Whats the best brand of saw chain?

[WESCOMAN]

I would say STIHL makes the best Chain. Some people dont like them because they are harder to resharpen. Well thats because they use hardend steel in the cutters. This means they stay sharper longer. Also Stihl pre stretches the chains. I just put the latest Woodsman Pro chain on my saw yesterday and spun it up for about 30 seconds. S T R R R E T C C HHHHHHH. So I tietend it up again and this time not nearly as bad. 3rd time was a charm. My last Stihl chain didnt stretch 1 / 10th that. Anyway I will be cutting Mahogany today so I will see how long it lasts. So far the Stihl is better in the Stretch catagory. Everyone has been saying how good Woodsman Pro was so Now I'm trying it. I'll let you know.

 

[Rickmn62]

I prefer Stihl chain,,, file the rakers down a little if you want a more aggressive cut. ( not recommended for limbing saws tho)

 

[jp hallman]

No better chain made than Stihl.

 

[Elmore]

...Anyway I will be cutting Mahogany today...

Wes...you're in Nevada, right? So how come you work with Mahogany, a tropical species? Do you work in the furniture trade? Cabinets?

 

[ross_scott]

i have both stihl RS and oregon chisel chains for my 036 I bought the loop of oregon last week only because I needed a spare chain and I did not want to pay $50 for an 18" loop of stihl chain the oregon cost me $37.80 ti sharpens well but just havent given it a good enough run to see how long it lasts before resharpening (even though I touch up every two to three tanks but now that I am finally getting good at my sharpening again after spending a number of years away from a saw I am spending less time resharpening while on the job)

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Instead of just talking brand preference, can we talk about the actual differences for once?
For example, what affects stay sharp? Is it the hardness of the body of the cutter, the hardness of the chrome, the thickness of the chrome, something else, or all of the above. And how do you measure these variables?
What about the chassis? What are the differences, Carlton drive links, on the 3/8" chain is .050 between the tie straps while Stihl and Oregon are 0.63. How is this size difference obtained? Are the .063 drive tangs heated and stamped, which could be a hardening step and if so why not stamp the whole drive link? Does Carlton stamp the whole DL which would make it stronger at the top and affect chain strength one way or another?
What is woodsman .063 or .050? Is this an advantage or disadvantage?
What about cutter shape? Are they all the same?

 

[gumneck]

Speaking of chain. I thought I was doing good b/c I got the coupon for a free loop of 16" chain(woodman's pro 30LP) from Bailey's. Turns out I needed 3/8ths(.375) and I mistakenly ordered the .365, the only choice available.

Will 1/100 of an inch matter?

 

[SawTroll]

In reality they are the same pitch (probably .367), but Carlton use .365 to distinguish 3/8" lo-pro from regular 3/8".

 

[gumneck]

Thanks Troll!

 

[Cut4fun]

As a homeowner I went to Windsor chain in FC on the 3/8 22". Real happy with the faster cuts. $16 bucks a loop shipped to my door. Compared to Oregons $24 at the shop.