# 20" Stihl ES vs. 28" ES Light - weight in before the fight.



## MasterMech (Aug 2, 2013)

Interesting!


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## clemsonfor (Aug 2, 2013)

Wow what a difference!


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## MasterMech (Aug 2, 2013)

clemsonfor said:


> Wow what a difference!


Only about 3 oz total..... But another 8" of bar on the Light.  Of course the Light bar hangs the weight out farther from the power head but I still can't wait to saddle up and see how it runs!


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## clemsonfor (Aug 2, 2013)

That's what I meant. Another 8"s of bar for about the same weight. How do they accomplish this? Aluminum, thinner steel?


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## MasterMech (Aug 2, 2013)

clemsonfor said:


> That's what I meant. Another 8"s of bar for about the same weight. How do they accomplish this? Aluminum, thinner steel?


I think the Light bars are machined similar to an ES bar (so the steel frame is all 1 piece) and then they hollow out one side and fill the cavity with aluminum.  The outline of the aluminum is clearly visible from one side of the bar.


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## DexterDay (Aug 2, 2013)

I think that Stihl has a good thing going. But for the price of a 28" ES Light? One can get a much sexier looking bar. Especially in the 28" variance. 

Names like Tech Lite and Sugi Hara start ringing bells.


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 3, 2013)

Even though the weight is out further my 440 isn't nose heavy in that the saw doesn't tip forward on a level surface.  It is also slinging more chain which adds weigh, but it is nicely balanced.

I put my 8 pin rim on it the other day with the 28" bar and wow it sliced through some 22" shagbark hickory.


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## Ashful (Aug 3, 2013)

I checked out the light bars online, and they were more than 2x what I paid for my 36" ES bar.  Maybe okay for a pro slinging a saw all day long, but counter-productive for a hobbyist who does this for exercise! 

 Well, that's how I convinced myself to pocket the difference, anyway. :lol:

I also saw more than one complaint about their durability.  I don't go around looking to bend a bar, but accidents happen.


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## MasterMech (Aug 3, 2013)

DexterDay said:


> One can get a much sexier looking bar.


 
You've been hanging out on AS too long. 

As to the price of that bar, well, I'm very thankful to know the people I do and that allows me to occasionally buy an item like that (and 3 33RSF-91 chains for it) on a "whim" for far less than retail. 

I'd like to try out the Sugi's and the Techlites but the ES Light was the cheaper option in my case.  And all I gotta do is walk in the door.


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## DexterDay (Aug 3, 2013)

Well, in that case... You Suck  

Now I want one. (At your price )


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## smokinj (Aug 5, 2013)

DexterDay said:


> I think that Stihl has a good thing going. But for the price of a 28" ES Light? One can get a much sexier looking bar. Especially in the 28" variance.
> 
> Names like Tech Lite and Sugi Hara start ringing bells.


 
Not everyone thinks bars and big dawgs makes a saw sexy. Give me the saw that makes it do what it do!


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## Ashful (Aug 5, 2013)

smokinj said:


> Not everyone thinks bars and big dawgs makes a saw sexy. Give me the saw that makes it do what it do!


 
Aren't you the guy with the 41" bar in his sig line?


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## smokinj (Aug 5, 2013)

Joful said:


> Aren't you the guy with the 41" bar in his sig line?


 
Oh yea but it never had a fancy paint job........ The bars he is quoting it Arborist.com Modded saw.


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## HittinSteel (Aug 5, 2013)

The Total Tsumura is may favorite


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## DexterDay (Aug 5, 2013)

HittinSteel said:


> The Total Tsumura is may favorite



Nice......


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## ScotO (Aug 5, 2013)

Joful said:


> I don't go around looking to bend a bar, but accidents happen.


you mean like this?





That's my Stihl 041AV Super two years ago sporting a 28" Rollomatic ES bar, after I had a huge hollow willow trunk spin around on it......had to let the saw go and get away Bent the bar pretty good, and toasted the top handle. I rebuilt that saw the following week, and straightened the ES bar. I don't think an ES Light bar would have been salvageable after that one.....

I still use that bar on that saw at almost every tree job we do!


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## Ashful (Aug 5, 2013)

HittinSteel said:


> The Total Tsumura is may favorite


 
That's what I've been running on my 064 at 28" length.  Very nice bar, but not light!


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## MasterMech (Aug 5, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> I don't think an ES Light bar would have been salvageable after that one.....


 
Why not?  A bend in that area would be the same on either bar, the ES Light is different only in the center of the bar, the nose and bar mount is exactly the same as a regular ES bar with the smaller 11 pin nose sprocket.


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## ScotO (Aug 5, 2013)

MasterMech said:


> Why not? A bend in that area would be the same on either bar, the ES Light is different only in the center of the bar, the nose and bar mount is exactly the same as a regular ES bar with the smaller 11 pin nose sprocket.


how is the aluminum bonded to the steel?  I've never had one in my hands to really look at it, but I'd think that the bond between the two different metals would be a weak spot on that bar in the event of a hard bend like I had happen.


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## Porqchop (Oct 29, 2015)

I just got a 36" EST Light bar and it weighs 3.68 lbs. (1.68kg)

Does any one have a regular ES bar they could weigh? 

@MasterMech is that scale showing pounds and ounces or decimal pounds? I can't quite make out the display.


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## Jags (Oct 29, 2015)

Please start a new thread in the gear forum as this post is from 2013 and many of the posters are no longer members of the site.  Hopefully we can get some of the gear heads with big bars to assist.


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