9 Best Chainsaw Bar Oils in 2022 – Reviews & Buyer’s Guide

Chainsaw bar oil lubricates the chain and bar in order to defend it from dress in and tear, rust, and corrosion and, along with motor oil, is one particular of two various oils you will have to exchange with chainsaw use.

How typically you substitute the oil is dependent on the oil’s high quality, as nicely as the sawing employment you regularly tackle, but you must count on to refill bar oil at least every single other time you will up with gas. Some oils might require that you top up every single time you refill the gas tank. Keep away from using motor oil as a alternative for bar oil, and, although some consumers have described realistic ranges of success utilizing vegetable oil, this may not be appropriate in all climates.

There is a surprisingly expansive range of bar oils offered and picking the proper one minimizes the want to top up too typically although protecting against the saw from seizing up and prolonging the life of your chainsaw. We have analyzed dozens of saws, looked at ratings from other buyers, and developed a checklist and evaluations of the ideal chainsaw bar oils so that you can find the appropriate oil 1st time

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2022

Rating	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		HUSQVARNA Premium Chainsaw Bar & Chain Oil	Superior performance 2-pack Works in extreme temperatures	CHECK PRICE
Best 2-Stroke Oil for Chainsaws		Echo Power Blend Oil Mix	Great value Versatile	CHECK PRICE
Best Value		Poulan Pro Bar & Chainsaw Oil	Great value Good performance Versatile	CHECK PRICE
		Oregon Chainsaw Bar & Chain Oil	Smooth Great second-tier chainsaw lube Affordable	CHECK PRICE
		Stihl Platinum Bar and Saw Chain Lubricant	Does a good job coating Lasts a long time	CHECK PRICE

The 9 Best Chainsaw Bar Oils

1. HUSQVARNA Premium Chainsaw Bar & Chain Oil – Top Pick

Husqvarna high quality bar and chain oil is commonly deemed the greatest chainsaw bar oil all round. It makes use of premium inventory and includes additives designed to reduce toss-off and increase the tackiness of the oil. Tackiness is crucial due to the fact it guarantees that the oil can adhere to the floor of the chainsaw bar and the enamel. Even with its higher top quality and exceptional reviews, the top quality bar and chain oil from Husqvarna has a related price point to thinner and reduced good quality liquids. It’s not the cheapest alternative but it’s also not the most pricey. In addition, you get a 2-pack with this obtain, which is nice.

This specific oil has verified helpful in warmer climates, as well, which signifies that it can be used all year round to safeguard your chainsaw expense. Husqvarna states that the oil is suitable with any chainsaw, and there are numerous stories of house owners utilizing it with electrical and battery-powered saws, although it might not be appropriate for use with every single solitary gas-driven chainsaw at any time made. Double verify to make positive it works with yours.

2. Echo Power Blend Oil Mix (6-pack) – Best 2-Stroke Oil for Chainsaws

If you are hunting for one thing a minor far more general, the best 2-cycle chainsaw oil is Echo’s PK6. It’s a whole lot considerably less costly than Husqvarna’s chainsaw oil, and the size is best if paired with an Echo chainsaw.

Because this is technically two-stroke motor oil, it’s flexible adequate to use in any two-stroke engine. It is made to be mixed with gasoline and employed as gas oil to operate two-stroke engines, so you can purchase it for your chainsaw and use it for everything that requires a gasoline-oil combine for gas.

Maintain in mind, even so, that it is not developed for use on chainsaw blades. This is an oil for engines. If you are looking for an oil to lubricate the blade, get some thing particularly for that. If you want an oil to lubricate a two-stroke motor, this is a excellent a single.

3. Poulan Pro Bar & Chainsaw Oil (1 quart) – Best Value

Poulan Pro’s Bar & Chain Oil is the very best chainsaw bar oil for the funds. It is created from a high quality oil base and utilizes additives to make the liquid stickier and tackier. This assures that the oil can bond to the surface of the bar and the teeth, relatively than operating or firing straight off, referred to as toss-off. Throw off occurs when the liquid is not tacky adequate, and it not only indicates that a lot of the oil you use is squandered, but it implies that your bar oil is doing really small to protect the doing work parts of the observed.

Even with giving the identical high stage of tackiness and functionality as the majority of other oils, the Poulan oil works out significantly less pricey than some of the quality brands. Unfortunately, the Poulan oil is specially tacky, and this can be detrimental for use in cold climates and cold climate conditions. You will get a fair volume of use from a one-quart bottle, but you will want to search in other places if you live or perform in very cold problems.

4. Oregon Chainsaw Bar & Chain Oil (1 Gallon)

Oregon has created a popularity for great quality, lower-price areas, and equipment, and their 1-gallon bottle of bar and chain lube proceeds this pattern. It is quite competitively priced, only costing a little for each gallon than the spending budget Poulan option.

