What's up with Stihl?

[rahtreelimbs]

I never really noticed it before, but it seems like Stihl is losing their edge as " Number 1 Worldwide. " All these complaints about the fixed jets and the cheapening up of their saws leaves me wondering where they are headed. Husky may sell there saws outside of a dealer only network but I don't here the complaints about them that I hear about Stihls.

 

[chainsawworld]

rich,
stihl still makes some good saws. the 23 and 26 are still ok and rumor has it this years 44 is supposed to scream. the older 44 was behind the 371. i am also happy with my 66. to be fair i like my husky 357,372 and 288. (i have so many saws it is hard to keep track unless i write it some place). in the woods everyday i run the 372. marty

 

[z4lunch]

rich,
Steve here... What about Husky putting rev limiters on their big saws. From what I here that's an expensive day... just to convert that to the old style flywheel and trigger, so the saw rpm's where it should. Then you have to come with more cash to have it woodssaw modified, if your trying to get the most outa the saw, and still keep it dependable. I believe Doug Babcock went through this with his 3120. I guess my point is on most large Stihl saws minor muffler mods and a carb adjust, makes em run pretty good.
My 3 cents
Steve

 

[bwalker]

I love my 044 and would by another. The 026 is a great saw, but the carb stinks.
Marty, where have you heard that this years 044 is a little faster. Everyone on here says the 372 is way faster than the 372, but I havent found this to be true. My 372 and 440 are about equal.

 

[ricksvar]

I tend not to base or form opinions on the experience of a few consumer's comments.Difficult to say I would never buy another Stihl,the constant in life is change.Performance of machines over time can change from better to worse or the opposite.

Having stated this,after reading several consumer comments from several DIFFERENT(not just comments of those posting frequently about the same topic or saw)consumers and various forums,I tend to form my opinions.

If I consider a saw not good enough for me stock,out of the box,it's not for me.Cost of mods is just saved for a larger saw,several say there's no replacement for displacement.On the other hand,if someone has to modify their saw to get satisfaction that's their option.

Based upon my experience(and forum comments)with 3 Stihls and 1 Husky,I have no reservations about purchasing another Husky product

Rick

 

[JimL]

You guys are thinking in the wrong direction sorta.
Where does Stihl sell most of the equipment? To the homeowner, not the professional. I would bet that 85-90% of the stihl equipment we sold went to homeowners that only use the equipment for their yard work.

 

[treeclimber165]

And why do some homeowners buy Stihl tools for yardwork instead of Murray or Poulan? Because they see the guys who use these tools for a living using Stihl! When the pros quit using a brand, consumer sales of that brand will also drop off.

Stihl makes great equipment, but they continue to add 'features' that make it unsuitable for professional use. Gas caps, gas tank vents that get changed every year (and they STILL can't get that one right), fixed-jet carbs, etc. etc. etc. I'm going to start scouring garage sales and pawn shops for older Stihl saws and fix them up rather than buying new crap.

 

[Chainsaw_Maniac]

It's true that Stihl seems to be making more and more poor quality and consumer grade saws. This is a valid tactic to gain market share in the cheap saw sector from Poulan and the others.

But, just becuase some of their cheap saws suck doesn't mean their best saws suck. It's like if Mecedes introduced a crappy car in thier 2004 line up, it wouldn't matter to the guy buying not buying that model.

 

[treeclimber165]

Hermann, I think you are missing my point. Stihl's best pro saws (260, 440, 460, 660, 880) are no longer the same saws they used to be. They have the same engine, but small items have been changed on the newest models that make the saws less desirable.

To correct your analogy, imagine you traded your old Mercedes in on a new one- same model but brand new. Then imagine Mercedes put locking valve stems on their tires and you needed a $5 'air can' from the dealership to adjust tire pressure. You know you need 32PSI in the tires for your personal preference, but the $5 cans available only allow 28PSI or 35PSI. The cans are also not labeled and it took 3 different trips to the dealer buying different cans to arrive at the conclusion that you cannot adjust your tire pressure the way you like.

