Ace hardware as a Stihl dealer?

[Ethobling]

As a 20-something year old, I can say I very much value Brick and Mortar.

Online sales are nice and all, but getting your hand on the saw you want can make the difference between buying the saw and not.

 

[sean donato]

As a 20-something year old, I can say I very much value Brick and Mortar.

Online sales are nice and all, but getting your hand on the saw you want can make the difference between buying the saw and not.

I'm about 15 years older then you in that case, and can say I don't really care if it's from online or a store.
I know what I want and go and get it. I'm typically pretty cheap, but will spend money if I have to or want something specific. I've ran a lot of different saws and know what I want in a saw. So really unless a dealer is going to let you demo every saw you think you want (good luck with that) your gonna go and pick it up, look at it and go gee I think this is the one. So it doesn't matter if it's brick and mortar or not.
Couple that with most dealers not wanting to stock parts, we'll then I can order it myself and not have to make several trips to the dealer.
Service is another side and needs a location. I don't really let the dealers work on my equipment so really thats also a non issue.
The only true value a brick and mortar store has is being able to stop and get something now.
Even then I still had to buy my last saw over the phone, because the dealer that was 40 minutes away, had it in stock but wouldn't hold it till the next morning. This is also the dealer that I've bought all my new equipment from, my family has always dealt with, and I've purchased from for 2 former employers. I lost a lot of respect for that dealer. When I showed up the next morning then the salesman magically knew who I was. Stihl needs to get up with the times.
I like their products but they arnt any better then the next guy, but I can order anything I want from the other guys.

BTW, Ram is a Fiat made truck, Dodge is a Chrysler.

 

[Gabby3545]

Howdy all,
The local shop I frequented for all my Stihl equipment has since moved and got a fancy new shop. With that they seem to have gotten a “big corporate” attitude and the people they have working there now couldn’t be bothered in the least to help with new equipment purchases.

In short, been looking for a km131r and a few attachments, called me up once and was told “nope we don’t have any”. Thanked the guy for his time and waited a week and called back and this time I was told that they just got some in. I stated that I’d like to pick one up and listed the attachments I needed as well. I was told “sure they will be here” and I also asked if I had to mentioned anyone by name when I arrived, and was told “nope” and that was that. Upon arrival about 35 mins from calling, the mrs and I went down to the shop and there was one guy behind a desk and he said nothing. We were the only people in the shop at 9am. We went up to him and asked about the 131 and I asked if he was the person I spoke to on the phone and we got “I talk to a lot of people bud” so after that remark the next bit was laughable. The guy comes out from behind his desk, looks on the floor and there in boxes were 6 km131’s, and when he saw them he sighed and said “oh well I guess I have to get one of these assembled for you but it’s gonna take a while so…” At this point I looked at my wife, who was as irked as I was, and I said “oh well if it’s gonna be a bother we can come back at a later time” and we both left.

That being said there’s no other shop that’s a Stihl dealer near me, only some small Ace hardware shops. So with that, my question or rather concern is warranty and service from an Ace hardware retail shop, as the only shop around me now seems to be run by a new class of sad sack do nothings. Is buying from Ace just going to be as bad as my chances of running into a kid who doesn’t know jack seems higher as opposed to going to an actual dealer. But my current experience says it’s more like a roll of the dice now.

Wouldn’t mind some input on buying from an Ace hardware shop, seems Stihl won’t just make online ordering easy otherwise I’d have ordered directly and had it shipped.

Our local Ace IS a dealer and they have pretty competent repair shop, too. Good service, but repair may take over a month. They are that busy and maybe short staffed as well.

 

[benz66]

As noted by many in this thread it is 100% shop specific. It has zero to do with Ace Hardware. I assume you realize Ace Hardware is just a distrubuter of goods. When you set-up a private store you need to buy from someone. A dealer and farm store near me was family owned since well before I was born. They were also Stihl dealers. Their hardware supplier has changed many times from ones like Service Star, Hardware Hank, Coast to Coast, then Ace. They retired and sold the business to another family that has a few stores. I am not sure who they buy hardware from now.

Agreed. My 015 had no spark. Took it to the local family owned dealer. They sneered and told me to "throw it away and buy a new" 170 whatever. That consumer grade saw has to be run 2 handed. I left. I fixed it. (ordered parts from the dealer the saw came from,e 1000 miles away)

Later the rope broke. I didn't have the tool to rewind the spring and get it back together. I took the cover and parts to the Ace, and then guy said "Sure, No problem." He had it done in 10 min or so. I asked a few other questions to determine the knowledge, and they were all answered correctly.

