Chop Your Leg Off with Chainsaw Chaps

[onocoffee]

I like this guy's channel and his wry humor. Today he dropped a video exploring whether or not chainsaw chaps will stop an electric chainsaw.

Spoiler Alert: Evidently, it doesn't.

 

[smorgasbord]

Spoiler Alert: Evidently, it doesn't.

The actual spoiler is that worn-out chaps won't stop any chainsaw.

 

[mcfal12]

Chaps are designed to stop a chainsaw- the type is irrelevant - by jamming the saw with the infill. What I see in the above video is the result of being poorly made, a pair made with substandard materials (denim or duck cloth) or simply a pair which was deliberately altered removing the infill. The best chaps are made of ballistic or Kevlar materials.

 

[woodferret]

Safety nazi time
ASTM F1897-20 (USA/NA) or ASTM F3325-20 (Canada)

She goes through the same 8-9 layer chaps


For those really bored

The Clogger Guide to Global Chainsaw Protection Standards (2025 Update) - Clogger - Better Chainsaw Protection

There is a lot of confusion around global chainsaw protection standards. Read the Clogger Guide to find out how they compare.

blog.goclogger.com

Most of the testing procedure is 15N cuts into the chaps, 24 times, with a fail when it penetrates the inner liner.

 

[Cheese]

Well, a set of chaps wrapped around a tree is nothing remotely similar to a set of chaps wrapped around my thigh. C'mon let's get real, wrap it around the thigh and let's compare the results.

 

[Packard]

As a side note, a friend of mine was a tree surgeon and he gave me this advice on buying a chain saw: If the saw you are selecting comes in more than one bar length, choose the longest bar that you are comfortable with.

He explained: The most dangerous thing you can encounter when using a chain saw, is to “catch the tip”. That is having the very tip of the chainsaw engage in the cutting operation. That frequently leads to “kick back” where the saw kicks back at you. If you are cutting a limb that is overhead, it can kick back and get you in the face or head. A longer bar avoids that.

At any rate it is usually $10..00 or $15.00 more and a cheap safety measure that also makes cutting easier.