What a difference a good chainsaw chain makes

[Bushman]

A weekend wood chopper here with a good Husqvarna 257 saw. The saw is good, it's just that I never liked the way the chain cut. It takes a 3/8 pitch .058 gauge blade and an anti-kick back chain comes standard on them, but I cut enough wood to be aware and careful enough about kick back. Last weekend I cut down a hard maple and cut it into firewood pieces. The chain got dull as usual. Then I got to thinking, I wonder what the professionals use for their 3/8 pitch chains? I called a tree service guy that had done some work for me. I thought that I was going to hear about Oregon chain, but it didn't happen. Not enough chrome in those blades and they get dull faster. Stihl Oilomatic Rapid Super is what I heard. The guy in the hardware store said the same thing. Even the guys that run Husky saws use Stihl chain.

Fast forward to this weekend when I took down another hard maple and an elm for my son-in-law and bite sized both trees and low cut all three stumps with that new Stihl chain. Chips instead of sawdust and when I went to sharpen it, I could not get it any sharper than it still is. There is some kind of a difference in chainsaw chains. Stihl rules.

[ncboman]

If it doesn't hit dirt, a saw chain should stay sharp a good while. I usually 'touch up' my chain every 4th tank of fuel unless I hit dirt. A dull chain will 'work' ya. :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/ncboman/load_of_wood.jpg

I didn't know about the others being inferior but I've been using stihl for years.

ncboman

[Hi Ball]

Bushman been using HUSKY saws in the pro model for over 25 years near abouts! Yep, a person should go out and do a little research before buying that "cheap chain" in Wally-Mart or other places.

I have always like using a round blade verses the pointed chipper chain, which does cut quicker but will also dull up 10 times faster if you stick it in the dirt. Now on the round blade, you can nick it on rock or a nail etc. and that blade will still continue to cut, where the nick is not affecting the blade.

However, on a Chipper Blade, if the very point of that blade gets dulled at all, it will cease to cut and any sharpness passed that point will NOT cut at all, you will through sawdust.

I do use Stihl chain on my HUSKY SAWS! I also have some cheaper chain I purchased a long time ago and never wore it out yet. We don't cut wood near as much as we did 25 years ago. I always went to the woods with 3 saws and 5 chains a piece. Every saw had a spare filter also. NO DONE TIME THAT WAY GENTS!!! ;):):D

[Sabre]

A weekend wood chopper here with a good Husqvarna 257 saw. The saw is good, it's just that I never liked the way the chain cut. It takes a 3/8 pitch .058 gauge blade and an anti-kick back chain comes standard on them, but I cut enough wood to be aware and careful enough about kick back. Last weekend I cut down a hard maple and cut it into firewood pieces. The chain got dull as usual. Then I got to thinking, I wonder what the professionals use for their 3/8 pitch chains? I called a tree service guy that had done some work for me. I thought that I was going to hear about Oregon chain, but it didn't happen. Not enough chrome in those blades and they get dull faster. Stihl Oilomatic Rapid Super is what I heard. The guy in the hardware store said the same thing. Even the guys that run Husky saws use Stihl chain.

Fast forward to this weekend when I took down another hard maple and an elm for my son-in-law and bite sized both trees and low cut all three stumps with that new Stihl chain. Chips instead of sawdust and when I went to sharpen it, I could not get it any sharper than it still is. There is some kind of a difference in chainsaw chains. Stihl rules.

It wasn't the round tooth, low kick chain that was slowing you down. That low kick chain will really cut so long as you keep it sharp and keep the depth gauges cut down where they need to be. I have two Stihl saws, an MS290 "farm boss" and an MS310 that I use to cut my winters wood supply every year. The 290 has the low kick chain and the 310 has the pointed tooth pro chain and there's not enough difference in cutting speed between the two to even notice. I do use Stihl chain on both saws but have used Oregon chains in the past. The Stihl chain is definitely better than the Oregon.