Soloman

[Tony Snyder]

I was honored Friday by a visit from the Solo man,
listened to a good 30 minutes of chainsaw industry history. I enjoyed the visit.

Ironically, he remembered being by here in the early 80s as the Husky rep. Like he said, no one had heard much of Husqvarna here at that time, much less pronounce it.

There will probably be a new Solo seller in East central Illinois soon.

He had one of those new 694s with him,; I gotta sell those.

This man had no mask or cape, but I was aware of his reputation by a more sinister name.

 

[jokers]

OH NO, NOT......DAGGER!!!

Maybe nobody could pronounce Husqvarna then, but they can now, and it`s a whole lot tougher than Solo. Maybe some first class marketing will get Solo on the map, but let`s face it, they`ve been in the chainsaw business long enough to be where Husky and Stihl are now. Now I don`t mean to trash talk Solo because I know they have made some fine products, and several saw savvy people whom I respect are fans of Solo, but it seems like Husky and Stihl must have something that people want that the other brands like Solo, Efco, Dolmar, etc..... don`t have, at least yet. It seems ironic that the most desirable model from Solo, the 651, is impossible to get. Hope he doesn`t hammer you with a big floorplan. How about internet sales, Solo OK with that? I personally feel that would be a good thing. Good luck Tony, don`t mean to be a naysayer. Russ

 

[eyolf]

Hoosk war-NA?

When pronouncing the "u", purse your lips like you are going to whistle. The "V" is half-way between a "w" and a "V", and the "na" is accented.

I know this because many of my ancestors escaped from Sweden, and because there are small pockets of people here in the midwest who still have some vestiges of a scandinavian accent.

Plus, Husky used to run a silly radio campaign which only repeated their name being pronounced.

Jonsered, on the other hand, is pronounced "Jonz-rued"

 

[Dennis]

what is all this nonsense about a house with a mill??

 

[seesaw]

Jokers

Let me step up to the plate for Tony here.
-As far as I know, Solo is still a privately held company that doesn't have the marketing coffers that the others you mentioned do (same w/ Efco, Dolmar and the other little guys).
-Solo has been direct sales forever and has had a lot of success w/ that approach in other parts of the world. The US and Canada are strange animals when it comes to distribution and seem to prfer traditional 2-step involving dealers. They now have distribution in over 80 countries (according to their website).
-The 651 is IMO the finest 3cube saw on the market. Solo has a distrib. in Canada...why is it so hard to get you think? Hell, there's 40 dealers in Illinois alone...buy here and have it shipped.
-Solo's floor plan (according to my closest dealer) is as little as (8) eight gas powered units for 6 months w/ redating options at the salesmans's descretion for another 6 mpnths. Coupled with their 2 year warranty, how can you beat that! No money out of the dealers pocket!
-Not sure how they feelabout Internet sales....I bet they frown upon it but, it in the age of technology.

Hope this helps. Sounds like a "no brainer" to me Tony. Good luck.

 

[jokers]

Hi Seesaw, thanks for filling in some of the details. I don`t really know if the 651 is the finest 3 cube saw, that would depend on performance, longevity, user features, and dealer support, just to name the first factors that pop into my head concerning an expensive chainsaw, but the few people who I have encountered who actually own one are very pleased with them. They are the highest output 3 cube saw aren`t they? My point being is that there doesn`t seem to be a strong dealer network around New York, sure, guys have the shingle out or list them selves as a Solo dealer but nobody that I have encountered has much to offer. I have looked, although without true determination, for a 651 and everyone tells me that they are hard to get for some reason but you can get the SP `til the cows come home. Oddly, if they are that hard to get, I don`t want one. I could go direct to Solo right? But their retail prices are enough to curl my hair on the few things I have checked. It`s interesting to hear that Solo has such a growing presence in the Mid West, maybe it will work East. I`m all for it, hence my statement concerning first class marketing. BTW, Solo has already done the mass merchant retail thing in my area, going into stores like Farm and Country where the help doesn`t know sh!t from shinola and unfortunately most folks I`ve talked to who even recognize the name related to chainsaws equate them with Homelite. Of course this is going to happen to an extent with Husky, but they already have pro market share and recognition, as long as Elux doesn`t piss off the real dealers enough to get them to drop Husky. Tony is already a Jonsered dealer isn`t he? Picking up that line might be a good choice for potentially disenfranchised Husky dealers, at least the Jonsy dealers wouldn`t have to reinvent the wheel when educating customers about the qualities of a Jonny red when so many of the models are just red Huskies. These are just my opinions. BTW, the floorplan sounds really good and should help get some new dealers as long as they don`t just get the new dealers to carry a few saws with no "relavent" parts inventory the way Stihl does out here. You guys have a good day. Russ

