Home » House Exterior » Yard » Oregon PowerSharp Review (With Photos)

Oregon PowerSharp Review (With Photos)

Bob Jackson
Last Updated on
by Bob Jackson

I was asked by OREGON® to review the PowerSharp® Saw Chain Sharpening System. “Sure! I enjoy trying out new tools!” I replied and received a PowerSharp Starter Kit for my Stihl MS-210C chain saw with a 16″ bar.

Oregon PowerSharp Review

The Oregon PowerSharp Starter Kit consists of two bundled units: 1) Sharpener with 16″ Guide Bar and 2) PowerSharp Chain with Sharpening Stone.

PowerSharp Starter Kit

PowerSharp Saw Chain Sharpening System

The PowerSharp sharpening system consists of the following items:

  1. Guide Bar
  2. Sharpener (yellow clam shell)
  3. Sharpening Stone (replaceable)
  4. PowerSharp chain
  5. Instructions
  6. Product sticker to put on your chainsaw so you’ll have the replacement chain part #.
Oregon PowerSharp Starter Kit
Oregon PowerSharp Starter Kit

You only buy the Guide Bar and Sharpener once. Thereafter, replacing only the chain and sharpening stone if it becomes worn out. A new chain includes a sharpening stone.

How PowerSharp Works

The Oregon PowerSharp chain has cutters (teeth) that are taller compared to a standard chain.

Oregon PowerSharp Chain compared to Standard Chainsaw Chain
Oregon PowerSharp Chain compared to Standard Chainsaw Chain

The PowerSharp cutters sharpen from the top as the cutters contact the sharpening stone. To sharpen the chain:

  • Place the bar on the two steel alignment pegs in the clam shell sharpener.
Oregon PowerSharp Bar and Sharpener
Oregon PowerSharp Bar and Sharpener
  • Clamp and lock the sharpener over the bar.
  • Run the saw and press the spring-loaded sharpener foot against a tree or rock for 3 to 5 seconds.
Oregon PowerSharp Saw Chain Sharpener
Oregon PowerSharp Saw Chain Sharpener

Mounting the PowerSharp Bar and Chain

The PowerSharp bar and chain was easy to mount on my Stihl MS-210C chainsaw, taking less than 5 minutes and I only needed a screw driver. To change bar and chain:

  1. Unscrew the wing-nut on the plastic sprocket cover and lift off the cover.
  2. Turn the tensioning gear to loosen the chain.
  3. Lift the original Stihl bar and chain off the saw.
  4. Unfasten the screw from the back of the tensioning gear and remove the gear from the Stihl bar.
  5. Place the tensioning gear on the PowerSharp guide bar and secure it with the screw.
  6. Fit the PowerSharp guide bar and chain on the saw.
  7. Take up the slack in the chain by turning the tensioning gear.
  8. Replace the sprocket cover.
  9. Check and tighten the chain if needed.
Mounting the PowerSharp Bar and Chain - Stihl MS210-C Chainsaw
Mounting the PowerSharp Bar and Chain – Stihl MS210-C Chainsaw

Bar and chain on the saw before replacing the sprocket cover:

Oregon PowerSharp Bar and Chain Mounting: Stihl MS-210C
Oregon PowerSharp Bar and Chain Mounting: Stihl MS-210C

The Oregon PowerSharp is ready to go!

Stihl Chainsaw with Oregon PowerSharp
Stihl Chainsaw with Oregon PowerSharp

Oregon PowerSharp Benefits

1) I’m a homeowner and occasional chain saw user who’s never bothered to learn how to sharpen a chain, preferring to pay my local Stihl dealer $11 to do it. Learning how to sharpen a chain isn’t difficult, I just have other priorities, haven’t bought the sharpening tools and lack the patience.

2) My chain always seems to get dull just when I need it most. Like the Sunday afternoon when I was sawing down a large Ficus tree that was too close to the house in Florida. I had sawn off the limbs and was working on the trunk when the blade started to get dull and was working me to death, lot’s of sawing with little progress. Being Sunday afternoon the local chain saw shop was closed so I couldn’t get it sharpened. I had to stop work until the next weekend.

3) It’s aggravating to be delayed by a dull chain.

