Would you trust cheap chainsaw chains?

[955i]

After a couple of new chains for my saw and there are some on the bay that are half the price or less of Stihl chains.

 

Would you trust these products or would you pay the extra for the genuine article?

[gixer1]

I have bought Archer and Oregon chains off eBay and they have been fine - they are about £3 cheaper than the equivalent husqy/stihl on a 15" and £5 on a 18" but seem ok so far.

 

Oregon aren't so much cheap - they may parts for saws as apposed to saws and Archer are apparently big in Australia....just not that big here in the UK.

 

Regards,

Gixer

Edited February 25, 2013 by gixer1

[955i]

I have bought Archer and Oregon chains off eBay and they have been fine - they are about £3 cheaper than the equivalent husqy/stihl on a 15" and £5 on a 18" but seem ok so far.

 

Oregon aren't so much cheap - they may parts for saws as apposed to saws and Archer are apparently big in Australia....just not that big here in the UK.

 

Regards,

Gixer

 

Nice one Gixer. It was the Archer ones I had seen.

[figgy]

Only but reputable names and not fakes.

 

Not worth endangering yourself for a few quid if not sure.

 

Figgy

[fruitloop]

I buy it on a roll and make them up as and when I need one .works out loads cheeper

[gixer1]

One thing I would say is make sure your chain catcher is in good nick - regardless of chain type, I can't think of a sensible position using a chainsaw where the chain would come back and hit you??

 

Regards,

Gixer

[al4x]

That's my thoughts gixer chain is chain to a large degree, you still run the risk of a breakage but I can only remember breaking one when I hit a 6" nail then the chain went nowhere just broke and immediately lost drivers it gets thrown off the drive sprocket

[guss109]

How many chains do you buy a year? Let's say 5 so all your saving is £15 is it worth taking the chance? The cheaper chains don't hold an edge as well a decent chain so will cost you more in sown time sharpening them. If you have a local saw shop buy from them as they will be cheaper than the garden centre

[955i]

That's my thoughts gixer chain is chain to a large degree, you still run the risk of a breakage but I can only remember breaking one when I hit a 6" nail then the chain went nowhere just broke and immediately lost drivers it gets thrown off the drive sprocket

 

I had it happen to me where a tree had grown round some chain link fencing an dit wasn't visible.

 

As with you, chain just flopped off the end of the saw.

[gixer1]

How many chains do you buy a year? Let's say 5 so all your saving is £15 is it worth taking the chance? The cheaper chains don't hold an edge as well a decent chain so will cost you more in sown time sharpening them. If you have a local saw shop buy from them as they will be cheaper than the garden centre

 

Guss - Have you been to our (my) local saw shop? :blink: he will rob you for every penny he can (i will leave the name out as i'm sure you know who i'm talking about - in Banchory) - I asked him to look at my 240e for a tune up and he bumped his gums about how it would be the very last in the que because it wasn't bought from him - I informed him I called him when buying it and he was nearly £100 more expensive than the place i bought it! i then told him he needed to work on his customer services skills and walked out - unlucky for him that I didn't get a chance to mention the new larger saw I was looking to buy and so I took my custom elsewhere.

 

On a plus note I went to Strathbogie saw services and they have been excellent! can't fault them so far - even giving free advice over the phone and offering help due to buying my 365 there.

 

Regards,

 

Gixer

[guss109]

I've never used banchory Allways gone to strathbogie as you get a good service as you said. I needed a chain for my 390xp garden centre conned me 50 notes got one from up the road for 35 that was for a 28inch chain

[littlerob]

im a Arborist and i use all different chains from Archer Carlton Oregon Stihl Dolmar i can say the first two are good chains and will offer around 35% saving if you know you chain pitch gauge and number of drive links online like ebay can give an decent saving carlton makes stump grinders and that a big usa frim archer is Australian

Edited February 26, 2013 by littlerob

[littlerob]

Often your chainsaw bar has all the data you need written on it, like the Stihl bar or a Oregon bar. But your guidebar may be old and worn and the data could be unreadable, or maybe it's just not that user friendly !! Don't worry we can figure it out.

 

 

 

The PITCH is the distance measured between the centre of three link rivets, divided by 2.

 

 

 

The GAUGE is the width of the groove in the chainsaw bar.

 

 

 

The LINK COUNT is determined by counting the driven teeth (sometimes called Tangs) of the chain, these are the bits that run in the groove, meaning that the Gauge is also the width of the driver teeth.

 

 

 

 

OK , NOW I KNOW WHAT PITCH/GAUGE/LINK COUNT ARE, BUT WHY DO THESE MATTER?

 

 

A chain with the wrong gauge for the bar may not physically fit. A thicker gauge of chain than the bar was made for simply will not fit in slot (unless bar is quite worn), though a thinner (smaller) gauge chain will fit on a larger gauge bar, this is not safe practice as the chain can twist in groove, both bar and chain could be damaged which could have serious injury consequences for the user should the chain become so worn that it snaps in use.

