Chainsaw chains

[buck91]

Perhaps this will rise the ire of a few but is there any all purpose chain thats significantly better than the ubiquitous oregon full chisel grind? Not equal... I'd have no qualms running a huqvarna or stihl.... but superior to the oregon. The LPX model seems to be stocked and carried everywhere unlike anything else.

 

[DemoFly]

I don't consider full chisel an all-purpose chain. Dealers love selling it because it brings in repeat business to homeowners and arborists need it readily available. Cuts like a banshee out of the box, but dulls after a few tanks of gas.

Semi-chisel for me. I personally cut my own from a spool of Carlton A1EP. Love Oregon VXL but they don't sell precut chain for long bars.

(I guess non-LP versacut is called DPX now and VXL is for low-profile only. Honestly oregons branding is stupid.)

 

[userfriendly]

You can watch those YouTube videos all day where guys swap the low kick back chains sold in places like Home Depot for professional chains and save ten seconds per cut. Chainsaws under 60cc’s usually have .325” drive sprockets, over 60cc 3/8” drive. The bigger the chain and longer the bar, the more power it takes to drive them. Same goes for more aggressive pro chains. A trick with those low kick back .325” chains is grind down the rakers which will make bigger wood chips. You can also move up to a .063 bar and chain from a .050” or .058” without changing the drive sprocket.

 

[jeepman3071]

I've used Oregon for years but recently picked up some Archer full chisel and it works quite well.

 

[vwmaniaman]

I have a Husqvarna from the late 70's. It came with a Windsor bar and chair which is still on it and it still cuts great. I manually sharpen it myself. I heated our home with wood for 7 years so it got plenty of workouts. My only other saw was a old Poulan 25 countervibe and it has seen quite a few Oregon chains over the years. Both saws still run good. That Husky is a Rancher 44 model and it has lots of compression.

 

[Davejam]

Who makes Echo Chains. I've gone with those even though they are very pricey.
They seem to last long very long but the one i use is called semi-chisel.

 

[thastinger]

When I bought my Stihl 271, I bought an extra chain and recall it being a good bit more money than I expected a chain to be. I then asked my arborist neighbor which chain he would recommend and he sent me a link to an Oregon chain, I bought a couple of them and they stay sharp a very long time.

 

[spasm3]

Semi chisel will cut more without sharpening. I use full chisel full comp chains, but I touch it up every tank of fuel, and my saw has the power to pull it. Semi chisel is more forgiving if you hit the dirt, which dulls chain instantly.

 

[tnt_motorsports]

I have a Stihl 271 Farm Boss with a 16" & 20" bar. I bought one of these to sharpen the chains, so I haven't had to buy a new chain yet.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003M4LGPE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just my $0.02

 

[buck91]

I have no problems maintaining my chains... I don't cut much but its almost exclusively oak- usually seasoned deadwood that fell during a recent storm. Sometimes assorted other hardwoods. I've always used full chisel and touch them up regularly but was wondering if those with more experience would recommend a different approach? No issues so far, though.

 

[Rand]

With the low kickback chains they never want to seem to cut at an angle..
Tell me what chain to buy for under 20$ for my echo cs-590.
I'm not an expert but most of the oregon stuff is average or better.
once you have 5 chains dulling after a tree isnt a big deal, but staying sharp longer is always a plus.
Most of the wood I cut is partially rotted... why Its falling down or fell down in the first place.

The handiest piece of gear I have though is the plastic wedge. keeps from pinching the chain on those 20"+ thick logs you cant do much with except cut.
I do usually have a backup chainsaw incase I do something really stupid to get stuck

 

[cb_13]

I use semi chisel but I’ve had Stihl chain stay sharp for longer. I’ve used a decent amount of Carlton and a whole bunch of Oregon chain as well, neither are bad. The Stihl just tends to last me longer.

 

[JimmyChainsaw]

Both Stihl and Oregon make good chains,l would not like to say one is better than the other.Generally Super Chisel is best on softwoods and Semi Chisel suits Hardwoods better.For an occasional user l always recommend Semi Chisel,it may be slower cutting but it does not need sharpening as often.The rounded edge on the Semi chisel has to be blunt the whole way round for it not to cut,whereas the Super Chisel stops cutting the moment the point bluntens.

 

[spasm3]

This is the chain i run. blued cutters. much harder than the box store chain.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MTO5VO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[buck91]

This is the chain i run. blued cutters. much harder than the box store chain.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MTO5VO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I looked at those- Trying to stay with .325/.050 and I couldn't find that they make it in that size.

 

[spasm3]

I looked at those- Trying to stay with .325/.050 and I couldn't find that they make it in that size.

I'll post a link to those when I get home tonight. I use those on my smaller saw.

 

[spasm3]

I looked at those- Trying to stay with .325/.050 and I couldn't find that they make it in that size.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AX2JS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[spasm3]

Keep in mind, the chains i posted are not anti-kickback. They are pro-chains with a lot of bite. I'd want 45cc minimum.

If you don't cut much or have a good bit of experience and saw time, the safety chains have their place.

My small echo is a cs-450 18 inch bar

My large saw is a husqvarna 390 xp 90cc 32inch bar and 20 inch bar.

 

[userfriendly]

Keep in mind, the chains i posted are not anti-kickback. They are pro-chains with a lot of bite. I'd want 45cc minimum.

If you don't cut much or have a good bit of experience and saw time, the safety chains have their place.

My small echo is a cs-450 18 inch bar

My large saw is a husqvarna 390 xp 90cc 32inch bar and 20 inch bar.

Do you use a skip tooth on the 32 inch? The new 92cc xp is on my bucket list when I win the lottery.

 

[thastinger]

I have a Stihl 271 Farm Boss with a 16" & 20" bar. I bought one of these to sharpen the chains, so I haven't had to buy a new chain yet.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003M4LGPE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just my $0.02

I have the same saw and the Stihl branded sharpener you have. I bought the below chain and it has performed very well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CFNV3Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1