McCulloch - Further Destruction of the Name

[McCullough]

Anybody else see MTD's latest trick (the company from Taiwan that produces McCulloch and a bunch of other brands such as Troy-Built). First they revived the McCulloch name by producing a bunch of cheap crappy saws using model names beginning with "MS"; then they introduced some so called pro models which, for more money, have some nice black paint to make them look cooler - and perhaps an "easy start system"; but their latest trick takes the cake - they brought back the Timber Bear and Eager Beaver Saws (apparently in an attempt to to rely on the memories of older saw buyers).

LOL. We have an pre-bankruptcy Timber Bear that still runs good and the new one has a smaller sized engine. And if you look carefully (in the Menards Store) the more expensive Troy-Built model sitting nearby is the exact same saw (for more money you get red colored plastic, red paint on the bar, and a slightly different molded plastic pull handle).

Wow! What's next - introducing a new Mc 250?

 

[computeruser]

Pretty amusing. Next thing you know they'll be selling a plastic, 46cc/20" bar SP125 Heritage Edition or something like that.

I, too, think it is a shame to see a once respectable name turned into, well, modern day McCulloch. The same with Homelite and Poulan. There is something upsetting about a manufacturer selling disposable power equipment that is made all the more upsetting when to do so they draw against the residual goodwill of a name that was once respectable.

On a related note, I've done a fair amount of reading lately about observed shifts in american consumer behavior that supposedly involve an increased emphasis on a product's quality as a component of what consumers consider to be a good value. Assuming this trend is true, it is obviously in its infancy, since WalMart is still doing a decent business selling the lowest grade of goods possible (though supposedly sales are down at WalMart, whereas most retailers are observing an increase in sales presently). But, still, we can hope. Even though I'm young, I did spend a lot of time with my grandparents as a youth and came to appreciate a product's durability and ease of repair a lot more than my parents and people of my generation. I, for one, would find it refreshing to see shelves stocked with products that were competing with one another on the basis of long-term value, durability, and similar factors, rather than just how low a price they can attach to the product and have it still kinda-sorta-sometimes work.

 

[Wes]

The truth is, if you spend a little bit more and get a higher-quality tool, it will be a pleasure to use, you will be more likely to maintain it propertly, and you will happily pass it on to someone else eventually, knowing that you aren't handing someone a headache.

Sometimes you don't have to spend that much more. Imagine all those folks who buy another big box saw every 2 or 3 years. What if they had just budgeted $300 to start with, and gotten a decent tool?

 

[mbopp]

Does anybody remember when "Made in Japan" meant it was a cheap POS? Then an American (Dr. W. E. Deming) convinced the Japanese that quality would be the driving force in the marketplace, not price. The rest is history - look no further than Toyota for an example.

Taiwan and China are now making the cheap stuff. And if Wal-Mart sales are down then maybe Americans do want some quality. I guess I'll keep my old, real, Macs.

 

[pinus]

The crap tools are for people who need it for occasional work.
Here is story, that if U needs to screw a screw into wall U will go supermarket and is buying a cheap one. If U needs to screw a screw again U will go and by the next one

 

[SawTroll]

Does anybody remember when "Made in Japan" meant it was a cheap POS? Then an American (Dr. W. E. Deming) convinced the Japanese that quality would be the driving force in the marketplace, not price. The rest is history - look no further than Toyota for an example.
.....

Yes, I am old enough to remember, it was like that a long time - but suddenly.......

 

[belgian]

The truth is, if you spend a little bit more and get a higher-quality tool, it will be a pleasure to use, you will be more likely to maintain it propertly, and you will happily pass it on to someone else eventually, knowing that you aren't handing someone a headache.

Sometimes you don't have to spend that much more. Imagine all those folks who buy another big box saw every 2 or 3 years. What if they had just budgeted $300 to start with, and gotten a decent tool?

Very well said. I feel that the group of people (homeowners, not the pro's) willing to invest in a decent tool is getting a disappearing minority. Fact is nobody is willing to pay the price anymore for such tools, and every manufacterer jumps therefor on the train of "fast moving consumer goods". If I walk through the tool department of a box store when I join my wife in shopping for groceries (and that ain't often, thank God), I cannot suppress a smile looking at that cheap stuff and wonder who buys this stuff.

But then again, I spent a small fortune on good quality tools, and some of them have barely been used in the last decade. Should I have put my money in the bank instead ?

Hell no, the pleasure they give me when used, sooner or later, cannot be described. Only people who have and use them, probably know what I am talking about.
But that's just me of course.

 

[PES+]

I have news for you

I have seen several parts on different major label chainsaws that bear casting marks of companies in China on certain models.

