Abandoned Brand?

[livewire]

Hey all,

I'm wondering if any of you have switched from buying/using one brand to another. Stihl, Jred, Husky...

What were you loyal to, why'd you switch, and where'd you go?

 

[Pablo26]

I had one saw for the past 12 years, a Stihl 026 I got new. It has never been in for a repair and has been a great saw. I got a bug to try a Husky for a new saw, so got seduced by internet sale prices/lack of sales tax, and got a 357xp from Amick's, with B&C from Bailey's. Did not see this saw at 3 local dealers, and really only like the one(dealer) I got my 026 at anyway. Hopefully it will be trouble free as the 026 has been, I don't plan on taking it to my local shop for warranty work. I was always leary of an outboard clutch, but so far so good. All this talk about metal and plastic: I have a thing for metal handles with rubber grips. I got the last 026 with metal handles at my dealer, they were just going plastic. If the MS361 had metal handles, I think I would have been sold, and if the husky had plastic handles it would have been no deal. May seem trivial, but that is your connection to the saw. So far I am really impressed with the power/cutting speed of the husky in hard woods.

 

[mattinky]

I owned several Homelites and bought a Husky and I've been using them ever since. I've had great service from them and they've been reliable as a hammer. I have several friends that swear by Stihl and they are great saws but I think the Husky's are much easier to work on. I'm really satisfied with Huskys and I'll probably always use them, besides that I have restored several vintage Husky dirt bikes and have a real love affair with them so I 'kinda dig the saws too! LOL I have several other saws besides the Huskys but I don't think as much of them as I do the Huskys. Matt

 

[musch]

I'll never own another Pull-on.

I like Huskys, some Stihls, Jonsered and Dolmar.

 

[TooTall999]

I bought my one saw(Dolmar 120si) new,from a local small dealer in Vt.The only thing I've done is routine maintenance,and replace the bar and chains.I've had no trouble with the saw since I bought it in 1995 and that is the one brand I'd stand behind and wouldn't hesitate to buy again.My only concern is the rather spotty dealer network and availability of parts.I've cut 5-6 full cords of firewood a year with it,and it has never failed me.

 

[musch]

I bought my one saw(Dolmar 120si) new,from a local small dealer in Vt.The only thing I've done is routine maintenance,and replace the bar and chains.I've had no trouble with the saw since I bought it in 1995 and that is the one brand I'd stand behind and wouldn't hesitate to buy again.My only concern is the rather spotty dealer network and availability of parts.I've cut 5-6 full cords of firewood a year with it,and it has never failed me.

Make sure to carry a crowbar along, in case the bar gets stuck! :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[livewire]

Make sure to carry a crowbar along, in case the bar gets stuck! :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[gatkeper1]

Started with a John Deere 50V. Then got a toasted 266 Husky for free. Rebuilt that and got hooked on Husky. A 272 and a 394 followed then a Jonsered 670, well because its a Husky. Picked up Redmax and Echos because I can't pass up a good deal.
Got a Dolmar 5100 and it has become may favorite. Next a 7900 and when they bring out a replacement for the 9010 I will replace the 394.

 

[TooTall999]

Make sure to carry a crowbar along, in case the bar gets stuck! :hmm3grin2orange:

Not much chance of that...the wood is delivered by the truckload....got 6 cord of 8' logs out there now

 

[Ed*L]

I never quit a saw brand, they quit first!
I get good support on Stihl & Husky. If I had a Jred I have a good dealer nearby also.
My first saw was a John Deere. Deere likes to change their manufacturers too often and then drop parts support. Leaving you with a saw or other equipment you can't get parts for easily.
I try to avoid buying stuff that is made by one company & distributed by another. It creates to many support problems down the road if you keep stuff for a long time. I also avoid, if possible, companies that have went bankrupt or get sold often.

Ed

 

[computeruser]

I never quit a saw brand, they quit first!
I get good support on Stihl & Husky. If I had a Jred I have a good dealer nearby also.
My first saw was a John Deere. Deere likes to change their manufacturers too often and then drop parts support. Leaving you with a saw or other equipment you can't get parts for easily.
I try to avoid buying stuff that is made by one company & distributed by another. It creates to many support problems down the road if you keep stuff for a long time. I also avoid, if possible, companies that have went bankrupt or get sold often.

