Oregon VS Stihl chainsaw chains.

[swampratt]

Hands down the winner is Stihl chains.

I have a Poulan chainsaw that runs excellent , starts easy oils the chain well Idles fine and is ready to go every time.
I think I got it 3 years ago could be 4.
I have gone through a lot of Chains and finally had to replace a clutch cover with sprocket attached.
I decided to spend a little more money and got a Stihl chain even though I have another New in the box Oregon chain.

I am glad I did.
This thing cuts 2x better than the Oregon chains i have been using.
So far most of my cutting is Cedar trees and old dead dry Hard Oak.

That hard dry Oak is killer on chains or it was on my Oregon chains.
Seems after a tank of fuel I would be adjusting the Oregon chains because the slack they got in them.
They did not cut as fast as this Stihl does.
I have cut 1 14 foot trailer full of Oak and my pickup bed is full and I cut down about 30 cedar trees last night and limbed many of them.
Cut 1/2 of a mullberry down and a few small hackberries growing in the chain link fence at another place and filled the bed of my truck with that and this is after I cut it all into 1 foot long or shorter pieces.

I have not had to tighten the chain for all that cutting. 5 tanks of fuel so far.
It is still super sharp and snug.

I thought it was the bar oil I was using that made the Oregon chains wear out so I tried all kinds of that and they all worked the same.
Stuck another load of dry old stuff in the bed last night chain is still snug.

 

[emapples]

Hands down the winner is Stihl chains.

I have a Poulan chainsaw that runs excellent , starts easy oils the chain well Idles fine and is ready to go every time.
I think I got it 3 years ago could be 4.
I have gone through a lot of Chains and finally had to replace a clutch cover with sprocket attached.
I decided to spend a little more money and got a Stihl chain even though I have another New in the box Oregon chain.

I am glad I did.
This thing cuts 2x better than the Oregon chains i have been using.
So far most of my cutting is Cedar trees and old dead dry Hard Oak.

That hard dry Oak is killer on chains or it was on my Oregon chains.
Seems after a tank of fuel I would be adjusting the Oregon chains because the slack they got in them.
They did not cut as fast as this Stihl does.
I have cut 1 14 foot trailer full of Oak and my pickup bed is full and I cut down about 30 cedar trees last night and limbed many of them.
Cut 1/2 of a mullberry down and a few small hackberries growing in the chain link fence at another place and filled the bed of my truck with that and this is after I cut it all into 1 foot long or shorter pieces.

I have not had to tighten the chain for all that cutting. 5 tanks of fuel so far.
It is still super sharp and snug.

I thought it was the bar oil I was using that made the Oregon chains wear out so I tried all kinds of that and they all worked the same.
Stuck another load of dry old stuff in the bed last night chain is still snug.

View attachment 128548

I have rebuilt manga still and I’ve never been a fan of Oregon chains or Barrs for that matter. At one time I had 6 Stijl 041’s in the garage, I’m down to two of them and plenty of NIB OEM parts. But if your handles needs new foam I have plenty to handle foam left in the garage, I ungraded all of the handles I had with foam and have a box or two left

 

[swampratt]

I do not have a Stihl saw but I did have a Mac (McCulloch) that I used for 20+ years before I could no longer find parts that actually would fit.
Like carb kits. None of the correct gasket size..I gave up on it but man you talk about a good cutting saw.
Of course it was much larger cc than this one little Poulan

 

[1mathom1]

I do not have a Stihl saw but I did have a Mac (McCulloch) that I used for 20+ years before I could no longer find parts that actually would fit.
Like carb kits. None of the correct gasket size..I gave up on it but man you talk about a good cutting saw.
Of course it was much larger cc than this one little Poulan

I hear you. I have a little old Mac arborists saw that I really loved but can't get parts anymore.

 

[swampratt]

East and west coast dealers or supply houses for the Mac saws both shut down.
Every time I would go to a parts store to get a part they would say man that is an old saw. OLD!!! it was from the 1980's.
I have a 1972 Homelite I used before that and same issue with it.
That one had even more power.
When you gave it max throttle it would torque over in your hands.. It was awesome.

maybe one day I will get another really good saw ..But until then these Poulans will suit my needs.

Why Poulan? and a little one at that the P3314 poulan.
Because after my Mac petered out I was cutting wood with friends quite often and all day running a saw makes them eventually need a nap or something and we would reach for the little Green 14" Poulan and it would finish the day off for us and one day I started with that saw and it never quit.
I needed a saw and some rather expensive ones had proved to be not so great so I got the little P3314 since that other one was good.
Maybe I would get lucky and get a good one..So far so good.
I do not push the primer ball EVER.
I just put it on choke and do not touch the throttle and I pull the string and after 2 pulls or sometimes 3 it wants to start..I take it off choke and 1 or 2 pulls later she is ready to cut wood.

 

[Cowcatcher]

My wife's granddad used poulans for a long time. Seemed like he would get a new one every 4-5yrs which I don't think is too bad for what they cost and the amount of firewood he cuts. However, 2yrs ago he did buy a Stihl that a an "easy start" feature that's easier on his shoulders. It kinda winds itself up as you pull the rope with little resistance and then it trips a trigger or something and cranks itself. That may not make sense as worded but it's really simple and easy.
I've got a Stihl 029 that was far from new when I got it 12yrs ago and it's always started by the 3rd pull. I dunno if it's better than any others but it's a good one. I too buy Stihl chains. I've run several brands of chains and I think the Stihl brand holds up better to the rocks and occasional wood I feed it.

 

[Dave70968]

I've had very good luck with WoodlandPRO chains. The trick is knowing which to get--they come in low-kickback (green label) and regular (yellow label) varieties. The yellow label variety are the ones to get; the difference between the two is night and day. Yes, they're a lot less forgiving, so you have to treat the tool with the respect it deserves, but, well, I think anybody who enjoys shooting understands the concept of respecting the tool.

 

[dennishoddy]

I've got a poulan wild thang 18" that has cut so much wood it's impossible to tell. Use for a limb saw on a downed tree because it's so light. I've got to replace the fuel lines and gaskets as I loaned it to a buddy and he put ethenol in it fuel system. This saw was pre-ethenol vintage.
The Husqvarna 455 Rancher with the 55.5 CC engine and 20" bar takes the trunks down in a heartbeat. It has the compression release and all the bells and whistles, but I will say this, I never had and don't know of anyone that has a Husky that doesn't need starting fluid to get a cold one going. I've even drilled a hole in the cowling to get the spray in there because I read everyone else has to do the same thing.
You can jerk on that thing until the cows come home, but until you get some starting fluid in there, you will just get a sore arm.
Common issue from what I see online.

 

[swampratt]

I had a weed eater that was hard to start seemed the factory fuel pump diaphragm was easily stretched out of shape.
I replaced it with an aftermarket one and never had hard starting issues again.
As you know it just moves up and down very little and if stretched you get minimal movement.
At least that is my theory.
Some reading on Husky.
http://www.husqvarnagroup.com/en/brands

 

[dennishoddy]

I had a weed eater that was hard to start seemed the factory fuel pump diaphragm was easily stretched out of shape.
I replaced it with an aftermarket one and never had hard starting issues again.
As you know it just moves up and down very little and if stretched you get minimal movement.
At least that is my theory.
Some reading on Husky.
http://www.husqvarnagroup.com/en/brands

I had a Husky Ace 90 motorcycle back in the 60's. It would out run the Honda super 90's like they were standing still.