Stihl new bar design

[ferris]

Stihl completely changed the bar design and the name’s. What are ur thoughts about that?

 

[Loony661]

Stihl completely changed the bar design and the name’s. What are ur thoughts about that?

Interesting.. It’s all about marketing, I’m sure. Calling them Light vs Strong is a lot easier to the general consumer as compared to ES and all that other jargon they had.

 

[gmrahn]

Gd Mrn this is my first post..glad to be here! I just bought 2 ES Lt. bars for my new 462. I suppose due to my history (Fab. & Tool&Die) and just working forever I’m interested in the specific differences..unfindable in print and the dealers are not particularly technically knowledgeable. I like Stihl but sometimes I think they need a do better talk about several things…Thank you for the thread..

 

[hacskaroly]

Stihl completely changed the bar design and the name’s. What are ur thoughts about that?

The bars with the graphics on them are made in the US. Stihl opened up a bar manufacturing building on the east coast and all of the bars produce there have the graphics on them. One thing that messes up a lot of people are the .325 bars with the logo are all .050 gauge (most of the older ones are .063). All of the new saws we had coming through work had these new bars and when people came in looking for chain, if they didn't know for sure what they had, it became a guessing game due to how long ago they bought it.

While the new bars may be a little lighter, I don't see the necessity/difference especially on the shorter bars. A 25", 28" or 32" light bar makes sense to me, but not the shorter ones

 

[dougie]

Did they change them physically of just the branding design? I'd guess just rebranded stuff.

Like the black bars, looks cool for sure.

As for the names, makes it easier to understand what each bar is, vs E, ES, and rollomatic, duromatic, is dated. The whole "matic" thing was marketing from the automotive world back in the 50s and 60s it is long been played out (queue John Travolta -

). Just like the adding "zilla" to you company name sawzill, partzilla, revzilla to make people think you are the "godzilla" of your market. It is dumb and overdone....

This new convention while seems over simply and maybe dorky at least gets to normal words and basic understanding of a bar and its purpose....

dw

 

[hacskaroly]

I just bought 2 ES Lt. bars for my new 462... I’m interested in the specific differences.

The ES light bars have a honeycomb setup, all of the unnecessary material has been removed, leaving a strong, but lighter bar. You don't want to use these bars on a mill where you crank down clamps on it, it will crush it.

I am not 100% sure what they do to the smaller "lite" bars, I don't think they go through the same effort as the larger "light" bars, but I would imagine that they are shaving off some weight, however minor it might be. Apparently the .325 .050 bars are supposed to be 20% more efficient, 200 grams lighter, have better balance and a slimmer bar...for what it is worth.

 

[ferris]

@dougie
@hacskaroly
Most of the bars only get a new design, technically no change.

Some bars get minor changes.
Example: a new light 04 for the Stihl 241 is not lighter then the old rollomatic e. Both are standard laminated bars.

Things don’t get lighter when u call them light XYZ

@DND 9000 Can u bring more details?

 

[Wilhelm]

@dougie
@hacskaroly
Most of the bars only get a new design, technically no change.

Some bars get minor changes.
Example: a new light 04 for the Stihl 241 is not lighter then the old rollomatic e. Both are standard laminated bars.

Things don’t get lighter when u call them light XYZ

@DND 9000 Can u bring more details?

Actually, they do!

By purchasing a "Light" bar Your wallet loses weight.

 

[DND 9000]

@ferris
I can`t say much to the new guide bars. The new ones are lighter compared to the old ones and reduce the system weight togheter with the newer chains.

 

[schreib69]

Gd Mrn this is my first post..glad to be here! I just bought 2 ES Lt. bars for my new 462. I suppose due to my history (Fab. & Tool&Die) and just working forever I’m interested in the specific differences..unfindable in print and the dealers are not particularly technically knowledgeable. I like Stihl but sometimes I think they need a do better talk about several things…Thank you for the thread..

also a 462 owner. . . just curious--
length and cost?

 

[schreib69]

The ES light bars have a honeycomb setup, all of the unnecessary material has been removed, leaving a strong, but lighter bar. You don't want to use these bars on a mill where you crank down clamps on it, it will crush it.

I am not 100% sure what they do to the smaller "lite" bars, I don't think they go through the same effort as the larger "light" bars, but I would imagine that they are shaving off some weight, however minor it might be. Apparently the .325 .050 bars are supposed to be 20% more efficient, 200 grams lighter, have better balance and a slimmer bar...for what it is worth.

hmmmm 200 grams?! that is hardly worth doing. < 1/2 lb
20% more efficient. . . Huh? how is THAT possible?
My viewpoint is I sure hope their design change has been tested in real life. If more likely to bend for any reason will really hurt the Stihl brand. My opinion is they should be transparent about the exact change in actual specifications so existing customers understand what is being foisted upon them.

 

[hacskaroly]

20% more efficient. . . Huh? how is THAT possible?

They calculate the 20% efficiency at least with the .325 bars which dropped from the .063 gauge to .050 to run a narrower kerf chain. As for the light bars that work with a 462, where I worked, the light bars would run about $90 USD more than a standard bar, so a 32" light bar would cost about $180 USD. Most people balked at the price, but when they held the light bar and the regular bar at the same time, they usually handed back the regular bar and bought the light bar. I didn't have anyone that purchased one come back and complain about issues with them (defects, weakness...etc...). Best bet is to go in and check them out for yourself.

