Rank #4 · Review
Oregon Q90405 Kit Review: Cheapest Way to Start Sharpening
$37.12
Price checked 2026-08-19. Prices change — the Amazon page is authoritative.
TL;DR
A five-piece hand kit: file holder, flat file with handle, depth gauge tool and bar groove cleaner. It covers bar maintenance as well as the chain, and it is the cheapest honest entry point — with all the inconsistency of free-hand filing.
Who it's right for
- Homeowners with a small 1/4" or 3/8" Low Pro saw
- Anyone who also needs a bar groove cleaner and depth gauge tool
- A backup kit for the truck
Who should skip it
- Larger pitch chain
- Anyone who wants repeatable angles without practice
Specifications
| Type | 5-piece hand maintenance kit |
|---|---|
| Chain pitch | 1/4" and 3/8" Low Pro |
| Includes | File holder, flat file and handle, depth gauge tool, bar groove cleaner |
| Chain removal | Not required |
What you get
Oregon put the whole hand routine in one bag: an assembled file holder for the top plate, a wooden-handled flat file and depth gauge tool for the rakers, and a groove cleaner for the bar. That last piece is the one most beginners never buy and most need — a packed bar groove chokes the oil holes and burns bars.
Sharpening with it
The file holder sits on the chain and guides the file height, but nothing clamps to the bar, so the top plate angle is still yours to hold. Beginners produce curved cuts with this kit for the first month, and that is not a defect — it is the nature of free-hand work.
Once your technique settles it is a perfectly good kit. It just asks you to acquire a skill before it pays off, and it only fits two chain sizes.
Verdict
Excellent value as a maintenance kit, mediocre as a sharpening solution. If your goal is a consistently sharp chain rather than learning to file, spend the money on a guided tool instead.
Alternatives
- #1 Sherem SawSharpener — Anyone who wants a sharp chain in the field, in minutes
- #2 Stihl 2 in 1 Easy File Chainsaw Chain Sharpener 3/8" — Owners of a single 3/8" pitch saw
- #3 Granberg File-N-Joint G-106B Bar-Mounted Sharpener — Patient users who like traditional file guides
- #5 Oregon Professional Compact 120-Volt Bench Chain Grinder — Workshops sharpening many chains a week