What's the best chain?

[CentaurG2]

Any chain that is sharp! To be honest, the only major difference I have noticed between Stihl, Oregon, Carlton or Woodsman Pro is price. Stihl chain at the dealer is very expensive and usually the dealer only stocks certain chain type and gauge. Since you can’t order Stihl online, you are out of luck if you want something they don’t stock like skip or rm. Occasionally you can find good deals on Stihl chain at fairs and such but for the money, Baileys woodsman pro is tough to beat and they also stock every kind of Oregon chain. Just cant beat that for convenience or price.

 

[Net-Knight1]

MS361 with RSC Chain, who will stop them...?





.

 

[MCW]

So you're saying you won't buy it because the name sounds gay. That's like not buying milk cause it's HOMOgenized.

Hmmm. No more milk for me...

I would almost go as far to bet that stihl chain will out cut and out last
about any factory chain .I like full chisel skip on anything bigger than a 24''
bar .But i have only a fraction of time cutting compared to most on here.

I can assure you that Carlton will outlast Stihl chain in 3/8"LP in dirty conditions here anyway. This has been proven time and time again by local pruning contractors in Almonds (very dusty and hard on chain), Citrus (somewhat dirty) etc etc. On clean, green wood the difference may be negligible.
Many people in Australia in the know who do a LOT of firewood cutting and milling also swear Carlton/Windsor are the hardest wearing chain of the lot. I've never used normal 3/8" Stihl chain but a lot of people who own a Stihl saw think you can only run a Stihl chain on it.
Maybe you guys in the states get the good stuff from Stihl

 

[stihl only]

Maybe you guys in the states get the good stuff from Stihl

You figured us out now!

Sorry, you can't have the "good stuff" cause we're keeping it!

 

[Crofter]

I can assure you that Carlton will outlast Stihl chain in 3/8"LP in dirty conditions here anyway. This has been proven time and time again by local pruning contractors in Almonds (very dusty and hard on chain), Citrus (somewhat dirty) etc etc. On clean, green wood the difference may be negligible.
Many people in Australia in the know who do a LOT of firewood cutting and milling also swear Carlton/Windsor are the hardest wearing chain of the lot. I've never used normal 3/8" Stihl chain but a lot of people who own a Stihl saw think you can only run a Stihl chain on it.
Maybe you guys in the states get the good stuff from Stihl

Stihl used to be hands down the fastest chain out of the box; the new oregon stuff now also has a factory grind that is faster than it used to be. Both disappear after the first filing so that is only hype. The Stihl chisel chain does have one of the most acute and crisp outside corner of the cutter. By comparison the Carlton chisel has a small radius and probably contributes to being a very small percentage slower in the cut but it does stand up to dirt just slightly better. Carlton is not soft to file! Since Carlton is cheaper than the Stihl it is better bang for the buck for me.

I am cutting dirty skidded oak and even with Carlton semi chisel chain I think I spend very close to as many minutes filing as I do in the cut. I wouldnt even consider using chisel chain in this stuff as you lose so much more of the tooth every time you hit the frozen mud compared to semi chisel.

 

[BryanSchamber]

I assume this debate will go on till the cows come home. I'm very pleased with Bailey's RC chain. When I bought my 361 the dealer threw in 2 RSC chains. I guess I cant beat that. To me they have not held the edge as well as the woodland pro. I'm a stihl fan, but when I can buy two for one it is a no brainer. Thanks for all the input, for I don't hold a candle in the wind to what many of you have cut.

 

[SawTroll]

I have used a fair bit of full chisel chain on clean wood and I prefer it. I was just hinting that Carlton's toughness is likely to extend across their whole range, full chisel included. I know their 3/8"LP chain flogs the equivalent Stihl in dirty wood for toughness.
The Stihl name "OILOMATIC® STIHL RAPID™ Super Comfort" also seems a tad gay to me. Whats meant to be super comfortable about a chain that can tear your leg off and rip big trees down in a flash?
Thats like calling a hand grenade cuddly.
Thats why I'll never buy it

RS (and RM) Comfort is about low vibes, it is a feature in the chassis that they copied from Oregon LP etc a few years ago.

I have to add that most of my wood is clean and green standing, slowgrown though, birch.

Oregon LP may be a tad faster right after filing, but the RSC keeps the sharpness longer, and last longer - both filed at 30 degrees.

So far I am not a big fan of the Oregon LGX, the impression is that the 5100S is smoother and slightly faster with LP.

 

[MCW]

You figured us out now!

Sorry, you can't have the "good stuff" cause we're keeping it!

I KNEW IT!

Carlton is not soft to file! Since Carlton is cheaper than the Stihl it is better bang for the buck for me.
I am cutting dirty skidded oak and even with Carlton semi chisel chain I think I spend very close to as many minutes filing as I do in the cut. I wouldnt even consider using chisel chain in this stuff as you lose so much more of the tooth every time you hit the frozen mud compared to semi chisel.

I've found the Carlton a fair bit harder to file as well. Particularly against the Oregon chain I've had in the past. I may be dreaming but one of the 100' rolls of Carlton A50s I bought felt like it was Tungsten Carbide instead. I thought I'd got a bad batch of Pferd files to start with, then realised it was just really tough to file. Didn't seem to stand up any better when cutting though
You're right about the factory grind too. Out of the box Oregon stuff I've used cuts like mad, but grind it once and it doesn't mean anything.