Ed

+1.

 

[Hard Knocks]

After 12 Years selling and servicing Sthih products I switched to Husqvarna. It was not because Stihl did not make good saws. We felt that they were not making all of their products with the same quality and durability that people expected to get out of the name. We found that people looked at products like the 025 and 026 beside each other and most always chose the 025 due to price only to be disappointed later. No matter how hard we tried to push the professional models, people wanted the cheaper stuff because they trusted the name meant professional. I think that the last straw for me was the discontinuation of the FS56 string trimer that was replaced by the FS36. I still love to work on and use some of Stihl's products but I must say that I have no regrets about the decision to switch.

 

[tumbleweed]

im a husky guy but have gotten a few mac's and am starting to go from orange to yellow,the macs (all older)are allmost giveaways and with alittle work run fine,most have been sitting too long and just need a carb cleaning/kit and run fine.mac 440-10.00 and a new chain,runs great/mac 605 -50.00 and a tune runs and looks new.

 

[mbopp]

I resurrected dad's Texron Homelite Zip, then it was on to a Mac 655 & 610, both freebies. My Christmas gift was a new Shindaiwa 488.

 

[Austin1]

I like all my saws

I have used a few different saw over the years but have no brand loyalty. But must confess I like my Jred, cant wait to mod it.Plus my old Sp 105 at 106cc is really cool!

 

[hornett22]

my first saw was a shindiawa and i loved it.

someone stole it the second day i had it.then i got a stihl 025 and i always hated it.then it got stolen after a couple of years and i felt better.then i was given a homelite XL-12.i liked it but hated the thumb oiler.then one day a couple of years ago i was in lows and bought a 55 rancher for the hell of it and i fell in love with huskys.been buying them ever since and the 55 is still one of my favorites.

i like stihl but not enough to switch yet.some of the models husky is coming out with lately have me scared.

dealers for dolmar and jonsered aren't convienient to me so that is why i haven't even tried them and probably won't for some time.

 

[litefoot]

My first saw was a JRed. A trustworthy woods companion, and like your first pickup truck, it became my "brand". Unfortunately, when I wanted to upgrade, there were no dealers anywhere to be found. So I had to switch. But I'm not complaining...my 361 and 7900 are extra-fine machines, and the Dolmar gives me some of that individuality I had with the JRed.

 

[Austin1]

Same with me

My first saw was a JRed. A trustworthy woods companion, and like your first pickup truck, it became my "brand". Unfortunately, when I wanted to upgrade, there were no dealers anywhere to be found. So I had to switch. But I'm not complaining...my 361 and 7900 are extra-fine machines, and the Dolmar gives me some of that individuality I had with the JRed.

I wanted a Dolmar! but No dealers! So I went with my favorite dealer. They can get me almost anything I need.

 

[musch]

After 12 Years selling and servicing Sthih products I switched to Husqvarna. It was not because Stihl did not make good saws. We felt that they were not making all of their products with the same quality and durability that people expected to get out of the name. We found that people looked at products like the 025 and 026 beside each other and most always chose the 025 due to price only to be disappointed later. No matter how hard we tried to push the professional models, people wanted the cheaper stuff because they trusted the name meant professional. I think that the last straw for me was the discontinuation of the FS56 string trimer that was replaced by the FS36. I still love to work on and use some of Stihl's products but I must say that I have no regrets about the decision to switch.

The same can be said of Husky, and their lower cost line.
Although, I must say, a friend of mine bought a 137 for his dad, and he loves it.

 

[Hard Knocks]

The same can be said of Husky, and their lower cost line.
Although, I must say, a friend of mine bought a 137 for his dad, and he loves it.

That is true with a few of the low end models eg. 137. But Electrolux has an interesting strategy with brand lableing. They start out with Weed Eater and Poulan being their cheapo products, then you can move up to the Poulan Pro, then comes Jonsered and Husqvarna. Consumers for the most part don't associate the Wild Thing with the 346XP.