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

[montanaman]

If you're an occasional user it's a different story and you should shop the big box deals.

That was the reason that I started this thread. Unless you are looking at very occasional use saws like Poulan, you can buy a Stihl from me for less than a single piston ring Husky at Lowes or an Ecoh at Home Depot.

I do not have anything that I can compete with price wise with the Poulans and I don't want anything is that quality range.

FYI, I just got a part that I need to do my third warranty job since being a Stihl dealer. I had a saw with a small part broken in shipping so not even a quality problem. VERY good math for the whole goods numbers I turn here!! The only other warranty repairs I have done was to change some carb diaphragms and when I called tech, I explained that it seemed to be a fuel related issue. They said to fix it and warranty it! I also replaced the ignition on a trimmer that was very old, but when it was built, the ignition had a parts only lifetime warranty so for just a few bucks, it's running again.

Ken

 

[DaryleD]

Almost anything in a discounted department store is LESSER quality.
Even a brand name product. I'd NEVER buy any tools from them. Never.
They sell junk. Period. They dictate a price , hence the bearings, alloys, everything have to adjust to it. Final product...junk.
Their stuff is actually very expensive. Will have to be replaced over and over eventually./I am not talking about drywall and a similar stuff , of course. /.
I like Bosch tools. They are non profit company, so no pressure to make a huge profit.

joe

Joe is 100% correct. The big chain stores, tell the manufacturer what they want to pay for the unit, and then the manufacturer cheapens the quality of the parts inside, until the price can be met, with the manufacturer making some profit on the item. Don't be fooled with this, by thinking whatever brand they sell is automatically junk; it is just the stuff in their store that is junk. Look at lawn mowers ( john deere vs. john deere at the JD dealer, and you will see the difference ), saws, trimmers, welders ( that's a biggie; don't think that you're getting true "Lincoln" welder quality when you buy a Lincoln from them vs. a lincoln from a welding supply place ). If you care about quality, DON'T buy these kinds of tools from big box stores period. Pass the word; no I'm not a dealer but hate when folks don't realize that they are comparing pricing on two things that are no way near the same quality. I hate junk, and I hate the fact that the big box stores are getting away with this. They should be ashamed of themselves!!!!!!!!

 

[RWEST]

but now I never go anywere with-out a back-up

Or, if a tree leans the wrong way and pinches the saw, and you have to use the second saw to get the first one out.

I like Bosch tools. They are non profit company, so no pressure to make a huge profit.

Bosch is non-profit? Never heard that one before. Bosch is definitely top-quality, but non-profit?

 

[Willis Fecon Bushhogging]

OK, you caught me, I'm a dealer......

But this is something I have given a lot of thought to. I can't count the number of times I read on here that someone is looking for a lawn widget and they say they would love to buy a Stihl, but can't afford it!! Now if you are shopping in the throw away price range, this is true, but if you are looking at the higher end products that the box stores carry, in many cases, the local servicing Stihl dealer is cheaper!! The blue box store sells the husky Rancher for more money than a Stihl dealer sells the Farm Boss for yet the Farm Boss is a two piston ring engine vs a single ring, has more HP, easier to operate chain tensioner and fuel and oil caps, and an easier to service air filter. Add to that a Swiss made chain with twice the chrome on the cutters and rivet holes that are reamed, rather than stamped in a chain that is pre-stretched, and you can get all of this from a dealer that can actually repair and service it for you!! The orange box store sells Echo and again, in the same engine size saw, Stihl is cheaper with more STD features.


Another big difference comes after the sale. Every time I have checked their prices, I have been cheaper on chains, trimmer line, files, etc. The orange store sells a chain I have never heard of made in China, for as much as $5 more than I sell a genuine Stihl chain!! The only lower priced product they offer that you need to buy to keep your equipment running are their generic oils, and they are not the same quality as what I sell.

Just a little rant and I was curious to see where this thread would go!

Ken

OK i'll bite also. My situation maybe a little different, but here goes anyway. I am in the land clearing business, when I got started 8 years ago, I bought the Home Depot Pollun (spelling) they were cheap, where we could afford them, LOL and to be truthfull they were good chainsaws, but they just couldnt stand up to the abuse that the workers put them through. We finally made enough money to by a Husky (local dealer) then as we built the business we kept buying Husky, we now have 7 saws all Husky's, all sizes.
My first chain saw ever was a Stihl, it was a great saw, but my brother decided he wanted to borrow it while I was at work and didnt mix the oil in the gas that was 25 years ago and he still hears about it.
I did buy my Husky from the Husky dealer cheaper than I could buy it from Home Depot, that was hard to believe.
My suggestion is buy wisely, if you are only going to use it once in a while, buy what you can afford. If you can afford buy the better saws, they will last you forever, if you take care of them (an dont forget the oil mixture)
Just my 2 cents worth

 

[Bucky4]

Swines,

Thats why my tools are MINE. If someone wants to borrow something, I tell them the local dealer has all they want. My wife gets pissed, but in the end, I'm not left with a repair bill and a busted up, worn out piece of junk because someone can't take care of it.

