Opinions on chains and a small education please

There are lotsa options.

First... don't buy safety chain if you are comfortable/competent with your saw, and want better performance. Yellow chain is non-safety, green is safety chain. Raker guards and hollow shark fins are a dead giveaway as well.

Second... price Stihl chain is more expensive by a significant amount usually 25-30%. Some say it is better steel and they might be right. Oregon is good and is around $16 for a .325 18" loop or $18 for 3/8 18" loop. Windsor makes good stuff as well. Husqvarna chain is made by Oregon. Beware of the China chain with 3 overlapping rings, it sucks (bent teeth,broken teeth,soft steel)

Third... full chisel cuts faster than semi chisel. Semi chisel stays sharper longer in dirty wood than full chisel. price is the same

I personally have gotten away from stihl chain because on my 441 they like to stretch and keep stretchin to the point where i have to have a half or full link takin out. Doesnt matter on full chisel or semi chisel either and 20" or 25" bar. I have had better luck with oregon chain. They do better for me. I would order then if you were able too

wdenton said:

I have sharpened them to as small as I am comfortable with

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What does this mean? As long as the cutters actually exist the chain is still perfectly serviceable.

wdenton said:

Are there any brands that work as well as these 2 for the same price.

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No. Stihl chains are the best. Whether or not they are worth the extra $$$ is up to you.

wdenton said:

My local shops no longer carry the Oregon

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Windsor, Carlton and Oregon are all owned by the same company.

wdenton said:

Not look for a full chisel as the primary chain

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Good.

wdenton said:

I'm looking more for opinions on the different brands to choose from.

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I recommend round bit skip-tooth Stihl chains. They stay sharper longer and are easier to resharpen

If you want Stihl chain, shop around. I've run into more than one Stihl shop that sells loops as "buy one, get second half price" and "buy two, get third free."

Stihl chains are worth it. They outlast the oregon chains, and stay sharper, longer.

I cut split some 20 cord a year, can't find any difference in the Stilh/ vs others except price as far as staying sharp. dirt in bark dulls them all. Stilh chains are unique unto themselves construction wise. all the rest are some what universal construction wise ( just a note that if a chain needs repair Stilh makes it pricy ) I am not advocating mixing brands parts wise(presets, drive links and tie straps)- just some times it is a way out of a hole.

If there is a lot of dirt, i would stay away from full chisel. Yes they cut faster but also dull faster. The semi chisel is more forgiving when coming in contact with dirt. And also you are cleaning out a fence row, i know how that is doing that. You never know what you are going to cut into.

I went to oregon a few years ago and will be going back to stihl as soon as I get some more cash. The stihl chains will stay sharp for a LONG time. Oregon chains get dull in about 5 minutes and will not hold an edge. They also wear unevenly compared to stihl chain. I have had the same bar on my saw (ms 390) since 2009 and it has seen a LOT of use, with some of that being commercial tree removal. The saw runs just as good as ever. I started with stihl chains and the first three lasted me 3 years. I don't know how many oregon chains I have broken or worn out in the last two years. Stihl chains will cut right through nails and other metal, but oregon chains will snap cutters clean off on a staple or small nail. I cut a railroad spike in half with one stihl chain and was able to use it again after grinding.

A lot has to do with how & what angles you sharpen to (if you sharpen)- and please do not forget that your bar does wear also particularly in the width of the groove as well as weather the edges are still square to the sides and flat across. eventually you run out of groove depth which can lead to host of poor performance issues. I would suggest that your bar likely needs to be closed up some by now and likely needs a full dressing of the rails. Personally I am using Carlton chain ( whatever factory produces it) it has been sufficient for my needs. Use to use Winsdor but that is Oregon now. Carlton cost less than Stilh or Oregon. (around 20 cord a year processed)

I use Stihl on my 361 and baileys brand ( timber max?) on my 254 . The Stihl outlasts the other IMO worth the extra cost. That being said if your cutting dirty wood one will last as long as the other so it becomes a price point. I cut 20-50 cord a year also

Best chain I have is the sharp one. I probably have 40 chains or better. Most are full chisel no skip unless its over 30 inch. One chain and way over 60 inch a cross that bad boy.

wdenton said:

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My local shops no longer carry the Oregon so what are your opinions on some other brands or do I need to stick with Stihl?

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Taking a stab from your profile you live in the northern lower? The Menarnd's up here in Marquette has a pretty good selection of Oregon chains and bars, so if you ever find yourself near one you may want to take a look.

smokinj said:

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Impressive! I must get me some of those lawnmower blades you used.

I dug out one of my badly rocked stihl chains today and ground the damage off. It still had a few teeth with round tips, but it was serviceable. I also sharpened an oregon chain and used both on the same log. The stihl chain was miles ahead of the oregon chian. The stihl was smoother, faster, and lasted much longer. I will be using up the last of my oregon chains and going back to stihl ASAP.

I noticed while sharpening that the stihl chain was MUCH harder than the oregon and did not heat up as much.

My Husqvarna guy builds his chains out of Oregon parts and says he uses "the good stuff" with high-end tempered cutters. And I must say I really like them, they get sharper and stay that way longer (l actually just cut my thumb open on one the other day.) During a full day of cutting hardwood I might have to touch it up once, whereas the stock Oregon or Husky chains I'd have to sharpen at least twice

wildlingabovethebridge said:

My Husqvarna guy builds his chains out of Oregon parts and says he uses "the good stuff" with high-end tempered cutters

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Come again?

Bigg_Redd said:

Come again?

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I'm sorry what part did you need clarification on?

I would also like clarification.

Do you mean to say that your dealer makes loops of Oregon MultiCut chain? These have more chrome plating to contribute to greater effective hardness, which is also why standard Stihl chains are harder than standard Oregon/Husqvarna chains.

I couldn't tell you exactly what product it is, but yes the tech at the shop assembles custom chains that say "Oregon" on the side of the links. The cutters are that high-temp blue color and I am very happy with their performance vs off the shelf Oregon or Husky OEM chains.

TreePointer said:

Impressive! I must get me some of those lawnmower blades you used.

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Gator glades do wonders.

wildlingabovethebridge said:

I couldn't tell you exactly what product it is, but yes the tech at the shop assembles custom chains that say "Oregon" on the side of the links. The cutters are that high-temp blue color and I am very happy with their performance vs off the shelf Oregon or Husky OEM chains.

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Makes loops out of a spool of chain. Got it.

Bigg_Redd said:

Makes loops out of a spool of chain. Got it.

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Right, the takeaway point for the OP being that if he finds a shop that makes loops out of bulk chain, regardless of brand association, he may find a better option for high quality chains without having to pay OEM prices. Maybe I shoulda just said that instead of putting it in story form...