I am pretty much sold on Red Armor. I even run it at 50:1 and find the residual is plenty at that ratio. At 50:1 it's equal or better in residual oil than Husky XP or Red Max oil at 32:1.
Oil mix questions
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AnthemBassMan
ArboristSite Member
Saber and Red Armor are probably just about equal. But I can get a quart of Saber for about three bucks more than a pint of Red Armor. So double the amount of oil for an extra few bucks isn’t too bad. The last batch of fuel I mixed was with Husqvarna XP+ mixed at 40:1. Seems to be just a little more smoky than the Saber and Red Armor at the same ratio. This is my plug after running my trimmer hard using it to till the small garden. I’d like to see the end of the ground strap just a little darker like it is near the bend. But not too bad for being beat on like a rented mule.
L8R,
Matt
What does a quart of saber cost you? Don’t forget the ground strap gets too hot to get an accurate reading of tune, it’s a better indication of the plugs heat range. The heat range on that plug looks ok, if anything it’s actually too cold, but that plug is dirty. Worth mentioning that reading plugs now days, with such a wide variation is fuel quality and types of oils isn’t a great way to gauge the way in which your engine is running. It’s likely your poor quality fuel than it is the oil though in this case. Trimmers don’t see constant load, they’re always going to look a bit dirtier than other OPE. Although there are many variables - you often hear people say that it’s the tune, not oil ratio, that causes fouling. That’s not always the case. If you run an engine on high oil ratios (synthetics especially) where the engine doesn’t see much continued load or enough temperature and you lean it out to compensate you’ll just increase the chances of engine damage. Air cooled engines already suck at heat disipation, if you take away its primary means of cooling (fuel in a 2 stroke) you’ll cause more problems than you’ll solve.
You can get away with less oil in a trimmer or hedge cutter which sees much less load, less full throttle and less run time than you can with a chainsaw for example. Or another way of looking at it, a chainsaw will run cleaner with higher oil ratios than a line trimmer will.
Sorry I had to edit this post to correct spelling and grammar.
8 tanks so far of Saber at 40:1 in a my 660 I rebuilt. Piston and rings were reused but cleaned. It’s a clean oil and smells good too, but it’s so expensive out here - the equivalent of $25 USD plus shipping per quart. 
I've run a Semi down the road a few million miles with the low sulfur. Any problems were not fuel related other than a case of algae like you mentioned. If someone even suspects algae immediately dose with Bio Kleen or similar. Trust me in that you don't want to deal with it. If I had a tank for fuel like sidecarflip I'd dose the tank as a preventative
I tried Saber some time ago and was never impressed. It wasn't terrible, but wasn't great either.
That's a well used plug. It looks fine and about what I would expect for saber. Not terrible, but not great.
But staring at a well used plug tells you very little And as it pertains to chainsaws it's just not of value.
Long term testing that Richard has come across from his customers and the results they get, Saber seems to be one of if not the cleanest burning ope oils. As mentioned I’m at 8 tanks and there is no carbon. This I think he said was 7 years of saber. Partly 80:1 and then he dropped it to 50:1. He has about 10 videos just on tearing down customers saws that have run Saber and it’s the same. It’s also been my experience as well as others I know that use it too.
Here is a mate who runs rc at 16:1 saber and tears down one of his engines
Richard is often full of crap.
8 tanks is very little run time.
When I tried out Saber it just wasn't that clean. Not terrible, but not worth the coat either. Scamsoil Dominator is much cleaner although it isn't great as a storage oil.
Regardless of what you think of him, he is tearing down customers machines that have been running the oil a long time, his opinion is irrelevant to the results.
8 tanks is little run time, but it’s spotless, that’s not been my experience with any other oil. It’s relative.
He doesn't know what he is looking at and tearing down customers saws isn't testing because its not done in a controlled matter.
In the video link you posted showing a piston that's predominantly bare metal there are two possibilities. One being that the engine has almost no run time on it. The other being that the motor was ran pig rich and thus shows no carbon.