It involves a quality oil foundation with tacky additives to avert toss off and it allows end users to stop a buildup of dust and debris like leaves, bark, and gum. A lot of consumers have documented that it has decreased their oil use since it sticks well to the chain and they have experienced to use significantly less of this.

There have been some grievances that the oil would seem thin, though thickness of the oil is not the identical as tackiness. Thin oil is not properly suited to use in chilly conditions but is chosen in warm problems, and the thinner the liquid, the a lot more often you are most likely to have to refill the reservoir so it can confirm far more expensive.

5. Stihl Platinum Bar and Saw Chain Lubricant

If we had been comparing dependent on raw performance, Stihl’s Platinum Bar And Chain Lubricant would rank at the prime. It coats all of the blade’s moving areas and retains almost everything running efficiently for a lengthy time. It also doesn’t split down quite very easily in the heat, so it’s effective for a good long while.

It has a considerable disadvantage, however, and that is its cost. It’s just genuinely costly, and you can get equivalent results from a lubricant that is a whole lot much more cost-effective. When Stihl calls this platinum, it is not just talking about the efficiency. The price tag you are going to spend for it hints at a significantly-flung mine in the darkest recesses of the world.

It can also be a little bit sticky. You have to be careful about how a lot receives applied to the chain and bar, because if there is as well a lot it may well draw in dust particles and sawdust.

6. Maxpower Bar and Chain Oil

Maxpower one-Gallon Bar and Chain Oil is another oil with additives developed to enhance the tackiness of the liquid. This helps avert or minimize throw off and it retains your guide bar and chain in greater situation for more time.

A very good high quality oil, like Maxpower, can also support make the sawing procedure easier due to the fact the lubrication helps prevent dust and debris from clogging up the tooth. The Maxpower bar and chain oil is advised for use in all chainsaws and this 1-gallon tub is priced very competitively.

Buyers praise its tackiness and viscosity and have likened it to the Husqvarna oil. Husqvarna retains its leading place for the good track record that the firm has in the chainsaw sector, but Maxpower’s oil operates it quite close.

7. Makita 1-Gallon Bar & Chain Oil for Chainsaw

We do not normally make it this significantly down our rankings and have nearly all good items to say about a merchandise. When it arrives to Makita’s 181116-A 1-Gallon Chain Bar Oil, we do, however. It’s a great good quality bar oil that lubricates properly and keeps every thing operating properly. It does a very good work guarding your chainsaw, which you most likely compensated a lot of cash for.

We dropped it down this significantly for a few of motives. It is thick and sticky sufficient that it won’t fall glops everywhere even though you’re reducing. It’ll continue to be on the chain bar. But that also implies that sometimes it’ll have a difficult time acquiring onto the bar to do its work. You may locate oneself employing a thinning agent on it so your bar doesn’t overheat and damage your chain.

It’s also pricey. It’s tough to argue in favor of skimping on bar oil since it is so essential to the suitable operation of your chainsaw, but there are other alternatives that value a good deal significantly less.

8. Chain-Guard Chainsaw Chain & Bar Oil

If you really don't spend a good deal of funds on a chainsaw, do not use it extremely frequently, and only use it on mild branches or for pruning fruit trees, you may well not want to make investments a great deal of income in a bar lubricant. You might be tempted by the really inexpensive Magazine one Bar and Chain Oil. Compared to some of the other oils we have reviewed, it possibly appears downright desirable.

We would recommend severe caution, even so. It’s inexpensive, but it is also really skinny. Bar oil requirements to be thick to preserve everything running efficiently, and so it does not get flung off as the chain goes about. That is most likely to happen with something as skinny as Mag one.

9. Arnold 20 oz. Chainsaw Bar & Chain Lubricant

Arnold’s twenty oz. Bar and Chain Oil delivers a fairly basic transaction. It’s quite inexpensive for chain bar lubricant, but it is also nearly as slim as motor oil. For a chainsaw bar, you require something thick and perhaps even a little sticky. What you really don't want is something that will operate out onto the chainsaw bar and fly all in excess of the location when you flip your chainsaw on. Which is what you get with Arnold.

This doesn’t just make a large mess where you are working it signifies that the chainsaw bar doesn’t continue to be lubricated. The complete level of bar oil is to keep that bar lubricated, which means that in addition to currently being ineffective, Arnold’s bar and chain oil is also a negative price.

Buyer’s Guide – Finding the Best Chainsaw Bar Oil

The greatest chainsaws can run to several hundred dollars and the work they do is difficult and demanding in any problems. They are employed to rip through green wooden, as well as to minimize dry wood. They are also used in very challenging problems.

The bark, leaves, and gum of the tree can simply get trapped in the teeth of the chain, successfully rendering them useless until you unblock them, and this buildup can also lead to the chain to rust and turn out to be damaged. Chainsaw bar oil is used to aid stop this. It lubricates the chain, and the information bar, which keeps the mechanical components relocating more freely, helps make cutting work less difficult and much more successful, and it can support to stop rusting and other varieties of corrosion from harming the teeth and chain.

