Oregon EXL chain

[OBX Koastie]

First time poster. Used to always look at the other site but the drama queens have hijacked that one. My question is has anyone tried the new Oregon EXL chain. Comstocks is stocking it in reels and loops. Just wondering how it compares with the LGX it is replacing and the Stihl RS?

I am anything but a pro but my son climbs for a living and he takes down trees for members of our church and we (my buddy and I) cut up the wood, split it and then give it to people who can't afford wood to heat their houses. We cut about 60-70 cords a year (yes I know a cord is 128 cubic feet) and some of the stuff the tree companies give us (especially the logs full or concrete, barbed wire, nails, screw eyes, etc) is murder on chains so we are looking for a possible alternative to the Stihl RS.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Kim

 

[Philbert]

Welcome to this side!

Oregon has rebranded their lines, changed some graphics, made some technical changes, etc. I believe that the EXL will replace the LGX chain.

Aside from appearance, the main thing that you may notice would be a more aggressive out-of-the-box, factory grind. This, of course, only lasts until the first sharpening.

Concrete, nails, screws, and barbed wire will still eat it!

https://www.oregonproducts.com/powercut-70-series-EXL

"With a reshaped cutter and multi-axis grind technology for superior performance, sharpness and consistency, PowerCut EXL/EXJ saw chain is now the top option for professional woodcutters who use 3/8" pitch saws (replaces 72, 73, 75LGX and JPX). This low-vibration, full chisel cutter chain is engineered to utilize the power of today’s professional saws and reduce the force applied by the operator. Designed to maximize every cut, our proprietary cutter technology gives users a sharper, more durable cutting edge that provides increased cutting performance with less effort."

Philbert

 

[CR888]

It would be interesting to see a pic of it next to LGX for a visual comparison. For the tougher challenging things you cut a semi chisel like APX of DPX would be better. But no wood cutting chain is well prepared to hit concrete and barbed wire. You just want something that will do the least damage when you do hit it yet still performs well in cleaner wood. Carbide chain is an option but its $$ & slow. I'd run Stihl RM or Oregon DP not DPX with the safety ramps. Full chisel is not going to take a hit well.

 

[OBX Koastie]

Philbert,
Thanks for the speedy reply. I always enjoyed and learned from your responses to my novice questions over you know where. I was wondering if anyone has had a chance to use them and compare them with the Stihl RS chains that we currently use. Also curious whether these have the same 10 degree Oregon down angle on sharpening.

FYI, I did get a new Oregon grinder (for free from Oregon through Russo) and it was only off 1.5 ten-thousandths which I can live with. A ten times improvement!

 

[OBX Koastie]

It would be interesting to see a pic of it next to LGX for a visual comparison. For the tougher challenging things you cut a semi chisel like APX of DPX would be better. But no wood cutting chain is well prepared to hit concrete and barbed wire. You just want something that will do the least damage when you do hit it yet still performs well in cleaner wood. Carbide chain is an option but its $$ & slow. I'd run Stihl RM or Oregon DP not DPX with the safety ramps. Full chisel is not going to take a hit well.

Thanks for your response. We've tried the semi-chisel Stihl and Oregon and keep going back to the RS/LGX. We don't get that many logs anymore after we complained to the tree companies. They like to keep us happy because we take a lot of the hardwoods they can't get to the mills and ghey would have to pay to dump it.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Still looking for someone who has tried it.

 

[Deets066]

 

[Douglas Ostrander]

Subscribed!!!!! Is the EXL shorter? What are the grinder settings for the EXL. Is this a redesigned chain like the Stihl pico 1/4 to hand the less power of new saws.

Looks like there is no 10 degree tilt to the grind settings.

 

[Douglas Ostrander]

LGX on the left and EXL in the back. Cuts good! It is smooth and less stretch. But still stretches. Same cutter height. I did measure. LGX top plate is flatter were EXL is more rounded.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Note 8 camera

 

[166]

 

[Philbert]

LGX on the left and EXL in the back.

Top plate on EXL looks to be at a slightly steeper angle - maybe directs the leading corner / point more into the corner of the kerf?

Philbert

 

[Spike60]

@afleetcommand Walt and I did a comparison last Saturday between the EXL and the LGX. There's a video coming at some point, which will show cut times. Pretty much a statistical tie. Funny thing is that Walt got slightly better times with the LGX and I got slightly better times with the EXL. But it was essentially a dead heat. The test saw was a 372 with a 24" bar. One of the variables involved is that Walt had been working with a farmertec 660 and I was cutting with a 262XPG before we compared the chain. So, he's coming out of a 90cc saw and I'm coming out of a 60cc saw. Plus we're 2 different guys. Only going into this detail because on sites like this far too much weight is given to cut times. In the real world, it's more about production over the life of the chain. How it holds it's edge and how user friendly it is. It was definitely smoother, and we both noticed that right away. I'd say the smoothness was somewhere between the 3/8 and .325. Made a lot of cuts before it needed to be tightened. We were both impressed with it.

