difference in bar/chain oil??!!

[chainsawaddict]

So I dont really want to open up the age old argument, but are there differences between certain brands of Bar/Chain Lube? I had been using stihl oil, but bought some husky oil that was on sale the other day and the husky oil seemed A LOT stickier. After I poured the oil in, I had an Oil string go from the saw, up the side of the pickup and into the box. Can I just go to Wal Mart and start buying cheap lube, or does it really make a difference?

I am not trolling here! Serious ???

 

[SteveH]

Yes, there have been earlier strings on this. From those strings and from my own experience, I can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that there are some differences. I have used, and use now, both Stihl and Echo brand, and I cannot tell the slightest difference between them and they may, indeed, be the same stuff. I have a bottle of MotionLotion from Baileys but haven't broken into it yet as I am using up the Stihl I have so I won't end up with two or three partial gallon jugs of oil sitting around....

I have used WalMart stuff, very inexpensive and almost useless. I could tell no difference between it and regular 30W auto oil. I had to give it away as it was giving me troubles and I damaged a bar using it [not enough tackiness and the bar overheated]. [Actually, I found zero tackiness.]

Other people on the forum have said they have good luck with Walmart brand [which is also sold as Poulan in this area of the country, same stuff and same bottle]. There has been some discussion that there are two qualities of the Poulan/Walmart. I don't know. I have only seen the junk stuff in the green bottle, and I will never use it again.

 

[Evanrude]

I use both Stihl bar/chain oils (blue & orange). I have used ACE branded oil from ACE Hardware and noticed it is very close in tackiness/viscosity as the Stihl Orange. I have also used Tractor Supply's oil and its even tackier and thicker than the Stihl Orange. So there is definitely a difference between bar/chain oils. I figure the TSC oil would be for warmer days where the thicker oil would be more protective.

 

[ShoerFast]

So I dont really want to open up the age old argument, but are there differences between certain brands of Bar/Chain Lube? I had been using stihl oil, but bought some husky oil that was on sale the other day and the husky oil seemed A LOT stickier. After I poured the oil in, I had an Oil string go from the saw, up the side of the pickup and into the box. Can I just go to Wal Mart and start buying cheap lube, or does it really make a difference?

I am not trolling here! Serious ???

Just my $0.02 cents worth,,,,


I would not say that Husky oil seems thicker, but I will run it any day of the week.

The order I like here, also fallows price,

1) Stihl oil,,, just plain consistant and a cool running bar (relatively)

2) Husky oil, a little cheeper then Stihl oil, but a good run, seems a little warmer running bar, and seem to drip off just a little 'blacker' then the stihl oil. (suggesting more ware?) Husky oil dode not seem as consistant as Stihl oil to me, but a good run.

3) Power Blend oil, a lot cheeper then Stihl oil, but a noticably warmer running bar, you just get the feeling that it is not as good.

4) Puland oil (from wally-world) I would rather run fish-snott if I could. Puland oil is by far the cheepest, about half the price of Stihl , but runs very hot in my saws, lots of 'black' dripping from the grove and tip suggesting metel is teansfering. And at altitude, it foams in the oil tank,,,,,, I call Puland expensive as it's only good for holding down dust in the driveway!

When I am near a Fleet- Farm, I will run there oil, but yes, I think there is a difference, if your wearing the heels off of the cutters (as the cutter rocks back) faster then you think, (and not running a dull chain) you should run a better oil.

I had always wondered about picking up lazor temp gun and take bar temps with different oils, would be intersting?

 

[Slamm]

I use Wal-mart bar oil and it has worked great for hundreds of thousands of board feet with 660's and 28" bars and 084 with 30" and 48" mostly all hardwoods with some walnut and a one million board foot cottonwood job (I didn't cut it all, LOL).

There have not been any oil related issues with this cheap oil. No bars burning up and no chain problems.

So if you figure that is the bottom of the barrel, anything else you use will only be better oil. Now if you actually save or make any money off of using better bar oil, that is another question.

The difference I have saved in using cheaper oil, I figure, I could have purchased several new bars if I needed to.

I'm sure there is a difference in the oil, but I have never noticed it, bar oil is the one thing I am a complete cheapskate at, LOL.

This summer I will use vegetable oil, nothing is tackier than that, LOL.

I have used cheap oil extensively and mixed Stihl, Husky and Jonsered in at different times in an expensive pinch, and never was the use of expensive oil a life changing experience for me.

My opinion,

Sam

 

[PB]

Most oil comes from one factory in Kentucky. It gets put into different jugs with different labels. Placebo affect.

