How did you become brand loyal?

[Banshee]

So what make's you a Stihl, Husky or Dolmar fan or what ever brand you like. For me it was a combination of a bad Stihl dealer, an over rated 066 and a very good Husky dealer.

I'm not going to bash Stihl. They make great saws. The 044 is one of my favorites. The overrated 066 I have has since come to life with some modds.

The really the only other Stihl's I want would be the 090, Contra and a 084. But the list of Huskies I want is almost endless.

How did you come to be the brand fan that you are?

 

[sloch24]

My father bought a Stihl 031 when he was laid off from the auto industry in the early '80s. He had very little money, but wanted a dependable saw. He bought a 031AV. It's still in use today. He's cut and sold hundreds of cords of wood with it.

I used to think he was a little nuts when it came to his saw. I saw someone attempt to pick it up off the ground once, and he just about lost his mind. At the time, I thought, what's the big deal, it's a saw... Well, now I know better. I don't let anyone touch my saws either.

 

[s13rymos]

I was raised with Stihl saws... My family has always used them.. i have other brands i collect but when the real work needs done the Stihls get used..

 

[Cedarkerf]

Growing up Stihl was first non Mucculloch saw the family bought, all the loggers used Stihls, all the logging shops sold Stihls, my Grandad who had his own logging out fit ran Stihls (after McCullochs) all the Stihls I and my family have owned have been reliable and money makers, our high school forestry class used Stihls, guess youd call it reliable Stihl saturation. I do have a Husky 372xpw I have had about 4 months ported by Treeslinger. Great saw but I wish I could fit a 3/4 wrap handle on it.

 

[stihlboy]

grew up with stihl saws

 

[lcso10]

When my dad bought the business I run now, he sold Husky and Stihl. Over the 28 years we have seen the ups and downs. We always have sold Stihl's 6 to 1 compared to Husky with both fairly equal on the showroom wall. After Husky went to the box stores, that ended our relationship with them. Stihl only since. I liked the 268 272 Huskys and we moved alot of the 51/55 also. They were good saws. When I started in the business the 056 super then the 056 Mag was my favorite. Then they come with the 044. My favorite was changed at first sight.
I like Stihl the most and they have been a good company to work with. They have there down side just like other manafactures do to. Over all in my area you mostly see Stihl with a few Huskys scattered around.

 

[StihlyinEly]

While I grew up around Stihl and use them by far the most, I'd switch brands easily if I found another brand that suited the way I work. I like the way Stihls feel, and am very used to the way they run and cut.

For me it's no different, really, than sticking with the tried and true .30-06 for hunting. It's dependable, you can find shells at any little Mom and Pop store anywhere in the Midwest, and it'll do the job quite well. Same with Stihl when it comes to longevity, performance and service availability.

Stihl and the .30-06 aren't perfect, but dang if they aren't perfect enough! opcorn:

 

[cbfarmall]

For myself, it started when a buddy gave me an 045 Super to rebuild and I fished a clean 031 out of the garbage. I have since started gravitating towards Homelites after I picked up a nice 2100 for a song. Stihls still outnumber everthing else I own, but they are slowly losing ground.

Chris B.

 

[superfire]

no brainer

husky can not seem to get the area i livin to find a dealer that will sell them. me i have top notch stihl network of dealers in my area. stihl is what all the fire crews use in my area. me i like stihls because you do not have to work on them that much, it is simple as blow out the air filter then sharpen chain and add fuel and bar oil and go to work

 

[wigglesworth]

It all started a long long time ago, in a place far far away.............



























Ok...a few years back I found a 1 year old MS 460 for $300. Its been a roller coaster ever since....that and there are no husky/poulan dealers except Lowes....

 

[TRI955]

Brand loyal.....I like them all.....well, almost all.


Mike

 

[stihl sawing]

Brand loyal.....I like them all.....well, almost all.


Mike

Same here, There are no other dealers than stihl around here, But i would love to have a 372 husky, dolmar 7900, Solo 681..........ect.