Oregon PowerSharp Field Testing

Two things I wanted to learn about the Oregon PowerSharp® are:

  1. How well does it cut compared to a factory chain?
  2. Does the sharpening system really work?

To find out, my testing consisted of:

  • Timed cuts with the Stihl factory bar and chain
  • Timed cuts with the PowerSharp bar and chain
  • Several hours of sawing with the PowerSharp to see how well it held an edge
  • Trying out the PowerSharp quick sharpening system

Stihl Factory Bar and Chain – Timed Cuts

I began testing with a newly sharpened Stihl standard chain on my MS-210C chainsaw.

Stihl Chainsaw: Factory Bar and Chain
Stihl Chainsaw: Factory Bar and Chain

I cut a half-dozen discs off a ~14″ diameter log with the Stihl chain while my son timed each cut with a stopwatch. On average, the Stihl chain needed 20 seconds to make the cuts.

Stihl Factory Bar and Chain - Timed Cuts
Stihl Factory Bar and Chain – Timed Cuts

PowerSharp Bar and Chain – Timed Cuts

Next, I mounted the PowerSharp bar and chain on my Stihl chainsaw. Changing the bar and chain was quick and easy, needing only screwdriver.

Oregon PowerSharp on a Stihl MS-210C Chain Saw
Oregon PowerSharp on a Stihl MS-210C Chain Saw

I cut another half-dozen discs off the log with the PowerSharp, timing each cut with a stop watch. The PowerSharp needed 16 seconds on average for each cut. That’s about 4 seconds (or 20%) faster than the Stihl factory chain. I attributed this to the more aggressive cutters on the PowerSharp chain.

20% faster sawing is great but my main concern is working carefully rather than quickly, and I took comfort knowing the PowerSharp wouldn’t slow me down.

Oregon PowerSharp Timed Cuts
Oregon PowerSharp Timed Cuts

Compared to the standard Stihl chain, the PowerSharp was a bit different because it felt like the chain “melted” through the log and less pressure was needed on the bar. Relax and let the saw do the work.

Oregon PowerSharp in Action
Oregon PowerSharp in Action

Sawing up this felled tree was no problem with the Stihl chainsaw and PowerSharp chain.

Sawed Logs by the Oregon PowerSharp
Sawed Logs by the Oregon PowerSharp

I spent several hours sawing up a variety of fallen and live trees, both pine (softwood) and oak (hardwood). The PowerSharp worked really well – lasting longer than my lower back muscles!

Oregon PowerSharp Gets the Job Done
Oregon PowerSharp Gets the Job Done

Bar-Mounted Sharpening System

The cutters on the PowerSharp held an edge really well and was still sharp after sawing trees above ground. I turned my attention to logs on the ground that would put the chain in the dirt. The cutters now felt less than razor sharp.

The bar fits over two steel alignment studs in the bar-mounted sharpener and the sharpener is clamped over the bar. Be sure to shut off the motor first!

Oregon PowerSharp Chain Sharpener
Oregon PowerSharp Chain Sharpener

To sharpen the chain, start the motor, press the spring-loaded boot against a log and rev up the saw for 3 to 5 seconds. Notice the sparks flying!

Oregon PowerSharp Bar-Mounted Chain Sharpener
Oregon PowerSharp Bar-Mounted Chain Sharpener

After sharpening, I stopped the motor and felt the cutters. Razor sharp just like a new chain! Wish I had a PowerSharp system when I was working myself to death with a dull chain on that Ficus tree in Florida.

Final Thoughts

The PowerSharp system is a high quality, well made product that works. The speed and convenience of sharpening the chain in seconds is a huge benefit that will keep you going on the job. The sharpening system is foolproof and so easy anyone can do it.

The PowerSharp Starter Kit costs about $49 and available in sizes to fit most chainsaws. You only need to buy the guide bar and sharpener once.

PowerSharp replacement chains cost about $23, roughly twice the cost of standard factory chain but PowerSharp is more economical if you add the cost of two sharpenings by the chainsaw dealer.

An easy to use and inexpensive slide-hammer log splitter is described in this follow-up project.

Take care,

Bob Jackson

Oregon PowerSharp ReviewPowerSharp Guide BarPowerSharp Product ReviewPowerSharp Saw Chain Sharpening SystemStihl chainsaw
Bob Jackson
Bob Jackson
Technology product manager by day and a prolific handyman in the evenings and over the weekends. Bob was the founder of the original Handyman How To website and that tradition continues on this site with excellent new handyman content into the future.
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *