Stihl Bar Oil- Is it really worth the price?

[The Shooters Apprentice]

I’m pretty jealous of you guys being able to get oil that cheap. The Stihl stuff is the cheapest I can get around here at 18 bucks a gallon. The husky stuff is 22.
Part of the reason I just use my old engine oil.

 

[Brettl]

I buy the Atwoods house brand for $7.50. Check all your farm and ranch stores, you may find something cheaper than Stihl or Husqvarna.

 

[GrizG]

I've been running Stihl Woodcutter. Over the past 6 years or so it has ranged from $9 to $11 a gallon at my dealer. I got 6 gallons of Husky oil from my brother's estate last year. Quite frankly I don't see any performance difference between the two... they are both sticky and I don't see any difference in the bar/chain wear. I asked my son to get me bar oil prices when he goes to work tomorrow (he sells Stihl and Husky equipment and they've been getting hit with a lot of big cost increases so he's not sure what it goes for now).

I just checked some other local stores and if you buy 4 or more gallons Pro-Select can be had for about $9.20 a gallon, or Husky for $20 a gallon.

 

[The Shooters Apprentice]

If I go to the city I can get the stuff at lakes for about 11 bucks if I buy 4 at a time.

 

[cookies]

It HAD been five years since thiss thread had been resusitated.....

And this thread is more valid than ever since even the cheap bar oil is up over 14 bucks and name brand is at or approaching 20. It would be great to have several bar oil brands tested by blackstone oil testing labs to see the differences in additives and concentrations as that resource is now available.

 

[Harmon]

i would have to imagine analyzing the chemistry of bar oil would show wild variations in a single brand let alone competing ones... but I would be curious to find out.

 

[mountainguyed67]

to help keep the blade cooler.

Do you have a thread on your chain to blade conversion? So now you call it a bladesaw instead of a chainsaw?

 

[bwalker]

And this thread is more valid than ever since even the cheap bar oil is up over 14 bucks and name brand is at or approaching 20. It would be great to have several bar oil brands tested by blackstone oil testing labs to see the differences in additives and concentrations as that resource is now available.

Won't tell you much because there are very little additives in them.
Cheap bar oil works just fine.

 

[sb47]

I get the feeling that all the bargain brand bar oils are nothing more then recycled engine oil. Thats why I skip the middle man and just use old motor oil. I do not use oil that is extremely black or heavily contaminated. It has to be oil without a huge amount of mileage on it. I also don't use old diesel oil because it is just to nasty. But if you change your oil often then IMO used motor oil works just fine for me.

 

[bwalker]

I get the feeling that all the bargain brand bar oils are nothing more then recycled engine oil. Thats why I skip the middle man and just use old motor oil. I do not use oil that is extremely black or heavily contaminated. It has to be oil without a huge amount of mileage on it. I also don't use old diesel oil because it is just to nasty. But if you change your oil often then IMO used motor oil works just fine for me.

Why would you have that feeling. I would honestly be supprised if any of them are recycled engine oil. For something like bar oil it's probably cheaper to make it from virgin oil.

 

[sb47]

Why would you have that feeling. I would honestly be supprised if any of them are recycled engine oil. For something like bar oil it's probably cheaper to make it from virgin oil.

Engine oil is much more critical then bar oil and there are plenty of recycled motor oils on the market that are cheap. Why would that not translate to bar oil as well? Even if bar oil fails it;s not the same as a motor failing. Replacing a bar,chain and sprocket is not the same as replacing a motor.
Why would you think they only use virgin oil to make cheap bar oil?

 

[bwalker]

Engine oil is much more critical then bar oil and there are plenty of recycled motor oils on the market that are cheap. Why would that not translate to bar oil as well? Even if bar oil fails it;s not the same as a motor failing. Replacing a bar,chain and sprocket is not the same as replacing a motor.
Why would you think they only use virgin oil to make cheap bar oil?

For starters I looked at MSDS files and determined what base oils they are made from. The ones I checked are not made from the same oils as motor oil. Second it's expensive(relatively) to make motor oils. It's also expensive, depending on the process used to recycle motor oils. Why would you do this for oil used in a total loss system?

 

[sb47]

For starters I looked at MSDS files and determined what base oils they are made from. The ones I checked are not made from the same oils as motor oil. Second it's expensive(relatively) to make motor oils. It's also expensive, depending on the process used to recycle motor oils. Why would you do this for oil used in a total loss system?

If recycling used motor oil is so expensive then why is new motor oil 6+ dollars a quart and recycled motor oil 2 dollars a quart? The requirements of motor oil is much higher then what's needed for bar oil.

 

[GrizG]

Just checked the price of the Stihl Woodcutter at my dealer and it’s $12.99. Up a bit but not in the price gouging range like Lowe’s at $25 for Husqvarna bar oil.

 

[cookies]

tid bit of info
the majority of oil used to be 5w or 10w-30, meaning the oil is 30 weight (most bar oil is 30 weight), now the majority used in engines is 20, 0 or 40 weight, transmission fluids are typically 5 weight. When drained and stored as used oil they all get mixed together, when done correctly they are put through the same process as crude oil (distilled) to extract fuels and separate the oil weights by grade. It is considered virgin oil after this process. Recycled used oil is simply filtered, tested for ph, viscosity and additives added then modified to meet api standards and viscosity standards.
Over the years more than one company tried selling recycled engine oil, problem was it cooked off rapidly requiring constant topping off as the excessive additives burned out of it thus negating the lower price. If I learn of a suitable tackifier easily available or easily made I would switch to 5 gallon buckets of hydraulic oil or even filtered used engine/hydraulic oil.