So it is store by store. When I was 200 miles away, I stuck with the dealer the little 015 came from decades ago, because he was good and took care of his customers. Now I am 500 or 1000 miles away, so I can't get there most of the time.

 

[ElevatorGuy]

If you think fiat owing ram makes it any better you’re sadly mistaken. Benz couldn’t fix the company either.

 

[stihltech]

No repair shop at ACE in our area. Losing sales due to lack of inventory from Stihl. BUT repairs are booming. And yes, if one of my customers gets it from ACE because I did not have it and they tell me, I will still take good care of them.
A good SERVICING dealer will survive. And you need to treat customers like you want them there.

 

[Ethobling]

I'm about 15 years older then you in that case, and can say I don't really care if it's from online or a store.
I know what I want and go and get it. I'm typically pretty cheap, but will spend money if I have to or want something specific. I've ran a lot of different saws and know what I want in a saw. So really unless a dealer is going to let you demo every saw you think you want (good luck with that) your gonna go and pick it up, look at it and go gee I think this is the one. So it doesn't matter if it's brick and mortar or not.
Couple that with most dealers not wanting to stock parts, we'll then I can order it myself and not have to make several trips to the dealer.
Service is another side and needs a location. I don't really let the dealers work on my equipment so really thats also a non issue.
The only true value a brick and mortar store has is being able to stop and get something now.
Even then I still had to buy my last saw over the phone, because the dealer that was 40 minutes away, had it in stock but wouldn't hold it till the next morning. This is also the dealer that I've bought all my new equipment from, my family has always dealt with, and I've purchased from for 2 former employers. I lost a lot of respect for that dealer. When I showed up the next morning then the salesman magically knew who I was. Stihl needs to get up with the times.
I like their products but they arnt any better then the next guy, but I can order anything I want from the other guys.

BTW, Ram is a Fiat made truck, Dodge is a Chrysler.

I agree Online is useful and I shop online frequently, but man-to-man service is still my go-to. I like also being able to walk in with a part and ensuring I am buying a direct replacement and don't have to send it back because it wasn't the exact part. I can also buy other unrelated stuff I may need (screws, etc) at the same time.

Online is great and useful, but so is brick and mortar.

With that said, Stihl should probably open up sales to online.

 

[sean donato]

I agree Online is useful and I shop online frequently, but man-to-man service is still my go-to. I like also being able to walk in with a part and ensuring I am buying a direct replacement and don't have to send it back because it wasn't the exact part. I can also buy other unrelated stuff I may need (screws, etc) at the same time.

Online is great and useful, but so is brick and mortar.

With that said, Stihl should probably open up sales to online.

Can't argue that, only issue is dealers stock is so hit and miss around here. Especially for older saws, ect. Hence my propensity for online sales

 

[northernswede]

Defininately shop dependant and you'll have to take a look.

Also in NH. I would consider the two Ace hardwares(Center Harbor and Tilton) I've been in near me almost the equivalent of buying from a 'Big Box' store.

Certainly some helpful folks there to pick out axe handles or plumbing parts, but not necessarily saw experts. I could be wrong though.

The odd lack of stocking and servicing Stihl dealers near me pushed me into Husky. Seems I can't turn a corner without running into a good Husky dealer.
Although the place I bought my last Husky from in Meredith also stocks Echo, so I wouldn't mind trying them out one day.

Another fellow NH'er! Thanks for weighing in, I have been by the shop in Tilton before, so that's gonna be an excuse to take a drive further north. I'm going to check out the Goffstown Ace Hardware next as they say they offer Stihl sales/service, you can buy online and pickup in store, but really I just want to see if they actually have a real service shop.

I'm bummed out that my local shop has just gone downhill in the past year mainly nobody wants to help or care and I'm all about helping and supporting a local shop, developing a relationship and rapport with the folks who operate them, but in this case it seems they've gone the way of big corporate and couldn't care less.

Trying to explain to the Mrs as to why you can't just order online and ship to the house was a fun convo, she also asked if there were other options instead of Stihl since to her, Stihl seemed like Apple after this experience trying to find a shop locally and that you can't just buy replacement parts and do your own work on them. It made me think as to why, it's primarily for brand repetition, not selling parts to folks who may do an install wrong and then badmouth the brand further, vs having a repair made directly in-house and verified.

