StateofJefferson
ArboristSite Lurker
I thought I might brighten your day by relating my limited experience with saws in general, and one particular Stihl. Last December, I was perusing my local pawn shop for deals I just "gotta" have. I found a Stihl 036 Pro which appeared to be in relatively good shape, cosmetically. Took it outside, compression was good and it fired up right away. Nervous abnout buying a used saw and not knowing it's history, I started discussing price. Ticket price was $250, but offered $150, settled at $160.50. Happily used the saw for about 2 months and REALLY liked it, having used a much smaller Jonsered 2150 in the past for heating exclusively with wood. The smaller Jonsered didn't have the oomph needed when cutting larger oak and madrone. The Stihl was great, until I went to a friends place to help buck oak. During cutting, the chain suddenly went slack. After inspecting it, I determined that the crank shaft split about 2 1/2" down. Contacted Stihl and, much to their credit, they offered to cover the cost of the crank shaft itself. I would be responsible for labor, gaskets and bearings, if needed. Got a call from the saw shop, ready for pickup. Went in to retrieve it and was informed by the shopowner that Stihl had it listed as stolen. Bummer! I'm out a saw, and the pawn shop is baulking at over a refund. I did find a seven year-old Husky 55 on display with 24" blade that they were asking $299. I told the owner I could by a NEW 55 for $286 off the net. Price was WAY outta line! Had to finally mention small claims court to get some discussion out of him. Walked away with the 55 as a replacement. Limited time so far with the 55, but am pleased with it's performance, don't anticipate it being equivalent to the 036 Pro, but still pleased. I liked the 036 so much I found another locally. So, 3 saws in possession now, and counting. It's becoming progressively more difficult to justify the purchases to my wife, eh? Sorry to ramble on, just thought someone might appreciate another's mess.
