What ever brand of saw you look at has their name on a can of oil , whether it be Stihil, Husqvarna, Shindiawa,or ECT.
Is one brand better or are they all the same?
I stay away from name brands....too expensive. I know some are using canola oil :)
What type of oil are you talking about? Two cycle mix or bar lube?
2~
On two cycle oils I believe the synthetics offer much greater lubrication qualities with less carbon buildup than the dino oils. As far as the mix oils with saw manufacturer's names on the labels, most of the standard mixes are mediocre but not great. The Echo basic mix is semi-synthetic and is actually quite good, the Stihl and Husky basic mix oils are not as good. The Stihl and Husky synthetic mixes are both very good.
I ran Echo oil for many years with no issues. Had some issues with Stihl orange bottle oil, then used Stihl synthetic (white bottle) for a couple years. A few months ago my dealer was dragging his feet getting me another gallon of Stihl synthetic oil so I ended up buying a gallon of Amsoil synthetic. It's ok but I don't like the smell, will go back to Stihl synthetic once this is gone.
Klotz is another smelly one . Darned good oil but it smells like a bucket of burnt butt holes .
Quote from: Al_Smith on June 27, 2010, 07:15:13 AM
Klotz is another smelly one . Darned good oil but it smells like a bucket of burnt butt holes .
Makes me wonnder how do you know what a bucket of burnt butt holes smells like? :D
Madsen's has high praise for the Stihl synthetic. I trust their judgement.
You have to watch which Koltz you use and which 2 stroke in general. With ethanol in gas now days, some of the synthetics and dino's DO NOT mix with the alcohol even at % of 10%. So guess what happens. Therefore I buy only oils that say they will mix with ethanol or methanol alcohols to be on the safe side. Just pic 10%-20% alcohol setting there unmixed in your fuel going through your saw.
I have talked to some techs on the phone to confirm this ;). If your bottle dont say it is compatible with ethanol or methanol alcohols you are at risk.
I have run Husky XP High Performance synthetic exclusively at 50:1 with no problems in any of my saws, even those which were built when 25:1 was the recommended ratio. After reading Madsen's praise for Stihl HP Ultra synthetic I tried some and think my saws actually run better, so that's what I'm migrating to after my Husky XP supply is gone.
I just buy those little bottles of pre measured mix oil. Stihl or whatever TSC sells . Both work just fine at least I've never burnt a saw engine up ---so far .
Bar oil is another story .I must have 15 gallons or more .Free so I can't really complain .It comes from a secondary packager .If they get a leaker ,they allow the employees to just take the whole case . Connections ;)
While on that subject ,my splitter has 7 gallons of auto tranny fluid in it for the same low price :D
I've been using the woodland pro stuff from baileys...I bought a 25-pack of the pre-measured bottles a year or two ago....Even as much as I use chainsaws and other 2-strokers...I haven't made a very big dent in it yet!
Stihl Ultra (full synthetic) for me too. I switched to it from Stihl dino oil some time ago. Great stuff...
Gary
I use Stihl's black bottle (can't drink). Ultra (can drink) :P now how good can that stuff be for a metal saw :D
Huh,surely you jest . If you drank mix oil you wouldn't get off the toilet for a week .That stuff would lube you up and clean you out like a white tornado .