 

[WoodChuck'r]

Honestly, I like all saws. BUT.....


The first pro saw I ever cut with was an 046. I worked at a ski resort as a lift mechanic and every year everyone would help log new trails. Every saw the resort and other loggers owned were Stihl. So my love for Stihl and chainsaws in general started when I was 17. My first saw was an 066 when I was 19. I've run probably 90% of every saw Stihl has made (in the US).

More or less, I consider myself to be a Stihl fan boy. But I have found a new love for Dolmar since the purchase of the 7900.

I guess I'm a Stihl fan boy whom is a Dolmar guy that welcomes every other kind of saw into his collection.

 

[alderman]

Not the big four

I bought a Shindaiwa C35 brushcutter 25 years ago. I've run the heck out of that thing on 50 acres of brush country in Western Oregon.

In 25 years there have been two issues with it. I shorted out the kill wire on the hot muffler and replaced the ignition module before I discovered this. Fixed it with some electrical tape and a wire tie.

A couple of years ago, the fuel line cracked and it would quit running when the tank got half empty. A new fuel line and it runs like new.

I bought my first Shindaiwa saw, a well used 500 for $100. I ran that saw for many years as my primary saw and it was running great right up to the time I dropped it out of a tree.

I've boughten mostly used equipment and probably don't have tied up in everything much more than 3 or 4 good Huskies, Stihls, Dolmars, or Jonsereds would cost me.

Simple designs and reliability make this equipment a pleasure to operate, even for a mechanically inept dolt as myself.

Shindaiwa may not be as popular as some, but it has given me pretty good bang for my bucks.

A couple of issues with this brand are a lack of a multitude of dealers and the current merger with Echo causing some products to become prematurely obselete.

 

[robfromaz1977]

I grew up in a one saw family. My dad had a 480 Husky and that is all I was around for many years. That saw is still going strong. I wouldn't say I am completely brand loyal as I really like the 046 Stihl. Had an 026 that I traded for truck parts.

 

[BigJ]

Truthfully, I get more excited looking at Husky's than I do looking at Stihls.

Prices for them there Swede saws are pretty high around these parts, so it all went down like this:
-Grew up with a Husky and Stihl. The Husky seemed to always need repair.
-Saw shopping: the MS260 was $250 less than the 346xp and still less than a 353.
-Got a great deal on a MS440. Love it.
-Got a great deal on a 372xp, ported it, ran it, didnt like the handling, sold it.
-"Stole" an 066 - almost running again...
-Have urges for a Husky 390xp everyday.
-Have urges for a Dolmar or Solo 80cc job everyday.

If I don't love the 066 once I get it built, I'm likely going to try a Dolmar...

 

[john taliaferro]

i got a o31 av in 78 or 79 . a couple bars and clutches.lot of chains still starts on the 4th pull and loud. in 07 i had some hart issues got a 260 pro for the comp release . same dealer

 

[psych038]

my dad always had stihl saws. he used to cut alot of wood. id say he quit sometime in the early 90s. two years ago i decided to start burning wood. dug out dads old 038 super, put in some fresh gas and voila!.....it ran like a champ. all i had to do to that saw after getting it out again was replace the fuel tank vent hose. so i luv the stihls. seem to be more fond of the older ones though. new ones seem to have to many "gizmos"

 

[gink595]

I really don't think I'm loyal to anyone manufacturer. Around my neck of the woods you'll see more Stihl than anything. I guess for me I became a Dolmar fan becasue it's a under dog sorta, not very popular but WOW what a saw...

I like all saws it soesn't matter, I'd own about anything decent...My next might just be a 346 or 357 Husky...

 

[injun joe]

grew up with a stihl 038 so i guess it would be the reliability of the saws and never seen a husky until a few years ago so i dont know how the pro saws run. after that IT set in and found more brands that i liked macs,homelites,and a pioneer.so i have a few brand favorites.:greenchainsaw: