Will need a new chain soon. Time to increase my chain IQ.

[7acres]

I don't know hardly anything about all the different chainsaw chain options there are out there and why some are suited for some applications and others are not. Can you steer me in the right direction with some helpful thoughts about what chain I should get next?

My saw is a Stihl 362 w/ 20" bar. I'm past the break-in period and I love the saw's power. I run non-ethanol 89 octane mix that I add Klotz Octane Boost to to get it up to 92 octane. I sharpen manually and I plan on sticking with that so I can sharpen without having to come out of the woods. I cut hardwood almost exclusively (Oak and Hickory).

What would you recommend to me for my next chain? And if there's anything odd about anything in the above paragraph, please critique any of it.

 

[Jags]

Stihl RS chain. Hands down the finest chain you are gonna wrap a bar with for the 362. There will be some suggestions for woodland pro or blah, blah, blah....because of price, but for somebody that is gonna burn through a chain or two per year - just get the Stihl RS.

Get rid of the octane boost. 89 will work just fine.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

What would you recommend to me for my next chain?

I recommend that whatever brand you go with to get a skip tooth, round bit chain. Though I have no idea what the alpha-numeric designation, I buy the Stihl version of the skip tooth round bit and I get 10+ cord out of each one (10 if a lot of the logs are dirty, quite a bit more if the logs are clean).

There's a bunch of full comp chisel bit Kool-Aid drinkers on this board that will tell you to get a full comp chisel bit chain because it "cuts faster." Having used all manner of chain configuration, in my experience the biggest determinate in the efficacy of a chain's cutting ability is the sharpness of the teeth, not it's particular configuration. Many here will argue that a full comp chisel bit chain cuts best, but none will disagree that a sharp chain of any configuration cuts far better than a dull chain of any other configuration. Not arguable is that skip tooth chains have half the teeth to file. Also not arguable is that skip tooth chain and full comp chains dull at the same rate. Also not arguable is that round bit cutters hold their edge better that chisel bit cutters - far better if the wood is somewhat dirty. Also not arguable is round bit cutters are easier than chisel bit cutters to file correctly.

To review: Sharp chains cut faster than dull chains - Skip tooth chains sharpen in half the time - round bit cutters are easier to file and stay sharper longer - don't be sucked in by the Manson Family full comp chisel bit mumbo jumbo

 

[Jags]

Redds been smoking wood chips too long. Skip tooth was designed around long bars or not enough power (or both). You are dealing with neither. A 362 pulling a 20" bar will RULE with full comp RS.
I will, however, completely agree that SHARP trumps all.

 

[7acres]

I've been trying to educate myself on Stihl's site. So "RS" stands for Rapid Super. With Rapid referring to the cutter type and Super referring to the cutter shape. Did I get that right?

I haven't seen anything so far referring to bit shape. Bigg_Redd, is there some other term for "round bit"?

For instance, here's a chain. How would I know if it were round bit or not?

 

[Bigg_Redd]

A 362 pulling a 20" bar will RULE with full comp RS.

Right out of the box this is nominally true. Over the course of the life of the chain it is my contention that the skip tooth round bit stays sharp better and sharpens much easier which means more time in the cut with a sharp chain

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I've been trying to educate myself on Stihl's site. So "RS" stands for Rapid Super. With Rapid referring to the cutter type and Super referring to the cutter shape. Did I get that right?

I haven't seen anything so far referring to bit shape. Bigg_Redd, is there some other term for "round bit"?

For instance, here's a chain. How would I know if it were round bit or not?

Semi-chisel.

The chain in the link looks like a full chisel.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Did I mention just go to the dealer where you bought your saw? Dealer quality is variable but I'm sure yours would gladly talk you through the chain options.

 

[Jags]

Did I mention just go to the dealer where you bought your saw? Dealer quality is variable but I'm sure yours would gladly talk you through the chain options.

I second this.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I second this.

Especially after looking over the chains on that link. They all look the same to me.

 

[dougand3]

A good reference:
http://www.baileysonline.com/PDF/saw-chain-101.pdf

I go with Semi-Chisel. I mostly process dirty wood and can dull Full Chisel in short order
When dem sparks start a'flying, you know it ain't good..

 

[XJcacher]

I run non-ethanol 89 octane mix that I add Klotz Octane Boost to to get it up to 92 octane.

You do realize that when a company claims to raise the octane level 3 points( or numbers) that they mean 0.3 and not 3.0?

 

[7acres]

You do realize that when a company claims to raise the octane level 3 points( or numbers) that they mean 0.3 and not 3.0?

No, I did not know that. And to correct myself my non-ethanol gas is 87 octane. I guess I should try adding 10x more Klotz than I had been. Makes sense. The amount I was adding to 1 gallon of mixed fuel amounted to a few thimbles full. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Jags]

You really don't have any reason to use the additive. The manual says 89, but I have run 87 with ethanol for the life of my 361 with virtually no issues.

AND - if you have been using 87 with very little of the additive to boot - you are proving my point.

 

[7acres]

You really don't have any reason to use the additive. The manual says 89, but I have run 87 with ethanol for the life of my 361 with virtually no issues.

AND - if you have been using 87 with very little of the additive to boot - you are proving my point.

I can't argue with that. I'm essentially running 87.5 octane. Not gonna notice much difference (and I didn't really)!

