Chainsaw chaps.

[N80]

Was using my Stihl 18" chainsaw this weekend clearing brush and small trees. Was tired. It was thick with lots of vines and branches. Felt something hit my leg hard. Thought it was a branch. Looked down and there was a hole in my pants and I was bleeding. Never even saw it happen but pretty much how I always figured it would happen. Was extremely lucky. Got about a 4" laceration on inside lower part of my knee. No tendon, muscle, no knee cap, bone or joint capsule. Got it stitched up in the ER.

Anyway, my daughter and S-I-L have been on me for a year to get chainsaw chaps which I should have done. Now they want to get me a pair for my birthday. I saw them on line for about $40 but when I mentioned them to my S-I-L, who uses commercial chainsaws about every day, he said not to get "cheap" ones because he saw a demo on YouTube that compared $40 ones to $120 ones and the $40 ones did not perform well. The test was applying the chainsaw at full throttle to the chaps like cutting a log.

Anyway, they have no business spending $120 bucks on me (no matter how dumb I've been). So looking for opinions. Is there really a need to pay $120 for chainsaw chaps?

 

[rekees4300]

Listen to your S-I-L. Spending the extra money will make your daughter and S-I-L feel better and you will be safer ... a win-win situation. I've been very pleased with my Stihl chaps and Labonville also has a good reputation.

 

[The Deerslayer]

Glad to hear you are ok. The answer to your question is "yes". Spend the money, your safety and peace of mind is worth it. Don't make the same mistake twice.
You can search the threads on this topic and get some good info. There are several great chaps out there, but you have to pay for the quality and protection. I use Labonville chaps and have been very pleased with them. Happy shopping!

 

[Firemanbuck82]

If it's a choice between no chaps and cheap chaps, it would be better to have something than nothing. You say you can't/won't spend $120 on something for yourself. OK. The $40 pair may not hold up as well as the expensive ones, but they sure as sh*t hold up better than a pair of pants.

 

[RNeumann]

This is part two of the test-

Cheap Vs. Expensive Chainsaw Chap Test - YouTube

Their is a difference- you can decide how much difference it is. Just like some folks have $10,000,000 umbrella insurance while others carry the minimum- you decide!

Btw the Husqvarna ones are about $80.

 

[ruffdog]

Like they say about wearing a motorcycle helmet....how much do you value your brain?

 

[nybirdman]

While you are at it ,purchase a helmet with visor and muffs.I would bet the trip to the ER cost more than $120.00.And yes I learned the hard way as you did;lucky cut through one layer of my carharts and missed skin.I went right to town and purchased "all" the proper gear.

 

[dmccarty]

...
Anyway, they have no business spending $120 bucks on me (no matter how dumb I've been). So looking for opinions. Is there really a need to pay $120 for chainsaw chaps?

This is what I ask myself when I buy safety gear:

• How much will an ER visit cost?
• How much would I pay to AVOID the ER?
• How much will I have to pay to complete the work I cannot do because of the injury the chaps likely would have prevented?

The cost of the safety equipment is always much less than the answers to the previous questions. And those questions assume I don't do something serious that could cause long term injury or death.

When I bought my chaps, a good 20 years ago, :shocked::shocked: I did not concern myself about the cost. Figured if they kept me out of the ER one time they were worth the price. The chaps are a bit dirty and they have one very slight, sorta cut on them from a near accident. I bought my chaps from Stihl and figured they would be good quality. After 20+ years, I think I got my money out of the chaps and they are still functional.

They did save my leg one day when I was sawing up a downed tree. There was a pesky Russian Olive bush in the way so I leaned over and quickly cut that $%^&*( down. For those that do not know, a Russian Olive bush is a very nasty invasive that grows 6ish or more trunks from a single root stock. This was a decent sized bush so some of the trunks were 1+ inch in diameter which is no big deal for a Stil 046. What happened though, is as I cut through the multiple trunks, one or more the them went under tension, and pulled the chain off the bar. Said chain then whacked me pretty hard in the leg. :shocked::shocked::shocked:

Without the chaps, I think I would have been cut up pretty good. I might have been able to avoid the ER visit. Maybe. As it was, I was a bit bruised but that was the extent of the injury. This is where I cut the very slight, sorta cut on the chaps. Given the toughness of the chap material compared to the thin long pants I was wearing, I think the chaps kept me out of the ER.

