Intro and a completely off the wall question

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hillbillypolack

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Hi-
Been lurking a while, and thought I'd formally join, see what I can learn from the more experienced in the room.

30+ years ago, I did landscaping, mostly heavy fill, agriculture, no forestry or clearing. I've been finding that wrestling with our house here, an afternoon of moving wheelbarrows leaves me aching for a few days. . . . Plus with a second small property, I thought it's better to saw instead of swinging an axe (!)

Anyway, I've been trying to make do with an older Poulan 14" saw, have been gravitating to something more stout and reliable like the Husqvarna 545 or 550xp. I'd been hovering around these for two years, so I was mostly familiar with the lineup. We have three dealers near me, so hoping to support brick and mortar, I visited each. Great saw, impressive balance. I'm very much looking forward to a new saw after nursing the wee Poulan these many years.

My question is. . . what happened to the quality control on Husqvarna's paint and plastic? Or maybe it's the shipping? Each 545 at any of the three dealers was scratched on the back of the chain brake (side toward the handle), scuffs on the outside of the clutch cover, enough on one to show metal, and the front of the magnesium case (below oil cap). Last observation was the castings beneath the chain run weren't consistent 'smooth', looking rather ragged instead of the smooth I saw last I examined a 545.

I'm fully expecting to receive a clobbering from the members here, and I completely understand chainsaws are a 'tool', and for sure it's gonna get a few scars. But one of the 545s pulled directly out of a box at the dealer showed this kind of paint & plastic scuff - no bag over the saw to protect it at all. It almost looked like it had been refurbished? Or previously used? Is this maybe standard operating procedure? Just wondering what to expect for a purchase of $500 - $530.
 
Up in SE Michigan. Fortunately, three are within driving distance for me, and I haven't needed to take in any of my other Husky gear. Though getting accessories is a matter of choosing which one to drive to if you're in a pinch (chains at one, oil & wedges at another). The nearest one seems to only stock best sellers, so it's a 30 minute trip to the 'good ones'.
 
Not sure of the damage that you are talking about, but I haven't really looked at Husky saws lately, or if they are
doing anything different in the manufacturing.
I wonder if SawTroll still lurks here, he is the Husqvarna answer man....
 
Not sure of the damage that you are talking about, but I haven't really looked at Husky saws lately, or if they are
doing anything different in the manufacturing.
I wonder if SawTroll still lurks here, he is the Husqvarna answer man....

To be fair, it is nit picky stuff. Won't affect performance one tiny bit. It was just visually apparent is all.

Either way, I'm looking forward to an honest second saw.
 
Have to go with HarleyT, you let quality slip in a small area and it's bound to migrate. Saw it for years as a machinist. Engineers would open up tolerances in one area and suddenly other areas had problems so tolerances in those areas were opened up resulting IMO in a lower quality part.
 
Have to go with HarleyT, you let quality slip in a small area and it's bound to migrate. Saw it for years as a machinist. Engineers would open up tolerances in one area and suddenly other areas had problems so tolerances in those areas were opened up resulting IMO in a lower quality part.

I think that was why I scratched my head once I noticed the blemishes. My dad was a machinist too, detail oriented guy. I always thought Husqvarna was a high quality manufacturer but the 545s I saw looked like they were shipped loose in a box.

Had some parts arrive from a well known German motorcycle manufacturer looking the same way. Hope it's not the new normal.
 
I am still sour at Huskie since my 435 gave me so many fits. Maybe that will change in the coming years. But to the OP, have you considered an Echo? When looking for a 45-50cc saw spent a month or so researching and finally bought a CS490.
 
I am still sour at Huskie since my 435 gave me so many fits. Maybe that will change in the coming years. But to the OP, have you considered an Echo? When looking for a 45-50cc saw spent a month or so researching and finally bought a CS490.

