Poll: Chain brand popularity

[Tony Snyder]

I was curious to see what kind of percentages come up

 

[Ryan Willock]

Tony, I use oregon as much as I use stihl. It just depends what my dealer has on hand at the moment. On my long bars (28'' and up) I use oregon full skip that I order from CCD as my dealer doesn't stock full skip.

 

[SilverBlue]

I have a ton of Stihl chain in stock now, Have to use it all up before thinking about changing brand. Windsor bars seem to hold up good so far and their chain is apparently good quality and about 20% cheaper. Let’s see if they increase market share.

 

[ricksvar]

I like Stihl chain but have to go with Oregon factoring in cost and available sources.

Rick

 

[bwalker]

Windsor chain is really good. It uses the exact same cutter as oregon 72 lg, but has a chassis that stretches less. Its also cheaper in most cases. I like windsor followed by Stihl. Stihl is harder imo.

 

[royb]

I use Oregon chain. Full skip i think it is a better chain for being able to put a sharp edge on the cutter's

 

[ehp]

i agree with roby i like oregon
yes the old windsor chain i really like but both company's oregon and windsor are owned by the same company now it seems they are pushing the oregon chain up here more, it is getting quite hard now to get windsor stuff now , but i have to say the windsor bar is alot better than the oregon bar

 

[jokers]

Brian,

It must be the type of wood you are cutting if you have to stop and sharpen the Oregon half way through a tank of gas. Granted, the Stihl is harder as shown by your experience, but I can cut clean wood for 3-4 hours using Oregon chain. If that means that I could cut for 6 hours using Stihl, it still isn`t worth the doubled price. BTW, I`m pretty sure that I know when my barbed wire is getting dull, LOL.

I`ve got some Laser chain from Jeff that does seem to be a really good product, harder than Oregon. I just sent a couple loops to Che to test, let`s see what she says.

I haven`t tried the Carlton chain in about 20 years because you can`t buy it around here, maybe soon though now that I have a source.

The Windsor/Oregon bastard chain sounds interesting but I can`t say that I have alot of chain stretch, so I may not see an advantage.

Russ

 

[stihltech]

stihl

Does anybody know why Stihl chain is so much more expensive in your area. The price was lowered out here a couple of years ago and we sell Oregon and Stihl at the same price. Buck a bar inch or less.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Used to be Stihl all the way. Now it is whatever is the cheapest. That is where Jeff Sikkema comes in, I have gotten some Laser brand chain form him.


Commercial Cutters seem to have pretty good prices also.


Since I don't do treework fulltime, my requirements are less. I hardly ever have to sharpen a chain in the field!

 

[jokers]

Hi Stihltech,

A buck a bar inch is better for Stihl chain but Oregon can be had soooo cheap, fifty cents a bar inch or less. A little turf war maybe?

Russ

 

[Tony Snyder]

What other brands are still on the market besides the four listed?

I had heard of Sandvik, Zipp Penn, Laser, Disston, Homelite,and Sabre all in the past, but thought they were all gone now.

 

[bwalker]

Oregon chain or windsor with oregon cutters are nice because you can use the roller guides with them. This is definantly a advantage for someone trying to learn to file properly.
BTW has any one noticed that oregon chain stretches alot one used in situations where it contacts snow or water?

 

[lucky]

I like stihl and woodsman pro but I do use oregon too. I think they both stay sharp longer than oregon, but oregon is easier to file. WP definately has stihl beat as far as price. Anybody else like the woodsman pro chain?

 

[Sethro]

Tony
I am a Carlton fan. We don't have choppers takin out our logs,only cable skidders.Oregon has a way sharper lead edge.Carlton chisel(A1 & K1) chain is more of a Mod super semi chisel.So mud/dirt is a factor at our landings, bucking here is lots of knots and dirt. A little side plate work and the Carlton will drop a Oregon chain tho.

Is Sabre chain the same as Windsor or is Forester chain the same as Windsor.Seth

 

[Sethro]

Tony
I am a Carlton fan. We don't have choppers takin out our logs,only cable skidders.Oregon has a way sharper lead edge.Carlton chisel(A1 & K1) chain is more of a Mod super semi chisel.So mud/dirt is a factor at our landings, bucking here is lots of knots and dirt. A little side plate work and the Carlton will drop a Oregon chain tho.

Is Sabre chain the same as Windsor or is Forester chain the same as Windsor.Seth

 

[jokers]

Hey Ben,

I`ve been cutting in the snow everyday for the past 3-4 weeks and haven`t noticed any unusual stretch. Is it possible that you are getting dulled quicker due to ice or hidden dirt causing your chain to stretch?

Russ

 

[bwalker]

I dont think so. I noticed this with the 026 as well as the 7900. If you have a dull chain the 260 lets you know asap.

 

[Tony Snyder]

Ben, I have what I think is a similar comparison. I have a 956 Efco I like. It has a peaky, on the pipe kind of power curve. It does great when it is at its sweet spot on rpm, and the chain sharp, otherwise unimpressive. Its slightly larger cousin ,the 962, has a very different power profile. It will better tolerate slightly dull chain.

I have noticed on accasion that when there are two displacements on the same chassis that the smaller cc version runs sweeter. Have you ever observed that?

 

[John Ellison]

I usually use Carleton or Oregon. I have tried Stihl chain, and it is noticeably harder but that does not seem to be any advantage to me. With Car. or Or. I can cut at least half of a day in softwood with no change if I dont get into any dead stuff or real pitchy limbs. Square ground on machine. It is probably my imagination but the Carleton seems a bit smoother.

Oregon and Stihl is all that is available locally.

John