Optional chain choices

[TJ1]

Last year I bought a Stihl 441 C M with a 25 inch bar and absolutely love it. Very easy to start and seems to cut like a knife through hot butter. Been reading some threads where people talk about different chain choices and frankly I am lost, lol.
95% of the time this saw is used for bucking oak logs roughly 16-20 inches thick.
What are some other style of chains should I be considering? The only ones I tried was the model that came with the saw.

 

[woodhog73]

Just keep the 3/8 pitch chain that's on it. You can either use full chisel or semi chisel chain in any brand.

Stihl does a good job of marking the bar with the chain specs. You have 3 number which are the pitch (3/8) , the guage ( probably 050 on your saw) and the number of drive links. Use those numbers when buying your chain.

Stihl makes excellent chain. I'd stick with non safety chain ( yellow tag ) and use full chisel on clean freshly dropped trees, and semi chisel if your cutting downed trees that are dirty or frozen in the winter, or doing stump cutting on rotted stumps that have dirt in them. Full chisel for clean wood semi for dirty. The semi chisel cuts almost as fast but will hold an edge longer which is important in dirty wood. Semi also is easier to hand file

Also if the biggest wood you ever cut is 20 inches , and you have a few extra bucks to spare on saw stuff , I'd probably pick up an 18 or 20 inch bar and chain. That saw will be much faster ( and it's fast already) with an 18 or 20 inch bar on it. Keep the 25 in the garage for when /if you get some real big wood far bigger than 20 inches. Just another way to bump up your saws performance by running a slightly shorter bar since you may not need the 25 inch bar. Just an idea

Oregon LGX is also an excellent full chisel 3/8 chain.

 

[TJ1]

I like the 25 inch bar. Less bending over and more reach

 

[Dairyman]

I like the 25 inch bar. Less bending over and more reach

Then keep what you got. The only way you'll get faster cut times than 3/8 stihl rs or Oregon lpx is to try a bigger sprocket or go to a square chisel cutter.

 

[Jags]

Stihl RS (or RSC, depending on age). Thank me later.

 

[woodhog73]

Stihl RS (or RSC, depending on age). Thank me later.

I've always felt the Stihl rapid super RS chain was the best but lately with the loops of Oregon LGX which is full chisel I can't really detect any difference.

However I think the Stihl chain holds it edge longer which is a positive. Negative though it seems for me anyways to take longer to sharpen. I read online the metal may be harder I always thought that was nonsense but since I've switched to Oregon LGX I sorta think it sharpens easier.

One thing though the Stihl chain is a little bit more money. If you burn through a lot of chain cheaper is a nice perk of other chains

But all in all hard to beat the Stihl RS chain in 3/8

Not true in .325 though. If you want the smoothest cutting .325 chain it's definitely not Stihls version.

 

[Jags]

Agree with everything you stated. A bit more expensive, stays sharp longer, may take a bit more time to sharpen. I don't go through too many chains so the cost difference is not really an issue. I sharpen with a machine, so harder to sharpen is not an issue for me, either. YMMV, but out of the box a Stihl RS chain is hard to beat for general purpose firewood cutting.