 

[Dennis]

Russ..the Solo dist here lets me buy whatever I want, when I want...this meaning I dont have to buy any saws, or stock any saws at any point...just buy em when I want them...and parts are overnight...granted I am not into the Solo lineup 100% as of yet, as I do stock Husky and Jonsered....but the 651pro will be the next one after the 7900 Makita...

 

[jokers]

Hey Dennis, parts overnight is probably better than alot of other options, but it`s not the same as walking in and having minor repairs, not maintenance items, done on the spot for a good customer. I know from our conversations that you are neck deep in Jonsered and Husky stuff, and probably because it helps you on a daily basis with the professional market you`re in. If you can really get the 651s that easily, send me 10 ASAP, I`ll get them to the local dealers so they know what they look like, lol. I`m really not picking on you Dennis, or Tony, or anyone else in this matter, I`d really like to see another high quality brand or two of saw hit the market in a competitive way. There`s lots I don`t know, but it seems to me that if Solo, or any other manufacturer wants to recognized as a viable contender, they have to spend some corporate dollars to get the retailers set up right with inventory, both parts and equipment, and national advertising co-ops as a minimum, and although it doesn`t apply to you guys because you have shops, no ordering saws as you need them with nothing in the show room. It used to be that I knew of a half dozen Husky dealers and 3 or 4 Jonsered dealers who sold out of their garages. These guys were either tree services or loggers and they would give you some decent prices but absolutely no service. They were in effect the predecessors to the internet sellers, and they also gave the brands a few black eyes when something went wrong or somebody needed a repair and their saw went to a bonafide dealer who didn`t give it high priority because he didn`t sell it. These companies also should consider hitting the market with prices that are somewhat lower than actual market prices for a comparable Husky or Stihl. Nobody is really buying that "German Engineering" bs anymore. Anybody with half a brain knows that the Germans have no more scrupples than anyone else when it comes to making a buck, and that they also practice "value engineering". Let`s face it, Solo, or Dolmar, stand to be the biggest winners if their products get to be very popular, so let`s see the owners pony up some of their cash to get this show on the road, they should not sit back on their haunches and wait for the independent dealers to make them wealthy. BTW, somtimes "privately owned" or "family owned" means nothing more than the company is not viable enough for a stock offering and that the current owners archaic way of doing business would not be allowed to persist. Not that this is necessarily the case with either of these two companies, but I don`t know enough about them to say it isn`t. OK, that`s the cue for somebody to step forward and say they know all about them and I`m wrong, but that doesn`t make it true. Let`s see some filings with taxing authorities or balance sheets to back it up. Just kidding, I don`t really care that much, lol. Like I said, I`m not intentionally picking on anybody and I think it`s great for Tony to be part of this, we are talking about quality products and the plan that seesaw spoke of sounds reasonable, I`d just like to see the company do something more substantial to make their name in the market than to just let dealers throw up a tin with minimal inventory. Russ

 

[Tony Snyder]

I have more than adequate inventory for this small town. I don't sell by making deals and then ordering to be delivered in a few days.

I'm not taking offense to most of your points, but you cannot stereotype all small dealers. I know there are dealers who simply fill orders; thats the distributors fault for letting them buy that way without monitoring whether they are making a sincere effort and at least a minimum investment.

One example I am aware of is that Shindiawa has several dealers list in a 40 mile radius of here, but try to find some product, try to get even an air filter.

I think any dealer should have a respectable product representation.

