Oregon "PowerCut" chain

[Ed]

Anyone tried it?

My dealer gave me a demo loop today, 72EXL072. Looks like good stuff, has a coating on the teeth, inpressive chassis as well.
He said it's the fastest cutting chain he's ever used, very resistant to dirt as well.

I'll put it on the 2171 and give it a workout this weekend.

Ed

[HolmenTree]

Post some pics too Ed.
It looks competitive in similar design to Husqvarna's new X Cut chain.
I haven't tried either  yet.

[Ed]

first is the new Powercut, Rapid Super and 72lgx in the back.



 

Powercut



 

Ed

[HolmenTree]

Nice looking chain.

[ButchC]

Every time Oregon improves #72 it looks more like Stihl RS  ;D

Is Husqvarna actually producing their own chain now?  I have not paid much attention to them as they had been selling rebadged Oregon for more money.  Web site says they are but so did it when they were selling Oregon with their name on it.

[HolmenTree]

Every time Oregon improves #72 it looks more like Stihl RS  ;D

Is Husqvarna actually producing their own chain now?  I have not paid much attention to them as they had been selling rebadged Oregon for more money.  Web site says they are but so did it when they were selling Oregon with their name on it.

Actually Butch the Oregon 72LG introduced in 1982 was copied by Stihl to make the 33RS design what it is today.

Yes Husqvarna has their own Scandinavian  chain plant now.  Only chain I know of available here in North America is a .325 semi chisel they recently introduced here.

[ehp]

the new Oregon chain is to be a lot more accurate on how it is made compared to the LGX chain. the LGX chain gets its measurements based off the racker, the new chain is based off the rivot holes. LGX chain is off sometimes quite abit from  length of the cutter from side to side and the side plate angle

[Woodcutter_Mo]

 How is that PowerCut chain for sharpening with the file? I am running an Oregon "speedcut" 95txl chain on my 024 and 2 of the 3 chains I currently have for it, about half the cutters are too hard to scratch with a file. I'm going to bring them in to grind them, hopefully the cutters will cooperate with a file after I do that. 

[Ed]

No news on how the chain cuts, sorry.

With 10"+ of snow over the weekend, my time was spent in the plow truck.

Have some logs that I can get to, try to start cutting them up this week.

Ed

[nativewolf]

No news on how the chain cuts, sorry.

With 10"+ of snow over the weekend, my time was spent in the plow truck.

Have some logs that I can get to, try to start cutting them up this week.

Ed

You could at least saw some snow for us.

[Ed]

Made it to the log pile today.....13 logs, dead Ash & a couple dead Elm, guessing just over 3 face cord when split.

Wow.

This chain is impressive, I previously had a new 72lgx chain on, this blows it away. Pulls itself through the cut very well, nice & smooth in the cut. Still looks new.

Only tightened the chain after the first log, stretch, so far is minimal.

The logs were clean, can't say how it holds up to dirt.

Guess I'll go pay for it, pleased so far.

Ed

[OH logger]

the 4 I ordered from stahls just came in the mail. right as the ground is thawing    go figure

[Ed]

Let us know how you like them.....

I'll be trying this chain on different saws, it should kick butt and take names on my dual port 046, also curious to see what it does on the slower, smaller 032.

Now I need to get my 066 rebuilt, this will get me motovated.

Ed

[nativewolf]

Guess I will order  pair for the stihl ms362cm and see how they do, I'm not much of a cutter myself so I tend to be hell on chain.  My logger/cutter however, he's a demon with a saw.  We'll let him run it on his husky 372.  

[Spike60]

This new chain is being very well received by my customers. Even winning over a few Stihl chain users, and that wasn't happening with the LGX. Feedback is great out of the box sharpness, excellent edge holding with minimal stretching. Files nice too. Oregon spent a lot of time working on the "feed pressure" and this chain has a wide, easy to find sweet spot. They use a CBN wheel to fashion the cutter. (cubic boron nitride) So, there's a lot of stuff going on with this new chain.

Husky 3/8 chain will not be out until summer. For some reason they are holding it til they can release it at the same time as the 572. Don't understand that thinking myself. Lot of guys will be locked into the new EXL by the time the Husky chain shows up. Got a feeling pricing will be an issue as well. The EXL only went up about a $1 my cost. From what they've done with the .325 Xcut that is already out, I'd expect to see the 3/8 stuff be $5-$8 a loop more. It will have to be a superior chain if it's priced like that.

LGX is supposed to go away at some point down the road in the Oregon label, but should continue as private label chain for Husky, Echo, and whoever.

[ButchC]

Checked out the 3/8 050 inventory last night and its time to stock up. So I guess I will order up a reel and put it to the wood. Gotta tell ya it will be a  tough road for the newcomer, I like my Stihl RS and RSK chain a lot.

[Woodcutter_Mo]

 I could use another couple chains for the 455 and 372, I think I may order some to try out. I'm anxious to try out the Husky c85 chain also once it is released in the USA as well. 

[nativewolf]

This new chain is being very well received by my customers. Even winning over a few Stihl chain users, and that wasn't happening with the LGX. Feedback is great out of the box sharpness, excellent edge holding with minimal stretching. Files nice too. Oregon spent a lot of time working on the "feed pressure" and this chain has a wide, easy to find sweet spot. They use a CBN wheel to fashion the cutter. (cubic boron nitride) So, there's a lot of stuff going on with this new chain.

