Best Chains Chisel/ Semi-Chisel

[SawTroll]

I also find the Stihl chain hold it's edges better than other brands

That may be, because of the thicker chrome - but it also means that Stihl chain can't become as sharp as Oregon chain. I have never notised any difference in how long they stay sharp in practical use.

Basically I run both, but prefere Oregon LP/LPX when I have a choise.

Carlton chain just is cruder, and I never will buy another one.

[Al_Smith]

About the only things I use either semi or chipper on is the antiques .It takes like 5 minutes to file a 20" loop weather it's semi or chisel .

The antiques are what they are ,just demonstration saws showing how it was when the air was clean and politics not quite as dirty .Just the fact they run at all means a lot more than how fast they cut .

[shootingarts]

I run a 'No-kill' chain shelter, where I salvage, rehabilitate, and re-home unwanted chainsaw chains.  Donated chains, even 'safety' chains always accepted!

Shootingarts, if your Makita came from Home Depot, it likely has a Tri-Link ('000') brand chain on it. Unfair to compare that quality-wise to a STIHL chain, regardless of whether one is semi-chisel and one is full-chisel chain.
There are several versions of 'reduced kick-back' chain, with different styles of 'bumpers'. I have seen some of the newer ones even win races at GTG (if properly sharpened, and run by a competent operator)!

Seriously, if people have low-kickback chain they don't use, I will get them into the hands of storm clean-up volunteers, trail maintenance volunteers, or other folks who don't mind them.

Philbert

Pretty sure this thing didn't pass through the depot. Everything seems to point to a one job saw. The Makita chain and bar only had a little paint missing, air filter clean, no tool marks at all on the outside of the saw, very little build-up in the side cover when I pulled it to sharpen the original chain which was dull. However looking carefully at it, it appeared to have never been ground or filed and didn't have any real wear. Saw seemed a little more nimble today too. I think I got very lucky with this one. Going to try to find a build date or serial number when I think about it to try to find when it was built. We get our share of hurricanes in south Louisiana and people often buy saws and use them for one clean-up in their yard and are done with them. Could even be a saw that was given away after a storm too, various genuinely good folks and people seeking a little good publicity haul stuff down. Much of it goes to people that weren't affected by the storms, they are the ones that have time to stand in line for hours.

I'll keep this chain just in case I absolutely have to loan the saw out, more likely I'll be cycling through everything that looks like a chain after a storm myself. I am curious what it is, first time somebody passes through with a camera that can take macro pics I'll post one and ask.

Hu

[Philbert]

I cleaned up a lot of trees in Mississippi after Katrina.  We use mostly semi-chisel chain for that due to all the sand and junk in the wood from the storms.  Even with that, sometimes ran a grinder off a generator to fix chains that hit rocks, metal, roofing material, etc.

You should be able to read the brand right off the chain for most major brands: STIHL, Oregon, Carlton, etc.  Tri-Link has overlapping '000'.  If there is no name, then it is a guess.

Philbert

[H 2 H]

I also find the Stihl chain hold it's edges better than other brands

That may be, because of the thicker chrome - but it also means that Stihl chain can't become as sharp as Oregon chain. I have never notised any difference in how long they stay sharp in practical use.

Basically I run both, but prefere Oregon LP/LPX when I have a choise.

Carlton chain just is cruder, and I never will buy another one.

You just have to learn how to sharping a chain then  8)

You should have had alot of practice sharping all those Oregon chains 

Why didn't you question Andy post when he posted just about the same things days ago ?

[motard]

I run round full chisel on everything except my milling saws.

Once you learn to hand file there is no advantage to semi.

Besides I always take 2 or 3 saws, if one starts to slow down I just grab another with a fresh filed chain and sharpen when I get back home.

Oh yeah, I'm usually on my home turf when cutting anyways.

[Philbert]

That may be, because of the thicker chrome - but it also means that Stihl chain can't become as sharp as Oregon chain.

Oregon also sells a 'Multi-Cut' version of some of their chains, with thicker chrome plating.  An Oregon rep told me that this is offered for abrasive cutting conditions.  Chrome itself is too brittle to hold an edge; it is used to back up the steel.  So at a technical level, a thicker chrome layer can't be as sharp.  On a practical level, most of us won't notice a difference.

The rep did comment that if you hit a rock, the thicker chrome layer isn't going to help you.

Philbert

[Philbert]

Once you learn to hand file there is no advantage to semi.  .  .  . Besides I always take 2 or 3 saws, if one starts to slow down I just grab another with a fresh filed chain and sharpen when I get back home.

Depends what you are cutting.  If you break the tip off of full-chisel chain, you need to file/grind a lot of cutter back to get that point.  Semi-chisel doesn't have that point.  If you hit something, you don't have to remove as much metal to bring it back.