I'd rather buy from a local shop, knowing that they will have my back when something goes south on my equipment and I can rely on them to get me up and running again vs being stranded trying to source parts online ( which I wouldn't mind doing either but a quick 10 min drive to a shop is easier)

 

[quahog]

Not sure where you're at, but the Gilford True Value advertises Stihl Sales/Service. I've been in there a couple of times and didn't see a huge stock, but they had stuff. Little service desk in the back.

There is a bad review on Google Reviews of their Stihl service from six months ago, but not sure if I can completely trust stuff like that.

Good analogy with the Apple comparison.

 

[wardog]

No repair shop at ACE in our area. Losing sales due to lack of inventory from Stihl. BUT repairs are booming. And yes, if one of my customers gets it from ACE because I did not have it and they tell me, I will still take good care of them.
A good SERVICING dealer will survive. And you need to treat customers like you want them there.

One of my BIG decisions of where and or what I buy is "the service after the sale." I can buy almost anything I want or need anywhere including online but the service at a REASONABLE rate is what I look for. When I buy online which a lot of people, I know do now days, I understand I will be maintaining it or taking it to someone with the knowledge to repair it. THAT does not stop those I know from buying online and some buy EVERYTHING off of Amazon prime with free shipping. I know of a gal that is a Prime member that buys a bottle of aspirin off Amazon as she says she can't drive 20 miles one way for a bottle of aspirin. Those good ole days of brick and mortar are about like everything else that USED to be. We see MALLS that look like ghost towns these days when they were the PLACE to be back in the day. By the way those were the places where Sears, J.C. Penny and numerous other started and ended!

 

[windthrown]

Stihl just needs to get off their high horse and sell online. I understand their whole point of wanting brick and mortar type sales and service, but they will be left behind by Husky and Echo and a few hundred Chinese saws if they don't compete on Amazon.

That will likely never happen. Stihl does not ship saws, and no dealers or distributors are allowed to either. The way that Stihl works is through regional distributors. They in turn supply the local stores for local sales only. Prices, release dates and availability vary by region.

As for the OP, there are gobs of Stihl shops in Oregon. Some are Stihl + Husky. Some are dedicated Stihl only. Some are farm stores with Stihl tools. Some are John Deere dealers. Some are Ace Hardware stores. ~THE~ best Stihl dealer bar none is Madsens in Washington state. Nothing comes close to them for selection, service and knowledge. But you have to go there to buy saws in person. And pay WA sales tax, but you can get that back at the end of the year from WA state if you live out of state.

As for Amazon, they are losing money and they cannot continue with their current system. Yes, Ford is going online as well, but will it work? Are you going to get your Ford truck fixed online under warranty?

 

[Bubster]

That will likely never happen. Stihl does not ship saws, and no dealers or distributors are allowed to either. The way that Stihl works is through regional distributors. They in turn supply the local stores for local sales only. Prices, release dates and availability vary by region.

As for the OP, there are gobs of Stihl shops in Oregon. Some are Stihl + Husky. Some are dedicated Stihl only. Some are farm stores with Stihl tools. Some are John Deere dealers. Some are Ace Hardware stores. ~THE~ best Stihl dealer bar none is Madsens in Washington state. Nothing comes close to them for selection, service and knowledge. But you have to go there to buy saws in person. And pay WA sales tax, but you can get that back at the end of the year from WA state if you live out of state.

As for Amazon, they are losing money and they cannot continue with their current system. Yes, Ford is going online as well, but will it work? Are you going to get your Ford truck fixed online under warranty?

It is already happening here. Fifteen years ago every pickup bed had a Stihl 029 or 290 in it. Today, you see a Rancher or an Echo Timberwolf. Where did you get that 460 Husky? Oh I got it from Amazon. My wife buys all our toilet paper and cereal from there each month and I got this saw almost free after our reward points and free shipping through prime. Amazon can afford to lose money and stay in business, your local Stihl dealer can not.

 

[northernswede]

Not sure where you're at, but the Gilford True Value advertises Stihl Sales/Service. I've been in there a couple of times and didn't see a huge stock, but they had stuff. Little service desk in the back.

There is a bad review on Google Reviews of their Stihl service from six months ago, but not sure if I can completely trust stuff like that.

Good analogy with the Apple comparison.

I'm over in the New Boston neck of the woods. So Mancheter, Gilford, Nashua, Candia was not too far of a drive.