I also wear a chain saw helmet that has kept me from the ER. I wore out my first one. It still was sorta usable, but the mesh face guard is metal and it finally started getting holes from rust. There were some other issues due to usage so I bought a new one a few years ago. The first helmet was the same age of the chaps so I figure I got my money out of it.

The helmet saved my head one day doing something that was rather so so easy. Kinda like the Russian Olive. I was finishing cutting up a log and noticed a sapling that was in the way. Twas a little itty bitty thing, 2ish inches in diameter, and maybe 8-10 tall. Cut it up and it would make a good spear. :laughing::laughing::laughing: I have cut down a gazzilion of these things and I just leaned over and cut it down. Easey Peasey. :thumbsup: Well, that sapling was a bit impertinent. It decided to fall back towards me and whack me in the head.

Thankfully, I was wearing the helmet, and even with the helmet, that little itty bitty tree rang my bell. Without the helmet I think that sapling might have knocked me out, which holding a running chain saw could ruin your day, and more, likely I might have needed stitches.

If there was any doubt in my mind about a $40 piece of safety gear vs the $120 version, I would buy the expensive stuff. Still cheaper than a ER visit and the lost productive time. Get 20 years from the chaps and you spend $6 a year vs $2...

Easey Peasey Decision say I. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[Billrog]

No need to pay $120 for good chaps.
Cutter's Choice Online - Search

 

[N80]

This is what I ask myself when I buy safety gear:

• How much will an ER visit cost?
• How much would I pay to AVOID the ER?
• How much will I have to pay to complete the work I cannot do because of the injury the chaps likely would have prevented?

Thanks for the responses guys. Let me clarify: I'm not debating about the merits of getting gear or not getting gear. I knew I needed them, and knew they were effective before the injury. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way.

I have not watched the link to the video referenced above because I'm at work but will look at it at home. But, so far, no one has given a _reason_ for buying more expensive chaps than ones made by what appears to be a reputable forestry supplier. That is what I want to know. What does paying 2-3 times more get me?

But, I also probably did not provide enough info. I'm not a lumberjack. My chainsaw and whatever chaps I might buy will get used maybe once a month for an hour or so....at the most. So I do not need to pay for a higher level of durability. Comfort might be a minor issue but not much.

So again, what does double the cost get me and why?

And I'll post a for-instance. I drive my car on the racetrack 5-6 times per year. I have a $300 helmet. You can buy $3000 helmets. The $3000 have the same safety rating and don't necessarily provide greater safety. They may be lighter. They may have a more durable/washable liner, they may have ports for communication and water, they may have air ducts, they may be more stylish. I don't need any of that stuff so it would be ignorant to pay for it.

I feel the same way about all safety equipment. Why pay more if you're not getting added safety or other specific benefits? In the case of the helmet example paying 10 times more does not make you 10 times more safe. Probably not twice as safe. Probable no more safe at all.

I would like to avoid spending too much on chaps. Yes, it isn't that much money, but money is money and I have no need to spend more on a brand name, a color, a fashion or anything else if all else is equal.

I'll watch the video and maybe it will show me why some are safer than others. But even then I'll approach it with some level of skepticism: just because something is on YouTube doesn't make it true right? (And in my line of work i have at least some degree of training to assess studies and comparisons.

Case in point. HANS devices. One company loves to show comparison videos of their product vs another. In the video the crash test dummy's head does not move as far forward than the competitors. The competitor was quick to point out that the distance was not the only criteria and that the decceleration rate was as important if not more and their product provided a slower degree of decceleration. I don't know which was right but both points seem valid to a degree.....my point being, there is often more to it than what a simple video will show.

 

[teg]

I have a nice pair that I'll sell you for $40 (just kidding). Chaps only work IF you wear them...