As for the lite bars 20" and under, I don't see any real weight savings benefit to those, however, with the 25" light bars and up...the weight savings is quite a bit more noticeable. If I was to get one, I would probably look at a 28" or a 32" for my 046 or 066.

Husqvarna also has come out with a "light" bar for their 28" and up, those also seem to be quite sturdy and popular on 592s that we were selling.

The only negative I heard was customer damage, they put a saw with a 32" light bar in a mill that has a screw type clamp and where they screwed it down, it caved in that part of the bar, apparently they were really torquing the screw down.

 

[schreib69]

They calculate the 20% efficiency at least with the .325 bars which dropped from the .063 gauge to .050 to run a narrower kerf chain. As for the light bars that work with a 462, where I worked, the light bars would run about $90 USD more than a standard bar, so a 32" light bar would cost about $180 USD. Most people balked at the price, but when they held the light bar and the regular bar at the same time, they usually handed back the regular bar and bought the light bar. I didn't have anyone that purchased one come back and complain about issues with them (defects, weakness...etc...). Best bet is to go in and check them out for yourself.

As for the lite bars 20" and under, I don't see any real weight savings benefit to those, however, with the 25" light bars and up...the weight savings is quite a bit more noticeable. If I was to get one, I would probably look at a 28" or a 32" for my 046 or 066.

Husqvarna also has come out with a "light" bar for their 28" and up, those also seem to be quite sturdy and popular on 592s that we were selling.

The only negative I heard was customer damage, they put a saw with a 32" light bar in a mill that has a screw type clamp and where they screwed it down, it caved in that part of the bar, apparently they were really torquing the screw down.

thanks. Yeah my efficiency crack comes from engineering background. I could not help myself there! No way to calculate efficiency without a power source . . . the bar has no power. . .
I guess they are thinking narrower kerf means less power to run the saw. . . Higher efficiency. . . 20%! OK, right.
Doesn't matter, it is just marketing ploy.

 

[hacskaroly]

Doesn't matter, it is just marketing ploy.

Exactly right!!

 

[Wonkydonkey]

Stihl made a 3/8 lopro for the 260/261. It was sold as a “tuning kit ! “


It was meant to be better. Ie faster cuttin etc
The sales team came up with packs to swap it from .325 to 3/8 lopro. (Clutch and rim sprocket 2 chains and a 16” bar)

However, I heard it wasn’t selling very well, and a mate was offered 3 packs for the price of one.

I can’t confirm if it’s a popular thing with the wider audience

 

[full chizel]

Stihl made a 3/8 lopro for the 260/261. It was sold as a “tuning kit ! “


It was meant to be better. Ie faster cuttin etc
The sales team came up with packs to swap it from .325 to 3/8 lopro. (Clutch and rim sprocket 2 chains and a 16” bar)

However, I heard it wasn’t selling very well, and a mate was offered 3 packs for the price of one.

I can’t confirm if it’s a popular thing with the wider audience

I have that kit on my 261. It throws a hell of a roostertail of chips with the PS chain. I had to get it from the UK because its not sold in the US.

3 for 1 is a hell of a deal.

 

[hacskaroly]

I can’t confirm if it’s a popular thing with the wider audience

Would not be popular with me, heck, on my 261 I swapped out my .325 for 3/8 full skip for the fun of it. Trying to figure out how to get .404 on it, looks like I will need to modify a clutch cover.

 

[schreib69]

Stihl made a 3/8 lopro for the 260/261. It was sold as a “tuning kit ! “


It was meant to be better. Ie faster cuttin etc
The sales team came up with packs to swap it from .325 to 3/8 lopro. (Clutch and rim sprocket 2 chains and a 16” bar)

However, I heard it wasn’t selling very well, and a mate was offered 3 packs for the price of one.

I can’t confirm if it’s a popular thing with the wider audience

I have been thinking of adding to my saws and been thinking the 261 would be a great one. Now have 462CM and 025C. what do you think of my choice? is there a better one for me? thx.

 

[hacskaroly]

I have been thinking of adding to my saws and been thinking the 261 would be a great one. Now have 462CM and 025C. what do you think of my choice? is there a better one for me? thx.

In my opinion, the MS 261 (either Mtronic or Carb) is a good mid-range saw. At 4 hp and 11 lbs with the option to use .325 or 3/8 (and apparently 3/8p) chain, you get power at a lighter weight. The MS 311 is 4.2 hp but sits at 13.5 lbs and has a larger footprint. The 261 won't wear you out like a larger saw will do if used for any amount of time, but it will take care of smaller stuff without issue with power. For you, I think the 261 falls in between what you have:

025 : 10 lbs, 3 hp
261 : 11 lbs, 4 hp
462 : 13 lbs, 5.9 hp

Depends on how you use your 462 and 025, the 261 could be great when you need a more power than the 025, but don't want the weight of the 462. I run a 20" bar on my 261 and it works well for both small stuff and larger stuff, though I think bumping it up to a 25" wouldn't be an issue.

 

[cookies]

All I know is every stihl laminate bar I bought in the last two years has failed in short order from bad roller tips to severe rail wear, all were junked before a single chain was used up so I swore never again would I spend money on one f their laminate bars. Their replaceable tip bars so far have done well. They released this marketing rebranding of their bars earlier this year and then word got out and my facebook chainsaw groups were full of idiots running out to buy them to throw on their garage queen saws for likes and views. It was worse than the hexa chain fan boy crap until they started getting teased for being dumb enough to pay 80 bucks a chain. At this point they might as well sell stickers and stencils as update kits.