Update: My cheapo chainsaw chain snapped after 20 minutes

I was cutting up a fallen maple branch in my backyard yesterday and the chain just flew off and wrapped around the bar. Hadn't even gotten through half the pile. I went cheap at Harbor Freight last week thinking a $15 chain would do the same job as a $40 Oregon one. Nope. Had to borrow my neighbor's saw to finish the job and he gave me the whole "buy once cry once" speech. Now I'm out the money plus a wasted afternoon. Has anyone else had a budget chain fail like this or am I just unlucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

roberts.troy1mo ago

Tension's probably half the problem on those cheap chains too. They stretch weird and then you get slack right when you don't want it. Next time just grab a Stihl chain from a dealer, it'll last way longer even if it costs more.

grayh601mo ago

$15 is $15, you can't expect Harbor Freight quality to match Oregon and be surprised when it doesn't. Maybe the real question is why buy a cheap chain for a tool that can hurt you if it fails?