A two cycle piston should have carbon on its crown with a bit of wash where the ports discharge over the piston. This is in general sense as transfer discharge angle influences wash. Regardless the piston should have very little bare metal showing.
This is the problem with the internet. You have well meaning guys like Richard and yourself observing something and making an opinion on it. But in reality you don't have the expiereance or knowledge to be doing so. I've have been playing with two strokes for a long time and have played with about every oil out there. I have never seen a one that resulted in a bare metal piston when tuned correctly. Even if you take the oil completely out of the equation as in a four stroke the pistons will still show carbon.
This is not ment to be disrespectful to you whatsoever.
I just go by what I see, hear and experience, but we’re all going to have a different opinion. Here is my 660 running. Not blubbery rich, not lean, just a good condition, well tuned engine. The results after 8 tanks speak for itself. I agree with you, it’s not a long run time, but most oils leave a light coat after just a couple tanks. After 10 they have a thin layer of carbon - at the very least patchy. with all this said, none of this matters, we all just run what we do and what we feel happy with. At the very least I hope you enjoy the video. Edited to change to a shorter video
View attachment RPReplay_Final1709269611.mov
What I have communicated is not opinion. It's fact.
I will say it again. A two cycle piston that's properly tuned and ran for an appreciable amount of time will be covered in carbon with a small amount of wash... after you get some time on it if your piston isn't coated as I outlined it's telling you something.
AnthemBassMan
ArboristSite Member
So you think maybe one step hotter on the plug? I’m going by how I used to read plugs from when I was a kid running harescrambles on my old Penton Six Day Trials bike. Dad told me if the ground strap and insulator were the color of a shopping bag, and only two or three threads were dark, it was running good. But that would have been back around 1978-80. What should I be looking for? As for Amsoil Saber, I bought a quart about a year and a half ago and it was $15. Then I was trying Echo Red Armor and Husqvarna XP+ both mixed at 40:1 always with 90 octane ethanol free fuel.
Disregard what that old / dirty plug shows. Grab another. That said, don’t give plug readings much time. Back in your dad’s day, using leaded fuel with much more consistency and fewer oils, plugs tended to show more.
My advice - If in doubt, get a tach, set it to the manual specification and forget about it. These are basic 2 strokes. They’ll run a long time with decent oil, a good tune and ran at full throttle.
As for oil, if you’re not particularly partial to a specific oil, just use a OPE designed oil and go with whatever smells nicest to you. They will all do a good job. Some in the USA state ultra is dirty. Doesn’t hurt to stay away from it as at the very least it’s hugely over priced.
Stay away from dirt bike oils too. Unless your 85cc chainsaw is producing 30hp like an 85cc dirt bike, is being torn down every 20 hours like dirt bike for an engine rebuild and decarbon and requires power valve lubrication like a dirt bike, you’re using the wrong oil. People don’t stop to think that this is how a dirt bike oil is designed to be used. Not in a chainsaw that produces sweet f all hp (5x less) and is expected to last 1,000 hours plus (50x longer) between rebuilds
Leave the heat range alone. It's fine as is.
When reading plugs you have to start with a new plug and do a plug chop. This is only good for the HS jet. The part you look it is nearly hidden, we're the insulator meets the metal shell.
The plug nose of a well used plug tells you nothing. The ground strap can be used to very roughly judge ignition timing and heat range.
Many dirt bike oils work great in a chainsaw and are often cheaper than OEM oils.
Once again your commenting on something you know nothing about.
AnthemBassMan, if you stick with what I have shared, which is what your ope user manual will suggest (ope designed oil, tach to spec and full throttle operation) you’ll have a long lasting machine without getting caught up in the nonsense. Go out and enjoy your ope 
Edit: here’s a video I made tuning ope via stihls recommended method using a tach. I explain why (especially the L screw) it is set why it is. Although it says Stihl, it’s the same method that they all use across the board for ope. I hope it helps.
Edit: here’s a video I made tuning ope via stihls recommended method using a tach. I explain why (especially the L screw) it is set why it is. Although it says Stihl, it’s the same method that they all use across the board for ope. I hope it helps.
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