There still needs to be flexibility in the overall marketing scheme to supply small dealers in small rural towns. I'm frankly glad that all makes do not do things in the same way as Husky and Stihl.

 

[jokers]

Tony, I`ll take the blame for not clearly communicating my point, so I`ll try again. I was not inferring that you are one of those dealers who only orders saws as you sell them, or who just sends them out the door with no follow up. I have seen nothing to indicate to me that you are anything other than a first rate business man with a true commitment to your customers which really are your bread and butter. My point about those type dealers refers to the blight that they become for the manufacturer and other dealers of the same brand over the long run, and I hope that Solo is not too loose with how they set up dealers. You`d think that with all the letters I`ve used up I could have said it all by now, but what I`m trying to say is steadily building their reputation and sales on a solid foundation will be more productive over the long run than making everyone that expresses interest a dealer, many of those dealers will not be working in the best interest of the product and customer, and will ultimately negatively affect the whole line. This is of course just my opinion. I`m sorry that I have offended you. Russ

 

[eyolf]

I'd be guessing that the Solo importer would be encouraging internet/direct marketing sales for a while. That would be one way to get at least a little exposure in places where they have none.

There is exactly one Solo dealer in my state; I called them, and learned they are in the business of supplying landscapers, lawn services, etc. and Solo makes the absolute best backpack sprayers, in their opinion. They asked not to be involved in any chainsaw trade. I've asked around at other places, and learned that nobody seems to know (or will admit) much.

I've seen the (Sears) 651 on E-Pay a lot, saw Bailey's were selling them, and now <a href="http://www2.countryhomeproducts.com//catprod.asp?dept_id=50141&mscsid=NCRVK42VSTEQ9MNVENXW0GT032456TC4&src=AW40701XE2152925" >DR products ,</a> looks like they are trying to market them.

 

[jokers]

That`s kind of funny Eyolf, I`ve had the same experiences with Solo around here, tons of sprayers around but hardly any saws, but then again you can buy the sprayers at Home Depot. Whether all of these Solo dealers are acting independently with their willful lack of inventory or chainsaw knowledge, or it is permissable from a corporate viewpoint, somebody at the top needs to sit up and pay attention. Who hasn`t bought a product of some sort that had a problem, and then had a hard time getting the problem fixed, would you go back and buy another of that same brand? How about when your jonesin' for that new saw you`ve heard about, but nobody local stocks it, but they can order it for you. This will come as a surprise to some of you, but I `m not the sweetest guy, and I generally think "screw you, I`ll order it myself and take you right out of the picture", now how many of the rest of you guys feel the same way, or is it just us New Yorkers? Come on now, be honest with yourselves, LOL. Well, I hope that noone feels I am taking shots at them personally, I`m merely commenting on what I see around me. Russ

 

[jokers]

Forgot to mention, as Tony said, Shindaiwa is essentially the same around here only it`s trimmers not sprayers. Who in their right mind is going to buy a saw from a guy who doesn`t stock them unless it is in a case like Dennis where you know exactly what you want and you are going to modify it. That`s a whole different ballgame that is on a scale too small to support a brand.

 

[chainsawworld]

solo makes a very good product line. some of the products did have some problems(ie. the smaller saws ran like crazy but had throttle linkage trouble. the bigger saws cut well but were heavier and just a bit slower than other companies). most people that sold them around here stopped selling them because lots of customers only hear stihl or husky. that is unfortunate.
i bought a 667 solo new and liked it. one day my brother stopped by looking for a saw because he just burned-up his xl12 homey. i offered the 667 and he looked at me like huh, what is a solo? what made things worse is it was in with about 50 stihl's and husky's. he tried it and loves it. it is safe to say if anything happens to this one ,he would buy another solo.
i've owned a few and serviced a few. thier staff is great to work with. they seem eager to take on new dealers.
marty

 

[tony marks]

dang ,solo sound like they go back to the old philosphy of ,do thing do it rite.
glad to know it ,an glad i got one.
or think i have one the soninlaw,
uses it now with his olympic.
hes a good man tho ,so hes worth the investment of a chainsaw. been pretty lucky ,that way.