Jonsereds CS 2138C Turbo - Jonsereds or Poulan ?

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norstar

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I had read about the pros talking about this saw actually being made by Poulan and not Jonsereds on this forum. I picked one brand new CS 2138C couple weeks ago for CDN $230.00 (about US$190.00). I could not make up my mind to keep it or not as I have not even poured gas in it yet. Yes it is plastic alright but light. I own a Jonsered 920 which is a huge saw and just too heavy or regular use. The 920 does not have a decompression release so it is sometimes difficult to start. I was actually looking for a top handle saw but saw this CS 2138 on clearance and could not resist a bargain on a brand new saw.

Can somebody confirm that,

- it is made by Poulan not Jonsereds as it said assembled in the US.
- what is the equivalent model of the Poulan saw this is based on and price ?

Thanks.

btw, it is nice to finally join this forum as I have enjoyed so much reading this forum and read about the pros with chainsaw advice.
 
norstar , I tried to download the IPL from jonsereds website and it didn't work . I tried to pull up the PP4218 IPL from ordertree and it didn't work either . The jonsereds discription and picture makes me believe that it's a PoulanPro 4218 with the spring assist start and the tooless chain adjust feature .
 
Thanks Scott for looking it up for me. As I could not find much info on the CS2138 I looked up the Poulan Pro 4218. The pic shows they look alike except the colour.

http://www.merchantamerica.com/mpg/index.php?ba=product_enlarge&product=68716

I also did not see much good review on the Poulan Pro 4218. I do not think that I would want to keep this saw. Maybe I should go for a used Stihl instead.
Thanks for the info to confirm what I suspected.
 
Thanks Scott for looking it up for me. As I could not find much info on the CS2138 I looked up the Poulan Pro 4218. The pic shows they look alike except the colour.

http://www.merchantamerica.com/mpg/index.php?ba=product_enlarge&product=68716

I also did not see much good review on the Poulan Pro 4218. I do not think that I would want to keep this saw. Maybe I should go for a used Stihl instead.
Thanks for the info to confirm what I suspected.

norstar , that is not the newer model . The PP4218AVX is the saw that looks and is discribed like your Jonsered . If this link does not work you can find it on poulan.com http://72.3.225.179/manuals/545103408.pdf
 
This THREAD just ruined my whole day.

I got RID of a crappy Poulan and bought this saw to replace it....now only to find out it is a POULAN painted red.

I am going to take it back to Dealer on my days off and get my money back.
 
The way companies manage their brands can be interesting. Until 2006, Jonsered, Husqvarna and Poulan were all owned by the huge conglomerate Electrolux. (Yeah, same guys who make the vacuum cleaner your mother probably owned.) In 2006 they spun off their "Outdoor Products" unit into the Husqvarna Outdoor Products group of Husqvarna AB. Today, considering just the chainsaw brands, the organization includes Husqvarna and Jonsered (Professional Products) and Poulan (Consumer Products).

Since they're all part of the same big happy family, there's sharing of technology (less design effort, therefore lower cost), but I think the key takeaway here is that the company considers Husky and J-Red as "Pro", whereas they consider Poulan as "Consumer".
 
Far from all Husky/Jred saws are pro saws - but then NO Poulans have been in a while, not even the PPs (earlier some of them where, as PP was established on the heritage of Pioneer/Partner).

The Poulan-assambled small "homeowner" Huskys are not just rebadged Poulans, but I suspect the Jonsered ones have been lately - not sure though.

The cheaper Partners sure are rebadged Poulan/PP, but not sold in the US as far as I know.

We'll see what the future brings, as a new generation is on its way.......:)
 
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This to me is FALSE advertising.

If the saw had said on it.


JONSERED made by Poulan I wouldn't have touched it with a 10 foot pole.:jawdrop:
 
This is a variation on what corporate America refers to as an "OEM agreement" ((O)riginal (E)quipment (M)anufacturer) Generally, when for whatever reason a company doesn't want to invest in manufacturing an item but they want to be in the business of selling it, they arrange to buy it from someone else and essentially just throw their label on it. Happens a lot more than most people think.

Sometimes the built product is different in one or more ways from similar products that the manufacturer produces. In your case, assuming others who have provided input on this thread are correct in assessing that this saw is built by Poulan, Jred has apparently arranged to have the manufacturer build the saw to look just like a "real" Jred. (One actually built by Jonsered). Unclear if there are other differences as compared to Poulan branded product built by Poulan.

I understand why you're upset, and by the way, I would be too. To the extent that part of your value proposition at the time of purchase was based on an overall perception of Jred, this marketing approach is a bit misleading. But probably not false advertising in a legal sense, as the saw almost certainly has every feature it was advertised to include. And while the saw may really be OK, the difficult part here is that you didn't get what you thought you were getting. Finding out after the fact that your expectations were not met is very not fun.

