Here's the list of products reviewed. More details in the video description. Thank you! Forester: amzn.to/2ITjzKx Sungator: amzn.to/3pYgNVB Zentop: amzn.to/35SiBr3 Forester Carbide: amzn.to/3pQ0pWN Upstart: amzn.to/3uJQ41u 8TEN: amzn.to/2UQxLqg Oregon: amzn.to/2IOduzx Husqvarna: amzn.to/398lx4K Carlton: amzn.to/336lcMg
Sorry it’s taken me so long but the new “We’re going to test that” merch is now ready at www.Project-Farm.com and the quality of the shirts is much improved. Looking forward to reading your future video ideas and comments. An easy way to find past videos along with products tested: bit.ly/2FCrBpk A big thanks to Jim for putting this together. Happy Thanksgiving, Todd
You should try this. Take them to a local saw guy who can sharpen them equally on a machine so they all have a close to similar edges. And re torture test them.
One thing I really like about this channel is the content and quality. You jump right into testing and statistics. No BS music or intros or 6 minutes of you walking around talking while you point a camera at yourself.
I am proud to work in one of the two STIHL factories where the chains are produced. These are the only two factories in which the chains for STIHL are made. They are both in Switzerland. Thank you for the very good test.
Thank you for making my chains I have used. Does the factory that you work at produce all the models of chains? Or does your produce half and the other factory produce the other half? What chains have you made in your day?
The winning companies must be so proud of their products. I tend to see the winning products sold out on Amazon within just a few days of videos being posted here.
Thank you! The winning brands often contact me afterwards thanking me for the unbiased and fair evaluation. Even brands that don't perform near the top often times let me know that they appreciate being included
I am certain that your testing is going to be something that a lot of companies will be looking forward to taking part in the future. Hell, personally i'd want to see an official "Project farm tested" seal of approval when i walk into a hardware store!
That sand test was a real eye opener, I had no idea that so little dirt caused so much damage, I agree with you, I'll definitely be more mindful avoiding dirt in the future.
My dept uses Stihl 460’s with their carbide chains on all of our ventilation saws. I can certainly attest to their durability and sharpness. Running through comp shingles, nails, etc. at every job is pretty harsh. I remember when we began using carbide years ago vs standard chains. Made life a lot easier for us. I know the cost of carbide is far greater but I began using them at home as well with great results. The carbide holds up very well while cutting oaks and other hard wood. Thanks for the test video. That’s a lot of work!
edge integrity and hardness goes a long way... at a scale down , i unvested in titanium blades for me electric razor and the job took 75% of time. and got twice the shaves on a charge. i recommend superior blades for any task. Another great projfrm video
The stihl carbide RD chains cut almost as fast as the semi-chisel steel chains. That forester carbide has a very blunt cutting geometry, I'm not surprised it was that bad.
I built a retaining wall using railroad ties and could unly make two cuts with the Stihl yellow blades before they were completely dull and had to be sharpened. I switched to Stihl carbide and finished the job with two chains. I don't remember how many cuts but it was a lot (~100+), and I damaged the first carbide chain through negligence.
This test is absolutely incredible: the amount of time you took to use each of those chains for all those cuts must have been exhausting! Thank you so much for putting this video together, and hope you and yours are all safe and healthy!
yeah he takes his time and works hard on these no doubt! but watching his videos is not only fun but informational. anyone who watches his videos has saved money im sure. very thankful for this channel and awesome that he takes the time to read these and review what is requested.
The most important thing to take from this is that any sharp chain cuts quicker than a blunt chain. Keeping a chain sharp is way more important than which brand you use.
Hey man! I love your channel and especially this episode. I do have one suggestion when doing time differences on each test chain. Instead of reading how much slower doing Test B was compared to Test A in only seconds, use the percent difference of each. This way, it might be easier to compare how much each chain is affected after running through a full tank. This can be used for any test really. Percent inefficiency is easier to compare than absolute inefficiency. Thank you!