Husky 3/8 chain will not be out until summer. For some reason they are holding it til they can release it at the same time as the 572. Don't understand that thinking myself. Lot of guys will be locked into the new EXL by the time the Husky chain shows up. Got a feeling pricing will be an issue as well. The EXL only went up about a $1 my cost. From what they've done with the .325 Xcut that is already out, I'd expect to see the 3/8 stuff be $5-$8 a loop more. It will have to be a superior chain if it's priced like that.

LGX is supposed to go away at some point down the road in the Oregon label, but should continue as private label chain for Husky, Echo, and whoever.

Thanks to all for the input.  I've ordered 2 chains and we'll test out with our cutter and myself (great vs idiot with a saw) and give some feedback.  

[Ed]

Ran into a friend yesterday, he bought a loop for his MS362, loves it.....not sure if he'll bother to use up his other chains.

Ed

[weimedog]

With the LGX and RS chain being as good as they are, the EXL has a tough act to follow. Going back to back with fresh chains & cutting cookies, its tough to see a huge difference from one to the next...a good design is STILL a good design after all these years! So at the most basic level if LGX is phased out, the EXL certainly picks up where the LGX left off from that initial "feel" perspective. If there is a difference, its not large. But I think that misses the point so haven't even tried to focus on that at our place. I have a few loops and sent some out with a couple of customers who live in the Hardwood for work.

Those little oil grooves designed to bring chain oil to the bearings between links must do something, as the chainsaw don't seem to wear or "stretch" as fast. That's consistent feed back.

Also they seem to file back to sharp as well as the older stuff. A net zero there.

Bottom line for me to this point is the EXL is a worthy replacement, but haven't seen a revolutionary performance jump with the chains as they come out of the box for the first 15 minutes or so. They do seem to, at least in one area, wear better. I suppose you can rationalize less times having to stop and adjust a chain means more productivity. And over the next few months, as they get used side by side with the RS typically used by that person, more things may come out. But the initial reaction has been universally positive.

One change in the Oregon product line I'm pretty stoked about is the "medium/land owner" (Not pro level) use VersaCut bars. Love them. As light as the Sugi's but half the price. Sure they don't have replaceable sprocket tips, and are a laminate design; but haven;t yet "exploded' when I've bore cut with mine. For the typical farmer/landowner that are a quantum leap over the other options at that price point in my most humble opinion. For me light bars are more important even than light power heads because of where they have their center of mass...out front..JUST an opinion BTW. Coupled with the smooth cutting EXL chain, its even a better deal for me than the excellent LGX/Powermatch combinations of yor...

Have to say one thing that will get me in hot water. Around here nothing is better than the Pro Level Stihl bars with their really rugged sprocket tips (The one s that have 6 rivits).. many adapt them to the Husqvarna's and even look past the weight because they ARE available, they last, and every one now has gone to the "training" and now bore cuts....everything. (From the side). Not certain I get that but its the rule not the exception in this part of the world.

[HolmenTree]

I'm curious, has anyone measured the DL thickness between the cutters on a .050 or .058 EXL chain?
Just wondering if Oregon went to .063 like Stihl 33RS has had since eternity. If so might explain lower stretch capabilities. Of course pre stretching would also have to fit into the equation.

I had to take a look at those "little grooves" in the EXL drive link. Looks to me more like a marketing ploy  then an actual working design.
I remember field testing the 72LG in 1980/81 was informed how the LubriLink side strap design with the indents on the corners drawing oil into the interior channel actually collected as much oil as the Stihl Oil O Matic design.

But it's interesting to see Husqvarna's new X Cut C85 chain has copied the Stihl Oil O Matic drive link groove......
Invented way back in 1970

[Spike60]

Before long, we'll be thanking them for inventing the electric light and discovering penicillin. :laugh:

[HolmenTree]

Before long, we'll be thanking them for inventing the electric light and discovering penicillin. :laugh:

Yes I agree Bob we do need trail blazers :laugh:

[weimedog]

Is "Pre stretch" where laundry & boots intersects the saw world? Do all innovations come from central Europe? Oregon has been an innovator in this industry for decades, but I guess its a good thing to obsess on a saw brand vs. something like well...something not constructive..  One thing we all have to get our collective heads around...from time to time... and again after the last few weeks here, the saw world & saw design doesn't revolve around a single brand or a single person on an obscure website. And when we see "obsession" there really is no harm in that, just we have to adjust our evaluation metrics to compensate when processing an opinion.  Its a big world out there and there are lot of smart, knowledgeable, and creative folks that do just fine without the connection to one particular brand or another.  In this case, it seems like the focus of Oregon & Husqvarna is on each other vs. Stihl. But back to the subject. The initial reactions to the New Oregon EXL Stretching is really the result of the initial wear on all the bearing surfaces from the link to bar wear surfaces to the link connection & bearing points. In some cases fast initial "stretching" is the result of the manufacturing processes final finish on all the bearing surfaces involved, including the bar & sprockets. Possibly a more accurate manufacturing process & better finish can minimize that "initial" stretching or wear?  Which is what Oregon is saying has happened in their case. Of course lubrication along with material characteristics will have an effect on wear over time.  Those grooves are there for a reason. Funny thing is they are there on the Husqvarna chains as well....similar design parameters?

[HolmenTree]

Bob junior, alot of good questions you presented there. Actually written short enough this time and to the point.
So as I asked earlier is .063 standard now on the DL upper half with the EXL chain ?