I guess Jred's a sponsor here? If so have they weighed in yet? And if not, if I'm in your shoes, I think I'm pursuing a response from them.
 
This is a variation on what corporate America refers to as an "OEM agreement" ((O)riginal (E)quipment (M)anufacturer) Generally, when for whatever reason a company doesn't want to invest in manufacturing an item but they want to be in the business of selling it, they arrange to buy it from someone else and essentially just throw their label on it. Happens a lot more than most people think.

Sometimes the built product is different in one or more ways from similar products that the manufacturer produces. In your case, assuming others who have provided input on this thread are correct in assessing that this saw is built by Poulan, Jred has apparently arranged to have the manufacturer build the saw to look just like a "real" Jred. (One actually built by Jonsered). Unclear if there are other differences as compared to Poulan branded product built by Poulan.

I understand why you're upset, and by the way, I would be too. To the extent that part of your value proposition at the time of purchase was based on an overall perception of Jred, this marketing approach is a bit misleading. But probably not false advertising in a legal sense, as the saw almost certainly has every feature it was advertised to include. And while the saw may really be OK, the difficult part here is that you didn't get what you thought you were getting. Finding out after the fact that your expectations were not met is very not fun.

I guess Jred's a sponsor here? If so have they weighed in yet? And if not, if I'm in your shoes, I think I'm pursuing a response from them.

Excellent post.

I have emailed Jonsered about the 2138 to see if in fact it is a re-badged Poulan.

A poster on another forum told me that the 2138 is similar to the Poulan Pro and is assembled in Poulan plant but has a better grade of engine(chrome lined)?

I will wait until I hear from Jonsered.
 
After 2 weeks and having to send 2 emails to get them to respond I got this response...


Hi,

The same model on poulan brand name retails for about 30.00$ less.
There's a few conception diffrences between both machines (for exemple the anti-vibration elements).
But the biggest diffrence is the you can buy a poulan at Canadian tire but they can't really service the units or help you with technical issues.
We offer a good after sale service.


It is kind of a vague response but I read it as it is the same engine as a Poulan Pro and everything else is pretty much the same?

So much for Jonsered quality/integrity. I also would not be a bit surprised to find out Husky is doing the same thing with their hobby saws.

I guess the old adage ...you pay peanuts you get monkeys....is true.

I wish I could get my money back but I at least hope to exhange this saw at the dealer where I purchased it. I hope he credits my purchase price towards a PRO saw. This time I will get a Husky Pro model...even if it runs me $600. At least then I know I will get a decent saw....made in the Husky factory....not Poulan.
 
The last Poulan Pros that really were pro saws were the 505 ans 475, and those were rebadged Jonsered 2083 and 2077s......
 
To my knowledge, Stihl only makes one saw under the corporate umbrella. :)

If you're concerned about not buying a Poulan in other dress, also avoid the 137 and 142 from Husky.
 
To my knowledge, Stihl only makes one saw under the corporate umbrella. :)

If you're concerned about not buying a Poulan in other dress, also avoid the 137 and 142 from Husky.

I have the 142, and was just wondering the same thing. Friday afternoon I almost made the purchase of the Husky 455 Rancher w/ 20 inch bar, at Tractor Supply, so is it a Poulan or a real Husky?
(The wife agreed to the purchase as my upcoming B-Day present.):clap:

Concerning the 455, can I put a 24" bar on it?

Ted
 
husky,jonsered and poulan are all just about the same thing,they are all made by electrolux

thats just not true....

for a while electrolux owned husqvarna, j-red, and poulan....but electrolux never actually 'made' any saws...

and then a couple of years ago husqvarna became independant again (and took j-red, poulan, partner and others with them)



and yes, the two cheapest saws in the husky and j-red range are basically re-badged poulans, and cost only slightly more than poulans, but can be taken to any husky j-red dealer and be worked on easily(if i was in the market for a cheap throwaway saw, i'd personally rather have a husky/j-red POS than a poulan POS...)
 
I almost made the purchase of the Husky 455 Rancher w/ 20 inch bar, so is it a Poulan or a real Husky?

Concerning the 455, can I put a 24" bar on it?



the 455 is a real husky, just a rubbish one with few fans.... its a home-owner special, under-powered for a 20" bar, overweight, and not built to last....


you could run a 24" bar on a 455.... but only if you hate yourself!

70cc+ is what you really need to run a 24" well (especially in hardwood)

for the money i think you could find something better... dolmar 5100 perhaps (though i wouldnt put more than an 18" on that...)
 
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