Fall Sales

[Clzwood]

Hi everyone, this is my first post here. I feel like I have been living under a rock, which I probably have, but I'm having a tough time deciding on what to do about a new saw. I currently have a little saw, but it's older with no chain brake which gets annoying shutting it off and starting it every time I move. It doesn't have the grunt for what I would like to do. In the past I've lived in areas that were big in forestry, and as such finding used chainsaws was no problem. That is no longer the case, the only trees we have around here are shelter belts. Heating with wood is minimal. There is no used market that I can find. I have been watching this forums classifieds, but I've not seen anything I'm interested in for the last month.

So that brings me to buying new which I have no problem with. I realize we are still dealing with inflation and shortage, but I'm amazed at how poor the chainsaw market seems to be. I have two decent Stihl dealers near me, one Husqvarna dealer, and kind of an Echo dealer. The Echo dealer is a lawnmower shop. He carries chainsaws, but only two of the smallest models. He could get the one I want, the 4910, but it would not be any time remotely soon, so that's not really an option. The Husky dealer is a Tractor Supply. They aren't bad, but I really don't like that store. It seems they manage to fill the store with everything except what I need. They do have the 450 rancher I am considering. The Stihl dealers are both good, they carry the full line of Stihl everything.

The problem is all of them are at MSRP and they wont budge. I've asked about a fall sale or a black friday sale, and nobody seems to know anything. Runnings, which is a Stihl dealer was the only one who did know, and they are for sure not having any sales of any kind this year. It's MSRP or nothing, although they would throw in a Stihl carry case which I don't really care about. The Tractor Supply I've tried in person, and they knew nothing. I then called the manager, and was told he did not know either, check the website. The website did not say anything. It too is MSRP. The Echo dealer obviously won't do anything, but I'm finding Echo 4910's online in quite a few places, but they mostly are MSRP as well. One place I've shopped before offers them for MSRP and free shipping. Maybe I've been out of it too long, but are chainsaws just sold at MSRP now? There used to be fall sales on these every year, is that not a thing anymore?

I guess ultimately my question comes down to another in the long list of "what chainsaw should I buy?" threads. Getting more into the nitty gritty, the Stihl MS250 offers no great features. It has a cheap Zama carb with goofy adjustments, non-adjustable oiler, but other than that it is a simple saw that would work for what I want. The Echo CS-4910 seems a shoe-in on paper. Lightest 50cc saw on the market, fully adjustable Walbro carb, adjustable oiler, magnesium crankcase, and probably more. Both are foreign companies, with their saws made in the USA. I guess I just can't get over the thought of paying sticker price. Am I wasting my time hoping for a sale, or am I just looking in the wrong places?

Was looking to try and get a sale price on a echo 361 , couldn't find any deals so resorted to my power shop technique. It's the long way to save but this case not in a big rush so here's how. Total saved =238$ on price of 379.99 +tax free ship.
Using this procedure, never charge anything just to manufacture spend.
Opened a new credit card with 200$cash back on spend 1000 in first 3 months. I had truck insurance and home owners policy pluss put some chains and some other stuff I was getting, and the saw. That put it over the 1 k and 200 already posted to the account, actually with the spend it posted 215 due to bonus points for the spend. And the order came from Home Depot which posted vet 10% off.
I've been doing this for years and it's worth it to do one as a test.
I like to think of it as being paid to spend.
CS

 

[flatplains]

If your cutting brush sized stuff I'd look hard at a stihl 201 rear handle with safety chain, you can get it with a16" on it. Another thought is a brush cutter blade on a larger weedeater. If you need the tool don't feel bad about paying msrp, the time you wasted looking to save 20 bucks could have been better used.

That tiny little thing is $800! If I was made of money this wouldn't even be a thread. I would have just went and bought a Stihl MS261.

 

[cookies]

That tiny little thing is $800! If I was made of money this wouldn't even be a thread. I would have just went and bought a Stihl MS261.

At the end of the month for black friday i'd expect 99 dollar poulans and 139 dollar husqvarnas from lowes/homedepot and tractor supply. I often have to drive 2+hours if I want a used saw in my area and If I sell a saw I built buyers often drive 2+ hours coming to me. Whats more valuable, your time or your money?

 

[flatplains]

Time right now. If it weren't I would just keep having at it with my current little saw, must be 28cc. Runs and cuts great, but it just doesn't quite have the grunt for the level of work I want to do in the time I want to do it. I'm just going to check out ebay for a week or so and decide from there. At this point I'm pretty well set on the Echo saws. There's some real good deals for the 590 that are real tempting. I'm not sure if the extra 3 full pounds is worth the extra power over the lightweight 4910. I'll stop in the local store tomorrow and handle a Stihl 311 which says it is close in weight to the Echo 590. I have no frame of reference of saw weights. I couldn't tell you what my current one weights.

 

[esean]

For the uses you're describing the CS590 is extreme overkill. Even the CS4910 may be more than you need. The Echo CS361P would be perfect, though it's only $10 less than the CS4910. It's 36 cc and two pounds lighter. Its the Echo budget equivalent of the rear-handled Stihl 201 Cookies is recommending. You'll have to decide whether power or weight is more important.

 

[sundance]

For the uses you're describing the CS590 is extreme overkill. Even the CS4910 may be more than you need. The Echo CS361P would be perfect, though it's only $10 less than the CS4910. It's 36 cc and two pounds lighter. Its the Echo budget equivalent of the rear-handled Stihl 201 Cookies is recommending. You'll have to decide whether power or weight is more important.

CS352 or CS3510 are also very capable smaller saws and a bit more budget friendly.

 

[EchoShindaiwaMakitaDolmar]

...

