Selecting a Stihl chainsaw chain is made challenging by the sheer number chains you have to choose from: at least 19 types, 11 pitch–gauge combinations and more than 20 lengths are currently available. The model names are also heavy in Stihl-specific jargon like Rapid, Picco, Super and PMM3. This article explains the Stihl chain models, […]
The received wisdom holds that Stihl makes more powerful and cheaper chainsaws than Husqvarna, and that Stihl saws are more consumer-oriented and Huskies more professional. Always preferring hard numbers, I decided to do a bit of research on this, and found that these are not really true. In this article, we’ll take a look at […]
Ever heard of gasoline that does not smell? There is indeed such a thing: Aspen alkylate gasoline. Having been available in Europe for decades, Aspen launched their alkylate fuels in US just end of 2020. In this article, we’ll take a quick look at Aspen gasoline. In summary, Aspen alkylate gasoline is exceptionally refined gasoline […]
Bar oil is one of the two oils your chainsaw needs to work (2-cycle engine oil is the other). Bar oils have a simple task and yet they are commonly not very well understood. What kind of oil is bar oil really? What is its viscosity or SAE grade? Do you have to use a […]
In a previous article we explored alternatives for commercial bar oil products for lubricating the chainsaw guide bar and chain. One of them was engine oil: it’s commonly available, and though not cheap, it has excellent lubrication properties. But what kind of engine oils work as bar oil? Is a specific SAE grade (weight) needed […]
In a previous post, we discussed alternatives to bar oil. Vegetable oils were clearly the low-cost champion. But how to choose a vegetable oil for guide bar lubrication? Which of them work the best and why? And which you should not use? In this article, I rank the common vegetable oils for use as bar […]
Have you ever wondered if you really need to use purpose-made “Bar Oil” from Stihl or Husqvarna in your chainsaw oiler? Couldn’t more common (and potentially cheaper) oils be used as bar oil instead? Whether you want to save money or just avoid an extra trip to the local home center, these are reasonable questions. […]
Husqvarna has recently announced that they will be launching two new chainsaw models in 2022, both in the 90cc professional logging size range. Some specs and even short reviews: the 585 and 592 XP are already out, but we are still waiting to understand what they’ll bring. Where do the Husqvarna 585 and 592 XP […]
Like all mechanical components, your chainsaw guide bar wears in use. But unlike chain wear which is very obvious in the chain getting dull, bar wear is slower and less obvious. But when serious enough, bar wear will start giving you a lot of trouble: the bar throws the chain, cuts crooked, saw feels under-powered, […]
For more than three decades, Husqvarna has added the letters “XP” to the end of the model names of some of their more professional chainsaws: 3120 XP, 572 XP, 266 XP, and so on. If you have studied the Husqvarna saw lineup, you may have wondered what this XP really means. A quick search reveals […]
