Stihl chain like gold!!

[KenJax Tree]

I'm not impressed with carlton lately , been using it for quite awhile now just doesn't seem to hold an edge on my 346 but seems better on the 359 with 3/8 . Keep thinking about changing the 346 over to 3/8 chain but I don't want to hurt my baby .

I changed my 346 over to 3/8 and it pulls it fine.

 

[chugbug]

What damage could it do, I've heard the possibility of twisting the crankshaft as it wasn't designed for the extra pull not sure if that could happen. It would be easier to have just one chain size and I have heard 3/8 chain doesn't dull as easy as there is a longer cutting area than .325 .

 

[KenJax Tree]

It won't do any damage, it will pull it fine i have a 20" bar and 3/8 chain on my 346 for blocking down and it pulls its just fine with only a muff mod it won't win no cookie cuttin' contest but in the real world its not about cookies.

 

[chugbug]

Thanks for the info Ken , what do I need for the change , just a rim sprocket , bar and chain .

 

[KenJax Tree]

Thanks for the info Ken , what do I need for the change , just a rim sprocket , bar and chain .

Yes the rim is Oregon part #18720 and its like $6-$7

 

[Duane(Pa)]

What damage could it do, I've heard the possibility of twisting the crankshaft as it wasn't designed for the extra pull .

OMG Who comes up with this crap? I'm sure your Super EZ has 3/8 and likely a smaller crank than the 346. Keep it simple and have one chain pitch. Rim sprocket and bar (if sprocket tip) willl get you converted. DW

 

[deye223]

Here is the rest of the story. I just purchased an 084 powerhead. It came with a 3/8-8T sprocket. I do not have bars or chains for it yet. I just went into the Stihl dealer to get a price on a .404-7t sprocket. The first guy (new in the store) looked it up and told me it was about $6 but he would have to be sure. The Asst. Mgr. shows up and tells me I will need all new bars and chains if I switch. I told him I am well aware of that and I don't have any bars or chains right now, I am just checking to see if you can get the sprocket. He says I will be right back. He comes back with a price list for the whole sprocket assembly~$43.00, 36" bar~$85.00, and 36" full comp chain-$59.99. I said thank you and left. I never intended on getting a full comp chain and I don't need the whole assembly. He never offered any explanation for not pricing me for a .404-7t sprocket only. Maybe he can't get sprocket by itself, maybe he can and doesn't want to. It reminded me of a car dealer trying to sell me a bunch of stuff I didn't ask for.

a stihl .404-7t ( 0000 642 1207 ) sprocket should be about $6.50

 

[deye223]

What damage could it do, I've heard the possibility of twisting the crankshaft as it wasn't designed for the extra pull


HAHAHAHAHAHAHA not have'n a go at you but who
ever come up with that needs to lay off the pot :dribble:

 

[MCW]

I tried Windsor chain from my distributor a few years back and was less than impressed with the last of their stuff. I can't vouch for earlier stuff, but this stuff dulled easy and the price wasn't great. I can get Carlton for cheaper than the Windsor stuff used to be, and Carlton is a far better chain.

I have some older 50A/63A Windsor here in semi chisel and it is probably the best 3/8" semi I've used. By all accounts their newer stuff since Blount merged them in with Oregon (as far as I know?) has gone downhill.

I'm not impressed with carlton lately , been using it for quite awhile now just doesn't seem to hold an edge on my 346 but seems better on the 359 with 3/8 . Keep thinking about changing the 346 over to 3/8 chain but I don't want to hurt my baby .

I'm sure many guys would agree but it's actually quite funny how one single chain manufacturer hasn't got every single category nailed.
I'll give you my take on things with the chains I've used over the years and sorry to get a bit off topic...

In 3/8"LP I don't think any other chain I've used can match Carlton N1 for speed and longivity.
In .325" I believe Stihl has it covered in semi chisel but I have limited experience with full chisel in this size. I have been using Carlton K3C semi quite a bit lately but once it's used up I'll continue to sell Carlton but secretly use Stihl
In 3/8" semi I think Carlton EP is better overall than Stihl and some older 63A/50A Windsor I have here is right up there. Stihl is good though but the price isn't.
In 3/8" full chisel Stihl's RSC is definately my pick closely followed by Oregon LGX. In saying that though some of the fastest full chisel I've ever used has been Carlton LM but I couldn't get it to hold an edge very well.
In .404" Carlton is way better than Windsor. I've only had one .404" loop of Stihl semi and that seemed pretty good too. The only .404" full chisel I've used was Husqvarna branded Oregon. I only pull out .404" in the dirty stuff nowadays where full chisel doesn't really work too well so I gave it to another member.