I try to take 3 chains for each saw with me when I cut.  If they dull a little from use, I might touch them up in the field with a file.  If I hit something, I swap out the chain and sharpen it when I get home.

Philbert

[SawTroll]

Once you learn to hand file there is no advantage to semi.  .  .  . Besides I always take 2 or 3 saws, if one starts to slow down I just grab another with a fresh filed chain and sharpen when I get back home.

Depends what you are cutting.  If you break the tip off of full-chisel chain, you need to file/grind a lot of cutter back to get that point.  Semi-chisel doesn't have that point.  If you hit something, you don't have to remove as much metal to bring it back.

I try to take 3 chains for each saw with me when I cut.  If they dull a little from use, I might touch them up in the field with a file.  If I hit something, I swap out the chain and sharpen it when I get home.

Philbert

I agree!  8)

[shootingarts]

I cleaned up a lot of trees in Mississippi after Katrina.  We use mostly semi-chisel chain for that due to all the sand and junk in the wood from the storms.  Even with that, sometimes ran a grinder off a generator to fix chains that hit rocks, metal, roofing material, etc.

You should be able to read the brand right off the chain for most major brands: STIHL, Oregon, Carlton, etc.  Tri-Link has overlapping '000'.  If there is no name, then it is a guess.

Philbert

Philbert,

Went in the living room and took a look.(doesn't everyone keep old saw chain in their living room?) Anyway, the markings I see are Dolmar and 496. Doing a little more homework it seems to be Oregon 72V. Still cuts lousy. Guess I'll give it to a saw shop to grind on if my grinder doesn't show up before too long. Didn't lose it in the hurricane or the flood, may have lost it in the moving. Somehow thousands of dollars worth of stuff has went missing.

Hu

[Philbert]

Oregon makes Husqvarna's chain, I believe. Does anyone know if they also make Dolmar's? 

Philbert

[IndianSprings]

Anymore all we use is Stihl chain, the boys will go thru 100+ loops in a firewood season. We have seen too many variances in Oregon branded chain and have quit using it and carrying it at the shop. The last logger to order a roll had issues with the rivets being soft and wearing down to the point he was breaking chains left and right. I used to use lpx but it just seems like it has gotten softer, it makes me wonder if some of the production is outsourced to China, it seems Oregon is having more and more product made their. The beams on their log splitters are made there, we've had three of those fail in a month,(welding failures).

[hardpan]

Indiansprings,
Good to read your posts again. I enjoy your front line no BS reports. I hope you have mostly healed and look forward to hearing more from the land of reality. China's prices are tempting to many old solid companies and field testing is paramount before a purchase these days.

[Al_Smith]

Well no doubt Stihl makes good hard chain but never the less it will fail just as badly as softer chain if it finds metal or a rock .Most of my loops of Stihl chain were in fact salvage from a tree trimmer bud of mine .Fact the only ones I ever purchased are for the two MS 200T's I own .

[H 2 H]

If I remember right Carlton and Oregon are owned by the same company 

[HolmenTree]

I never heard of Oregon chain chain being outsourced to China , alot of their bars and chains are made right here in Canada.
I use both Oregon and Stihl and have no problems with either brand.

[Andyshine77]

Oregon chain is actually better cutting out of the box IMHO.

They're a few reasons why Stihl's chain holds an edge longer. First the steel "Stihl" uses is actually softer than the other brands. A Rockwell test was preformed on all three of the chain brands in question. Stihl chain was the softest, Carlton, then Oregon. So why does Stihl chain last longer? Well the teeth are actually thicker, side plate, top plate plate and so on. The chrome is thicker, and IMHO Stihl uses a better plating process. I will add, with the proper geometry any of the chains can hold an edge well enough.   

Not sure anyone here cares, but I've yet to see more than one or two race chain made out of Stihl chain, the general conciseness is the chain's too beefy. Oregon and Carlton are normally used for racing from what I've seen.   

[shootingarts]

Oregon chain is actually better cutting out of the box IMHO.

They're a few reasons why Stihl's chain holds an edge longer. First the steel "Stihl" uses is actually softer than the other brands. A Rockwell test was preformed on all three of the chain brands in question. Stihl chain was the softest, Carlton, then Oregon. So why does Stihl chain last longer? Well the teeth are actually thicker, side plate, top plate plate and so on. The chrome is thicker, and IMHO Stihl uses a better plating process. I will add, with the proper geometry any of the chains can hold an edge well enough.   

Not sure anyone here cares, but I've yet to see more than one or two race chain made out of Stihl chain, the general conciseness is the chain's too beefy. Oregon and Carlton are normally used for racing from what I've seen.   

The information is much appreciated! I committed to Stihl for now for a couple reasons. First, seems the folks making a living tend to favor Stihl chain, not surprising when they heavily favor Stihl saws. The other thing is the Stihl dealer fifteen miles away is the closest saw shop I know of.