What you describe about the Gilford shop is honestly what I'm expecting to find unfortunately. It seems that it shouldn't be this hard to get quality equipment and halfway decent service. Sadly if it's going to be this much of a hassle to acquire any further Stihl equipment then I may just have to consider other brands going forward like what @ammoaddict mentioned, possibly consider a pas-225 from Echo.

I'll give that Gilford shop a try this weekend just to see, or worse case I just go to Tilton and be done with it. Either way, seems to be more effort to get this stuff now than before, but that could be due to where I'm located.

 

[windthrown]

It is already happening here. Fifteen years ago every pickup bed had a Stihl 029 or 290 in it. Today, you see a Rancher or an Echo Timberwolf. Where did you get that 460 Husky? Oh I got it from Amazon. My wife buys all our toilet paper and cereal from there each month and I got this saw almost free after our reward points and free shipping through prime. Amazon can afford to lose money and stay in business, your local Stihl dealer can not.

Amazon lost $4 BILLION in Q1 2022. They cannot afford to stay in biz at that rate. And free shipping will not last.

Online saws have been available for a long time now. Stihl shops are still doing well here. Believe what you want, but predicting the future is very fickle. Don't let that crystal ball of yours drop on your foot.

 

[Bubster]

Amazon lost $4 BILLION in Q1 2022. They cannot afford to stay in biz at that rate. And free shipping will not last.

Online saws have been available for a long time now. Stihl shops are still doing well here. Believe what you want, but predicting the future is very fickle. Don't let that crystal ball of yours drop on your foot.

If I really knew the future I would probably stay in bed.

 

[quahog]

I'm over in the New Boston neck of the woods. So Mancheter, Gilford, Nashua, Candia was not too far of a drive.

What you describe about the Gilford shop is honestly what I'm expecting to find unfortunately. It seems that it shouldn't be this hard to get quality equipment and halfway decent service. Sadly if it's going to be this much of a hassle to acquire any further Stihl equipment then I may just have to consider other brands going forward like what @ammoaddict mentioned, possibly consider a pas-225 from Echo.

I'll give that Gilford shop a try this weekend just to see, or worse case I just go to Tilton and be done with it. Either way, seems to be more effort to get this stuff now than before, but that could be due to where I'm located.

Man, there has got to be something closer to you. Also, looks like the Ace in Tilton(Cyr Lumber) is no longer on the Stihl page. MB Tractor is though. I've never been in there.

 

[Lightning Performance]

I'd say it's a case by case basis, totally dependent on the staff. I'd be hesitant to drop $1,000 on a saw from the Ace 5 minutes away from me. They're helpful and friendly but there isn't much of a service or parts department. The Ace/Stihl dealer 40 minutes south of me has a large inventory, a full parts department and full service department, as does the dealer 30 minutes west of me. I'd buy from either of them without a second thought.

One upside is getting things still new in the box at the right places.
Mine are ten or fifteen minutes away. Two more are five or seven minutes away but not worth visiting unless the good ones are out of new tools.

Also, for what it's worth, I have a KM90 with several attachments and it's been pretty solid. The powerhead is kinda heavy (4-mix engines are) but the attachments are rock solid.

101 is just as good as the 131 or the 90 series. HT pole pruners work good.

Another fellow NH'er! Thanks for weighing in, I have been by the shop in Tilton before, so that's gonna be an excuse to take a drive further north. I'm going to check out the Goffstown Ace Hardware next as they say they offer Stihl sales/service, you can buy online and pickup in store, but really I just want to see if they actually have a real service shop.

I'm bummed out that my local shop has just gone downhill in the past year mainly nobody wants to help or care and I'm all about helping and supporting a local shop, developing a relationship and rapport with the folks who operate them, but in this case it seems they've gone the way of big corporate and couldn't care less.

Trying to explain to the Mrs as to why you can't just order online and ship to the house was a fun convo, she also asked if there were other options instead of Stihl since to her, Stihl seemed like Apple after this experience trying to find a shop locally and that you can't just buy replacement parts and do your own work on them. It made me think as to why, it's primarily for brand repetition, not selling parts to folks who may do an install wrong and then badmouth the brand further, vs having a repair made directly in-house and verified.

