I have to laugh at these Stihl threads...
Back in the '60s, I was growing up in a small Oregon logging town. In those days, the arguments were Mac vs. Homelite - and even the most rabid Stihl or Husky fan pales in comparison to the Macs and the Homies. You people are amateurs compared to those guys!
Anyhow, I remember when the first Stihls started showing up. They quickly developed a (well deserved) reputation for flooding and hard starting, particularly when warm. Parts were also a problem, as they hadn't yet developed their dealer network.
More than once I overheard a conversation at the local diner where a bunch of loggers were having lunch. Of course the Mac guy and the Homelite guy would be going at it, and inevitably someone would mention Stihl. "Too bad you can't get parts for one", he'd say - at which point someone else would chime in "that's OK - they don't run long enough to wear out parts anyhow!"
To this day I have a dislike for Stihl. I've run them, they're fine saws - but not noticeably better than anything else, and I can't get over that old bias.
-=[ Grant ]=-
I was talking with a buddy about the same sort of thing the other day.
Back when Carter had just cut the nuts off of our economy, and folks were hurting here in the boonies, it was back to wood heat and tree cutting for lumber, cribbing and pulp for LOTS of guys.
Back then we had two saw dealers and a new Stihl shop.
Everyone was wearing some brand of saw hat, or had some sort of Saw brand Patch on thier jacket.
The debates got as ugly, and maybe uglier than over Tractors LOL!!
So here it is 30 years later, we are down to one hardware store from three.
The Stihl dealer and the hardware that sells Husky are the last.
The economy is in the tank. Our new thinking president is parroting Carter, and folk are going back to wood heat and cutting trees again.
The Homies and Mac's are gone, and the current debates are Husky/Stihl and just as ugly.
Our local Stihl dealer is getting squeezed hard by Stihl business policys and the margin he has to work with on volume while competing against TSC and Husky, but can always get parts and support for his customers.
Everything has come full circle.
The only thing mising is the sewn on patches, and heat transfer logo T-shirts.
Stay safe!
Dingeryote