My God, the amount of time and effort to test those saws through entire tanks each, plus further testing. No one can accuse you of mailing these videos in..
@@user-wc7vn6uz9h Huh? What politics? There's no "joke" to get. "Mailing it in" is a common expression that describes lackluster or lazy effort, something no one accuses PF of doing. Google it.
I commend you for this time-consuming and costly review, I know you buy all this stuff yourself. You always provide data-driven reviews without the unnecessary commentary found in other product testing site and I like your Joe Friday (Just the facts, M'am) approach. Project Farm is always an interesting watch.
Use Oregon chains on all my saws, including both the Stihls. Always seemed like the best bang for the buck. Pretty cool seeing it wasn't just all in my head.
I *love* this one!!! You just verified everything I read about Oregon in my research plus what they told me on the phone when asking for help about getting the correct chain. Dave at Oregon said that their saw chains are OEM on a lot of chainsaw brands, and I believed him, but now I know why. I bought a Poulan Pro 20 inch that I haven't used yet, but I bought an Oregon replacement bar and chain for it, too, because way too many reviewers of the chainsaw said the bar and chain was trash. So now I'll put the Oregon set on before I even start it up. I complimented you earlier on your ingenuity, but I forgot to thank you for the money and time you put into these evaluations and reports. You go above and beyond, and that's hard to find these days. Thanks for the honesty and great reviews!!! So glad I subscribed.
There's never a dull moment in this Project Farm channel. I can't thank you enough for the time and money you invest into sharing your knowledge and test results to help us viewers make educated decisions on future purchases and just for our viewing pleasures also. And just so you know, I have had the privilege of going back and rewatching past videos to make some buying choices (most recently a car battery) and I can't thank you enough for the feed back we get from watching.
My rule for borrowing my stihl saw is simple, use the oil I tell you to use, and give me a brand new stihl chain when you're done. It's a $25 dollar chain, but it's a lot cheaper than renting a saw.
3 года назад
Buy two saws. A cheap loaner and your own pride and joy.
They give Emmy's to anyone. They gave one to a guy that's responsible for nearly 40% of all covid deaths in the world for his "great job" doing daily press conferences or something like that.
The magic of cameras I'm sure he does all the tests for the one chain at once the edits it in the order he wants it so instead of changing it every time for every test it saves time and just edits it later atleast that's what I would do but idk pretty convincing if he's not
Great test. I have always been impressed with the Oregon chains. Many years ago I ran a logging job for a major international paper company and bought the Oregon chain by the spool. We tried cheaper but never got the production we did with Oregon. As a home user, some 50 years later, I run Stihl but equip it with Oregon mostly due to the ridiculous price of Stihl chains.
I use cryogenically treated bars, chains and files now. I have a processor with an 84 hp kubota and use .404 harvester chain....the cryo treatment is significant....Windy Ridge in Tamworth does it...
The problem with Oregon chains or other cheaper brands, both the 3/8 and 404 (the bigger, supposedly tougher, professional chains), can break when hitting a big nail or rock. This never happened to me when using a Stihl chain.
@@em4703 if you want to cut rock , buy a grinder for that purpose instead of using a chainsaw. a chainsaw is meant to cut woods and Oregon chains are not that onerous compared to stihl chains and you can get a replacement easily. you should also be aware that there are Chinese brand that equips their chainsaws with Oregon branded bars and chains and they get the job done easily.
@@danteerskine7678 In what videogame reality do you live in where everything is perfect? What kind of disingenuous reply is this? When you slab a 4-5' tree and you hit a hidden nail that your metal detector couldn't find, would you rather have to resharpen your chain because the cutter tips got rocked after cutting through it, or have the cutters and chain links break off the moment it touches said nail putting your saw out of its job for 30-60 minutes unless you have another cheapo chain (that most likely snaps again)? All because you weren't willing to pay a 10% premium for the Stihl chain and better temper? I have no brand affiliation or fanboism, I always just buy the best. For chainsaw chains, nothing beats the Stihl made ones.
