Chinese bars and chains

[Dave4610]

Has anyone here tried out the ebay bar and chains? I assume they are chinese parts. I'm looking at a "Juxin" 20" Stihl bar and chain. $35 shipped to my door. It would be for my Stumping saw, so I don't see a point in getting a nice bar. There are also Raptor, Ultimate Pro, Countyline (TSC?), Holzfforma, 8Ten, Laser and Timber Ridge, just to name a few...

 

[irhunter]

You might also consider made-in-China bars sold by more legit brands: Archer, Forester, and the low-end Oregon bars.

They are pretty cheap and, maybe/perhaps, they are held to higher QC than the no-name brands?

Finally, I would place a wanted ad and see what you can get for a used bar.

Roy

 

[Dave4610]

You might also consider made-in-China bars sold by more legit brands: Archer, Forester, and the low-end Oregon bars.

They are pretty cheap and, maybe/perhaps, they are held to higher QC than the no-name brands?

Finally, I would place a wanted ad and see what you can get for a used bar.

Roy

Our standards must be considerably different. I consider the low end Oregon bars "good" bars.

 

[Dave4610]

You might also consider made-in-China bars sold by more legit brands: Archer, Forester, and the low-end Oregon bars.

They are pretty cheap and, maybe/perhaps, they are held to higher QC than the no-name brands?

Finally, I would place a wanted ad and see what you can get for a used bar.

Roy

Thank you. I will look at the low end Oregon bars too.

 

[irhunter]

Well, regardless of how fine the cheapest Oregon bars are/are not...they can be (1) really inexpensive and (2) are made in China.

There is a 20" Oregon bar and chain on Amazon right now for 36 bucks!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073XNS4D...R97WEWKQ1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1
I have found the chains which come in those combos to be made in the US and cut well. I have never run one of the Oregon China bars for any length of time, as I tend to buy them for saws I intend to sell...but, out of the box, they look good.

Roy

 

[Dave4610]

Well, regardless of how fine the cheapest Oregon bars are/are not...they can be (1) really inexpensive and (2) are made in China.

There is a 20" Oregon bar and chain on Amazon right now for 36 bucks!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073XNS4D...R97WEWKQ1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1
I have found the chains which come in those combos to be made in the US and cut well. I have never run one of the Oregon China bars for any length of time, as I tend to buy them for saws I intend to sell...but, out of the box, they look good.

Roy

That's a really awesome deal! Especially for the $32 "used, like new". Unfortunately I believe that set is for a Husqvarna. I guess I never said what brand saw I had. I have a Stihl.

 

[ballisticdoughnut]

The county line brand bars and chains sold at tractor supply are pretty good for what they cost. Picked up a 026 Pro a while back with a new 20” county line bar and chain. Laminated bar of course but the chain looks strikingly similar in design to Stihl 33RS chain. Cuts good, holds an edge well in clean wood. I’d buy it again in a pinch.

 

[HansFranz]

I bought some Hipa chain loops on sale and dirt-cheap (three loops of 3/8" full chisel .050 with 81 DL for under $6 each, free shipping and delivered 2 or 3 days later) a few months back, and they seem to work fine...

 

[spuldup]

I have had good luck with Forester products. The 9" brush cutters, the 25" bar (nice big oiler hole) and several lengths of chain.

I'm a Stihl guy but they have absolutely mucked up their pricing so bad I may soon be an ex-Stihl guy.

 

[JoeSutton1]

You might also consider made-in-China bars sold by more legit brands: Archer, Forester, and the low-end Oregon bars.

They are pretty cheap and, maybe/perhaps, they are held to higher QC than the no-name brands?

Finally, I would place a wanted ad and see what you can get for a used bar.

Roy

I have had two Archer bars, 20" to run on my backup saw, Makita DCS6421. The first bar might have lasted 20 hours. The second bar was twisted from engine to tip right out of the plastic. Ongoing battle with the distributor who sells Archer bars on eBay as ArcherPlus. I do not recommend Archer bars based upon my experience, both with the bars and especially with the eBay seller customer service based in Minnesota. To get a new bar, I now hear I get the privilege of paying the freight to send it back and maybe they will do something. I would choose a Forester or Oregon bar every time over an Archer bar. Thanks

 

[Seachaser]

Our local hardware store has new old stock bars stuck down under the good stuff. Packages are faded and torn, but good prices. The older the hardware store, the better.

 

[pro94lt]

The 55dl stihl bar is now made in china.

 

[Tothemax]

You get what you pay for.

