Anybody else notice this?

[CountryBoy19]

Woodland PRO chains don't seem to be what they used to be.

I have 2 saws I run Woodland Pro chains on, my modded MS170 with 16" bar and my Dolkita 6401 with 25" bar.

My MS170 had Woodland Pro chains (I buy my chains 3 at a time and rotate them) put on back in 2010. If I can keep it out of the dirt I can cut all day without a touch-up and the chain still cuts like a hot knife through butter.

My Dolkita had the Woodland Pro chains put on ~2013-2014 but hasn't really been used much since then (work kept me from cutting wood). Recently I've had the chance to catch up on my wood supply so I've been cutting about a cord a week (98% oak and hickory). I've noticed that the more recently purchased chain dulls much more quickly. As a matter of fact, if I don't touch it up on every fill-up I have to lean on the saw to get it to even feed into the wood. This is NOT what I'm used to with chains, and definitely does not match up with prior experience RE: woodland pro chains.

Anybody else experience this?

FWIW, a quick touch-up and the saw cuts like a hot knife through butter again but it goes downhill pretty quickly and requires a touch-up at the next fill-up.

 

[Jags]

I haven't purchased any woodland pro for a couple of years now, so I can't really comment on the old vs new, but I will tell you that I can tell a difference in longevity comparing woodland pro and Stihl chains. Hands down the Stihl chains stay sharper - longer and that is with the older woodland pro chains. If it holds true that the newer chains don't hold up as well as the older ones did - well...that might just be a deal breaker.

 

[Corey]

Interesting. It's not like making a chain stay sharp for a long period is 'extreme' technology or cutting edge science. Just use a decent metal alloy and harden appropriately. Wonder if it's just a bad batch? Does the chain seem to file easier, or take off more metal with each stroke? ...might indicate the metal is softer than it should be.

Any changes in sharpening technique? Sometimes going with a power sharpener can put too much heat in the tooth, which will temper the steel and make it softer. So it wears more quickly and/or to a greater extent...which then requires heavier grinding to sharpen ...meaning more heat, more tempering and softer metal... the downward spiral continues. If any sharpening method result in 'bluing' of the tooth tip, then it's too hot / too heavy and causing the metal to soften.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I haven't purchased any woodland pro for a couple of years now, so I can't really comment on the old vs new, but I will tell you that I can tell a difference in longevity comparing woodland pro and Stihl chains. Hands down the Stihl chains stay sharper - longer and that is with the older woodland pro chains. If it holds true that the newer chains don't hold up as well as the older ones did - well...that might just be a deal breaker.

Maybe the Woodland Pro chains I got for my MS170 in 2010 were a fluke? They seem to last similar to my experiences with Stihl chains. That could be why I'm disappointed with the way the other ones are lasting?

Interesting. It's not like making a chain stay sharp for a long period is 'extreme' technology or cutting edge science. Just use a decent metal alloy and harden appropriately. Wonder if it's just a bad batch? Does the chain seem to file easier, or take off more metal with each stroke? ...might indicate the metal is softer than it should be.

Any changes in sharpening technique? Sometimes going with a power sharpener can put too much heat in the tooth, which will temper the steel and make it softer. So it wears more quickly and/or to a greater extent...which then requires heavier grinding to sharpen ...meaning more heat, more tempering and softer metal... the downward spiral continues. If any sharpening method result in 'bluing' of the tooth tip, then it's too hot / too heavy and causing the metal to soften.

Decent metal alloy costs more money; Woodland Pro is a little more budget minded than Stihl I guess?

Regarding my sharpening I hand-file everything. Outside of the factory sharpening my chains have never been touched with anything other than a file. As far as how they "feel" when sharpening, the newer chains seem like they may be just a touch softer but it's hard to get an accurate comparison because the "feel" can depend on the file too, and these 2 batches of chains use different file sizes so there is no way for me to directly compare "feel" by using the same file for both chains.

 

[Redbarn]

Did an unplanned back/back between Woodland Pro and Stihl chains last weekend.
Started with a Woodland which seemed to degrade quickly.
Then put on my last Stihl and finished the day with no noticable degradation.
Your mileage may vary but I just ordered 3 more Stihls...

 

[CountryBoy19]

I wanted to update this thread with a small disclaimer:

I am running Woodland Pro Narrow Kerf (NK) on my MS170; while doing some saw clean-up I noticed the teeth didn't appear to be a full chisel; they aren't, they are a semi-chisel design. The WP chain I'm running on my Dolkita is a full-chisel. I'm cutting in slightly abrasive conditions so it would be natural to see better chain life on the narrow kerf stuff.