This morning, I stopped at Lowe's and discovered that the power tool sales associate watches your videos and we shared some "Project Farm" test results back and forth. Good to know that sales people at a major stores also value your testing videos as well as us regular folk. I just got my first chainsaw. I got the Echo SC-590. Overkill for a city dweller, but I have a HUGE pile of huge oak pieces in my backyard from a tree that got cut down. Besides, I live in Virginia East coast (hurricanes are known to take down trees, so now I can help a neighbor if that happens again.) Love all your videos.
Love my oregon chains, and they definitely still hold a good edge after a few sharpenings. Something people should keep in mind as well, if your cutting a lot, you'll be sharpening a lot.
I like how you explained about edge geometry and about filing down the depth gauge. These are all things I have learned over time, but they are things which would have helped a lot if I had known them in the beginning.
Do a “which chainsaw sharpener is best” video! I would much appreciate that and you should try the power care chainsaw sharpener set at home depot in that video!
This is a great idea. As i would want to know which sharpener to spend my hard earned money on, that will keep my hard earned money chain going longer.
I used to buy cheap and cheerful for my chainsaw. Now I’ve bought Oregon for only $11 more - never looked back. Thx for the recommendation, the Oregon is the best chain I’ve ever had. Even after lots of hard wood, the angles are as sharp as ever. Also, the chain you used in your chain sharpener test is exactly the one that matches my chainsaw.
And/or the electric chain saw sharpeners would also be appreciated PF,great suggestion Tanner as i was going to say something similar and still might,the more people ask for it the better chance PF might do it. 😉
@@tannercroteau869 Just added a link to ebay for electric sharpeners and they also seem to do a few decent looking hand held sharpeners as well,oh and i did see Todd/PF say in another comment that he was thinking of doing the sharpener video and wanted some brands,hence why i added the link. 😉 thanks for the quick reply Tanner as it's appreciated.
As a Canadian viewer I am very happy with some of the Canadian made chains performing at the top. How many hours went into making this video? We appreciate all the work you put into making great unbiased reviews for us. Have a good night sir
There is nothing like cutting with a PERFECTLY sharpened chain, love it! I prefer an electric grinder performing not only the same angle everytime, but also shortening the tooth equally on each and every one. That way the chain doesn't get troublesome over time. And if I sharpen like 3 chains at a time and own like 4 or 5, I can always just replace the chain in no time if I hit something and keep on working effortlessly with full control.
I’m a full time logger and use Oregon personally. But worth mentioning when comparing value for money on the Stihl and Oregon is the fact that Stihl has holes in the riders giving better oil distribution. This will increase the life span of the bar which is just as costly as the chains. My point being is, it’s really difficult saying one brand is better value than the other
Does Oregon offer 3 different grades of steel for their chains? I've bought some very crappy Oregon from big box stores and also great ones from small engine shops. Been wondering?
The chains you bought from big box stores had built in safety features which usually slow cut speed down the oregon from the small engine store was probably geared more toward pros and lacked anti kickback features
@@jacktimmerevery brand has different types and designs. Different grinds and angles. Chisel, semi Chisel, round, square, etc. Some are designed to cut faster. Some have anti kick back depth gauges. I'm not sure what all the different names are but I know when I bought my 572 the dealer gave me a standard husqvarna chain and a "x cut" which is supposed to cut fast. Which I don't think it did. It had a huge round hook, which dulls faster, compared to stihls more blunt square tooth. Either way they all cut like shit compared to a professional hand filed chain.
@@ProjectFarm Test the Oregon 520-120. It's the updated version of the legendary model 511A (which I own and use often). The cheap plastic grinders aren't worth owning, because they aren't precise enough. They wander around.
I just discovered your channel. Your video formats are brilliant, straight to the point and full of useful information. The effort and time you put into this shows. You’re saving a lot of people time and money. Thank you.
Unless I missed it you need to take into consideration over time which chain stretches faster. We use our Chainsaws quiet a lot and certain chains cut ok but will stretch so fast even with excellent lubrication you still wasted money. Depending on the chain even if you spend more you will still save money.
