Oregon Versacut bar

[ace4059]

How does the Oregon VersaCut bar compare to other light bars weight wise?
Oregon advertises this as their light weight bar but I didn’t see any numbers.

I would like a light 20” bar and was wondering how it would balance compared to a Stihl lightweight bar.

 

[ballisticdoughnut]

They’re pretty light but not in the same league as the Stihl light bars. Versacut is laminated style glued together with aluminum core. Stihl is a ES bar milled out with aluminum core and steel cover laser welded over top of insert.

 

[Squareground3691]

How does the Oregon VersaCut bar compare to other light bars weight wise?
Oregon advertises this as their light weight bar but I didn’t see any numbers.

I would like a light 20” bar and was wondering how it would balance compared to a Stihl lightweight bar.

Stihl , Tsumura, Sugi , don’t think Oregon really makes a dedicated light weight bar as they might suggest, but those three mentioned can’t go wrong,

 

[Franny K]

If your Stihl is a size that can do the .325NK chain those will have a smallish nose and be narrower (and about as thin as a 3/8lp bar) than replaceable nose probably 10 vs 12 teeth. That is called speedcut. Might see in the details how many tooth nose versacut is in your pitch.

 

[HumBurner]

How does the Oregon VersaCut bar compare to other light bars weight wise?
Oregon advertises this as their light weight bar but I didn’t see any numbers.

I would like a light 20” bar and was wondering how it would balance compared to a Stihl lightweight bar.

I ran a few of them and found I never got more than two sprockets worth of chain in before the glue degraded and the bar fell apart.

Not worth the money to me.

 

[James Sawyer]

As light weight bars go, Stihl are the best and are worth the price. The performance and wear are same as a steel bar, but you just can't hang your saw out of Horizonal cut like a steel bar, they'll bend. On a long bar saw, it's total game changer for me, the saw is so much better balanced. I can't speak for the Tsumura, Sugi but when I was looking at these lightweight bars the Stihl seem to be the better bar. As my bar wear out, I'm slowly switching to lighter bars! I presently run 4 saws with Stihl light bars, MS362 25" .050 gauge, MS361 28" .063 gauge, MS460 32" .063 gauge and MS661 36" .063 gauge. My smaller saws I still run steel bars, but I don't seem to run those much anymore. There was lightweight bar shortage around here for a while and Tsumura and Sugi where available at the time but I choice to wait until I could get Stihl bar. I see guy running Stihl lightweight bars on Husqvarna more and more these days.

 

[Franny K]

I ran a few of them and found I never got more than two sprockets worth of chain in before the glue degraded and the bar fell apart.

Not worth the money to me.

With the speedcut 20" 78 dl bars the paint scheme changed slightly over time. I bought them off ebay and kind of suspect the first one was "seconds" as It fit 0.058 chain, the other one with the newer paint fit 0.050 close to properly. These aluminum core laminated bars will say made in China on the packaging and depending on how one obtains one the possibility of one from a rejected run being what is received may be possible. The glue and it's curing process may have been upgraded since your problems as well.

 

[Philbert]

Lots of discussion's on the Oregon laminated bars in this, older thread, on the narrow kerf bars and chains.

Including some informal testing I did on the bars, regarding weight and flexibility (around Posts #141 - 160).

https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/new-oregon-narrow-kerf-chain-and-speedcut-guide-bars.285694/
Philbert

 

[holeycow]

Lots of discussion's on the Oregon laminated bars in this, older thread, on the narrow kerf bars and chains.

Including some informal testing I did on the bars, regarding weight and flexibility (around Posts #141 - 160).

https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/new-oregon-narrow-kerf-chain-and-speedcut-guide-bars.285694/
Philbert

I just bought a little 16" speedcut bar in.050 with a .325 supposedly full chisel speedcut chain. Enough with the fluffy monikers oregon. Sheesh.

Anyway, thanks for the reference to that thread and for the testing that you did in your secret laboratory.

 

[holeycow]

I ran a few of them and found I never got more than two sprockets worth of chain in before the glue degraded and the bar fell apart.

Not worth the money to me.

I wouldn't have bought one if I knew it was glued. Not a great idea. A bad pinch in very cold weather will do it in, I bet.

Remember when chevy glued door hinges on? Many in my world (cold winters on rough roads/trails) had doors fall off. Wth! I was driving Fords at the time. Thankfully. Woulda been chilly without a door.

So much stuff gets designed and then approved for sale without realistic testing in very cold or very hot conditions.

I'm glad this bar was inexpensive..

 

[Philbert]

I wouldn't have bought one if I knew it was glued.

‘Glued’ is a funny word, implying cheap, weak, bonds.

Versus ’bonded’ or ‘laminated’.

I used to work at 3M. We sold adhesives used to help hold up highway signs over Interstates, and to reduce the number of rivets used in commercial airliners.

Laminating chainsaw bars is child’s play compared to some of the applications.

Philbert