One thing I will say though is that Stihl chain ALWAYS just oozes quality. Sadly though even the Chinese knock off Stihl chain looks good :mad2:

 

[sachsmo]

What damage could it do, I've heard the possibility of twisting the crankshaft as it wasn't designed for the extra pull


HAHAHAHAHAHAHA not have'n a go at you but who
ever come up with that needs to lay off the pot :dribble:

Steve Earle - Copperhead Road - YouTube

 

[dozerdan]

One thing I will say though is that Stihl chain ALWAYS just oozes quality. Sadly though even the Chinese knock off Stihl chain looks good :mad2:

I had a few loops of Chinese chain a few years ago. I ordered chain loops from one company for a long, they changed suppliers and I ended up with a dozen loops of 3/8 full chisel. I used up all of that chain myself. It cut fine and it held an edge well. The only downside was that while cutting in temperatures below zero it would snap in half. That has supposed to have been corrected.

I would like to see a few people run some tests here on the Chinese chain. It may surprise a lot of people.
Look how many pages there are on Chinese saws here. Why not chain.

Later
Dan

 

[excess650]

Stens sells "Silver Streak" bars and chain and the boxes are labeled "made in China".

As for Stihl dealers, it pays to shop around to see who the "real dealers" are vs the "box stores" with Stihl logo. Some will only order that Stihl makes pre-packaged. A GOOD dealer will spin you a loop of chain while you wait. I bought loops of 33RM in January from a central Pa dealer for $18/72DL loop, and 114DL (36" bar) was $26! I asked how much for a reel of RM, and figured out that it would have cost me more to spin my own loops.

I prefer Stihl chain.

 

[bcorradi]

My Stihl dealer sells 20" 3/8" 72DL chains for around $21. However, if you buy two you get the 3rd half price. So I get 3 chains for $52.50 or $17.50 per chain which I think is very reasonable. There are a lot of high stihl chain prices in this thread, but there are also a lot of reasonable ones. It isn't just a "Stihl" thing you'll run across the same thing buying chains from some Husky, Jonsered, and Dolmar dealers. Unlike saws brands and models which can be argued about forever...I think it is the general consensus (including mine) that Stihl is the best chain out there. So it is worth your time imo, shopping around until you can find Stihl chain at a reasonable pricepoint.

 

[2dumb4words]

It won't do any damage, it will pull it fine i have a 20" bar and 3/8 chain on my 346 for blocking down and it pulls its just fine with only a muff mod it won't win no cookie cuttin' contest but in the real world its not about cookies.

Good to hear such common sense. Ill worry about what cuts cookies better as soon as someone offers to pay me for cutting cookies.:msp_thumbup:

It was also enlightening to hear from a dealer that dealer cost on Stihl vs Oregon is comparable. Not that it helps much, but it's nice to know who's ####ing you.

 

[MCW]

I would like to see a few people run some tests here on the Chinese chain. It may surprise a lot of people.
Look how many pages there are on Chinese saws here. Why not chain.

Later
Dan

I can assure you that there is some really good Chinese chain out there that is right up there with the best. But then you'll buy some next week and it won't hold an edge. Then the following week it will be that brittle it will shatter clean through the drivelink or tie strap.
The only way you can get away with a name brand vs. Chinese test on AS is if the results show that the Chinese product is crap. My ears are still ringing and my arse is still sore from when I ran a thread on some Chinese 365 copies that I imported a few years back and actually said they were good. For what it's worth one of them is now cleaning up with minimal mods in the Australian racing scene and the others are still going strong too...

 

[tollster]

Right now a loop of RS full chisel in 3/8ths .050 with 72 DL is $29.99 dollars at my local Stihl dealer / True Value store. Costly indeed!

I am paying 20.00 for the same stuff for my XP550 18" Bar, they do make it to length when needed, but 20 for the box I feel is good. I typically by 3 when I can and keep them around when I need them as they are only certain to go up in price, I think my saw will be round a few years.

 

[chugbug]

It looks like Blount is buying all the chain manufactures out , so far they own -- carlton , windsor, silver streak and oregon , am I right on all of these ,I can't believe it .I'm sure there not importing there whole line but who knows what chain is imported and what isn't .

 

[Whiskers]

The true value that sells stihl around here also charges a premium, but they also cater to Joe homeowner who doesn't know any better. On the other hand the 2 dealers I frequent are both reasonably priced, and always run buy 2 get one free.

 

[H 2 H]

It looks like Blount is buying all the chain manufactures out , so far they own -- carlton , windsor, silver streak and oregon , am I right on all of these ,I can't believe it .I'm sure there not importing there whole line but who knows what chain is imported and what isn't .

I was sure surprised what I found out about Blount last summer when I posted it here

 

[TK]

It looks like Blount is buying all the chain manufactures out , so far they own -- carlton , windsor, silver streak and oregon , am I right on all of these ,I can't believe it .I'm sure there not importing there whole line but who knows what chain is imported and what isn't .

Blount owns Oregon, Carlton, SpeeCo, ICS, Woods, and Tisco. Silver streak is on their own. Windsor I don't believe exists any longer, and they were a Blount acquisition at one point. Silver Streak may have been owned by them in the past but to my knowledge they are separate now.