Then you go to put gas in your Mercedes. The new locking gas caps trap dirt inside a new lip, and you cannot wipe the dirt out without getting some in your gas tank. The tank vent also dribbles fuel on your foot every time you fill up. The car is still the same under the hood, but these new 'features' make you decide to buy a BMW instead.

Now do you understand what I mean?

 

[daveb]

Originally posted by Chainsaw_Maniac
This is a valid tactic to gain market share in the cheap saw sector from Poulan and the others.

How do you figure that when relatively speaking, Stihl saws are the most expensive(read overpriced) out there.

 

[JimL]

Originally posted by treeclimber165
And why do some homeowners buy Stihl tools for yardwork instead of Murray or Poulan? Because they see the guys who use these tools for a living using Stihl! When the pros quit using a brand, consumer sales of that brand will also drop off.

Stihl makes great equipment, but they continue to add 'features' that make it unsuitable for professional use. Gas caps, gas tank vents that get changed every year (and they STILL can't get that one right), fixed-jet carbs, etc. etc. etc. I'm going to start scouring garage sales and pawn shops for older Stihl saws and fix them up rather than buying new crap.

Why don't you switch over to husqvarna saws since your so terrible unhappy with stihl's?

I am sure you can find a dealer, all ya gotta do is go to home depot.

 

[JimL]

Originally posted by treeclimber165
Hermann, I think you are missing my point. Stihl's best pro saws (260, 440, 460, 660, 880) are no longer the same saws they used to be. They have the same engine, but small items have been changed on the newest models that make the saws less desirable.

To correct your analogy, imagine you traded your old Mercedes in on a new one- same model but brand new. Then imagine Mercedes put locking valve stems on their tires and you needed a $5 'air can' from the dealership to adjust tire pressure. You know you need 32PSI in the tires for your personal preference, but the $5 cans available only allow 28PSI or 35PSI. The cans are also not labeled and it took 3 different trips to the dealer buying different cans to arrive at the conclusion that you cannot adjust your tire pressure the way you like.

Then you go to put gas in your Mercedes. The new locking gas caps trap dirt inside a new lip, and you cannot wipe the dirt out without getting some in your gas tank. The tank vent also dribbles fuel on your foot every time you fill up. The car is still the same under the hood, but these new 'features' make you decide to buy a BMW instead.

Now do you understand what I mean?

066 is still made in Germany, it still has regular caps.

 

[stihltech]

market share

Well, the market share here in Pike is going up because the dealer still cares. I had one of my better years.
The cap. 1 complaint. The saw came in looking like a big snowball and he wants to know why the cap froze. Also wants to know why you have to clean an air filter. Nope. Stihl saws are not dummy proof.
The horsepower was raised on the 440 and 460. I would like to know how it compares to a 372.
Cheap saws. Yep others made 'em, so Stihl decided to get in the act. Sell to the market before you, sounds like good business practice.
Junk saws? Not from this area. Yes Asplund has worn out some 021's. Then they bought more because they were happy with the price and performance.
Harry homeowner buys an 029 because he does not want to fork out the extra hundred for a 260. His choice. And he gets a saw that does the job for him and is lasting pretty good around here so far.
And this week I had three Husky customers come back and buy Stihl. Must be in the wrong area.

 

[bwalker]

The horsepower was raised on the 440 and 460

When did this take effcet? I love my new 440 and powerwise it is a wash between it and my 372.

 

[JimL]

Re: market share

Originally posted by stihltech
Well, the market share here in Pike is going up because the dealer still cares. I had one of my better years.
The cap. 1 complaint. The saw came in looking like a big snowball and he wants to know why the cap froze. Also wants to know why you have to clean an air filter. Nope. Stihl saws are not dummy proof.
The horsepower was raised on the 440 and 460. I would like to know how it compares to a 372.
Cheap saws. Yep others made 'em, so Stihl decided to get in the act. Sell to the market before you, sounds like good business practice.
Junk saws? Not from this area. Yes Asplund has worn out some 021's. Then they bought more because they were happy with the price and performance.
Harry homeowner buys an 029 because he does not want to fork out the extra hundred for a 260. His choice. And he gets a saw that does the job for him and is lasting pretty good around here so far.
And this week I had three Husky customers come back and buy Stihl. Must be in the wrong area.