 

[Brufab]

Echo oil when temps are above 40° and generic winter grade when below 40° when cold that Echo bar oil doesn't flow very well

 

[SweetMK]

Well,, Project Farm basically tested Stihl red (or orange??) jug against 10W-30 ,,, WE WILL NOT LIKE THE RESULTS!!
(The test is kinda backward of the test we actually want)

(If we want the different bar oils tested against each other someone will have to send Project Farm the request to do that,,
HE 100% only does tests that viewers request,, so,, if YOU send the request,, maybe we will get bar oil tested )

He found that Stihl oil does not protect against wear as well as 10W-30,, that SEEMS bad,, Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm,,

AND,, the Stihl almost will not flow at low temps,, (bad for the chainsaw pump?)
it took 3 minutes for Stihl to flow as much as 10W-30 did almost instantly,,

UNTIL Project Farm does a test of chainsaw oils,, this test is kinda saying 10W-30 MIGHT be a better bar lube??

 

[GrizG]

Well,, Project Farm basically tested Stihl red (or orange??) jug against 10W-30 ,,, WE WILL NOT LIKE THE RESULTS!!
(The test is kinda backward of the test we actually want)

(If we want the different bar oils tested against each other someone will have to send Project Farm the request to do that,,
HE 100% only does tests that viewers request,, so,, if YOU send the request,, maybe we will get bar oil tested )

He found that Stihl oil does not protect against wear as well as 10W-30,, that SEEMS bad,, Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm,,

AND,, the Stihl almost will not flow at low temps,, (bad for the chainsaw pump?)
it took 3 minutes for Stihl to flow as much as 10W-30 did almost instantly,,

UNTIL Project Farm does a test of chainsaw oils,, this test is kinda saying 10W-30 MIGHT be a better bar lube??

In my opinion the results of this test are not transferable to the oils' use on chainsaw bars and chains. The demands on the oil are different. In the case of the chainsaw the oil is constantly replaced by the oiler and is lost to the environment mostly by friction with the wood and being thrown off the nose of the bar (ignoring leaks and spillage for the moment!). The stickiness is important to helping the oil stay on the bar and chain all the way through the rotation. In cold weather I find Stihl Woodcutter flows just fine as the oil tank warms up as the saw is used and that warms the oil. If anything, that reinforces the notion of letting your saw warm up before you start cutting. Engine oil, on the other hand, is constantly recycled within an engine and must flow easily to maintain the thin film needed to lubricate parts. In the simple flat head small engine in the video a gear driven dipper/slinger throws oil up into the workings of the engine repeatedly and with the lack of anti-foaming additives the bar oil foamed. Motor oil will foam also if you over fill the oil.

Another consideration is that mineral oil does not absorb water whereas motor oil will. As such bar oil can be left open to the air indefinitely without absorbing moisture... thus it is likely better for preventing oxidation of the bar and chain.

Also consider the environmental issues... I often cut in watershed and wetland areas that are regulated by water supply, state conservation, and federal regulations as well as by some land trusts. In some locales vegetable based bar and chain oil is required. From what I've found it appears that new motor oil takes longer to degrade in the environment than new mineral oil. On top of that, used motor oil can, and often does, contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Depending on how deep your aquafer is the base oil, additives, and heavy metals can also make their way into your well water.

I'm sure there are folks on this board who can give more detailed chemical and physical structure descriptions than my layman's descriptions... perhaps they will join in?

All that said, I'm sticking with "real" "name brand" bar oil. It's a safer bet all the way around even if it does cost a few dollars more... That said, I'm heading out now to pick up another 4 gallons of Woodcutter and Stihl synthetic mix oil as there is a lot of ice storm damage cutting in my near future... including this afternoon!

 

[sb47]

All you used oil haters can kiss my (well you know)
I have been using old motor oil for many years in the same saw with the same bar and still going strong. No issues what so ever.
You say it will wear a bar faster! Well a bar only cost 40 bucks on average. So say it does cause extra wear. Even at 6 bucks for the cheapest bar oil known to man. It is still cheaper to use old motor oil and replace a bar from time to time then spend all that money on bar oil.
As for the environment, cars drip oil on the roads all day every day, and mother nature kindly deposes of it.
Oil is a natural product of mother earth and she knows how to deal with it.
As for breathing it, your out doors and are more likely to breath the exhaust fumes then bar oil vapor.
So don't be hating on me for being smart enough not to spend good money on new bar oil when used motor has served me well for almost 20 years now.

 

[cookies]

Another FYI even new engine oil contains several toxic metals and chemicals for anti wear, detergency and viscosity modifiers. Engine oil is mineral oil , synthetic engine oil is ester usually blended with mineral and or pao oils. ester oils biodegrade faster than mineral oils. here is a great explanation on oils. https://bobistheoilguy.com/esters-in-synthetic-lubricants/