Stihl is a great brand and they certainly charge for it! As for Stihl bars, do you use them, do you think they are worth it? I need a bar/chain for a Stihl 026 in great condition with .325-07 sprocket. Bought it used and had no bar. Would be for limbing, bucking and general use except not big stuff, got a 362 for that. Dealer wants $43 plus tax for a 16" bar and $23 for chain. (Stihl says 026 can run 16, 18 and 20 inch bars but hmmm, not sure about 18 or 20.) A bazillion people use Oregon or other brands, just wondering what to buy. Every ounce counts and I don't mind spending when it matters. At my age, thinking of looking into getting a lightweight bar. Also not sure how much a bar/chain would cost from Oregon or other. What's your take on bar/chains?
I like the stihl bars only cuz they match my stihl saws but I don’t think you can go wrong with Oregon bar n chains. Prob be cheaper too.
I like the Stihl bars, I posted a thread asking about the lite weight bars, every response was go with Stihl. I'm getting a Tsumara 28" bar and 3 Stihl chains, just case I got a good deal on it. Oregon makes good stuff, chain seems to stretch a bit more, Stihl is just better, will last a long time...
I have Stihl 16 & 20" bars for my 290, and a 28" for my 460. The 460 was bought without a bar, but two chains for a 20" bar. I bought a 20" Oregon bar and its fine. Id prefer Stihl, but am CHEEEEP! Also bought a Laser 36" bar for the 460 to fell a large white oak last Fall. Ive used it a couple times to buck large wood. IMO Oregon will work fine. Ive used their chain for years without issue. If you are using the saw for many hours every day, then id go lightweight or if you do a lot of limbing, cutting of skinnies etc where the saw is being moved and lifted a lot. The 260 is a lighter weight saw if memory serves me correct. Just got a 261 myself for the light weight. Im "brand loyal" and it bugs me to have different brand bars on them them, but oh well, still cuts thru the logs! 460 with Laser bar from last month. 460 with Oregon bar from same cutting.
I used to use Oregon all the time but since I bought a Stihl saw I've run nothing but Stihl and I like them. I think they may wear a lot better than the Oregon. The price you were quoted seems a bit high but I have not bought for a while now so not up to date on prices.
I too like the Stihl bars. They wear well & long & the lightweight bars are very durable. If you do a lot of limbing with the 026 I might suggest a 20" bar with .325 chain. The saw will pull it decently & you do much less bending over. Don't expect to bury the bar in 20" Oak & cut real fast though.
The last Oregon bar I bought was made out of some kind of cheese (thank you DSS for that analogy). I think I got maybe 15 cord on it when it was trash, I have several Stihl bars that have hundreds of cords on them and they are still in decent shape. I bought a Forester green bar for my 026 that has at least a hundred cord on it and I just dressed the rails the first time the other day.
I run only Stihl bars and chains cause I'm cheap and want something that lasts. The 026 will run an 18"/.325 no problem. I think 20" is pushing it for that saw. Talk to you dealer and ask what deal he will give you on a bar and multiple chains. My dealer does buy 2 get 3rd free year round. My 18" chains are $24.49 so I get 3 chains for around $50.
In my not so learned opinion. In the realm of.325 chains I go with Stihl over husky/Oregon. I’ve just noticed a huge difference in quality and performance. Once you get to 3/8”s the gap narrows a bit more. Carlton makes a good chain too and relatively cheap. Can’t say I’ve worn out enough bars to give an opinion on them.
I had good luck too with Carlton. But nothing stays sharper longer than a stihl chain Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Stihl makes good bars but the newer Oregon Versacut are good bars. I run a lot of Tsumura bars as well. Unless your doing a boatload or cutting they will all stand up. Oregon, Stihl, Cannon, Tsumura, laser, etc. keep a good sharp chain on it and make sure the saw is piling good and you should be set.
Lots of choices. I liked Stihl bars when I ran Stihl saws, but my Dolmars have Oregon bars on them. Not a pro, so unlikely to put something like a Cannon or a Sugihara bar on my saws. They are expensive. Used to really like the orange GB Titanium bars from Australia but it has been very hard to find them, not sure they are importing them to the US anymore.