What problems where u having with your t435 I just bought one that never had gas in it for 125.00 and no was not stolen
 
Not sure of the style but it was about 10-12 years old. The oiler worked but the chain kept on freezing up after about 15 minutes of cutting. Did this for years. Had to replace the bar once because the front sprocket froze up. Finally it froze up and I waited to for it to cool down. Then I tried every trick in the book and could not get it started. Even tried starting fluid directly into the cylinder. Nothing worked.
At some point you have to compare the frustration with economics of getting it repaired, or maybe the repairs wouldnt even take. So I did the sensible thing and hung it from a tree and emptied a full cylinder of 44 mags into it. That made me feel a lot better!
I have no regrets:)
Bought a Echo CS490 but havent used it yet.
 
I would get a Dolmar 420 = Makta 4300 instead. Sounds like a much better saw for your purpose.

7
 
Hi-
Been lurking a while, and thought I'd formally join, see what I can learn from the more experienced in the room.

30+ years ago, I did landscaping, mostly heavy fill, agriculture, no forestry or clearing. I've been finding that wrestling with our house here, an afternoon of moving wheelbarrows leaves me aching for a few days. . . . Plus with a second small property, I thought it's better to saw instead of swinging an axe (!)

Anyway, I've been trying to make do with an older Poulan 14" saw, have been gravitating to something more stout and reliable like the Husqvarna 545 or 550xp. I'd been hovering around these for two years, so I was mostly familiar with the lineup. We have three dealers near me, so hoping to support brick and mortar, I visited each. Great saw, impressive balance. I'm very much looking forward to a new saw after nursing the wee Poulan these many years.

My question is. . . what happened to the quality control on Husqvarna's paint and plastic? Or maybe it's the shipping? Each 545 at any of the three dealers was scratched on the back of the chain brake (side toward the handle), scuffs on the outside of the clutch cover, enough on one to show metal, and the front of the magnesium case (below oil cap). Last observation was the castings beneath the chain run weren't consistent 'smooth', looking rather ragged instead of the smooth I saw last I examined a 545.

I'm fully expecting to receive a clobbering from the members here, and I completely understand chainsaws are a 'tool', and for sure it's gonna get a few scars. But one of the 545s pulled directly out of a box at the dealer showed this kind of paint & plastic scuff - no bag over the saw to protect it at all. It almost looked like it had been refurbished? Or previously used? Is this maybe standard operating procedure? Just wondering what to expect for a purchase of $500 - $530.
You may not be following this old thread anymore, BUT, I hope you bought an Echo. I have two Echo's and 3 Sthils. The Echo's are high quality right along with the Sthils. I wanted a Husky since everyone seemed to like them, THEN, I started researching Refurbished saws and was shocked at how many Poulan and Husky were available. Google Refurbished Echo 490 and take a look. I found not one. Look at availability. There must be a reason so few refurbished Echo's are available. Home Depot is out at the moment.
 
You may not be following this old thread anymore, BUT, I hope you bought an Echo. I have two Echo's and 3 Sthils. The Echo's are high quality right along with the Sthils. I wanted a Husky since everyone seemed to like them, THEN, I started researching Refurbished saws and was shocked at how many Poulan and Husky were available. Google Refurbished Echo 490 and take a look. I found not one. Look at availability. There must be a reason so few refurbished Echo's are available. Home Depot is out at the moment.

The refurbished Husky saws you are seeing are Poulan built. As far as the availability thing goes, that just depends on your area. I can find enough Echo saws in my area to fill a semi trailer. Well,....nearly. :)
 
The refurbished Husky saws you are seeing are Poulan built. As far as the availability thing goes, that just depends on your area. I can find enough Echo saws in my area to fill a semi trailer. Well,....nearly. :)
Are there any refurbished 490s in your area? I see the smaller ones listed at Home Depot but even they are out online. Flea Bay has some but shipping runs the cost up enough I don't think it's worth taking the chance on used. I searched Northern Tools on line. No luck. Just learned 20% off factory Sale in a few weeks at a dealer in North La. Plan to call and try to secure one. A new one around 300$ sounds sweet. Maybe!!!!! I I'll have one, a new one soon. I'm so tired of Making repairs. Thanks. Have a good day.
 
I don't know about refurbished Echos. There are plenty of refurbished Poulan/Husqvarnas though. There is a Husqvarna (Old Poulan) plant about 20 miles from my house and they have a sale on refurbished saws, string trimmers, hedge trimmers, etc. every so often.
 

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