While you would be forgiven for considering that oil is oil and, therefore, any oil will do, this isn’t the circumstance. Motor oil is not considered suitable for the job simply because it is an incorrect viscosity, and although some consumers have reported success using recycled vegetable oils, it can be really difficult to uncover a dependable source of this oil and since it is fairly skinny, it will suggest typical refilling of the bar oil reservoir.

Chainsaw Bar Oil Manufacturers

Fortunately, there are a lot of bar oils on the industry, typically accessible in quart or gallon bottles, and from some of the biggest and most widely highly regarded names in chainsaw and accent producing. Nicely-known companies incorporate:

You don’t have to use oil from the same model that manufactured your noticed, though some consumers choose to do so simply because they think it has been formulated to improve overall performance and lessen dress in and tear on their distinct model of chainsaw. When purchasing any bar oil, you will need to have to consider a number of aspects to make sure that you get the very best possible kind for your noticed.

Viscosity

Viscosity is in essence the thickness of the oil in issue. Producers have to discover a pleased compromise with oil to make certain that it is thick adequate to support in adhering to the floor and stopping runoff, but slim adequate that it can movement freely among the shifting areas and preserve them lubricated. Thickness also determines how freely the oil will circulation in specific circumstances.

Pay out Attention to Weather

Oil thickens in chilly circumstances and thins in heat conditions. As these kinds of, you must contemplate using a slender oil in wintertime so that it won’t turn into also thick to be helpful. You can use a thicker oil in summer when it will in a natural way skinny as a result of the very hot temperature. Oils with a medium viscosity will execute moderately well during the year and negate the want to have to buy separate oils for use in distinct seasons.

Check User Reviews

Unfortunately, since bar oil is not automotive oil, producers are not necessary to show a measure of viscosity and even company internet sites have a tendency to absence this data. As this kind of, you will have to count on reviews and rankings from other customers to decide how viscous the solution is and what conditions it performs ideal in.

Tackiness

Tackiness is an additional essential thought when picking bar oil, and although it is often spoken in the exact same breath as viscosity, the two are not the exact same. Even though viscosity is the thickness of the liquid, the tackiness is how properly it bonds or sticks to other surfaces. Slender and thick oils can have varying levels of tackiness and this is essential in lubricating the chain and bar of your chainsaw.

The oil is essentially dripped on to the bar and if it has very poor tackiness, it will operate off just before properly lubricating the areas. Common oil, no matter how higher the top quality, is not regarded as tacky sufficient for use in this predicament, so manufacturers contain additives that enhance the tackiness of the oil and increase its overall performance. Guarantee your bar oil has these additives for the ideal results.

Can You Use Motor Oil Instead of Bar Oil?

Most of us have automotive oil laying about, and it can be tempting to use this in location of bar oil. Regardless of getting darkish and thick, motor oil does not have the stage of tackiness that is necessary to adhere to the chain. It will operate off rapidly, so even if you do take pleasure in some accomplishment making use of this variety of oil, it will be short-lived and you will need to have to hold refilling the reservoir to guarantee the longevity of your noticed.

Can You Use Recycled Vegetable Oil Instead of Bar Oil?

Recycled vegetable oil has been utilized with some success in spot of bar oil, but once again this is not suggested. It does give a good scent, but it is a lot thinner than oil that has been produced exclusively for the purpose of lubricating chainsaw chains. As this kind of, it is very likely to operate off the chain and if you leave vegetable oil in the reservoir when the observed is not in use, you could even discover that it leaks out of the chainsaw. What is much more, due to the fact it is thinner, it will need to have to be refilled routinely and it is unlikely that you will have a constant provide of recycled vegetable oil to maintain filling up.

How Often Do You Need to Refill Bar Oil?

You should get into the habit of often checking and refilling the bar oil of your chainsaw since it is an important part that will make your work easier and shield your noticed. Dependent on the viscosity and tackiness of the oil you use, it is likely that you will have to refill the reservoir each and every one particular or two instances you fill-up with gas. For electric powered and battery saws, examine each and every hour or two to make certain that you are still suitably lubricated.

Conclusion

Bar and chain oil must be deemed an crucial obtain if you very own and use a chainsaw. It lowers the work it normally takes to observed by way of even the most demanding of wood, it can help avert corrosion and rust, and it can also avoid a buildup of leaves, bark, and gum: all of which are able of causing significant damage to the saw and even to the consumer.

Choose in accordance to viscosity, tackiness, and, of program, budget, to ensure that you get the very best chainsaw oil for your demands. You can also use our rankings and in depth reviews to get the greatest oil and stay away from possessing to do all the research your self. In our evaluations, we discovered Husqvarna Quality bar and chain oil presented the very best viscosity and tackiness, even though it can be expensive, even though Poulan Pro delivers some of the best prices offered although currently being a high-good quality bar and chain oil.

Showcased Picture Credit rating: Bilanol, Shutterstock