 

The pitch of your chainsaw's sprocket (the drive gear attached to engine) must match both the sprocket in the end of bar and the chain pitch (if a sprocket type bar is in use, there are types with no sprocket in bar end e.g. Oregon Laser Tip or Stihl Duromatic bars). If the pitches do not match the teeth of the drivers will not mesh with those on sprocket(s), the chain will jam instantly and/or be thrown off bar, very dangerous and likely to cause expensive damage to your bar and/or chainsaw. NOTE Low Profile 3/8" Pitch is not the same as a Standard 3/8" Pitch , they are not interchangeable, see Low Profile section below.

 

Your chainsaw sprocket will not care what gauge of chain you run on it, only the pitch matters if you are replacing both bar and chain. Your bar should outlast several chains (just turn it over anytime you remove chain to even out wear on the pressure side - bottom edge - of bar) and a sprocket may well last for a couple or even three bars, though I always replace sprocket at same time as bar on my own saws.

 

PITCH

 

 

There are four pitches of chain in common use today 1/4", .325", 3/8" and .404".

Of these by far the most common are .325" and 3/8". Inexperienced users are unlikely to have a .404" pitch saw, only the largest professional saws have chains of this pitch. 1/4" pitch is commonly found on small saws, both electric and petrol, electric Lopper machines and the likes, and is used most often on specialist chainsaw carving bars. The majority of users need .325" or 3/8" chain. A good ruler will enable you to determine the pitch of your chain by measuring as described earlier.

 

GAUGE

 

 

Four gauges are usually found on modern handheld saws, these are 0.043" (1.1mm), 0.050" (1.3mm), 0.058" (1.5mm) and 0.063" (1.6mm). The 0.043" (1.1mm) gauge is only ever found with 3/8" pitch chain and is fitted mostly to electric saws and some small Stihl petrols eg Stihl 017/018 , Stihl call this chain Picco Micro Mini.

 

All the other gauges are found in all pitches. Finding gauge manually is very difficult, a micrometer helps obviously.

 

 

 

LOW PROFILE CHAIN

 

Sometimes called LP chain (or in Stihl speak Picco Micro) is only ever found in .325" and 3/8" both with 0.050" gauge (the .325 version is less common, Husqvarna call it Pixel) in reality you mostly see this stuff in 3/8" 0.050" (though the 0.043" Picco Micro is indeed Low Profile).

 

It is vital that you fit LP chain if your bar requires this. The nose radius on a LP bar is smaller than a standard bar, normal chain will not fit round the sprocket properly as cutters are too high/deep. You can often fit LP chain to a standard bar with no ill effects (but standard chain cuts faster) but many saws have a smaller (6 tooth) drive sprocket on engine when running 3/8" Low Profile chain, a Standard profile chain will not mesh on this sprocket, and a Low Profile chain may not mesh properly on a standard profile saw sprocket (not a good move to fit LP chain on a standard bar anyway). BEWARE Oregon chain Type numbers ending LP eg Type20LP are NOT Low Profile chains, the LP is a chain designation by Oregon meaning it's a Full Chisel chain, Low Profile Oregon types are 90, 91 and 95. Husqvarna call Low Profile Pixel, but its the only .325 .050" chain they market and can be safely used on normal or standard profile bars (their chain is actually manufactured by Blount Cutting who make Oregon - and SARP and Windsor and Laser and Dolmar/Makita and others).

 

Low Profile chain is sold for bars up to 18" only (cutting length, see below). Note that the Husqvarna bars which nominally take Pixel (Low Profile .325") work just fine with any 325/050 chain I have yet come across, though these tend to be fitted to some very small engined saws and on something like a 338XP it is best to stick to Pixel chain, regular 325 chain would take too big a "bite" and could bog the saw down (or burn out clutch). Husqvarnas over 40cc will cope with any 325 pitch just fine (eg type 95 or type 20) . Indeed the whole reason for Low Profile chain to exist is to allow the use of smaller engines/lighter saws.

 

A WORD ON BAR LENGTH

 

 

Chainsaw bar length is correctly quoted and referred to as CUTTING length of the bar, not the overall length of the item. The overall length of a 20" bar will typically be about 22" for example, the 20" bit is what is refferred to in chain size terms and would be a 20" chain (if it was .325" pitch it would be 78 links long, if it was 3/8" - standard profile- it would typically be 72 links). The same official 20" chain in 3/8" pitch would, when measured as a loop, be found to be 26.5" (67cm) long. It should be clear I hope, that only the cutting length as quoted by manufacturer is in fact 20", therefor the ONLY RELIABLE measure of chain length is the number of driver links ! ( A 62 link Stihl chain in .325" Pitch 0.063" Gauge is sold , by Stihl, as both a 15" and a 16" ...it depends on the bar fitment it is for......)