For that price, buy it and see what happens. I imagine you will experience lots of chain stretch because of the weak metals the Chinese use.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Have had a chance to evaluate the Archer Chinese bars, 20” and 28”, in a real world environment at a wood yard. (I do saw maintenance for them) Bottom line, they wear out a lot faster than Stihl, period. Now, are they worth the less than half the price? Wood yard owner has mixed feelings so far. I’ve had to dress them a lot faster than the older Stihl bars they have. The groove wears more quickly…same oil used.
We’ll have more info by the end of this year.

 

[Mad3400]

I've only ran one Holzfforma bar, 25"x .063 and have put a lot of use on it in unsavory conditions.

Has held up great and the B&C Oil flows nice, also a bit heavier and bulky but softer metal it seems.



For chain, I've ran a lot of 8Ten chain from 12" to 32" and they are quite soft which is nice when it comes to sharpening, but they don't take well to insufficient B&C Oil compared to the higher end brand.

I favor the 12" chains, which last a while on the Top handles and Pole saws, but that's mostly because they see Green & Clean wood 96.857% of the time and the oilers are pretty high flowing.

Chains 20"+ get worn down pretty quick.

All in all the B&Cs work pretty good.


Mad3400

 

[James G]

FWIW, I never intentionally buy Chinese. Too much of a crap shoot.

Lately, I have bought the Oregon combos from Amazon, 18" bars/chains for several Stihls I have. $35.00 for each one with free shipping. Good deal.

 

[NSEric]

I like the holzforma 3/8 20 inch bar/chain I bought off amazon last fall.
I dont use the saw it's on a lot but it's been good so far.
The last Oregon speed cut bar/chain I bought off amazon must have been seconds. The cutters on the left were not hardened at all, it lasted 3 cuts then when I went to sharpen it I found the butter soft cutters. The bar is fine, I found a cheap old stock husky nk chain to run on it.
On my small 3/8lp saws I switched form Oregon to lazer or 8ten. It's just as good or better than Oregon but cheaper.

 

[Brushwacker]

I see the extra cost of a superior quality bar most beneficial to one who makes money using their saws or has necessity cutting trees for their livelihood. If you are just cleaning up your yard a little now and then not a big deal, but i prefer my main saws to have more then a low end bar and ready to endure major work when and if needed. Cheap bars fail more often, seldom last very long and their less precision construction doesn't cut as well. Being a little off here and there slows things up the same here and there. A nice straight cut in large diameter wood is so much easier and faster on all. Cleaning up 3 to 4inch limbs and smaller, not that big of a difference other then bar failures. Borrowing a bucket truck, blocking down a Maple in about a 10 inch diameter limb I bent a newish 16inch Oregon laminate bad, no accident. Pushed the block off an upward pointing limb, felt a little tug on the bar and it was majorily trashed. I can't imagine a Stihl bar doing that. Didn't look but i expect that is Chinese Oregon. Anyway it was a set back to me. Had to come down for another saw and returned 1 to the workshop for repair. Loss of time and the price of that bar could off applied to a good bar and I would been ahead.

 

[JoshNY]

I ran a couple 8ten chains last year , and it cut well and seemed to hold an edge respectably well.
I just got a Holzfforma 372xp clone and I ordered the Holzfforma 20" and 24"bars to go with it.
I'm impressed with the looks of the bars , I think the 20" was around $12 and the 24" was around $15. Shipping was next to nothing because I ordered them with the saw.
I mounted the 24" bar on the saw with a new 8ten chain. I did about 15 minutes of cutting out on my firewood log pile and the bar and chain have impressed me so far.
The 8ten chain does stretch a good amount at first but seems to stay pretty stable after the first 15 or 20 minutes of running.

I haven't tried the Holzfforma chain yet, but a lot of guys on the facebook groups that I'm in that have ran it seem very happy with it. Supposedly the cutters are German steel. I'll probably try a couple loops next time I order from them.

 

[Franny K]

What counts as China. I don't use chainsaws to the amount that new cylinder is warranted but read on the internet that some cylinders get made to order in Tiawan (ROC used to be Formosa) are quite good. Is any of the bars and chain made there as opposed to the mainland? The bars on my battery Husqvarna pole saw and top handle saw come in a wrapper that says made in China. The one for the top handle lasted well. Actually, I think the 338xpt I got maybe 10 years ago came with a China bar but it is still new in the wrapper.

What does German Steel mean anyway? Ore from Norway and Metalurgical grade coal from USA. Made in a sheet put on a roll and the forming, plating and the rest done elsewhere. Or just scrap steel converted into the sheet on the roll at a facility in Germany?