Is All Bar Oil the Same?

[Dave12]

They are not all the same....Some cost a lot more than the others.  :D

I would always buy whatever I could find on sale until recently I was at my local Stihl dealer (actual dealer, not tractor place) and grabbed a bottle of Stihl in the orange jug thinking I have expensive saws now I might as well use the "good" stuff.  The owners wife said...unless you are really set on that stuff the other stuff (off brand) is $5 cheaper per jug and it does the same thing.  So I still buy the cheap(er) stuff.  ;D

Dave

[Bandmill Bandit]

Add Diesel to summer bar oil at about a 3 to 1 ratio for winter use.

[Al_Smith]

I think for the most people who need so called winter oil live where it really gets cold .It hasn't done that in this area for years .If it gets down below zero I stay in the house and annoy people on the internet .Truth be known if it's below 20 I hibernate .So for my two cents worth the only difference in bar oil is the price .See no matter if it's the type of boots to wear it always comes back to oil .Then the Wesson oil crowd shows up and adds another two cents worth .Where are they at BTW  ??? 

[DHansen]

We all have our preferences.  My Husqvarna dealer is very competitively priced on bar oil.  I just buy it from him and appreciate he is there when I need help.  Gloves, gear and ropes.  Just better to build a relationship and help keep the dedicated dealers in business.   I do use winter grade bar oil during January and February.  I would say one has to decide for himself what bar oil he likes and is comfortable with.  All these Tractor Supply and Fleet Farm stores are not manufacturing their own product.  I'd say many are the same products wearing different labels.  

[biggkidd]

I never even knew their were summer and winter weight bar oils, learn something everyday. I've been buying the TSC brand for years but these last 3 gallons I got last fall are so thin they won't stay in my saws. So I probably won't buy any more of that. On below freezing days it pours like 10 weight oil on warm days. On warm days it pours almost like kerosene. 

I'll put about anything in there so long as there is some kind of oil on the chain. In the past I used used motor oil also.

[barbender]

The used motor oil is one I won't use, the stuff is just nasty. On the flip side though, a buddy  will sometimes run used motor oil in his Ponsse processor bar oiler, he said it lubes better than anything else. Just makes a mess though.

[TroyC]

I never even knew their were summer and winter weight bar oils, learn something everyday. I've been buying the TSC brand for years but these last 3 gallons I got last fall are so thin they won't stay in my saws. So I probably won't buy any more of that. On below freezing days it pours like 10 weight oil on warm days. On warm days it pours almost like kerosene.

I'll put about anything in there so long as there is some kind of oil on the chain. In the past I used used motor oil also.

Me too, never knew about winter bar oil. Maybe they should make a multi-viscosity type.
I bought a couple gallons of the TSC oil last year on sale. The stuff I got is thick (like syrup) even in the summer. Goes thru the saw so I guess it works.

[hedgerow]

Probably the last ten years or so I have been running bar and chain oil from Menards normally a couple times of the year it would be on sale for around four dollars a gallon. Never saw any sale in 2021. I run threw six or eight gallons a year. Probably have a dozen gallons left in the cabinet. I have never seen winter blend around hear. I have cut some with universal hyd oil if we were having a flow problem. I don't normally cut wood when it gets super cold. Winter is a time to work in the shop and enjoy the fruits of the wood cutting labor. 

[Real1shepherd]

The saw shop here had the Orange Stihl stuff and a private black label stuff for a few dollars less. I always used the black label without incident. Then the shop dropped the private label and only carry the orange and silver Stihl bar oil.

The black label stuff outsold the Stihl stuff about 5 to 1. No doubt the Stihl rep had something to do with the black label stuff disappearing, because it wasn't for product complaints. I used it in some really tough, summer conditions and it was fine.

Kevin

[TroyC]

Bought this one at Rural King a few weeks, on sale.




Opened it awhile ago. It's thin, really thin. Totally different than the TSC bar oil. Guess I'll use this winter, TSC summer.

After seeing this tremendous difference, I wonder why there are not some standards for bar oil like there are for 2 cycle, car, and diesel oil. I was not aware of the 2 cycle differences until I read the FF about it.

[barbender]

Iirc, typical summer bar oil is 30 weight and winter is 10 weight on the stuff sold around here. But you're right, it's not always listed and can end up being a surprise when you open the bottle😁 One of my favorites is hydraulic drain oil, personally. It's usually clean and lubes well.

[HemlockKing]

anyone use anything to thin the summer bar oil when the tempertature is below freezing?  I have some stihl winter oil but the summer oil I bought on sale is one third the price of stihl oil.

Canola oil

[HemlockKing]

The used motor oil is one I won't use, the stuff is just nasty. On the flip side though, a buddy  will sometimes run used motor oil in his Ponsse processor bar oiler, he said it lubes better than anything else. Just makes a mess though.

As long as it hasnt any sludge or clumps in it it works fine

[arojay]

One of my favorites is hydraulic drain oil, personally. It's usually clean and lubes well.

This is what I do and usually mix in some of the tacky stuff.  I used to work with a log builder who didn't like any red or black stuff.  Depends on what you are cutting this log for.  Nowadays mine mostly goes into woodstoves and boilers.  As long as my lube pump is happy...

[Jimpa]

I've always used the cheapest stuff I can find, sales at Tractor Supply have gone away so no longer see the $6 or $7 sales . Now discount bar oil seems to be $10 a gallon now.

[Real1shepherd]

Bought this one at Rural King a few weeks, on sale.




Opened it awhile ago. It's thin, really thin. Totally different than the TSC bar oil. Guess I'll use this winter, TSC summer.

After seeing this tremendous difference, I wonder why there are not some standards for bar oil like there are for 2 cycle, car, and diesel oil. I was not aware of the 2 cycle differences until I read the FF about it.

I was on a job once and stupidly ran out of bar oil....didn't check my stock beforehand. I had to drive back in town with the clock ticking. Found some bar oil @Ace Hardware. The stuff was like water and nearly function-less in the heat with big cc saws.

Kevin

[TroyC]

Kinda describes this stuff. Maybe not like water but not far from it. Almost like hydraulic fluid that I've seen mentioned here. Might do a 50/50 mix with the TSC stuff.

[Real1shepherd]

I should amend my comment to mean it was like water once it got heated up and flowed on to the bar. But even in the bottles, the viscosity was notably thinner than I had ever seen before. I'm not in the habit of opening up sealed bottles in a store to check.......why I usually stick with stuff I know works.

In this instance, there was no money to drive the extra miles(paying  a helper too) and get a better product. 


Kevin

[Saw Collector]

Amsoil semi synthetic bar & chain oil

Hello all. New guy here.
This is what I use because it flows well even in the cold.