Chainsaw Chaps

[Sawyerfortyish]

Is there differant grades of chaps? I just bought a new pair from stihl. My old ones were orange these are black and about half the trickness of my orange ones. Maybe like everything else they made it smaller and lighter to do the same job . But will it?

[Ianab]

Yes.. Stihl has started making 'homeowner' grade chaps. They are cheaper, and I guess they comply with the minimum standards for chaps, but they dont seem to have as much 'stuffing' and I'm not sure about the thickness / toughness of the outer.

I guess they are still 100 times better than no chaps, but I reckon pay the extra and get the real deal.

Cheers

Ian

[Sawyerfortyish]

These were 54.00. That about what a good pair should cost today. How can I tell if I got the homeowners type?.

[Kevin]

There are ratings such as Kevlar 3600 and 4100 etc. depending on the protection and material used.
If you are unsure of the specific rating on the product contact the dealer or manufacturer.

http://www.gransfors.us/SwedePro.pdf

WCB

[Striker]

I buy Husky pro wrap chaps. They have and will stop a 066 at full throttle.When you go to buy chaps , consider how it would be to get around on a wooden leg. Then ask your self if the cheap ones are for you.

Jeff

[Joseph]

I buy Husky pro wrap chaps. They have and will stop a 066 at full throttle.When you go to buy chaps , consider how it would be to get around on a wooden leg. Then ask your self if the cheap ones are for you.

Jeff

Jeff,

     How many layers are the "Husky pro wrap chaps"?

Joseph

[tmullen]

 Saw chaps for profesional use should have at least two layers of Kevlar. Consider the length of your bar and chain, with the home owner chaps there may not be enuff Kevlar to reach the sproket before the injury is inflicted.

As for me I use the forest service firefighter model that are available to the public through the supplycache.com  I use these at work and have yet to see a leg injury in 12 years of working fire, so i found a way to get them for my personal use. Plus the outer shell on these is made of a heavier material that hold up better to heavy use.

just my two cents

[sawguy21]

They are rated by the chainspeed they are designed to resist. The low priced Stihl chaps are rated at 2600 fpm which is o.k. for the homeowner but not enough for WCB coverage here. They require minimum 3000 fpm. Some jurisdictions require 3900 fpm but those chaps are expensive and uncomfortably heavy.

[Frickman]

I've seen the black chaps. I don't think they have the same number of layers as the orange pro models. Cost and weight are big things to casual, weekend cutters so yes, they are better than nothing.

The Stihl pro chaps are available in six and nine layer models. Some are straight and some have the wraparound on the bottom. The nine layer chaps with wraparound do cost more, and are heavier, but I don't think I'd look good with that wooden leg.  :(

I've never owned kevlar chaps, all I've ever used have been nylon/polyester. They do work, I know this firsthand. They are also machine washable, which is nice. Remember, if you machine wash your chaps, or get them thoroughly soaked somehow, you must dry them in a tumble dryer. Do Not line-dry them. The filler material that stops the chain must be fluffed up to do it's job, and line drying after machine washing won't do it.

[timberjack240]

i got a pair of labonville chaps i think they cost like 60 bucks or so . i popped a hole in em cause i bumped agianst the chain when it was still movin  >:( but anyway they are kinda heavy but there not to bad. towards the end of a hot summer day they seem to get much heavier   ;D

[Striker]

The Husky chaps are 5,6,or nine layers. Some of the protevtive fibers are kevlar, some are malimot. I never heard of malimot.

Jeff