Hu

[H 2 H]

Oregon chain is actually better cutting out of the box IMHO.

They're a few reasons why Stihl's chain holds an edge longer. First the steel "Stihl" uses is actually softer than the other brands. A Rockwell test was preformed on all three of the chain brands in question. Stihl chain was the softest, Carlton, then Oregon. So why does Stihl chain last longer? Well the teeth are actually thicker, side plate, top plate plate and so on. The chrome is thicker, and IMHO Stihl uses a better plating process. I will add, with the proper geometry any of the chains can hold an edge well enough.   

Not sure anyone here cares, but I've yet to see more than one or two race chain made out of Stihl chain, the general conciseness is the chain's too beefy. Oregon and Carlton are normally used for racing from what I've seen.   

The information is much appreciated! I committed to Stihl for now for a couple reasons. First, seems the folks making a living tend to favor Stihl chain, not surprising when they heavily favor Stihl saws. The other thing is the Stihl dealer fifteen miles away is the closest saw shop I know of.

Hu

Every brand of saw chain has a different cutter design - thinner to thicker to thinner (I just went and measured three different brands with a pin mic and caliper)

There are several types of chrome plating but the thickness of the plating doesn't vary much; I worked as a machinist for a long time making aircraft parts I had to allow for plating thickness of .0005 or less (or so) 

The Rockwell test that I did I found out a little different than what Andy did

[shootingarts]

Either of you remember actual numbers for the Rockwell testing? Of course to find out much you would have to grind the plating off without heating the chain. I suspect that the prestretching of the Stihl chain affects hardness too.

Doesn't really matter, just curiosity. Harder or softer means a good bit if we are talking six or eight numbers difference or more, not a whole lot if we are talking one or two and the making and prior use of the individual chain may make the difference there.

The fact the Stihl was prestretched was another selling point for me, been running a toy with tiny chain and that chain stretches like a rubber band! Little beast actually doesn't spin that tiny chain that bad after a muffler mod and taking down the rakers.  ;D

Hu

[Philbert]

I never heard of Oregon chain chain being outsourced to China . . .

If you read the backs of their retail chain packaging, some will say "Made in USA", some will say, "Made in Brazil", some will say, "Assembled in China from components made in USA or Brazil".

Bottom line is how it cuts for you.

Philbert

[SawTroll]

Oregon chain is actually better cutting out of the box IMHO.

They're a few reasons why Stihl's chain holds an edge longer. First the steel "Stihl" uses is actually softer than the other brands. A Rockwell test was preformed on all three of the chain brands in question. Stihl chain was the softest, Carlton, then Oregon. So why does Stihl chain last longer? Well the teeth are actually thicker, side plate, top plate plate and so on. The chrome is thicker, and IMHO Stihl uses a better plating process. I will add, with the proper geometry any of the chains can hold an edge well enough.   

Not sure anyone here cares, but I've yet to see more than one or two race chain made out of Stihl chain, the general conciseness is the chain's too beefy. Oregon and Carlton are normally used for racing from what I've seen.   

smiley_clapping

The Rockwell results I have seen before came up with basically the same result, and Stihl chain definately have thicker chrome, with the resulting +/-...

[Andyshine77]

Oregon chain is actually better cutting out of the box IMHO.

They're a few reasons why Stihl's chain holds an edge longer. First the steel "Stihl" uses is actually softer than the other brands. A Rockwell test was preformed on all three of the chain brands in question. Stihl chain was the softest, Carlton, then Oregon. So why does Stihl chain last longer? Well the teeth are actually thicker, side plate, top plate plate and so on. The chrome is thicker, and IMHO Stihl uses a better plating process. I will add, with the proper geometry any of the chains can hold an edge well enough.   

Not sure anyone here cares, but I've yet to see more than one or two race chain made out of Stihl chain, the general conciseness is the chain's too beefy. Oregon and Carlton are normally used for racing from what I've seen.   

The information is much appreciated! I committed to Stihl for now for a couple reasons. First, seems the folks making a living tend to favor Stihl chain, not surprising when they heavily favor Stihl saws. The other thing is the Stihl dealer fifteen miles away is the closest saw shop I know of.

Hu

The Rockwell test that I did I found out a little different than what Andy did

do tell? the test I referred to was posted up on AS a few years ago, it's possible Stihl change something

[H 2 H]

There wasn't much difference between them but the Stihl was the hardest then Carlton then Oregon

I think it's the design of the Stihl cutters

[sawguy21]

If I remember right Carlton and Oregon are owned by the same company

Blount owns both along with Sandvik and Windsor, they are branded for specific markets. IMHO, they are all good in clean wood with proper maintenance and sharpening. Ford vs Chev, Peterbilt vs Kenworth, each user has particular preferences based on personal experience and remains fiercely loyal to his/her choice. Try a different brand/type when it comes to replace and see which works best for you.