Craig

Oh c'mon Shmudda, we're practically neighbors. Lemme borrow that saw!!!

 

[gordon21]

I had post #2 in this thread and my opinion still had not changed until today. In the past, no one would sell a simple 14-18" Stihl saw for under $350 or so. Their price was DOUBLE what Homelite charged for their 18" Timberman series which I have found to be extremely durable and reliable after many many cords.

Today I saw an ad for a $179 Stihl saw. I couldn't believe it. I checked the internet tonight and there are multiple saws offered for under $220. Their prices are now within a few dollars of the same price as the big box stores.

What happened here? Did Stihl recently intoduce some cheaper saws to compete or did all the dealers in the past try to stick to the ridiculously high MSRP? The MS 170 says it has SOME of the features of the better Stihl saws. That means it must have deleted something. Or did the MSRP come way down??

 

[John_Mc]

Today I saw an ad for a $179 Stihl saw. I couldn't believe it. I checked the internet tonight and there are multiple saws offered for under $220. Their prices are now within a few dollars of the same price as the big box stores.

What happened here? Did Stihl recently intoduce some cheaper saws to compete or did all the dealers in the past try to stick to the ridiculously high MSRP? The MS 170 says it has SOME of the features of the better Stihl saws. That means it must have deleted something. Or did the MSRP come way down??

Most of the high-end saw manufacturers have come out with "homeowner" or "entry level" models. They are decent for the price, but they are no comparison to even their mid-level saws, let alone their "pro" grade saws.

John Mc

 

[CurtC]

Stihl makes a good product, no doubt, but their orange paint is more expensive.

I'll keep my Dolmar 5100 thanks. Closest thing I've found to a wood light saber with an 18" full-chisel chain on it.

 

[montanaman]

I had post #2 in this thread and my opinion still had not changed until today. In the past, no one would sell a simple 14-18" Stihl saw for under $350 or so. Their price was DOUBLE what Homelite charged for their 18" Timberman series which I have found to be extremely durable and reliable after many many cords.

Today I saw an ad for a $179 Stihl saw. I couldn't believe it. I checked the internet tonight and there are multiple saws offered for under $220. Their prices are now within a few dollars of the same price as the big box stores.

What happened here? Did Stihl recently intoduce some cheaper saws to compete or did all the dealers in the past try to stick to the ridiculously high MSRP? The MS 170 says it has SOME of the features of the better Stihl saws. That means it must have deleted something. Or did the MSRP come way down??

(

The smaller Stihl saws do share many of the same features with the pro saws. They do not build an engine without a two ring piston and they will not build something that will not hold up for the work it was designed for. I have many customers using the MS170 and MS 180 for limbing and clean up work and they really like them. It is a great light weight saw for a non-pro to use for limbing a tree after it is cut down. Many Farm Boss owners use a 170 or 180 to do the small work because it can be run for hours without wearing you out because of the weight.

The smaller and less expensive saws are very well built, but are not intended for use every day of the week and they are not large enough for firewood use. The smallest saw that I sell for firewood cutting is the MS 250 for $320 with a 16" bar.

(or did all the dealers in the past try to stick to the ridiculously high MSRP? )

You would be shocked at both the low profit margin on these products and also the extremely high costs of running this type of business. Many of my professional customers will pay off a pro saw on the first residential tree job.
For them, the cost isn't even a factor, my service is.

Not sure why most assume they are paying too much for a quality product, but I can assure that most of my customers have a much more comfortable lifestyle that I do!

 

[montanaman]

Most of the high-end saw manufacturers have come out with "homeowner" or "entry level" models. They are decent for the price, but they are no comparison to even their mid-level saws, let alone their "pro" grade saws.

John Mc

Something to keep in mind and an area where Stihl differs from the other saw companies. Notice I didn't say manufacturers, because many of them may sell something with their name on it, but may not build it. Stihl is a privately owned company and if they sell a product with an engine, they built the product.

They are not just using their name to increase sales by branding a lower quality product with it.

Their smaller lower cost saws were not even designed to do the work of their pro saws, so they really can't be compared to them.

They build a product for a specific purpose and put a bar and chain on it that matches what it was built to do and the power than it has.

Ken

Ken