Did you know that Stihl products aren't expensive??

[FredH]

Bought a used Stihl 041 some 20+ years ago from the local Stihl dealer . EX-Logging saw , ( been juiced up a might , you might say ) . About 5 years after I bought it , was up in the mountains southwest of my house skidding out wood and cutting it up in the snow . Was down to the last tree I was going to bring out , since it was the farthest out . Started out O.K. , then for some reason I could not keep the slack out of the cable ?

Duh , its because the log is sliding down on its own . All I could do was watch it pick up speed , sail off the bank above the road , soar across the road , hit a tree on the other side of road , spin 90 degree's in the air and fall on my saw .

Literally , took saw into same dealer in a large paper bag .

New Bar , New air filter cover , some other used body parts , about 1 hour to put it back together , took it out back were they have a couple of test logs , second pull fired right up an has been cutting every since .

Have since bought a 2nd used 041 from same dealer , its a little newer with a chain brake but now I never go anywere with-out a back-up , ( Not that the saw may die , but more along the lines that I may kill it like above and at least have a back-up ) .

I run a 28" bar on one and a 18" on the other . Although saws are heavy , when you can tach it up with the 28" bar and bury it into a 40" black oak tree without bogging down or nursing it , thats when its nice to have a saw with power .

Fred H.

 

[cruzer]

Great Thread-

Started cutting wood last year when we purchase our home with wood stove. My brother had a poulon pro from the big orange store- 200.00 bucks, blah blah blah...he used it for his landscaping buisness some but not to much. Started using it to cut trees up more and i killed the thing pretty quickly. Made up my mind to go buy a good saw if i was going really do the wood burning thing (going to add a second stove this coming summer/fall). I went to the local shop were i asked the owner (friend of the family) what he suggested for what i was doing. Told him i was debating a husky 350 or 455 and he pointed me to the brand new 55's he had and said thats what i needed...and thats what i have been using now all summer/fall/winter and it is a great saw for the $$ so far. He even offered to show me how to sharpen the chain by hand when it got dull...

anyway when i need to buy other lawn equipment i will deffinitly be going back their... back pack blower for leaves... string/brush trimmer...hmm what else can i buy Have to go stop in and get some consumables from him soon.

Stew

 

[RalphVa]

As of about 3 years ago, Stihl 009L chain saws were still on sale and about $5 LESS than what I paid for mine in 1970ish (I know; I looked up my receipt).

I'd about given mine up because I couldn't get it started. Took it to a very good local repair shop. All they had to do was to replace the spark plug. It'd start 1st pull for the next 2 or 3 uses. (Only about the 2nd or 3rd spark plug in its 35ish year life.)

It also does not easily sling the chain like a similar-sized Craftsman that I have. The Craftsman chain must be very tight all the time, otherwise the chain will come off, and it's a bugger to get back on compared to the Stihl's. The Craftsman chain even buggered the chain slide guides when it came off at one point. Had to get a file out and dress the chain guides up to enable them to fit back in the groove. NEVER had to do this on the Stihl.

Ralph

 

[Botabill]

I owned a Homelite chain saw that I paid $35 for at a yard sale. It ran well for many years but it was too small for my needs so I shopped round and did my research on the net. Both Stihl and Huskvarna got good rating and lots of brand loyalty. I bought a Huskvarna for two reasons. 1/ for less money I got more saw and 2/ Stihl only allowed one dealer to operate in my area. That could explain why I got a better price. Huskvarna allows competitive pricing amongst their dealers.

 

[dirt ditch]

Bought a Poulon Pro 5-6 years ago from the big blue store. It was all I could afford at the time. Have to clean the air filter every day. Cant buy a replacement filter. My grandfather had a new homelite we used to top all the trees at his house 2 years ago. It died (literally) on the second to the last tree. He bought a Stihl Mini Boss to replace it. Granddad lets me keep the Stihl because my boys and I do all his tree trimming now. I only use the Poulon when a couple more inches of bar length is needed or we can run 2 saws. I have cut a lot of trees with that cheap Poulon. When it dies Ill be able to replace it with a Stihl. The little Stihl saw is light years ahead of the Poulon, but it is a usable, inexpensive saw for people like me that had little money at the time I bought it.

 

[Bad Boy 07]

My father bought a Stihl saw when we started taking care of our local cemetery, before, I got out of high school. My 30th reunion is next summer. I used it to trim some trees this past fall. I think that sums it up, pretty well.

Mark

 

[oldgreybull]

I can't help but weigh in here. I'm NOT a Stihl dealer or any kind of dealer. I'm known as a skin flint who demands a deal or value. I own two Stihl blowers, a Stihl pole saw, two Stihl chain saws and a Stihl weed trimmer. I've owned Sears, Ryobi, etc. and I know the difference. I also own a DR mower, a JD 3320 tractor and a Polaris Ranger. In the past I've owned a New Holland Tractor and a Kawasaki Mule. Over the years I've tried them all. There's a reason why quality and service sells. If you really use a product hard you quickly figure this out. If you're an occasional user it's a different story and you should shop the big box deals. That's why these differences of oppinion keep poping up. There's a need for both types of products out there. The next time there's an ice storm and you've got trees down put your chain say won't start good luck walking down the aisle of your local Lowe's or Home Depot with your bargain looking for a quick repair...

 

[SpringHollow]

Just traded in one of my 20 year old Stihls (034 model) for a new stihl. The old one started every time and has always worked great. Didn't want to part with it but last week for $225 plus trade in of the 034, I was able to upgrade to a brand new Stihl 361. Now have an 024 I believe, a 260, and the 361. Great saws. Just used the 361 for the first time yesterday - very nice!

Ken

 

[Egon]

On a nice sunny day several weeks ago I needed a little drive! Sooo; I stopped by one of the local small engine shops just to look around.

I've needed a smaller saw to go with my Husky 365. Its just to heavy for me to handle for limbing or other such jobs. It was bought with ripping logs in mind.

Came home with a new Husky 55 that was on sale. It has a metal tag that says Made in Brazil on it. On asking I find out the parts are made in Sweden, shipped to Brazil for assembly and up to us. It seems this is done as the saw is no longer emissions compliant for Sweden.

Is not the hour rating the running hours that the motor will remain emissions compliant?? Not the life expectancy of the motor??

 

[jwcinpk]

Ease of start is what sold me on Stihl saws. I have 4 now. Huskys seem to be good saws, but my experience has been as they age they become harder to start.
I wish I could say the same for Stihl trimmers. Just haven't had much luck with them. After the first year they get hard to start.
Never had a problem with a Stihl warranty either. Actually had a saw stolen last year and didn't have any idea of the serial number. Just sent Stihl an email and they gave me the date and place of purchase and serial number as well as proof of ownership.