 

[ladnar]

Yes I know what you mean about MSRP, I hate paying it, but I have a cs-4910-18", cs-590-24", cs-620pw-27" I use non-ethanol gas and red armor oil, they are great saws for the money, even at msrp, after a month or two you just use it and forget what you paid for it, they just work!

 

[flatplains]

Well I decided to go with ebay. The recent storm took a toll. so I've got a bunch of wood to clean up, including helping my brother next Friday. I had to decide soon if I wanted to buy one, or just keep running my old saw for now. I decided on an Echo 590. It may sound dumb, but I would have hated myself for ever paying sticker price for a 4910 that's just the way I am. For whatever reason the 590's are cheaper than the 4910's on ebay. I won an auction for one brand new for $325 shipped. The state gets $17 tax, but it would have anyway.

Is the 590 overkill? I'm sure it is. I went into the local store and was surprised how light an MS311 is, and the 590 says it is lighter than that. I don't think I'm going to have an issue with the 590. The only issue is it seems a 20" bar has become the standard one everything 45cc and up for some reason. I'll give it a shot, and if I don't like it, shorter bars are not hard to find for the 590.

Anyway, thanks everyone for pointing me towards ebay, I don't know why I hadn't thought of it. For anyone looking for sales like I was, unfortunately I do not believe you will find any. Stihl and Husky apparently have such a death grip on their dealers that there is no margin. I was never able to find an Echo dealer with a sale either. The only places I would watch would be like a Home Depot or Fleet Farm in the next couple weeks they might have a certain % off in store, and they carry Echo. I don't have either store near me.

 

[Beardy]

Too late to the party but Home Depot are/have been getting rid of the rental saws and occasionally have a Dolmar/Makita EA4300 for <200. Might be something to look out for.

 

[computeruser]

590 with a 16" bar would be a nice setup if you don't need the extra bar length. I prefer short bars to long, all things equal, and a laminated (lighter than solid/replaceable nose bar) bar on a 590 would help keep the weight down if you decide to go shorter.

Good score. That's a heck of a lot of oldschool simple+durable saw for $325 + tax.

 

[flatplains]

590 with a 16" bar would be a nice setup if you don't need the extra bar length. I prefer short bars to long, all things equal, and a laminated (lighter than solid/replaceable nose bar) bar on a 590 would help keep the weight down if you decide to go shorter.

Good score. That's a heck of a lot of oldschool simple+durable saw for $325 + tax.

Yeah, it seems to be a well built saw. Before I did anything I took it half apart and I am happy with what I saw. Before I even started it I had that deflector cut out of the muffler, and I also pulled the caps off the carb adjustments. Both are very easy to do. A saw like this, magnesium case that looks like a real workhorse bottom end, the muffler is a Walbro fully adjustable, the chain oiler is adjustable. There isn't a whole lot I don't like about it.

The one achilleas heel I found was the air filter. The air intake design seems fine, and the cover is a good design. It's the filter itself that is junk. Instead of some foam that has worked great forever they have some weird spaceship looking paper or cotton filter, and it doesn't work. It's 3 pieces, two halves and some kind of air silencer thing in the middle. It has a plastic frame that doesn't seal at all. I'm glad I caught it when I did, I had only cut up a couple trees as a test when I noticed it. The inside of the carb had a bunch of dust, as does the inside of the filter. I don't know if mine was shipped without seals or what, there's no way they are supposed to be this way. I shoved an O ring in mine between the carb and filter which seems to help. I then cut up a bunch of brush and some shooting lanes with it. I now have the red beard saws round foam filter on it, which is what this saw should come with. Oh well, I guess you have to pay one way or the other.

 

[medalist]

I was both a Stihl dealer as well as Echo in the early 80's.
I'm left to wonder if anybody has any idea what a dealers margin is on this equipment?
What exactly is your satisfaction level when you want a discount? I'll suggest the margin is far lower than you imagine and the discount you expect exceeds that amount.

At the end of the day I could turn over my whole goods inventory many times a month and go out of business the next.
It it wasn't for the service shop profit we would have gone out of business.

I like a good deal as much as anybody, don't get me wrong.
For the record we did offer a discount to commercial customers that bought multiple saws a year and brought them in for repairs.

Aside from him we sold Stihl products at list price...020's were right around $325. at that point.

If you have a good local dealer you'd be wise to support him... I'm sure they will appreciate your business and the few dollar savings will not be material in the end.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I buy used. I have a ms251c and ms251. Both were priced right and in like new condition. If a ms250 had come along sooner I would probably have one.

Me too. Of the hundreds of saws I've owned I only bought one of them new and it wasn't any better than some of the used ones. I didn't check the guarantee since I do my own work..

 

[Seachaser]

I was both a Stihl dealer as well as Echo in the early 80's.
I'm left to wonder if anybody has any idea what a dealers margin is on this equipment?
What exactly is your satisfaction level when you want a discount? I'll suggest the margin is far lower than you imagine and the discount you expect exceeds that amount.

At the end of the day I could turn over my whole goods inventory many times a month and go out of business the next.
It it wasn't for the service shop profit we would have gone out of business.

I like a good deal as much as anybody, don't get me wrong.
For the record we did offer a discount to commercial customers that bought multiple saws a year and brought them in for repairs.

Aside from him we sold Stihl products at list price...020's were right around $325. at that point.

If you have a good local dealer you'd be wise to support him... I'm sure they will appreciate your business and the few dollar savings will not be material in the end.

I support mine. He deals in zero turns, Stihl , and guns.

 

[Lightning Performance]

That tiny little thing is $800! If I was made of money this wouldn't even be a thread. I would have just went and bought a Stihl MS261.

No crying you pay for the best pro saws. If you used one all day everyday the price isn't the issue most times.