Good point.. the Oregon definitely going to need adjusting more that the Stihl or the Husqvarna.. but still.. overall.. for a bought chain the best. Imo. Mostly because they are durable and cheap. And they are nasty if a guy trims the depth gauge too much for when he/she jumps out a chopper fighting fires. Big engine.. mediocre bar.. minus some of the guides=survival at times. Js
Not gonna lie, those sped up montages of cutting through the whole tree logs in the middle of the video was truly satisfying to watch through. 😉 Keep up the awesome work! 😃
Blount, Inc. owns them all, and more. Husqvarna makes their own chain in their own European factories, and I've found it to be slightly better than Stihl. Husqvarna X-CUT C83 would be the proper chain to use instead of H46 which is Oregon's last generation 73LGX.
What about a comparison of those chains after they are resharpened. I used to buy tools for how sharp they came from the factory, but then I learned how to sharpen, pretty much everything, now I buy for how it will perform after it is properly sharpened/tuned. Great video! I think I’ll stick with the Stihl chains!
I really prefer Oregon chains and bars. I’ve tried all brands, and they’re the best for the money. I grew up cutting trees with my father, and my grandfather was a logger.
Hey Man, I can see you put a shit ton of work into your content. Just wanted to give you a thumbs up. I love watching your vids. Excellent work. Canadian fan!
@@nix4644 A Shit-ton is equivalent to 24 metric assloads, or 1/10th of a fuck-ton. Used to measure un-quantifiable amounts of something. Although it can be used in the measurement of very large people it actually is not a unit of weight.
Very enlightening video, I never realized how fast a chain gets damaged when it contacts dirt. I use Stihl chains on my Stihl saw but I might try Oregon for the lower price option. Thanks for the video!
I’ve used nothing but Stihl chains on my saws. They do a good job on Australian hardwood . I give them a tickle up every tank full up. I hate those carbide chains. They cut slow and dull quickly plus are harder to sharpen out in the bush . Great video by the way 🙏
Todd's family when he begins a test like this - "Honey, we are going to visit Ireland. Love you, see you in a few days." The amount of TIME and quality invested never ceases to amaze. You are an asset to the real working world. Seriously, Thank You.
Makita/Dolmar is an awesome and underrated saw! Also, I would like to thank you for your time in making this video; I imagine it was high on the time consuming list to make
@@jonp.6131 I agree, but I wouldn’t have minded hearing that 5000 ripping! I own that same saw, and run an 18 inch VersaCut bar, with Oregon full chisel pro chain, and she is a demon! Peace!
just found out that Carlton is under the same company as Oregon, Oregon stuff is really a good quality for a good price. Wasn't disappointed yet. But Stihl and Husqvarna do earn their names too, the Husqvarna chain costs nearly the same and Stihl at least didn't disappoint for their higher price but did a great job.
I am shopping for a replacement chain for my Dewalt 16" cordless. When I searched YT for reviews of chains, low and behold, your comparison was the first result and for good reason. Oregon for the win! Now I know which to purchase with confidence. Thanks for the great content on this and all your vids.
Thanks for the great videos. I would've liked to see a test after the chains are all sharpened identically (using a guided sharpener). I feel like a large portion of this video test is more about initial sharpness out of the box vs tooth profile or metal hardness.
Very curious to see which trash bag has the strongest ties. *pulling out the trash bag from trash can that somehow has a magical portal sucking the bag back down* Ties: "This is a good time to fail... Also, might as well ruin the trash bag while we're at it." brb, going to drill a hole or two at the bottom of the trash can to relief some of that suction force.
I use contractor bags for construction and garage waste, as well as empty bottles(we return a lot of beverage bottle here in exchange for a deposit we paid on purchase - I got almost $100 back for about a year’s worth just yesterday). Definitely worth the money if you need something tough, but likely not for average weekly household garbage.
