumb thing a neighbor did was use his FS90r without a gas cap until the valves and top end was caked with so much carbon it refused to run. That is when he used starter fluid to get it going. Now it has 103 Lbs of compression. Another neighbor refused to replace the primer bulb as well as using any air filter in his Craftsman blower which eventually lean seized. After he unseized it the compression was 50lbs. After measuring the compression he told me he had been using starter fluid for the last dozen times to get it going. Mistakes happen sometimes. I ran a ryobi 4 stroke weedeater without checking the oil level for 10 hrs and about 1 year. I noticed it was getting really hot within only 15 seconds an found out it had no oil. It still runs okay for now but its beginning to fall apart an develop serious problems.
PhilKawasakiuser
ArboristSite Operative
Another person I kinda know removed the muffler an thought it gained power without it an never put it back on. 35 minutes of running later it was trashed. As far as chains sharp ones are a ton better then dull ones. They also need to be on correctly instead of backwards. Using it like that I could compare to using the flat end of my axe instead of the sharp one to chop wood.
PhilKawasakiuser
ArboristSite Operative
Anyone have much experience with a carbide chain? Some people say they cut faster but I don't know why a sharp carbide would cut faster than any other sharp chain. I am probably wrong but isn't a chain no matter what its made out of only going to get so sharp no matter what and not cut any faster at first no matter what?
There have been a few threads, and several posts on this here on A.S. e.g.:
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/carbide-saw-chain.266273/
Some longer threads on another site.
Basically:
1. There are many varieties of carbide saw chain. Some are designed for fire fighters cutting building materials (roofing, nails, sheet metal, etc.) which do not cut firewood very well. Make sure that you select a type that is designed for cutting tree wood.
2. Expensive to buy. Some carbide chains can cost $300 a loop.
3. Expensive to sharpen. Requires a diamond (not CBN) wheel ($100+) on a grinder, or a shop that will sharpen them (locally, it is at least 3X the cost of sharpening conventional chains).
4. Carbide is hard - it can chip. Requires tooth replacement, rather that sharpening.
5. Carbide is hard - it cannot be ground to as acute of an angle without breaking (see above), so the cutters tends to cut slower.
It will hold up better to some types of challenging cutting (.eg. old railroad ties, . . .) so it can be a good choice in the right application. But not as easy of a substitution as carbide blades have been for circular saws, etc.
Philbert
I've used Stihl and Oregon on my larger saws and don't see a big enough difference between them to recommend one over the other.
The key here to having good results is your expertise at sharpening and picking the right chain for the job at hand. If you are cutting clean wood full chisel is a good choice, just avoid any of it that has the folder over rakers, got a loop of that once and couldn't get that junk off my saw fast enough!
I also take at least 5 saws on every outing, fully serviced with sharp chains and ready to go. If one gets dull or runs out of fuel I just grab another one. I seldom if ever change loops or sharpen in the woods, takes too much time and I'm usually trying to keep 2 to 3 guys busy loading and hauling.
Our local John Deere dealer has Stihl chain in stock and I grabbed few loops of it and found that it needed sharpened right out of the box when Oregon typically does not. Yes, I couldn't believe it either, after all the good reviews on the Stihl chain the loops I purchased were horrible and refused to cut well until they were touched up with a file. After that it was excellent, just as good as the same basic thing from Oregon in every respect.
I also cut quite a few tops and logs left over from logging operations, so full chisel is NOT the best choice here. For dirty wood I use semi-chisel instead, but it's only good for a half dozen or so more cuts when you really get into logs with dirt packed in the bark. I try to avoid that scenario but there are just times when you are going to have to cut some dirty material and fully expect to be sharpening your chain in short order no matter who made it.
I've also developed a great respect for 3/8LP chain on smaller saws. Super easy to sharpen and doesn't care much how good your skills are in that area. It also cuts fast and stays sharp even in dead and dirty material......FWIW......Cliff
The key here to having good results is your expertise at sharpening and picking the right chain for the job at hand. If you are cutting clean wood full chisel is a good choice, just avoid any of it that has the folder over rakers, got a loop of that once and couldn't get that junk off my saw fast enough!
I also take at least 5 saws on every outing, fully serviced with sharp chains and ready to go. If one gets dull or runs out of fuel I just grab another one. I seldom if ever change loops or sharpen in the woods, takes too much time and I'm usually trying to keep 2 to 3 guys busy loading and hauling.
Our local John Deere dealer has Stihl chain in stock and I grabbed few loops of it and found that it needed sharpened right out of the box when Oregon typically does not. Yes, I couldn't believe it either, after all the good reviews on the Stihl chain the loops I purchased were horrible and refused to cut well until they were touched up with a file. After that it was excellent, just as good as the same basic thing from Oregon in every respect.
I also cut quite a few tops and logs left over from logging operations, so full chisel is NOT the best choice here. For dirty wood I use semi-chisel instead, but it's only good for a half dozen or so more cuts when you really get into logs with dirt packed in the bark. I try to avoid that scenario but there are just times when you are going to have to cut some dirty material and fully expect to be sharpening your chain in short order no matter who made it.
I've also developed a great respect for 3/8LP chain on smaller saws. Super easy to sharpen and doesn't care much how good your skills are in that area. It also cuts fast and stays sharp even in dead and dirty material......FWIW......Cliff
