Choosing the right guide bar for your chainsaw can be challenging. With various brands and sizes available, it's crucial to select the correct one for your specific needs. This guide will help you understand the options and make an informed choice.

How do I work out what bar my chainsaw can take?

Start by matching the guide bar to the one currently on your machine. You can measure it and refer to the information displayed on the bar.

Generally, a more powerful chainsaw will require a larger bar, while a less powerful model will use a smaller one. However, as Stihl recommends, the suitability of a bar depends on the specific machine and model.

Refer to our chain and bar guides to find the right bar for your Stihl, Husqvarna, and Makita chainsaws.

Stihl Chain and Bar Guide

Husqvarna Chain and Bar Guide

Makita Chain and Bar Guide

Stihl

Lightweight Guide Bars

These bars are designed for small, powerful felling saws in the Stihl E-light and ES-light range.

Stihl Rollomatic E Mini Light

This bar is engineered for maximum weight reduction compared to conventional bars. It features maintenance-free sealed bearings in the sprocket nose. The star-shaped sprocket can be replaced multiple times before the bar wears out.

Uses: Tree maintenance.

Rollomatic ES Light

Constructed from wear-resistant steel and laser welded, this hollow body bar is 30% lighter than Rollomatic ES bars. It includes an angled Stihl Ematic oil hose and maintenance-free sealed bearings in the sprocket nose.

Uses: High-performance professional wood cutting.

Light 04

Designed for professional use in gardening and landscaping, this bar offers improved balance and reduces fatigue during cutting. Its slim design makes it 200g lighter than conventional bars.

Uses: Felling, limbing, and maintenance.

Light P04

Aimed at professional arborists and tree maintenance, the P04 is an updated version of the Rollomatic E Light, featuring a recessed side plate made of glass fibre reinforced polyamide.

Uses: Small to medium-sized tree work.

Standard Stihl Guide Bars

Rollomatic E Mini

This narrow guide bar is suitable for pole pruners and arborist applications, designed to reduce kickback. It works with small link ⅜” Picco Micro Mini 3 saw chains or the ¼” Picco Micro 3.

Uses: Limbing.

Rollomatic E

This bar combines low weight with high stability. It features a sprocket in the nose that guides the saw chain from the top to the bottom. Typically, this bar is not preferred by professional operators.

Uses: Universal use.

Rollomatic ES

A high-performance bar designed for professionals, featuring a fully replaceable nose and oil holes for lubrication.

Uses: Forestry applications, including felling and bucking.

Duromatic E

Solid hard wearing bar for medium to high performance chainsaws. Bar nose is protected by carbide alloy painting, elliptically shaped with angled oil holes.

Uses: For extreme conditions such as in the construction industry or rescue services.

Carving E

Small radius on the bar nose which reduces kickbacks. The light and durable bar contains markers so the user can determine cutting depth.

Uses: Carving, Tree Maintenance and general wood cutting.

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Husqvarna

X-Force

Laminated bars offer easier maintenance and increased productivity. Features include updated profiles, larger nose sprocket, cutouts in the centre plate, additional bearings, supported shields, and the removal of the grease hole.

Uses: Universal.

X-Tough Bar with Replaceable Sprocket Nose

Solid RSN bar is designed to be durable and sturdy. The load is transferred to the high quality roller bearing. The bars are coated to protect against scratches and corrosion.

Uses: Hard types of timber, thick bark and in very dirty conditions.

X-Tough Bar with Hard Nose

Recommended for use with long bars to reduce load on the bar tip. The load is transferred to the high-quality roller bearing. The bars are coated to protect against scratches and corrosion.

Uses: Hardwood, thick bark or in very dirty environments.

Laminated Bar with Nose Sprocket

The gentle curve and small nose radius reduce the risk of kickback and facilitates good cutting control. Coated bars to protect against scratches and corrosion.

Uses: General Woodcutting.

Carving Bar - Small Mount

Carving bars have a smaller nose radius and are suitable for sculpting and other precision work.

Uses: Sculpting and other precision work.

X-Precision Bar

Designed specifically for use with the X-Cut™ SP21G chain on battery powered professional chainsaws. The optimised overall geometry and small nose radius provide efficient cutting with precise control, excellent bore cutting properties and reduced risk of kickback.

Uses: For pruning with a small-size petrol chainsaw or battery chainsaws.

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Makita

Sprocket Nose

Slim contour and less weight provide increased manoeuvrability. Oil retaining features help improve bar and chain life. Allow the chain to move more quickly around the nose of the bar with a minimum loss of heat and power.

Uses: Professional, commercial and occasional use.

Solid Nose

Are used for cutting in very sandy, gritty, dirty conditions. They are also more robust than sprocket nose bars. These bars can also produce a lot of heat.

Uses: Cutting in harsh conditions.

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Oregon

Speedcut™ & Speedcut Nano

Small and mid-size saws engineered from the ground up with maximum efficiency in mind. Built to optimise saw performance, is the first .325" Low Profile system and meets the demands of arborists and tree care professionals.

Uses: Tree Maintenance and general wood cutting.

Versacut™

VersaCut guide bars are made for tree-cutting professionals who encounter all types of wood. Their aluminium core makes them strong, light-weight, and easier to manoeuvre.

Uses: Various conditions and all types of wood.

Controlcut™

Professional lightweight guide bar designed to reduce kickback for better cutting control. Top performance for professional woodcutters.

Uses: Light duty and tough jobs.

Powercut™

Strong, durable, light-weight, and long-lasting guide bar. The chrome-moly body is super-tough, and the replaceable nose promotes a long lifespan for loggers and tree care professionals.

Uses: General Woodcutting.

Duracut™

For professional woodcutters working in difficult cutting environments. Offer Extreme Durability technology for 30% more bar life, even in the most abrasive and corrosive conditions.

Uses: Trees in Challenging environments.

Advancecut™

The lightweight, durable and easy to manoeuvre guide bar for light commercial and occasional woodcutters using small to midsize saws.

Uses: Light duty tasks and occasional wood cutting.

Single Rivet

Designed for manoeuvrability and ease. They make tasks quick and easy by using premium light-weight technology that is durable.

Uses: Occasional woodcutters.

Sculptor™

Made of high quality, clear-coated and brushed steel. Is an essential tool for chainsaw artists seeking long-lasting performance and versatility.

Uses: Woodcarving.

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