I am looking for a roll of .325 chain and am considering Forester brand but I don't know anything about them. They are supposedly USA made (by whom?)
Anyone tried this brand of chain and have opinions on it?
Thanks.
Never tried forester chain have a 42 forester bar that has held up well. So if the chain quality is as good as their bars it should be ok. If you get it please report back and let us know.
Have time on their bars and some of their chain. Those "Red" pro bars are a little heavy for what they are but seem to both work well and wear well. I think they are a deal for the money. They are used on my projects saws and My "Huztl" saw in particular. I have used them on my 268/272 project saws over the years as well. So I guess my money speaks as I keep buying them! My brother in law has two 268's with those Red bars and clear cut 15 acres, they still are good if that means anything.
I tried their 3/8 semi chisel chain & the 3/8 full chisel chain. I was much happier with the full chisel vs. the semi. Neither cuts as well as Oregon LGX in the "Hard Maple" wood I typically cut thought. A couple of test cuts in those video's I did with that Huztl with the semi chisel on the first cutting video & 72LGX (Oregon full chisel) in subsequent vids give a quantitative idea of the difference.
I wouldn't be afraid of using their 3/8 full chisel as it seemed to cut pretty well for the money, assuming it wears well (Time will tell as I only have a couple of months on it) therefore seems to be a good deal at almost two thirds the cost of Oregon. I used it on the Jonsered Project saws after being disappointed with the Semi Chisel chain, some recommend that Semi Chisel in dirty or frozen wood.
I happen to be a fan of Stihl chain and want to try their bars as well at some point as an alternative to Sugihara's.. (Waiting for the lightning to strike now.... ;D ::) ) Would just have to paint them! :embarassed:
We sell Forester products in the wife's store and I have used both .325 and 3/8 chisel and semi-chisel. The full chisel tends to be a little aggressive (grabby) right out of the box, the height of the depth gauges varies quite a bit on both sizes, the semi not so much. We had some customers who had problems with breakage but Forester made good on those chains. We are now selling the unbranded Carlton chain from them and haven't had any problems. I am running Oregon LG on my 372 landing saw and Carlton on the 272 and 670 and they are about the same performance wise. The Oregon may stay sharp a little longer. We are running Forester 5 rivet bars on all 6 saws we use and have been for about 3 years. The only problem is with blowing a tip occasionally, usually after getting pinched. For the price I think the bars are a great deal, a 20" bar is over $20 cheaper than an Oregon and seem to last as long.
No experience with the chain but bar seems to be ok I got a deal on it from my saw shop used strictly for my grubbing saw 394xp so I make no effort to be careful with it but I keep it dressed so far so good
I have used a few of their bars and chains and haven't had any problems with them.
I'm almost ready to order a roll of the Forester chain but I really don't want to make this long of a mistake. (100' worth).
Save yourself a headache and go with Oregon 20lpx, especially if your in hard wood.
http://www.oregonproducts.com/pro/products/chain/20_21_22LPSuper20.htm
If you look around you can find it fairly reasonable.
I have used the Forester "full chisel" and .325 version chains for a number of years successfully. I believe the ones from Carlton that they sell are better. For the price the performance is great and I wouldn't worry on the quality.
Quote from: sharkey on March 24, 2014, 03:47:13 AM
Save yourself a headache and go with Oregon 20lpx, especially if your in hard wood.
http://www.oregonproducts.com/pro/products/chain/20_21_22LPSuper20.htm
If you look around you can find it fairly reasonable.
I don't like the extra drag links on the Oregon. I looked at the 22lpx (I need .063 gauge). I want just a single depth gauge. The Carlton chain is fine but I can't find a decent price on it. (not one I'm willing to pay) Thus I was wondering about the Forester as the profile is similar and it's about $100 less per roll than the Carlton. the roll I just finished was Laser 13.
Pulled the trigger on 100' of the Forester semi-chisel. We'll see how it works out. $236.55 for 23sc100.
Got the chain today. Very generic looking with almost no data anywhere. Everything plain white boxes...
I like the looks of it but haven't spun any up yet. I'll give a report when I get some use on it.
How did it cut deerslayer? I'm chainshopping myself.
Quote from: deerslayer on March 20, 2014, 10:04:02 PM
I am looking for a roll of .325 chain and am considering Forester brand but I don't know anything about them. They are supposedly USA made (by whom?)
Anyone tried this brand of chain and have opinions on it?
Thanks.
Likely low quality China made stuff, like other Forester brand products. My take on it is to stay well clear of it!
The unbranded Carlton chain is sold as "Made in USA."