Cheap & Cheesy Amazon Chainsaw Bars & Chains 💀💩 or 😃👍🏻???

[TurtleWoods72]

In a fit of impulsive indulgence, I bought a cheap and cheerful 14” 3/8” 0.050 1.3mm bar and FOUR yes FOUR whole chains, for the pocket friendly price of £23.00!
 

I wouldn’t normally have thought of amazon for such ancillaries, but in another thread where a hapless chap had an old knackered chain and bar, a helpful Arbtalk member pointed these out to him and claimed they were good quality and lasted well or words to that effect.

 

Now that I have them, and have fitted the bar and one of the chains to my new (as of yet unused) Makita EA3500S, I’m starting to double guess myself.

 

The bar itself seems very hefty, so much so that despite being 2” shorter than the OE Makita bar, it’s considerably heavier, making the balance of the saw more nose heavy. The chains themselves are pretty normal looking, but came in a little bag with a small sticker on denoting the size using that all too familiar ‘Chinese’ font, that you see on all their products. 
 

I will try to upload some photos tomorrow when I’ve got good daylight, but wondered what you guys thought about the safety of these sort of ‘bargains’? 🥺

 

I can’t send them back as I ripped the box but I’d rather lose 23 quid than an arm, eye or testicle. 😵‍💫

 

Heres the link with lots of glowing reports, mostly from home gamers like myself.. 🤭

 

4-Pack Chainsaw Chains with 14-Inch (35 cm) Chainsaw Guide Bar, 14" Guide Bar, Replacement Chain Saw Chains - 3/8" Pitch - 52 Driver Links - 0.050"(1.3mm) Gauge : Amazon.co.uk: Garden

WWW.AMAZON.CO.UK

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4-Pack Chainsaw Chains with 14-Inch (35 cm) Chainsaw Guide Bar, 14" Guide Bar, Replacement Chain Saw Chains - 3/8" Pitch - 52 Driver Links - 0.050"(1.3mm) Gauge : Amazon.co.uk:...

 

 

Edited Saturday at 17:56 by TurtleWoods72

[TurtleWoods72]

Just to add, the profile on the nose sprocket end is way ‘beefier’ and more rounded than the little Makita bar, which I assumed might offer less restrictive movement? (I have no idea) I suppose the end sprocket efficiencies will determine that? 

[Stubby]

1 hour ago, TurtleWoods72 said:

Just to add, the profile on the nose sprocket end is way ‘beefier’ and more rounded than the little Makita bar, which I assumed might offer less restrictive movement? (I have no idea) I suppose the end sprocket efficiencies will determine that? 

That just means the " kick back " quadrants larger . All you can do is try them . I would not have myself but am in no position to comment because of that .  

[kram]

I didnt say great quality, they are basic semi chisel chains and the bar is identical size/shape/weight to my Stihl one. There is another 50DL listing and I have given them considerable abuse with my 20T, cutting low stumps and dirt - all the stuff I wouldnt cut with an expensive chain.

 

I have 4 or 5 of these bar/chain sets, plus a load of other cheap import chains. So far they all worked well, no problems.

 

Be aware that if the bar radius is larger than the Makita original, the chance and severity of kickback will be increased. The answer to that is, generally you shouldnt allow the upper quater of the bar nose to be cutting - that is the dangerous bit.

 

My current favorite is not quite so cheap but full chisel chains. This lot cost me 122 quid. I shall save the cheapy chains for dirt cutting and stumps.

Edited Saturday at 19:08 by kram

[TurtleWoods72]

Soooo, I should put the OE bar and chain back on and keep the new purchase for a rainy day?

 

 

[TurtleWoods72]

4 hours ago, Stubby said:

That just means the " kick back " quadrants larger . All you can do is try them . I would not have myself but am in no position to comment because of that .  

Thanks you once again Stubby, you always save me a mishap with your wisdom and quick replies. 🙂

[Stubby]

6 hours ago, TurtleWoods72 said:

Thanks you once again Stubby, you always save me a mishap with your wisdom and quick replies. 🙂

Oh you! 😍

[Fatboy2017]

Firstly, good choice on your 3500! I have a couple and find them a good saw which punches above it's weight. They are built very well and include many features from pro saws. They always start well and even when fitted with the easy start system which, once you get it into your head of how it functions, have had no problems with the 3500's. Only criticism is they weigh slightly more than they should but this is because of the build quality and this is outweighed by the performance.

My saws came with the small radius bars as yours and had a few issues of freezing tips due to debris in the outer sprocket and a number of chains derailing, which is something I ever generally have a problem with. I tried different chains but this problem persisted. Whilst hedging, pruning and pollarding this was a daily occurrence. After reading about others having the same problem ( on this forum) I tried the larger radius bars and this immediately solved the problems. I did not find any increased feeling of any more inclination towards kickback, I actually felt the saw was more controllable, if that makes sense. In my opinion try the larger radius bar and draw your own conclusion, it would be interesting to get another opinion as always.

[Fatboy2017]

The other thing to note is that the 3500 really benefit from a CAT removal and a retune, only a very slight increase in noise but an improvement in performance and a lot less heat

[TurtleWoods72]

17 hours ago, kram said:

I didnt say great quality, they are basic semi chisel chains and the bar is identical size/shape/weight to my Stihl one. There is another 50DL listing and I have given them considerable abuse with my 20T, cutting low stumps and dirt - all the stuff I wouldnt cut with an expensive chain.

 

I have 4 or 5 of these bar/chain sets, plus a load of other cheap import chains. So far they all worked well, no problems.

 

Be aware that if the bar radius is larger than the Makita original, the chance and severity of kickback will be increased. The answer to that is, generally you shouldnt allow the upper quater of the bar nose to be cutting - that is the dangerous bit.

 

My current favorite is not quite so cheap but full chisel chains. This lot cost me 122 quid. I shall save the cheapy chains for dirt cutting and stumps.

Sorry if i misquoted you, I couldn’t find the thread where I’d read about the kit so had to ad lib from memory. I think I’ll do as you have and save the bar and chains for a ‘beater set’ and stick to the OE bar and chain for now. I think they’d fit the electric chainsaw I gave my dad, so I might give them to him as spares.