I'd rather buy from a local shop, knowing that they will have my back when something goes south on my equipment and I can rely on them to get me up and running again vs being stranded trying to source parts online ( which I wouldn't mind doing either but a quick 10 min drive to a shop is easier)

Maybe your looking at it wrong. We have plenty of small engine and tool repair shops and rental places mostly tied to dealers or a certain brand around here. Most are... are a joke and just push new sales. Some people like me used to service almost anything and have a good local rep for a small area. Many people seem to think a dealer means quality, not so anymore. The quality is in the person running the rental or overseeing the actual repair shop and jobs along with the wrenches. Not all rental places will repair the public's tools and some not even their own stuff.

Who do you think repairs all that equipment the manufacturers?... um no. A person with a shop or a mobile, remember that word, repair operation. We get twice as much if I go to your boat vs you dropping it off at a repair shop. Now marinas may charge more or way too much but rarely less, overhead. One thing many forget about is overhead, tools and competent mechanics not certified parts changers. Again go find people you might need to search out because they don't advertise but are always busy. Everyone knows at least two of these types so keep looking around. A good place to start is someone who sells, trades and repairs many things.

Our biggest local repair shop for tools or smaller hand held stuff isn't big on anything they can not swap out parts on. They can not rebuild a carburetor now days, sad. Yet one town over literally on the same road maybe three miles away or two towns over All Seasons Rental and Repair can't keep up. They don't have enough room, buildings or people to expand anymore at that location. Funny how that works out. A Stihl dealer that could repair anything including your car, truck or trailer. They just do everything they feel like and nothing more. They have become the best of the best for a reason. People who remember you and never say stupid stupid things like, you have to pay for parts before we order them, over the phone. Just give them your name and it clears right up in an instant. Parts will be here in X days, thanks, see you soon or you want it shipped?... have a nice day, bye now.

 

[Woodslasher]

TL/DR, my two bits, it's purely case by case.

I have a True Value that's 25-30 minutes away and a saw shop that's 40 or so minutes away. If I'm asking someone who's currently in town to pick up a part I give them the p/n and tell them to go to True Value after I confirm it's in stock. If I need to order anything or I'm the guy in town, I go to the saw shop. The only way you can get the correct part from them is to find the p/n and bring it in. I don't get calls when my stuff's in, they need to look everything up in the book and they still get it wrong! I needed a .325 x 7 rim for a Stihl 261, I gave them the p/n, they had to look up the saw "in the book", they ordered "what the book said" which had a different p/n, and two weeks later when I dropped by to nag them I learned that apparently the book said a .325 x 8 rim was called for as that's what showed up. Whatever, I only needed a rim, not a 7-pin specifically. I get home, the d@mned thing is the wrong spline size!

At the saw shop, they can just grab a carb kit, plug, rim, etc without needing to know the s/n, bar length, and gender preference of the saw. When they order stuff, I get a call as soon as it arrives. If I give them a list of parts to order, I'll get all the correct parts. If I need a MaxFlow kit, they have it. Husky parts, Stihl parts, they can get them both. They care about what they sell. They no longer stock Husky saw hats because the owner said they were too flimsy and cheap, so he didn't feel right selling them. They don't piss-rev new saws cold like True Value (it pains me to hear people do that in the back).

I was a few towns over on a trip when I decided to try hunting down a Zama carb kit. The local saw shop was no help, except they told me to try the True Value. The counter guy at True Value told me he was the 4-stroke guy so he called over the saw mech. After checking they said they didn't have the kit in stock, but they looked through their bag of carb "extras" (loose new diaphragms/gaskets) to try and build me a kit for the saw. I was impressed that they went to that much effort. It was my first time in there ever and they went more out of their way to try and help me than people I know at shops I frequent.

 

[Sierra_rider]

I've got a local saw shop that mostly sells Stihl, but also some of the Husky pro saws. They are a pretty dialed shop and it's easy getting parts from them. I do try to support them, but I did have to buy one of my new Stihls from another shop, as they didn't have it in stock.

I do 100% of my own maintenance/repair, but they have a waiting list to repair saws in there. Partly because it's hard to find another mechanic right now, but also because everyone in the county takes their saw to be repaired there.

I'm not opposed to getting parts online, or even saws, I get a lot of my aftermarket parts online. As far as saws, I only bought my Echo 2511t in another shop after I held it in person, and realized how light and compact it was. I knew they were lightweight and had good reviews, but it was hard to spend $400+ until I saw them in person.

I can imagine other saws, I wouldn't need to see them in person, it just makes me more likely to spend the money when it's sitting there on display in the shop. I knew I wanted my Stihl 400 without ever running or handling one.