The real story with this chain is what @Philbert quoted above from Oregon regarding "Reduce the force applied by the operator". Oregon spent a lot of time engineering the "feed pressure" when designing this new chain. Feed pressure essentially has a minimum and a maximum, and between those two is the operating range or sweet spot of the chain. The minimum is how much pressure the chain needs to hook up perform the way it should, and the maximum is the amount of feed pressure you can apply without stalling the chain. The wider that feed pressure range is the more user friendly the chain is to work with; both for guys with a light touch or a heavy touch.

Away from the "cookie kitchen" out in the real world where guys are working with the chain rather than playing with it, I'm getting all positive feedback. I've given some samples to some of my pro guys and they are raving about it. Hearing things like "far superior", "excited", " really holds it's edge", and "Hope you got more of it cause I don't want to buy any more of the old chain." "Did 20 trees yesterday morning; felled, limbed and bucked. And it doesn't need to be sharpened" So, that's some of the feedback from the field that I'm seeing. Looks to be a winner IMO.

 

[Douglas Ostrander]

72EXL72 does self feed on its own better IMO. Plus I agree it stretches less and holds an edge longer in clean wood. It did seem to plug with chips because it surged with the amount of pressure needed to keep the spikes away from the log in fresh Ash. Longer bars might need skip or full skip chain.

PS the self feeding and smoothness did remind me of a good square ground chain. Not as good but close. With out of the box grind.

 

[Douglas Ostrander]

After hitting metal in some bur oak wood I tried grinding the EXL chain. This stuff is hard!!! Two different CBN wheels I kept burning the cutter. Even filed HARD. I had best results with a 4 inch diamond wheel. Normaly used for carbide chain. Worked great on this new chain. No burns on the cutter. 511ax and 620 grinders

 

[jakethesnake]

Hard like a stihl chain? Or like maybe a hard spot on the very tip of the cutter? What kinda price tag is on this stuff?? Same as lgx

 

[Philbert]

This stuff is hard!!! . . . I had best results with a 4 inch diamond wheel. Normaly used for carbide chain.

Steel chains are reported to damage diamond wheels by filling in the matrix between the grit. This is from the manufacturer:
"Proper Super Abrasive Wheel Selection - Diamond or CBN

1. Are you sharpening steel or carbide chains? Most chains are steel.
2. If you are sharpening steel, you want to select a CBN (Borazon) abrasive.
3. If you are sharpening carbide, you want to select a diamond abrasive.
4. Never use CBN on carbide chains or diamond on steel chains. They are incompatible.

Diamond Chainsaw Wheels for CARBIDE Insert Chains Do not use with High Speed Steel!"

Did you try a well dressed, conventional 'pink' AO wheel?


Philbert

 

[Spike60]

Spoke to another logger last night. Again very impressed with the chain. Likes the way it bore cuts, and every tree he does gets a bore cut. Really no feed back yet from these guys on sharpening experiences yet, but I'll post it as this thead continues. haven't even filed it myself yet; maybe later today.

@Douglas Ostrander-- Lot of Ostranders in this area. One of them is a logger, and he's also a Doug. His uncle Alfred opened a Jonsered dealership in this county back in 1972. It was all Jonsered here back in the 70's and 80's thanks to Al.

 

[Spike60]

What kinda price tag is on this stuff?? Same as lgx

Dealer cost is about a $1 more per loop, so pretty much the same pricing as LGX.

 

[Douglas Ostrander]

[QUOTE="@Douglas Ostrander-- Lot of Ostranders in this area. One of them is a logger, and he's also a Doug. His uncle Alfred opened a Jonsered dealership in this county back in 1972. It was all Jonsered here back in the 70's and 80's thanks to Al.[/QUOTE]


Wow that is weird. My Grandfather who was gone before me was Alfred. But I am in Iowa.

 

[Douglas Ostrander]

Steel chains are reported to damage diamond wheels by filling in the matrix between the grit. This is from the manufacturer:
"Proper Super Abrasive Wheel Selection - Diamond or CBN

1. Are you sharpening steel or carbide chains? Most chains are steel.
2. If you are sharpening steel, you want to select a CBN (Borazon) abrasive.
3. If you are sharpening carbide, you want to select a diamond abrasive.
4. Never use CBN on carbide chains or diamond on steel chains. They are incompatible.

Diamond Chainsaw Wheels for CARBIDE Insert Chains Do not use with High Speed Steel!"

Did you try a well dressed, conventional 'pink' AO wheel?


Philbert

I sharpen steel and carbide saw chains. Carbide chain is good for digging and cutting roots for planting new trees. Or making a flower pot out of a stump. I tried multiple CBN wheels and grinders on the new chain and with the smallest taps on the chain it was getting warmer than I would like. I have an extra diamond coated wheel so I gave it a try and liked the results. It may not last but did give me the results I wanted.

I have not use a pink OEM wheel in years. I have them but they are still in the box from my third grinder.

Doug

 

[Khntr85]

It’s funny how just a few changes here and there can totally change a Chains performance....I think this is why “some” guys have so many problems using grinders.....

For example even with all the angles on the grinder set the same, you can get a great cutting chain or a non-cutting chain just by grinding to shallow, or grinding to deep....just 1/4 of an inch on the depth adjustment can make it break the chains cutting ability....

You can learn a lot just by taking an upclose look at the individual cutters.....good info guys!!!