 

[spacemule]

Placebo affect.

That runs all through engine and oil related themes.

Would be interesting to put oils from the major players in several unmarked jugs and do a double blind test on it to see if people could tell a difference.

 

[flashpuppy]

Most oil comes from one factory in Kentucky. It gets put into different jugs with different labels. Placebo affect.

However, my pop's work for ExxonMobil. They have their own brand of bar and chain lube. It is red. I mean RED. I have had very good luck with this stuff. Hey, you can't beat the price either...

Jeremy

 

[mountain_man]

All oils are not the same they are similar but by all means not the same. Autozone bar/chain oil runs like water. Stihl is tacky while others have more or less... I've never had any problems with any major brand bar/chain oil from Stihl or the other companies. Use what you feel but take suggestions from here.

 

[ShoerFast]

That runs all through engine and oil related themes.

Would be interesting to put oils from the major players in several unmarked jugs and do a double blind test on it to see if people could tell a difference.

I would tell you the Stihl just by lifting the cap and watching how far I could pull a string, Stihl hands down has better tackifyers. (spell check, ) Stihl is also more amber color then Husky's oil.

 

[ShoerFast]

That runs all through engine and oil related themes.

Would be interesting to put oils from the major players in several unmarked jugs and do a double blind test on it to see if people could tell a difference.

By your choice of the word 'people' do you mean 'people that run saws' or people, as in drive by posters?

 

[scotclayshooter]

Is it only in Scotland we get Oregon bar oil? Seems to be good!

 

[chainsawaddict]

By your choice of the word 'people' do you mean 'people that run saws' or people, as in drive by posters?

i knew there was a pretty big difference between the two(as i said in the original post). I thought the husky oil was tackier.

 

[Zodiac45]

The stuff I've been using (can't get my red stuff anymore) is in a green jug and it's clear and quite tacky. I get the 10wt for the winter and the 30wt for the summer. Those are the only two they make., The 30wt seems tackier, but that's only because it's thicker. It won't hardly pour in cold temps. The 10wt works well in the cold and flows much better.

 

[ShoerFast]

i knew there was a pretty big difference between the two(as i said in the original post). I thought the husky oil was tackier.

It might be sometimes?

Not nearly the consistency.

 

[oldsaw]

I've run primarily Quaker State (good stuff) and Husky (got a deal on it) over the past few years. Both good. I've picked up Poulan oil at Wallys in a pinch and have found it to be very inconsistent. Sometimes its thick and tacky, other times its thin and runny. The old tall jugs were usually thick, the short gallons were runny, but I got one last year that was pretty thick. I actually bought it for the Aux oiler on the mill in the fall/winter when I wanted a thinner oil.

Never used Stihl oil, too expensive for me when I can get the QS stuff for $5, I'm not too interested in $9 bar oil.

Mark

 

[PB]

By your choice of the word 'people' do you mean 'people that run saws' or people, as in drive by posters?

What color is the cap on that Husky oil?

You can believe whatever you want but if you traced that jug back to the factory, they probably all came from the same one. Maybe one side of the factory or the other. They all work the same. As mentioned before, the red oil is different. I don't care what the jug says, bar oil is bar oil. It all has the same purpose, and as long as it flows through the saw and has tackifiers, what is the difference. I have never heard of anyone burning up a chain because of a bad bar oil. I would trust Oldsaw on this subject, milling is where oil really matters. Not saying that logging doesn't matter, but milling is harder than any other chainsaw application.

 

[SawTroll]

I mostly use the Husky "Veg-Oil" - works well all the year, oiler puts out more, and less is needed....

....perfect for saws with marginal oilers, and you can cut back on the output of the others - good for your clothes and the environment as well, as it washes off in a notmal cloth wash, and breaks down fast in the nature....

 

[bwalker]

I have used both Stihl and Wal-mart Supertech. Stihl seems to be thicker, which in the winter isnt always a good thing. Stihl is also about 3 times the price of supertech.
That said I have been using super tech for years now and I haven't had any bar failures or bars wearing prematurely.

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

I've done a lot of checking around and here is how the Stihl we carry at our shop compares to what's available locally.
A gallon of Stihl for 8.99$
TSC sells Husky oil for 11.99$
Walmart sells Poulan for 7.99$
Local Lumber yard sells Poulan brand for 15.99$
Local hardware sells what looks like waste oil for 10.99$ a gallon

Husky and Stihl both seem comparable. Poulan looks like engine oil. I swear what the hardware store just repackaged waste oil, and was the color of Guinness.