The world is headed at least for the near future to relying on China for all casting work due to much more lenient pollution laws and safety regulations as well as low wages afforded by a large labor pool.

The quality of Chinese metals and machining has moved forward at seeming light speed.

Honda itself has retooled a chinese factory and is making some of their single cylinder engines in that plant and assembling them in Thailand.

I am not impressed with the looks of these engines but I knew it was only a matter of time.

 

[belgian]

Mc Cullogh

Back to topic, Mc Cullogh in our area is referred immediately to as cheap box store products. So I couldn't understand why people on AS could even think about supporting the brand. People like Mc Bob from Australia inspired me to at least have a look at the earlier Mac saws, and so it happened that I have come to own a few, and have come to respect them. They were leading manufacterers in the old days and it's sad they went out of business. Todays Mac products are a shame for the original brand. I can understand the feelings of the real Mac man today a lot better.
cheers
roland

 

[ozflea]

And now i believe Elux or Husqvarna now own the McCulloch name so maybe we haven't hit rock bottom yet.

Shame Shame Shame that another great American name or brand is out and down.

Mc Bob.

 

[jomoco]

Never give an inch

I don't know if any of you have ever seen the movie Never Give An Inch, it starred Paul Newman and Henry Fonda portraying a logging family in the pacific northwest and their ongoing feud with the local loggers union.

They used McCulloch chainsaws and one of the most intense scenes shows Newmans brother drowning after being pinned underwater by a log, and the chainsaw failing to start so they could free him. I've never owned a McCulloch saw as a result of watching the movie, though I'm sure they were probably great saws and well liked by the pro loggers that used them.

It's a great classic movie that's a must see for all arborists and loggers alike.
Henry Fonda has a bad time with a barber chair, and Newman gets to cut the union bosses desk in half with a big barred saw. Rent it, I guarantee you'll like it!

It was released under two titles, Never Give An Inch and Sometimes a Great Notion.

jomoco

 

[McC]

I have never considered buying any Macs built after the sp series. It's just a nostalgia thing for me to own the old ones. The Mac in the movie that didn't start is not too far from reality. I've been told the logo in my avatar stands for "crank mother crank"! My 250 is usually hard to start.
Scott

 

[njforestfire]

Pretty amusing. Next thing you know they'll be selling a plastic, 46cc/20" bar SP125 Heritage Edition or something like that.


I, for one, would find it refreshing to see shelves stocked with products that were competing with one another on the basis of long-term value, durability, and similar factors, rather than just how low a price they can attach to the product and have it still kinda-sorta-sometimes work.

That's why we all know to stay with the 'known' good saws (Husky, Stihl, Dolmar, Jonsered and MANY older saws) and I feel it's our responsibility to pass along our knowledge to "newbies" or the 'less informed'. It is a shame for what is happening to the McCullogh name. They did have some great saws in their time. For this new company to bring back those 2 models at what it sounds like a 'whimpier' version is really crappy of them. It's all about the mighty dollar.

I had a friend asking me about Echo, Poulan and Macs today. He gave me an amount he was willing to spend - so I picked him up an 028 Wood Boss from a source and told him that it was better than those other saws even if new.

 

[PES+]

Just curious

McC what would you pay to have that 250 start and run like a modern saw?

Those saws started no worse really than any saw of that time frame it all depended on set up and maintenance

I know that motor pretty well from karting and you would be suprised what it is capable of

 

[eyolf]

OZflea:
You're indeed right about Electrolux owning the McC name.
Take a look:
http://www.mcculloch-europe.com/

A couple of years ago McC had two or three variations in Europe...some of the saws were made in Italy (for Elux) and looked suspiciously like they were copies of Alpinas and retired Emak models. These were sold in Italy and some of the former soviet countries, in the Balkans, and around the Mediterranean, etc. Great Britain and most of western Europe had the Asian McC line, still owned by the Asian folks that owned the name. Apparently Elux has the whole enchilada now...

Looking around the site (I bookmarked it 3 or 4 years ago) one now sees that some of these are now the generic little poulan cheapies, and some are unrecognizable...designs that might only be available in Europe...?

 

[Tzed250]

Big Macs

The real name of the movie is "Sometimes a Great Notion". Seeing that movie as a kid is what made me love McCulloch saws. The saw that Newman uses to cut the desk in half looks like a CP125. If you love saws then this is a must see movie. I have it on tape and I have watched it many times. In the scene where the brother drowns, after Newman stalls the saw(also a CP125) he yanks the cord and it comes right out of his hand because he forgot to tap the compression release first. A nice peice of history, logging in 1970.