 

 

I STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SIZE I NEED, HELP !

 

Right, now we have to get down and dirty, looking at the old chain very closely. In general we are looking for numbers/letters stamped on the driver teeth (the bit that goes in slot remember). Info is usually stamped on one side only of these. It can be a single number (1 or 2 digits) or a number and letter combination. It also helps to notice if it has a maker stamped on side of the links, Husq for example is Husqvarna chain, Oregon is Oregon chain etc etc.

 

First we will consider STIHL chains, since they are very easy to size correctly. On the cutter there will be a number, 1/4, 325, 3/8 or 404, that is the pitch. Simple. If the number on the cutter is a single digit then use the list below to i.d. the pitch. On the tang or driver there will be another single digit number that is the gauge the list below will identify this for you.

 

Cutter number 1 = 1/4"

Cutter number 2 = .325"

Cutter number 3 = 3/8"

Cutter number 4 = .404"

Cutter number 6 = 3/8" Picco

 

Driver number 1 = .043" (1.1mm)

Driver number 3 = .050" (1.3mmm)

Driver number 5 = .058" (1.5mm)

Driver number 6 = .063"(1.6mm)

 

Other brands are identified purely by the number on the Tangs.

 

PITCH 3/8" 3/8" 3/8" 3/8" 3/8" .325" .325" .325"

GAUGE .043"LP .050"LP .050" .058" .063" .050" .058" .063"

OREGON 90 91 72 73 75 20/95 21 22

CARLTON/TIGER N4 N1 A1 A2 A3 K1 K2 K3

WINDSOR/LASER/SANDVIK 43R 50R 50A 58A 63A 50J 58J 63J

HUSQVARNA H36 H36 H42 H45 H30 H25/H21 S28

SARP E1 E3 D3 D5 D6 G3/G30 G5 G6

McCULLOCH mp370 pm370 378 373 320 328 323

SABRE 357 980D 988 983 520 528 928D

DOLMAR/MAKITA 092 101 093 110 082 083 109

 

NB: SARP G30 and OREGON 95 are the equivalent of Husq H30 Pixel (LoPro) and H36 is LoPro compatible

 

If your chain is 1/4" Pitch then the likely makers marking on tangs will be:

Oregon 25

Carlton E1

SARP 25

Stihl 1/4 on cutter & 3 on tang

Laser/Windsor 50K

Sabre 16

Husqvarna H00

 

Hopefully some of you will find this useful.

 

If you think your chain type is 06, 16 or 56..................turn it up the other way ! Or stand on your head and look again, because it's actually 90, 91 or 95 ! If it has some other number not listed just ask a question thru a shop item, there are others around (eg 78 = old type same as modern 75 ; 33 is same as Oregon 20 and sold in North America, same goes for 34 which is equal to Oregon 21).

Edited February 26, 2013 by littlerob

[gixer1]

Cracking post littlerob with a lot of good information...

[figgy]

Should get this Littlerob post on chains made a sticky.

 

Great info that would save people searching for it later, plenty of us use chainsaws in our spare time.

 

Figgy

[landrover]

http://www.newsawchains.co.uk/epages/es108227.sf get mine off here

[littlerob]

chainsaws a a part of my lively hood they with a little work from me pays my bills keeps me in food so if there is anything else i could help out with on chainsaw let me know

[gixer1]

Ok, just so happens there is - just been out cleaning up my little 240e and ran it after cleaning to put some oil round the chain and bar and its running slightly off - almost a misfire, had a new plug fitted not that long ago an it's running and revving ok but just doesn't sound "on song" it also seems to be running a wee bit oddly at idle...

 

It started this the other day just as I finished the last few cuts and I put it down to fuel but my other saw is running fine.

 

I didn't realise but the H and L carb adjustment is fixed on a 240e and theres not an awful lot to check on a 240 so I guess it'll need to go to my dealer for a tune up (everything seems spotlessly clean) so how much would you expect for a quick tune up and look at it?

 

Regard

Gixer

[littlerob]

your talking around half a hours work at what ever your dealer charges id say no more than about 12 to the max of 20 pound being right expensive try and not let your saw run near to empty you know when it revs slightly higher due to more air being used which can cause scorched piston and pot and thats bad for a saws running

[wabbitbosher]

Got to be honest, Genuine ones stay sharp a lot longer, dont think its really worth saving £10 or £20 if you have to sharpen half way through doing your firewood

[fabarm gamma boy]

I use oregon chains, never had any isues tbh as good as any!

[Thelongwayup]

I use oregon chains, never had any isues tbh as good as any!

Can't fault Oregon chains. Use them on the Husky and they seem to last a while.

[la bala]

they are armless

[marc147]

I also use Oregon on my little Husky and never had and problems.