Bar Oil - good deal

[qwee]

I found a pretty good deal on bar oil and thought I would pass it along. You have to sign up which is easy. Once you join you get $10 off. Once registered, you need to buy over $100 to get the free shipping. I bought 14 one-gallon containers of bar oil and applied the $10 off. The final cost = $7.21/gallon for Mystik brand bar oil (after taxes in Idaho). Not bad, this should last me a few years. The company is Blain's Farm & Fleet out of Wisconsin. I noticed Tractor Supply also has a good price on bar oil. While the box stores are more like $15/gallon.

https://www.farmandfleet.com/s/?keyword=bar+oil

 

[JRHAWK9]

I bought 5 gallons of this stuff while on sale. I do not like it, it's like water and has zero tack. I will be giving most of it away. I'm used to the old TSC/County Line formula before they also changed it to tack-less water. I've read CAM2 is a decent oil at a decent price point, I have not tried it though. I bite the bullet and ordered some Amsoil stuff. It's got lots of tack.

 

[RockyMtnGriz]

Project Farm did a bar oil test. To spoil it - Harvest King. $25 for 2 gallons at my farm store. I'm going to get some to try before it warms up again. That'll be a while so maybe I can score some on sale.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Project Farm did a bar oil test. To spoil it - Harvest King. $25 for 2 gallons at my farm store. I'm going to get some to try before it warms up again. That'll be a while so maybe I can score some on sale.

I'm not so sure why so many people put so much stock in a YT page that is for entertainment purposes. That bar oil test was a joke, IMO. It seemed like all the more pricey oils flowed slower in his test. I've NEVER heard any arborist or full time tree service guy seeking out the thinnest oil...it's always been the opposite. Thicker and with good tack. He barely even mentions tack, one of the most important traits of a good bar oil and one of the main reasons for actually running dedicated bar oil, otherwise one could just run motor oil (which some do). LOL

Although, you are in a very cold climate, so a winter bar oil may be the best choice for you in winter.

 

[Eman85]

Actually a lot of cutters use Canola oil which is pretty thin.
I've tried the TSC oil and it was very thin. I just bought a gallon of Gard brand oil at Rural King, they usually have Cam 2 but they had this instead at $8.99. Haven't opened it yet but if it's thin I'll mix it with some Stihl I have.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Actually a lot of cutters use Canola oil which is pretty thin.

Lots use motor oil too, doesn't mean it's what's best.

I've tried the TSC oil and it was very thin.

The old stuff wasn't. It was thicker and very tacky, at least all the stuff I bought over the years was. I last bought some in 2019. The new stuff is very thin, from what I have heard.

 

[salecker]

All my bar oil is free...
I have 5 gallon cans in my shop, any clean oil from repairs used to go in them.The last couple years i have been scraping vehicles out of the yard and have accumulated about 50 gallons of mixed automatic transmission fluid, power steering fluid and differential oil.
Yard sales are good for cheap oil to use as bar oil

 

[bigealta]

Actually a lot of cutters use Canola oil which is pretty thin.
I've tried the TSC oil and it was very thin. I just bought a gallon of Gard brand oil at Rural King, they usually have Cam 2 but they had this instead at $8.99. Haven't opened it yet but if it's thin I'll mix it with some Stihl I have.

I'm almost out of bar oil and gonna try canola oil when its finished.
Gonna try it straight and maybe mixed with tack bar oil or a tack additive.

 

[qwee]

JRHAWK9, I know you cut a lot of wood so your opinion is most likely accurate. Darn, I guess all bar oils aren't relatively equal. Looks like I'll be buying some Harvest King to mix in with the Mystik.

 

[JRHAWK9]

JRHAWK9, I know you cut a lot of wood. Darn, I guess all bar oils aren't relatively equal. Looks like I'll be buying some Harvest King to mix in with the Mystik.

I'm not saying it won't work, but I prefer to have bar oil with some tack. IMO, it does no good if it can't stay on the chain and in the bar at speed. Obviously those who use all sorts of different oils make it work for them. Heck, I cold use used motor oil if I wanted to, as I always have some laying around. I just don't feel it's the right lubricant for the job.

 

[qwee]

I agree it needs to stick on a bar or it isn't any good. This would have been the better deal (if you are near a store, that is).
https://www.farmandhomesupply.com/harvest-king-bar-chain-all-season-1gal-oil-17431-new.html

 

[RockyMtnGriz]

I think the purpose of Project Farm is to pay off the guy's farm. Pretty sure he's done that a few times over. It's entertainment, with some good insights about products I wouldn't ordinarily notice. Kinda like here. I didn't know I wanted a BK until I started hanging around this place!

I've used a lot of different stuff for bar oil over the years, and the only real issue I've had is with oil that is too cold to flow. No oil is no good. Back in the old days, bar oil wasn't a thing. Sequoia SAE 30 was most popular. API SA. I still have bars that were used with that, and they're still fine. Didn't see a problem with chain wear, except for the cutters getting used up. At some point, good enough is good enough, and if you don't believe that, there's always BITOG!

This morning, if I had to clear a tree from the road, I'd be reaching for the bottle of ATF. Less cold mornings might just require dilution with 5w30. I just know if it looks like Crisco, it's not going to work. Do have to watch that I don't run out if the saw really warms up before the thinned tank is gone though.

I'm definitely for tacky bar oil! It has some tack left when thinned.

 

[RockyMtnGriz]

Watch out for canola oil. It'll turn to the nastiest gum if it gets old. Had a horrible experience with that being used as a primer pump lubricant on a fire truck.

 

[duramaxman05]

I bought 5 gallons of this stuff while on sale. I do not like it, it's like water and has zero tack. I will be giving most of it away. I'm used to the old TSC/County Line formula before they also changed it to tack-less water. I've read CAM2 is a decent oil at a decent price point, I have not tried it though. I bite the bullet and ordered some Amsoil stuff. It's got lots of tack.

The tsc bar oil was some of the best

 

[DonTee]

I’ve been using canola oil for a few years now. I get the same life out of my chains that I did with regular bar oil. And I haven’t had it gum up one of my saws yet.

I’ve been buying the Aldi brand and pouring them into a gallon bottle

It’s still probably more expensive than real bar oil, but is also more eco friendly. And better for the chainsaw user.

 

[JRHAWK9]

I’ve been using canola oil for a few years now. I get the same life out of my chains that I did with regular bar oil. And I haven’t had it gum up one of my saws yet.

I’ve been buying the Aldi brand and pouring them into a gallon bottle

It’s still probably more expensive than real bar oil, but is also more eco friendly. And better for the chainsaw user.

Have you tried this? I'm guessing it has more tack than canola oil.

 

[JRHAWK9]

The tsc bar oil was some of the best

explains why I liked it and why I don't like most of the cheap stuff.

 

[NickW]

Don't leave canola oil in the garage when it's super cold. I had a gallon freeze solid last winter. I like using it, smells like French fries when it heats up...

 

[brenndatomu]

At some point, good enough is good enough

Yup!

 

[DonTee]

Have you tried this? I'm guessing it has more tack than canola oil.

I haven’t tried that. My cousin uses the Stihl Bioplus and really likes it. He does a lot more cutting than I do, and in colder weather. I usually don’t cut as much when it’s below about 15.

 

[DonTee]

My canola takes a long time to freeze. It’s been in the teens and 20’s here for a few days and it’s still pretty liquidy.

 

[NickW]

My canola takes a long time to freeze. It’s been in the teens and 20’s here for a few days and it’s still pretty liquidy.

At -15 it freezes solid, but at 0-10 sitting in the sun it's usable.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

this is what we run