Weird stuff happens in this area too, power and light bought 22 new 009's this year to sit next to their old 009L's, 011's, and 015's.
Must be something in the air.

 

[tree monkey]

i agree with stihltech, stihl sales up , husky sales down, and can't sell a red husky to save my life.
can't keep a intake boot in a 385 for more then a weak in cold weather no matter what i do.
i have piles of 372's with bad bottom ends.
what would i buy? without a doubt, stihl.

later scott

 

[tony marks]

think ill just keep my older saws.i gotta say,if it aint broke dont fix it.i know the epa is forceing a lotto things on these manufacturers. but if i take care of these things[saws]
i hope they may last as long as i do.
if the changes were just to improve the saw,id be for them.
the bottum line for me is learning the tool.
of my saws the 028 and the solo 634 ,and now the 036 pro
are my go to saws. especially now that dans 372 is headed back home.such sorrow in parting.

 

[jokers]

I`m not going to say I wouldn`t buy a particular brand again because I experienced some aggravation with a few of their models, but it sure would be nice if they didn`t try to fix what isn`t broke, and if they felt compelled to improve something, then hopefully it would be improved before they foist it on the consumer. I`m not too wild about the new caps either, but at least mine don`t leak yet. As a footnote to Scotts remarks about having a pile of 372s with bad bottom ends, the laws of probability dictate(in a very simplistic sense) that the model with the most units on the market, ie; the 372, is going to also have the most broken units also. Kind of like the number of broken 029s. The reason for failure may also be due to regional factors since there doesn`t seem to be a pattern of this sort in my area. I know Scott and I take his word for this. As far as the bad intake boots on the 385, there was a problem when they first came out but I thought that was taken care of on a widespread basis at the direction of Husky. Dealers were instructed to squeeze the boot and see if they could get it to seperate at the seem. A slightly different boot is available now. My 385 that was used in the 0° F range for almost two weeks has not failed? Russ

 

[Tony Snyder]

I don't have many 2186s out but they are well liked, and no boot problems.

As far not being able to sell a red Husky; They are doing fine here.

I don't have any trouble selling against Stihl here because one dealer just has a few dusty full priced 2 year old units, and the other has full list prices, a $65 an hour shop rate, and a reputation for slow service (you have to get in line with the Kubotas, the John Deeres, and the Echos). My main competition is the sister products (Huskys).

 

[JimL]

Originally posted by jokers
I`m not going to say I wouldn`t buy a particular brand again because I experienced some aggravation with a few of their models, but it sure would be nice if they didn`t try to fix what isn`t broke, and if they felt compelled to improve something, then hopefully it would be improved before they foist it on the consumer. I`m not too wild about the new caps either, but at least mine don`t leak yet. As a footnote to Scotts remarks about having a pile of 372s with bad bottom ends, the laws of probability dictate(in a very simplistic sense) that the model with the most units on the market, ie; the 372, is going to also have the most broken units also. Kind of like the number of broken 029s. The reason for failure may also be due to regional factors since there doesn`t seem to be a pattern of this sort in my area. I know Scott and I take his word for this. As far as the bad intake boots on the 385, there was a problem when they first came out but I thought that was taken care of on a widespread basis at the direction of Husky. Dealers were instructed to squeeze the boot and see if they could get it to seperate at the seem. A slightly different boot is available now. My 385 that was used in the 0° F range for almost two weeks has not failed? Russ

?? I got 1 029 in the junk pile, I have junked maybe 3 saws all together in that series. Namely 1 was an 039, used for cutting up at the sawmill.

Stihl had intake boot problems on the 046's. They would collapse in very hot weather. Just the opposite of the Husky lol.