Why Do Stihl Saws Cost SO Much More?

[SierraMtns]

We have 2 dealers within 40 miles that sale Stihl and Husky saws. Both shops sale the Stihl saws for more. Also I have noticed that second hand saws on CL and FB market place sale for a lot more then Huskys.

I would like to try a Stihl one day but I can't justify spending $700+ on a used Stihl when I can get a new 372xp the same price.

Whats the deal?

 

[CR888]

When people think 'chainsaw' the brand 'Stihl' is what comes to mind. Any main road in most countries will have a big Stihl sign and dealer. When the seasons change adverts for Stihl appear on TV & in news papers. All this marketing/advertising costs money but works. If anyone can produce a saws at low cost, Stihl are experts in the field. I bet actual production cost of one of their products is 5-20% of msrp. Your not just paying for a saw your buying into a worldwide dealer network, long term parts supply and support and you know should a warranty claim be needed the company will be around in 2 years time. While Stihl saws are going up in price, their cost of parts and manufacturing costs are going down. Starting to get the drift....

 

[benjo75]

I don't know. I just checked on a new 461. $1090. My first 066 didn't cost that much. I'm looking into Huskys due to how sorry the Stihl dealers are around here. Absolutely no customer service after the sale.

 

[Little Al]

The OTT advertising seems to brainwash Joe Public into buying, what ever the price tag, as long as that continues they will not alter sales policies or prices There are other makes offering better " Bang for the buck" but the general home owner seems to think this is not so I also think has to do with dealer network/ numbers

 

[HarleyT]

There are several good saw brands out there, but who wants to buy a saw that you will have a hard tie finding a dealer for in a year or two.

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Someone has to pay for all those tv ads they show 24/7

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Around here there is minimal support for Husqvarna. Just one dealer about 35 miles away, otherwise they are just sold at the box store.

 

[holeycow]

Up until about 15 years ago, Husky was the overwhelming dominant brand here with far better support. When Husky started to produce the blow-up-o-matic 5 series, things changed for professional saw hands. They started to choose Stihl, reluctantly.

At any rate, Husky has been more expensive here, generally.

In 2011 I bought my ms362 for 650 cad with a case and a good bar with a spare chain. The 357xp I really wanted was 950 cad, no case, no spare chain. I think Stihl was having trouble moving a 60cc saw for 1000bucks at the time. Now they are back up to nearly 1000bucks for the mtronic version.

Pricing is regional. So is perception.

 

[Little Al]

As said in post #5 The owner capable of his own repairs can choose providing parts are available online or other sources but if all the area dealers are Stihl the guy who needs a repair shop is stuck more or less & in that regard Stihl has the market sewn up

 

[NYH1]

Saw a MS362 for $750 and a 562XP for $740 at two different dealers the other day. Not sure if the MS362 was the M-Tronic version or not and how much that would effects the price.

Just two examples in my area. Other then the 365/372XT's, I don't know the prices of either companies larger saws. We don't need anything bigger then them.

Both Stihl and Husqvarna have plenty of dealers in my area.

NYH1.

 

[Tinman204]

I find the prices on new stihl and husqvarna around these parts are pretty much identical between new comparable saws.

Theres 3 or 4 stihl dealers to every 1 husqvarna dealer also. The nearest husqvarna dealer to me is about an hour drive away. In that time I could hit 3 or 4 stihl dealers with one being just 15 miles from my house, not that i go to the dealer for much.

Used is a crap shoot with prices all over the map.

I run stihl because they are more common in my area. I am looking for a husqvarna to buy and try but they aren't very common used in my area.

 

[ironman_gq]

It's probably a regional thing. Around me Stihl is the most common to find second hand but we have dealers that sell both and new prices are pretty comparable on similar saws.

 

[1Alpha1]

When you buy a Stihl, you are buying the #1 brand. Kind of like buying a Porsche. They cost more than a Toyota does. That, and the fact that the Germans are very proud of their products, and that's reflected in their pricing.

I've mentioned this in the past. There's some very good credit card offers out there. I bought my new MS-461R with a newly acquired American Express credit card. AE gave me a $250.00 account credit if I made a purchase of at least $1000.00 within three months of receiving my card. And, the interest rate was O% for 18 months.

Long story made short, between a $100.00 dealer discount, buying it in OR., where there is no sales tax, and cashing in some of my purchase credits from other credit card accounts that I have, the final cost on my MS-461R was a little over $500.00

Some other credit cards offer a $150.00 credit when a purchase of $500.00 is made. Do a search of best credit card offers. There's many to be had.

 

[dmb2613]

WE are a Stihl dealer and I work on other saws mainly, hussy and j red we end up selling them Stihls in the end on account of our service

 

[Tinman204]

I'm going to add to my first post.

I also run stihl cause they seem to be very very reliable. AND they start every time in my experience.

Not to say that husky saws aren't reliable but my original 025 stihl is 25 plus years old and and I bought it used for like $50.

I ran the piss out of that little saw for like 10 years and it finally gave out 2 summers ago.

Hard to argue with that.

Still though I'd like to buy a used husky for comparison sake.

 

[Wood Doctor]

My solution was rather simple. Buy a used Stihl for one-third the price a new one and learn to fix it as needed. The only new Stihl I ever bought was my MS361.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

Definitely a regional thing. Stihl dealers around here are ok at best. Do not stock many parts and lack product knowledge. Area Husqvarna dealer is the best in this area. That 562 price stated above is out of line for this area.

 

[MS460WOODCHUCK]

Stihl got with the advertisement and dealer network in the early 80's and that is what worked back then when the American saw makers should've been doing the same thing. Long story short, advertisement is where they spent their money and it paid off while making a decent saw.

Now days we have 4 brands to pick from when it comes to pro saws, Stihl, Husqvarna, Dolmar which has sold out to makita and Echo. While each brand has the best in its own class Stihl still has the best advertisement and dealer network. Even when people pay for a saw that isn't the best saw or deal in its class they still have the bragging rights to people and to themselves that they supposedly bought the best.

See where this money invested along time ago in advertisement paid off yet?

 

[xRoguex]

Bought a used ms261cmq for $150. $100...in parts later(and a quick muffler mod) ... i have a nasty pro saw for $250

 

[deezlfan]

When people think 'chainsaw' the brand 'Stihl' is what comes to mind. Any main road in most countries will have a big Stihl sign and dealer. When the seasons change adverts for Stihl appear on TV & in news papers. All this marketing/advertising costs money but works.

Stihl may come to your mind first but that is not universal. Husqvarna is the pro saw around here. Probably because of a reliable servicing dealer that spent years taking care of them. The local Stihl dealer is poorly stocked and too busy doing MTD lawn tractors warranty repairs to provide proper service.

I also seriously doubt that Stihls ad budget influences pro saw purchases by advertising MS170s, leaf blowers and string trimmers. Their ads are aimed squarely at Joe Blo homeowner and his propensity for purchasing cheap throw away junk. Big box is giving them a run for the money and a heavy ad budget is a fight for survival.