Calm down everyone. This is not your typical bar & chain oil war type of question... Rather, this is just an I-need-something-to-help-me-transition-from-running-saws-on-Sunday-to-fixing-computer/system/network-issues-on-Monday type of question... Is there a purpose to the different colors of bar & chain oil? It seems like honey-colored seems to be predominant these days, but I have used (and was just gifted) a bunch of older B&C oil that was red. I've never seen any pattern to validate a potential winter versus summer argument. The best theory I've come up with, is that B&C oil used to commonly be dyed red in order to help differentiate it from regular motor oil. Any wise, old-timer, former loggers that can commentate on that theory? Is there a B&C oil that's currently produced that's red in color? Also, one of my best pals now works for the hazardous waste division of a nearby county. He processes all of the household chemicals that people bring to the dump/transfer station. He gave me about 4.5 gallons of B&C oil on Saturday. Plus, some WD40, silicone spray, PB Blast, inverted spray paint, Thompson's Water Seal, and teak oil. There will evidently be lots more to come, as he processes this stuff daily. Yay for me! I've already passed some of it on to friends...
I just picked up some of the generic winter weight B&C oil on sale at TSC that is very red. It's the Recochem brand. There all season and summer stuff looks similar. I also picked up some of the Poulan Pro stuff on sale and it is definitely lighter in colour at only slightly pink. I prefer the red stuff as it is easier to see if the saw is oiling sufficiently.
Wow, am I the only person who has ever wondered this, or am I just the dummy that is in the dark on a question that everyone else knows the answer to?
Most of winter weight both bar and pneumatic are red.. Summer tends to be blue brown or green. Do not know why but at 10 below when you try to pour it I see a difference.
Huh. I've never seen blue or green B&C oil. Interesting. Not that it hasn't happened, but I can't ever recall using winter weight oil. The climate here is so moderate... Thanks for the input.
Prior to getting this Poulan Pro stuff which is a light pink, everything I used was red. Summer and winter grade.
The oil I use for my motorcycle transmission is different colors depending on brand. I’ve seen red and carmel looking b&c oil and just figured it’s a company thing.
I like the Recochem all season for above freezing cutting, but I couldn't figure out the winter weight. My dealer only had it in 1 liter bottles which made it twice as expensive as Mobil Super 1000 5W-20 which I can use in my truck engine.
I'm showing my age but I believe the old Oilzum B&C oil used to be blue. Still got a couple empty quart cans from that brand floating around in the basement.
I have Oil from Husky & Jonsered. The Jonsered is deep red in color, marked as low temp and is decidedly thinner than the Husky standard honey colored oil. Have used the Jonsered stuff in low teen temps and it poured and oiled just fine.
I stick with the honey colored oil, the red stains clash horribly with all the honey color stains on my pants.
Well, I finally found a definitive answer to my own question... Although, I've just opened another can of worms, as now I'm wondering what "Formulated for Professional Loggers in the Pacific Northwest, Canada and Alaska." means. Maybe that it works in the rain, just like the rest of us cutting firewood/timber out here...
Craftsman B&C oil is red. Just got a gallon of Husqvarna B&C oil, and it’s a light charcoal/greyish color.
I guess I should update/clarify, and say that now that I'm getting a steady stream of free B&C oil (no pun intended) from my buddy, I'm starting to see more red. Both the Craftsman and Cushion Seal oil is red, and I think all the Echo I've gotten is also.
I've used Durex protective gear with good results. I guess you could say I was satisfied with their performance in wet conditions here in the Pacific Northwest.
I've never noticed color making much of a difference as long as a tack agent is present. Something bar oil related that I do like is these: Laundry detergent containers. They hold the entire gallon and are pretty much spill free.