I had been using ethanol 87 in my Stihl FS 130R trimmer and over about a 2 year period the gas cap swelled and I couldn't get the thing off. Dealer replaced it for free and stipulated that I only get one free replacement and to stop using ethanol gas and I won't have that issue again. I wonder what kind of plastic your cap on your 361 was made out of since you're not having the issue. I'm afraid I'll have the issue again if I use ethanol.

Since you think there's no point to using additive what's your take on Stihl's 92 octane MotoMix fuel? Some people seem to think it makes a huge difference. I figured the Klotz would let me enjoy the same performance improvement without paying the big bucks for the MotoMix. (I know I'm kind of hijacking my own thread. But the dealer simply telling me what chain to buy is why I'm here learning instead of down at my dealer purchasing a chain.)

 

[Jags]

what's your take on Stihl's 92 octane MotoMix fuel?

Big bucks. I would maybe consider it if I were going to store the saw for quite a while. Small amount in tank and run dry, but I sure wouldn't be cutting cords of firewood using that stuff.

I have flippy caps. A completely different design than your trimmer. By the way - take the old cap that swelled up and put it on the shelf. It will dry out and shrink back to normal while you are using your new cap. When your new cap swells, just switch out with the old one.

 

[7acres]

A good reference:
http://www.baileysonline.com/PDF/saw-chain-101.pdf

I go with Semi-Chisel. I mostly process dirty wood and can dull Full Chisel in short order
When dem sparks start a'flying, you know it ain't good..

That's a great reference! From everything I'm seeing I'm starting to agree 100% on getting a Semi-Chisel next. I definitely come across my share of dirty wood.

 

[7acres]

...By the way - take the old cap that swelled up and put it on the shelf. It will dry out and shrink back to normal while you are using your new cap. When your new cap swells, just switch out with the old one.

Sweet, I didn't realize it worked like that.

 

[7acres]

Alright, so let's get back on the full comp vs skip tooth debate. If my saw can handle full comp with one hand tied behind it's back that's great. But why would I want to have 2X as many teeth to sharpen every time? What about full comp would make it worth it? Sounds like everyone agrees they both dull at the same rate. So I don't get 2X the edge retention with full comp.

Since my saw has the power to handle either beautifully what advantage is full comp supposed to offer?

 

[duramaxman05]

Get a Oregon chisel skip tooth. They actually cut good. Take half the time to sharpen. Only complaint with a square cutter chisel is they don't take dirt very well at all. I personally am getting away from stihl chain. On my stihl 441, it stretches the chain so bad. And it is getting plenty oil. I don't have this problem with Oregon chain and Oregon chain is cheaper. My stihl chains have over 3/4 of the cutting tooth left and is stretched so bad, I had to have a drive link takin out. On both 20" and 25" bars. The 20'' is a orgon bar and has more adjustment than the stihl bar.

 

[Jon1270]

Since my saw has the power to handle either beautifully what advantage is full comp supposed to offer?

Cutting speed. Assuming they're equally sharp and pulled at the same speed, full comp simply cuts faster. Big Redd is advocating for trading away some cutting speed in exchange for easier sharpening. He's neither wrong nor right, it's just preference. His position is solidly in the minority, but he's not hurting anyone. Jags is right, though; skip chain's primary purpose is to make it feasible to use a longer bar than you would otherwise. If you decide you need a 28" bar for the occasional bigger tree, that's when I'd consider skip chain.

As far as chisel vs. semi-chisel goes, I like the idea of getting one of each. If you're cutting clean wood, use the chisel chain, save a little time and have fun. If you're dealing with some dirtier stuff, switch to the semi-chisel.

 

[Fifelaker]

Get the bar buried in pine, fir or some other soft woods and skip will cut faster than full comp. It has a lot to do with clearing the chips. You can plug the gap with full whereas skip takes a bit more. I use enough chain anymore that Oregon LGX is much cheaper It cuts as well as RS but is a bit softer.

 

[EMB5530]

I would have to say I have been in many situations where fuel made a difference. Although these times were on 2 strokes they were not using chainsaws.
But, since I have experienced this difference all I would ever use now is non-ethanol 110 octane fuel in any hard run 2-stroke but its just personal preference and experience w/ hard run 2-stroke motors after a rebuild. You CAN tell a difference at tear down, but it may not be worth the added money, for the fuel, to you or others. Its all about personal preference.

If your interested in good(pricey) fuel try: http://www.renegadepro1.com/Renegade/?page_id=9 for information. I dunno what is available locally in you area but you can see if any of your local racetracks can point you in the right direction. Then you don't have to waste time w/ an additive.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Alright, so let's get back on the full comp vs skip tooth debate.

Chains are not a huge investment. Buy one (skip tooth). Try one. Prove me wrong. I will send you a full comp replacement if you are disappointed.

Big Redd is advocating for trading away some cutting speed in exchange for easier sharpening.

Bingo

Whatever I may give up in cutting speed (a negligible difference as far as I can tell) I gain back in spades come filing time.

 

[7acres]

Bingo

Whatever I may give up in cutting speed (a negligible difference as far as I can tell) I gain back in spades come filing time.

I think it makes sense that a full comp chain will cut faster. Twice as many cutters. But I do cut a lot of dirty logs. And I hate stopping to sharpen for what seems like 30 minutes. And I hate running a marginally sharp chain for as long as possible because I don't want to break to sharpen. If skip tooth will cut sharpening time in half and semi-chisel will cut even more time off sharpening it's super tempting to get a skip tooth semi-chisel just to see how much I like it. If I can take a 10 minute water break and have my chain sharp in that amount of time too I'll spend a lot more time in the cut with a sharper chain.