stihl rm vs rs chains---which one and why?

[demc570]

i always use rs or rsk,but never rm........i heard rm stays sharp longer..anyone use both that could compare? thanks

 

[mopar3]

The Rm does stay sharp a little longer but Rs cuts faster and smoother. In clean wood it's a wash.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KenJax Tree]

RM stays sharp longer because it has a corner kinda like this ? Where as RS has a corner like this 7 and once you knock that corner off its useless.


Sent from my Autotune Carb

 

[mdavlee]

Rm is good if you don't like to sharpen. You can get a good bit of speed out of it by changing how it's filed and get close to chisel cutting speed.

 

[demc570]

thanks i never have tried the rm and looking to buy few more chains either the rs,rsk, or try the rm... i hand sharpen all my chains so didnt know if rm was harder to sharpen,or just stay with my rsk on the ms 361 with 3/8 and what .325 on 028 av woodboss?

 

[demc570]

havent ran rs on .325 yet,just chain that came on it when bought,not sure what it is,

 

[woodchuck357]

I find chain with 7 shape dulls very fast in really hard woods even if it is clean. I have only noticed it cutting faster in soft woods.

 

[dingeryote]

Try a loop of RM, and keep it handy as a spare.

Even if you think the speed is off in the cut, over the course of a couple tanks it will even out with less filing time, especially in dirty wood and stuff growing alongside roads and farm fields.

Best part is, RM is very forgiving of the file bieng a bit off when field filing. It's hard to screw up.

In the long run, it's a good tool to have in the box, for when it's needed, and adequate for when it's not.

 

[KenJax Tree]

We use RM 90% of the time.


Sent from my Autotune Carb

 

[longbowch]

I cut for firewood and almost all of what I cut is dead and dry. I rarely cut clean green wood. That being said, I use both types of chains only because I have both.
I definetly prefer rm, it stays sharp longer and is easy to sharpen. When you are out in the woods cutting by yourself you wont notice if it is any slower and in the long run it will actually be faster
because it stays sharp longer. Unless you are cutting cookies racing your friends give it a try. It might be the cheapest part of CAD.

 

[sunfish]

I have used both RM semi chisel and RS chisel for many years.

I much prefer RM semi for hard wood! I also see little difference in cutting speed.
Semi stays sharp longer and is easier to sharpen.

 

[luckydozenfarm]

I use the RS chain exclusively on my larger felling and bucking saws, MS440, MS660...however I use RM chain on my limbing saws like my MS250's due to the lower kickback and initial bite. When I get a tree down and I'm usually cutting in awkward positions as I make my way down the tree, I don't want the saw jumping around at all. I find there isn't much difference in cutting speed, maybe +/- 1 second through a 25" log?? The RM chains (esp the low-kickback chains) are the best in a de-limbing a downed tree.

 

[Bushmans]

I've always used RC and yes they dull out quicker but I just try to be a little more careful about sticking it on the dirt when I'm bucking.
I believe when I bought my saw it came with a RM. I'll have to look. I fit did then I can't tell them apart on the saw. LOL

 

[513yj]

I use the RS chain for everything but I always carry a handful of hand files and spare chains. I thought I used to buy RSC but maybe they changed the name or my new dealer sells different stuff but it still has the yellow links.

 

[sunfish]

RS & RSC are the same.

RM is semi chisel, but Stihl calls in micro? You can get it in yellow or green.

 

[513yj]

My dealer told me yellow links is pro chain, green links is low kickback stuff with the huge raker deal or whatever.

 

[513yj]

I run the .325 RS 18" on my 025 and its been really good for me. Cut most of my firewood with that saw.

 

[DonnerParty]

I cut mostly big softwoods (pine, fir). A properly sharpened full-chisel (RS) chain cuts noticeably faster, for me, on my saws, in the wood I cut. "Properly sharpened" is the key. Semi-chisel is a big more forgiving when sharpening and if you are hitting the ground, but is certainly slower. On full-chisel, once that leading corner is dull, the chain won't cut well, period.

 

[mdavlee]

I use the RS chain exclusively on my larger felling and bucking saws, MS440, MS660...however I use RM chain on my limbing saws like my MS250's due to the lower kickback and initial bite. When I get a tree down and I'm usually cutting in awkward positions as I make my way down the tree, I don't want the saw jumping around at all. I find there isn't much difference in cutting speed, maybe +/- 1 second through a 25" log?? The RM chains (esp the low-kickback chains) are the best in a de-limbing a downed tree.

I've never noticed chisel to be any more jumpy when limbing than semi chisel. If you're using full skip then that could be the reason.

 

[sunfish]

I cut mostly big softwoods (pine, fir). A properly sharpened full-chisel (RS) chain cuts noticeably faster, for me, on my saws, in the wood I cut. "Properly sharpened" is the key. Semi-chisel is a big more forgiving when sharpening and if you are hitting the ground, but is certainly slower. On full-chisel, once that leading corner is dull, the chain won't cut well, period.

Chisel does cut faster in soft woods. But not so much diff in hard woods.