Oregon Chain for Echo 330

I stopped by the evil empire this evening to check out the Halloween stuff. I noticed a clearance rack and it had some Oregon 12" chains that will fit the Echo 330 on offer for $11.00. The cheapest price I see on fleabay is $13.75. I did not take a photo and before I purchased wanted to ask you guys if Oregon chains are good chains and if the price; $11.00, is a good price for these chains. The chains on the Echo are worn; jon1212 told me the chains were worn but that they would be good practice chains. I would like to replace the chains since it is my only saw until MasterMech finishes the work on The Beast; he is going to mod the muffler for me and tune it; I can hardly wait to see how The Beast runs when he finishes his magic. Big Hugs MasterMech.

 

Yes they are good chains if you keep them sharp

 

Does that mean they tend to dull faster than other chains?

 

No, doesn't mean that, Oregon is good chain

 

all chains that are made from good factories like oregon - stihl , etc,etc are good chains , just try to keep them sharp as more as you can

help you much more the most good saws factories buy oregon chains for theirs saws

 

If that is a good price, I may visit again tomorrow and pick up some; how many chains should I have for a saw?

 

2 or 3 is ok

 

I'd say go for it for $11. I used my original chain for 8-9? cords and some nasty stuff as well before it was retired. My old cat has more teeth than that chain, and my cat is about 18 years old! I'm sure the difference between a new chain and the old chain will be day and night, making you wonder why you hadn't bought one already.

 

Last chain I bought for a small saw was a 16" 57 drive links, 3/8" low profile saw chain, .050" gauge,it was $13.29 + shipping

 

14" 52 Links Chainsaw Saw Chain f/ McCulloch 335 435 EXTREME 8-42 DAKOTA 442 | eBay

I've ordered a loop of this to check out. $4.69 shipped. LOOKS like Oregon 91VXL - best 3/8LP yellow chain IMHO. Probably this is probably Tri-Link or Silver Streak copy. For $4.69, it's worth a try. They probably don't sell much because the description is so poor and limited. This 52DL 3/8LP .050 chain will fit about 10 million 14" Poulan/Craftsman/Echo A041 mount bars that are out there.

 

So how do you go about determining chains that will fit a particular saw?

 

It's stamped on the bar near the end toward the saw
How to use the Oregon Selector Guide

 

I know there is a width to chains, that is the width of the groove in the bar that the sharp fins ride in. I will check my saw tomorrow.

 

The width is the width of the drive links "gauge"

 

You need 3 things:
Pitch - 3/8LP or .325 or 3/8
Gauge - .050 or .058 or .063
DL - 52 or 55 or 62 or 78 or 84, etc, etc

3/8LP is always .050 gauge (or almost always). So, 3/8LP 52DL is enough data.
Almost all little saws (42cc or smaller) are going to be .050 bars. A few carving saws will be .043.

 

Oregon makes good-quality chain, but some of them are full-on safety chain that performs worse and is more difficult to sharpen. Assuming your saw is set up for 3/8LP, I'd pay a bit more for 91VX or 91VXL rather than living with safety chain just to save a couple of bucks.

 

Adding to Jon's post...you normally can't buy 91VXL in a big box store - go to a dealer or online. If you have to buy in a big box store, look at the chain and AVOID the shark fin bumper variety. They have some green safety chain w/o shark fins - may be called 91PX.

 

Sounds like I should not be buying chains until I learn more about them. This is an Oregon S45 91 low profile. The box states it is a low kickback

 

The S45 chain looks like 91PX-no shark fins. It is green safety low-kickback chain. But it will cut decently, just not as aggressively as yellow 91VX or VXL.

 

Can you show me some photos what you mean by the shark fins?