 

[windthrown]

Bailey's rc chains are more than decent, Stihl is the best chain though. Look for some semi chisel chains, not as fast cutting as chisel (rc) but better at staying sharp. The best thing is to keep your chain from hitting the ground.

:agree2:

Stihl makes good chains. Semi-chisel in Stihl is RM (rapid micro), RMF (full skip), RMC (comfort in .325 only) and RMC3 (comfort safety in .325 only). I use mostly RM and RMF. They used to make RM2 with the saftey tabs, but they quit making it about a year ago. I still have some of those loops for flush cutting stumps, cutting potential naily wood, and cutting in really cruddy conditions.

 

[Mike Van]

Some guy on ebay had the chain I want - He said "Never needed sharpening" or something close to that - I think he had a magic sparkplug too

 

[sILlogger]

I just finished up a 100' roll of Stihl Rapid Super Klassic. (it lasted me 6 months) and i gotta so that is the grabbiest chain that i have ever ran. I'm 245 lbs and i had to keep a hold on it! if i go back with stihl im gonna get the Rapid Super comfort ($330 for a 100' roll)

 

[RedShift42]

Some guy on ebay had the chain I want - He said "Never needed sharpening" or something close to that - I think he had a magic sparkplug too

Find out what he's using for oil, too!:greenchainsaw:

 

[Stihlman441]

The Stihl name "OILOMATIC® STIHL RAPID™ Super Comfort" also seems a tad gay to me. Whats meant to be super comfortable about a chain that can tear your leg off and rip big trees down in a flash?
Thats like calling a hand grenade cuddly.
Thats why I'll never buy it

[/QUOTE]

So you dont buy a chain because of its name ?? what is the model of your car called ????

 

[046]

hmmm... Australian Carlton chain must be tempered differently. around here Stihl chains seems to be the hardest and longest lasting.

that said... I'm using Oregon chain with great success. 100ft roll Oregon chain is cheaper by $100+ over Stihl chain. with that much $$$ difference, figured I could stand a bit less performance.

been real pleased with Oregon chains!

I've found the Carlton a fair bit harder to file as well. Particularly against the Oregon chain I've had in the past. I may be dreaming but one of the 100' rolls of Carlton A50s I bought felt like it was Tungsten Carbide instead. I thought I'd got a bad batch of Pferd files to start with, then realised it was just really tough to file. Didn't seem to stand up any better when cutting though
You're right about the factory grind too. Out of the box Oregon stuff I've used cuts like mad, but grind it once and it doesn't mean anything.

 

[PatrickIreland]

My 041AV had an Oregon semi on it when I bought it, cut pretty slow despite being new and sharp. Went back and got another Oregon full chisel put on it, it cut well but still felt like it was bogging a bit and more dust than chips. Then got a loop of Stihl RSC instead, and it was a world of difference.
Chips up to my ankles (all done in green, clean wood) and it is still going strong despite me putting it through stumps too close to the ground etc, and only one (first!) attempt at sharpening.
Just my tuppence.

 

[tallfarmboy]

Find out what he's using for oil, too!:greenchainsaw:

Shhhh, don't use the "O" word in this post!!!

TFB

 

[rngrchad]

I like my Oregon LGX the most. Seems like it holds an ok edge, and as soon as the chain stops taking large chips, I'll run an 11/32nd file across the cutters 3 or 4 times and brush the rakers once or twice. Takes maybe 10minutes at most and I'm good to go for two or 3 tanks. For ME, LGX responds to my hand sharpening style the best, so it is my favorite. I could care less how the metal could be slightly softer than stihl. I really like my Carlton chain as well, but I can never seem to get it as sharp after a handfile compared to the oregon lgx.
The meanest cutting chain I've ran is on my ms361, I got the rakers so low that you wouldn't ever dream of making any sort of bore-cut with that thing, and to compare it to the others I run would be unfair as the rakers are seriously stupid low!

 

[046]

it's really a bad practice filing down your rakers down radically further than factory spec's. a bit further I could see... but not radically low.

The meanest cutting chain I've ran is on my ms361, I got the rakers so low that you wouldn't ever dream of making any sort of bore-cut with that thing, and to compare it to the others I run would be unfair as the rakers are seriously stupid low!

 

[rngrchad]

it's really a bad practice filing down your rakers down radically further than factory spec's. a bit further I could see... but not radically low.

I realize this. I am one of those people who have to find out stuff for themselves, and let me say, I am super happy with this "low rakered chain" for strictly bucking rounds. It was more of a I'm bored experiment one evening. The stihl cutters on the chain were past the witness marks and I figured I would drop the rakers way past what is considered acceptable. WOW, what a great cutting chain....I just won't use it for anything except firewood rounds. I think everyone should run a saw with scary low rakers at least once in their life. It really makes you respect the term: "kickback".

 

[breymeyerfam]

I realize this. I am one of those people who have to find out stuff for themselves, and let me say, I am super happy with this "low rakered chain" for strictly bucking rounds. It was more of a I'm bored experiment one evening. The stihl cutters on the chain were past the witness marks and I figured I would drop the rakers way past what is considered acceptable. WOW, what a great cutting chain....I just won't use it for anything except firewood rounds. I think everyone should run a saw with scary low rakers at least once in their life. It really makes you respect the term: "kickback".

tried it... makes too much wook out of cutting compared to a chain with the rakers set close to spec.