Tony wrote:

Pete C. wrote:
Steve B wrote:
Two words: Stihl Husqvarna

One word: Shindaiwa
(not low end, rather top quality and will last a lifetime.)

A few more words: Oregon Micro-Chisel "pro" non-anti-kickback chains.
(not consumer "safety" chains, these actually cut faster than a hand bow
saw.)


I have a Shindaiwa 488 w/ 18" bar loaded with Oregon Micro-Chisel chain.
It handles beautifully and I've even cut a couple rocks in half with it
(embedded in a tree I cut down) without damage. The rocks did dull that
chain, but it was able to be resharpened good as new.

I purchased that type of chain for my old crapsman. Only place I found
it was at a flea market. This guy had that chain for most saws. If he
didn't have one made he would make them up for you as you wait. Without
a doubt it cut better. It cut wood chips, the standard anti kickback
chain blew sawdust. I could never see the safety chain making a
difference for kickbacks, but I suppose if your slip and cut your leg
the cut would be a fraction of what it would be with the good chain. I
prefer to use the non-safety chain carefully instead of being reckless
with the safety chain.

When I first got the saw I did a test on a 12" or so tree with both a
"safety" chain and the "real" chain and found it was around a 3X
difference. You are exactly right about the sawdust from the "safety"
chain, while the "real" chain was spewing inch long cuttings at
phenomenal speed.

As for kickback, I've had that saw for about a decade now and it has
seen quite a bit of use all with the "real" chains and I've yet to have
a kickback incident. I also always work offset from the plane of the saw
bar, so if there were a kickback the bar trajectory would be past me,
not at me.