As a construction worker I can tell you contractor bags are thicker than garbage bags and are made out of heavier Duty plastic however if you put something sharp in the bag it will still cut through. It is effective for heavy items but is not cost efficient for household garbage good all in all it is stronger and more expensive than any household garbage bag
This would be an interesting one, since there's so many different kinds, plus, there's different applications. I'm curious if performance-oriented pads will hold up better in extreme tests whereas standard pads will hold up better in the long run.
@@joshjlmgproductions3313 That should be the case. From what I know, performance brake pads are going to be made of a softer material that will have a higher friction coefficient, and should wear away faster. OE or long life pads should be harder, have less friction coefficient, and thus wear slower. Just like tires. An interesting effect would be how much wear they place on the rotor itself.
I just completely disassembled my Jonsered cs2145s turbo and my Stihl ms250c chainsaws, deep cleaned every crevice and replaced worn or damaged parts. Since all the old ones are getting pretty rough, I was getting ready to order two bars and four chains for each saw when I happened across this video. You definitely changed my mind as I was planning on ordering Forester carbide tipped chains. I’m sure glad I found this video first. I cut roughly 20 face cords of wood each year. No wood ordering, as I cut them down and drag them out of the woods myself (solo as all my boys are grown and gone now). I most certainly do not want a slow cutting chain! Thanks much friend! You saved me valuable time. I agree, I’m going with Oregon!
Chains straight out of the box are generally duller than they are after resharpening (as long as you know what you do). It would be interesting to see another test of all these chains after they are resharpened by someone skilled. I bet the differences in performance would be way less between the chains. A chain only has the factory grind once in it's lifetime, but will be resharpened at least 10 times, depending on how much ground/rock it is exposed to, and of course how dull it's allowed to get before getting resharpened.
Hey great video todd! I was wondering, have you ever though about testing paint guns? I think it would be cool to see which ones have the best features and spray patterns ECT ECT.
I just absolutely love your channel. I just never know what’s going to be the next video. Absolutely awesome videos. And topics I’d never even know I needed to know about. 👍🏼!!!! Happy holidays as well
You should only use the same cutting tooth profile when comparing cutting speeds of chainsaw chains, i.e. 'full chisel' (90 degree angle profile) has the fastest cutting speeds but the cutting edge tends to dull quicker, whereas the 'semi-chisel' (curved profile) has a slower cutting speed but maintains its cutting edge for longer. Interesting and informative video.
I have used Oregon chains for years cutting firewood using it as our sole heat source in winter and then I was out of town and saw a chainsaw shop and stopped in. I picked up a Husky and Still chains for may saw to try them out. I noticed the husky needed sharpening more often but I couldn't tell a difference between my Oregon chains or the Still, seeing as how they performed near identically, I saved the money and stuck with Oregon, now I'm glad I did.
Well thought out and intelligent test as usual. You do it and so we don't need to. Many thanks! Idea for another shoot-out - cheap multimeters and clamp meters.
Great test. I would have liked to have seen the new Husqvarna X cut chain used instead, as the chain from Husqvarna used was a re-branded Oregon chain.
When testing gives you a bunch of thin wood cuttings that are 4x4" square... it's time to go into the coaster business. Brand it with the PF logo, slap some polyurethane on it, and make some extra dough off of your work!
@@gus473 There were some Chinese ones that are total garbage. The real Oregon one is great. I would not necessarily say its that good for pros but for a lighter duty pro (say a landscaping company that will cut down if they are asked but not a main service) it would be just fine. Overall it just very convenient and effective.
Thanks for another excellent video! I'm new to chainsaw ownership, but was already under the impression that the Oregon was the best bang for buck and already have one on mine. I wasn't expecting it to be this good for the $, but your tests reveal ALL! Unfortunately had to cut some big tree roots out of ground and dulled it like a bar of soap, so I'm shopping for another one. Had to see if Project Farm has a test to confirm which brand to get, and of course you do! Ebay has a set of 2 Oregon 16" for only $26, so thanks PF! 😊
When watching other videos comparing chainsaw performance I often wonder how much of the results are due to their use of different chains. Thanks for the video !!!
