Price of Chainsaw Chain Question

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bobt

bobt

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Hey guys! I have a question about the price of saw chain.

Here it is,,,,,,,WHY IS SAW CHAIN SO CHEAP THESE DAYS?

Yes, why is it so cheap?

I was in the chainsaw industry when I was a teenager. I worked in a Stihl chainsaw shop until I graduated from High School in 1975. A chain for a 16" bar (60 drive links) cost about $16.00 then and it was considered kind of expensive.

Now in 2011 you can still buy chain for the same price or even cheaper.

Back then the price of gas was about a dollar a gallon, and wages were small as well. The price of a good chainsaw was about $300.00 or so. The cheap homeowner saws had not hit the market yet.

Now, the price of everything has been inflated,,,,,,,,except Saw chain.

Why is that? I really don't understand. No wonder people treat saw chain as a throwaway commodity now. It doesn't seem economical to sharpen a dull chain today if you have to bring it into a shop to have it sharpened.

Just thinking out loud here. What do all of you think?

Bob
 
I was just talking about this yesterday with an older guy. I really dont know, only thing that I can wonder is that with all of the brand competion maybe manufacturers have become more price competitive. Just a guess...
I have noticed locally that chain (Stihl) can vary quite a bit in price. I still pay about a buck an inch at a local shop, when another down the road sells it for quite a bit more. I do quite a bit of business (99% of it, if not more) with the first shop, so I may get a pretty decent discount on it, never asked.
 
bobt said:
Here it is,,,,,,,WHY IS SAW CHAIN SO CHEAP THESE DAYS?
Click to expand...
I'm just guessing. I have no facts.
Maybe it's because we send much of our steel over seas and they can make them and sell them back to us cheaper than we can make them ?
 
Brian VT said:
I'm just guessing. I have no facts.
Maybe it's because we send much of our steel over seas and they can make them and sell them back to us cheaper than we can make them ?
Click to expand...

Hmm,,,,,I don't think that much of the steel made here in USA is exported anymore. We have lost most of the steel making capacity that we once had. Actually one of the hindrances to making steel domestically comes from the fact that imported steel is so much cheaper than domestic steel.

Bob
 
Howdy,
If you like the price stabilization, you can thank places like Bailey's, and Maddsen's. If you don't, we're pretty much known in the industry as the west coast saw chain whores. Over the 35 years that I know of, we've basically driven out 2 levels of distribution. If this hadn't have happened, the 16" loop would have easily been $40 plus on sale by now.
Regards
Gregg
 
Grande Dog said:
Howdy,
If you like the price stabilization, you can thank places like Bailey's, and Maddsen's. If you don't, we're pretty much known in the industry as the west coast saw chain whores. Over the 35 years that I know of, we've basically driven out 2 levels of distribution. If this hadn't have happened, the 16" loop would have easily been $40 plus on sale by now.
Regards
Gregg
Click to expand...

That's why we love you guys!
 
Grande Dog said:
Howdy,
If you like the price stabilization, you can thank places like Bailey's, and Maddsen's. If you don't, we're pretty much known in the industry as the west coast saw chain whores. Over the 35 years that I know of, we've basically driven out 2 levels of distribution. If this hadn't have happened, the 16" loop would have easily been $40 plus on sale by now.
Regards
Gregg
Click to expand...

Well, there you go. The definitive answer!!

I just couldn't figure why saw chain did not increase in price like everything else.

I am happy that it did not!! Wonderful!

Hey Gregg,,,,,,,,,,,,,Now you have to influence chainsaw prices as well! If you have enough volume to make a difference?? I know that the Makita 6401 is now "long gone" and there is a hefty price increase for the replacement with the silly cat muffler. Go after them and have them make the saw more affordable! I think the reputation of the Makita/Dolmar saw is very strong.

Bob
 
Ever notice the Oregon safety chain loops in Box Stores are more $$ than the pro Oregon or Carlton chains? Seems backwards
 
i dont consider stihl chain cheap. thats why ive faded it out, running only one stihl chain now with oregon on everything. i love lgx and skip oregon and baileys prices on it. much better then paying twice the price att he stihl dealer.

ive ben getn alot of life out of oregon chains sharpening them myself
 
Grande Dog said:
Howdy,
If you like the price stabilization, you can thank places like Bailey's, and Maddsen's. If you don't, we're pretty much known in the industry as the west coast saw chain whores. Over the 35 years that I know of, we've basically driven out 2 levels of distribution. If this hadn't have happened, the 16" loop would have easily been $40 plus on sale by now.
Regards
Gregg
Click to expand...

......and that's why I buy all of my chain loops from you folks. The price difference is even larger with .404 chain in my area. Local dealers here wanted to charge me over twice what I paid Bailey's for a loop of Oregon 27 shipped to my door.
 
About 3 yeras ago when the price of steel peaked, a 100' roll of chain almost doubled in cost, prices of steel have dropped but the cost for 100' roll has not.
Before buying bulk chain was cheaper for me, but when costs almost doubled its not really worth it, especially at a time when I can buy pre-made loops cheaper. But still have to have bulk chain to make the one off loops or the regulars when I run low on stock. 4 years ago a 100' of oregon was costing me a bit less than $200, now the cheapest I can get it is $290-350 (and that is dealer cost so figure the math).
 
bobt said:
Hey guys! I have a question about the price of saw chain.

Here it is,,,,,,,WHY IS SAW CHAIN SO CHEAP THESE DAYS?

Yes, why is it so cheap?

I was in the chainsaw industry when I was a teenager. I worked in a Stihl chainsaw shop until I graduated from High School in 1975. A chain for a 16" bar (60 drive links) cost about $16.00 then and it was considered kind of expensive.

Now in 2011 you can still buy chain for the same price or even cheaper.

Back then the price of gas was about a dollar a gallon, and wages were small as well. The price of a good chainsaw was about $300.00 or so. The cheap homeowner saws had not hit the market yet.

Now, the price of everything has been inflated,,,,,,,,except Saw chain.

Why is that? I really don't understand. No wonder people treat saw chain as a throwaway commodity now. It doesn't seem economical to sharpen a dull chain today if you have to bring it into a shop to have it sharpened.

Just thinking out loud here. What do all of you think?

Bob
Click to expand...

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
 
ropensaddle said:
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Click to expand...
Gotcha! Hahaha!
 
I get most of my chain from Wood's Logging Supply... just like Bailey's and Madsen's... they move a crapload of chain on a monthly basis. So chain is still fairly cheap. :)

Gary
 
I just purchased a new 16" loop of RSC for my 260 this morning at the local auto parts house/Stihl dealer in town. I paid $26.95 + tax.
 
Competition definetaly helps keep down the price of chain, and there seems to be a break off point where people just won't buy chain more expensive. With regards to competition, we can buy Oregon chain from 3 different distributors, 2 Windsor distributors, 2 Carlton, Stens selling Silver Streak, Forester etc.. there are plenty of options available to us dealers. Because of so many brands, and distributors out there the price stays low, and our margin stays healthy.
 

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