My point is, I do not wear the pair I own. You talk about getting tired... news flash for me is that I get tired a whole lot faster wearing them. Also, most of the time I'm grabbing the saw to cut something quick (putting the chaps on would triple my time making a few cuts). This is from a guy that tore up a nice set of jeans with a chainsaw when I was younger... (and tired at the end of a long day.)

We all need to recognized the fact when we get tired, we make mistakes. Extra breaks do it for me, plenty of water. Don't be in a rush...

 

[rekees4300]

Now they want to get me a pair for my birthday.

If it's a gift why are you even concerned about price? Regardless of price it's going to cost you $0. resent:

 

[void777]

Take the 120.00 chaps and thank the lord you still have a working leg........
give your S-I-L a hug and a THANK YOU.

 

[N80]

I have a nice pair that I'll sell you for $40 (just kidding). Chaps only work IF you wear them...

My point is, I do not wear the pair I own. You talk about getting tired... news flash for me is that I get tired a whole lot faster wearing them. Also, most of the time I'm grabbing the saw to cut something quick (putting the chaps on would triple my time making a few cuts). This is from a guy that tore up a nice set of jeans with a chainsaw when I was younger... (and tired at the end of a long day.)

We all need to recognized the fact when we get tired, we make mistakes. Extra breaks do it for me, plenty of water. Don't be in a rush...

Good points. Tired sneaks up on me faster than it used to. As for going to the trouble of wearing them, I will do that and have always intended to, just never got around to buying them. Now, to me, cutting a tree down or cutting up firewood is not where the big risk is so I don't know that I will always use them for that. But working in brush, briars, tangles or limbing a large tree....I'll have them on for that stuff.

 

[N80]

If it's a gift why are you even concerned about price? Regardless of price it's going to cost you $0. resent:

Well, he's my daughter's husband and I think she's going to put him in the poor house as it is.:laughing:

 

[N80]

I watched the video. Not exactly a very well set up or controlled test. However, I still think the take home message is layers. Which makes sense. And it makes sense that more layers will cost more. He also mentioned the other downsides. More layers are hotter and heavier.

I think you'd also have to match the saw to the chaps. My little Stihl is a consumer grade saw with a moderately aggressive chain. It also runs the least aggressive home owner anti-kickback chain. He was using a powerful professional saw. I didn't hear him say but I suspect that was a professional chain too.

So at the very least I think there is more to think about than just buying the most expensive ones you can find. I'll continue to research.

My S-I-L is big into Stihl and I suspect that is the brand they'll get me. I'll get my wife to help them out a little.

I did notice that the Forester brand chaps, $38 on Amazon, meet OSHA, ASTM and UL standards. They claim twelve layers. The ones he tested had 4. The Stihl brand had 9.

 

[Redlands Okie]

One think i learned a long time ago. If you have a doubt then put another tie down on the load or more nails in the board. Point is that your "doubt" might just be your subconscious telling you what you already know you need to do.
Spend the money. If the $120 pair turns out to be more than needed you wasted $80 since you were going to spend $40 anyway.

 

[ruffdog]

Cheap chaps being worn are much better than expensive ones in the closet. Point being....they have to be on the legs to work.

 

[Thisusername4sale]

I like and hate this thread at the same time. I almost exclusively wear chaps when using my 660. That's the only saw I've operated where I realize if things go bad I won't be able to control it. That said, I've never felt that way when using my 280 or smaller saws even using yellow chain. Never had any control issues on those and only put on chaps when using the 280 a couple of times when I knew I'd be in a funky reach/position but threads like this make me think twice.

 

[motownbrowne]

George, other than extra layers, better chaps will be designed to wrap around your calves. This will prevent them from getting caught on the chain and spinning around your leg exposing your fleshy parts. Also, chaps are rated by the protection they offer. I think it's in meters per second of chain speed or something like that. When comparing different models, it will help determine which offers better protection.

Personally i wear my regular stihl apron style (not wrap around) for now. They've served me well. I'm be buying a set of nicer labonville ones pretty soon. In my opinion, cost of a non issue with chaps and helmets. If they save you even one ambulance ride, they've paid for themselves several times.