I thought Sthil made a good saw?

[ArlyA]

I can't commet on there lower dollar machines since all we have and use, are there pro versions. I'd still say Stihl does make some good products and having some plastic on them does not constitute it being good or bad. .

 

[Fuddy1952]

Just got off phone with Stihl after 28 minute wait. I haven't used it that much but they said DOP was 2/2015. I had to fix chain brake bar couple years ago, top housing screws fell out. They said vibration caused issue, usually bent bar or chain missing teeth(?).
I have replaced bar once and chain twice (Stihl). I bought from Ace hardware, Stihl said nothing they can do because of time, although I may have 20-30 hours on it.
I have a Greenworks 40v saw more hours on it that that...still works.
My experience with Stihl hasn't been good. I'd never recommend them or buy another.

 

[dodge man]

Sounds like you got a lemon, maybe one that had poor assembly.

 

[5030]

Spray it down with penetrating oil and let it set overnight before trying to use an easy out. It might help.

I have several Stihl products. They are OK, but not that much better, if any, than other top of the line products from other companies. Like everyone else, their products are getting more cheaply built all the time. I get a kick out of how Stihl's latest ad seems to try to make a quality point to say their product is not sold at Lowes or Home Depot. As if where who the retailer is establishes the quality? It probably has more to do with Lowes and Home Depot tried unsuccessfully to get a volume discount, or something similar.

I'd say you pegged it.

 

[5030]

The old ones were actually built from magnesium castings, only plastic was the top shroud and the gas and oil caps. I still have my 028 and my 075 from 40 years ago and both run like raped apes.

 

[oldpilot]

After half a century of breaking my back trying to start Homelite saws (1968-2016), I found happiness with a Stihl EZstart. I don't like the fancy chain tensioner -- the old screw adjustment was a whole lot more precise -- but the saw starts like a charm five years after buying it. I did have the chain sharpened and the saw tuned up this past winter. I was actually hesitant about the tuneup, but it didn't hurt anything. I only ever use premixed gasoline/oil because what's available at the pump is adulterated with alcohol. (For a while there I used Mogas from the airport, but that's no longer available. It's all 100 octane low-lead, and I grounded myself when I turned eighty, so I don't have an excuse to visit there.)

 

[R25L]

All the Stihl exhaust bolts I've seen have been steel.

Use a center punch or a dremel with a carbide bit to spot the center of the bolt so you drill the center. Be very careful with the cheap ez-outs you can get at the hardware store. They have a tendency to snap because they're very hard. Then you have a very hard piece of ez-out stuck in your bolt. I've been there. It's not much fun.

A reverse drill bit often removes the stuck part.

The best extractors I've used were Snap-ons I borrowed years ago from a friend who'd been a motorcycle mechanic. I normally don't worship at the Snap-on altar like some guys but these were far better than the regular extractors. They had a splined shaft that you drove into the stuck part and a collar that slid down on it that you could use a wrench on. I haven't been able to locate them since.

 

[Mudfarmer]

In Stihl's favor, it is the only brand in our area sold though dealers that actually have onsite maintenance and repair shops. if you buy a chainsaw at Lowe's be prepared to throw it out in less than a year. Even the independent small engine guys around here won't work on big-box chainsaws.

 

[manzer7]

As long as the bolts are indeed steel, Don't know on Stihl but some Husky saws are made of something much lighter than steel. Maybe why the local husky dealer gets about $5 per exhaust bolt.

I have a Stihl 026 that I bought new in 1990 and it still runs as good as when I bought it. So far I have had to replace the muffler and the air filter this year. Besides chains and bars, that is all I have ever had to replace in 31 years cutting my firewood, working my land, making trails in my woods, etc. The best chainsaw I have ever had !! But, again, that was from 1990 !!

 

[Tbone07]

The old ones were actually built from magnesium castings, only plastic was the top shroud and the gas and oil caps. I still have my 028 and my 075 from 40 years ago and both run like raped apes.

The "professional" line of Stihl saws still use magnesium case halves. The "homeowner" models use plastic.

I have a Stihl 026 that I bought new in 1990 and it still runs as good as when I bought it.

I just restored/cleaned my grandfather's 026 and 036. They both run like champs.