Made in USA, Made in Germany, does it matter to you?

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Slackerjpt

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Messages
188
Reaction score
88
Location
New york
Hi all, I was looking at pro grade saws yestrday(specifically Stihl MS 362) and where all the other pro grade saws said made in Germany, the MS said made in Virginia. So my question is: when purchasing a pro grade chainsaw, does the quality suffer when it's made in Virginia compared to Germany? Does where it's made effect your decision making?

Thanks for the advice.

MC

FDNY 343
 
Hi all, I was looking at pro grade saws yestrday(specifically Stihl MS 362) and where all the other pro grade saws said made in Germany, the MS said made in Virginia. So my question is: when purchasing a pro grade chainsaw, does the quality suffer when it's made in Virginia compared to Germany? Does where it's made effect your decision making?

Thanks for the advice.

MC

FDNY 343

Hey, atleast it's not made in Taiwan
 
I've run Pro Stihls for 35 years, remember when the Virginia Beach saws first hit the market, everyone was worried they wouldn't hold up like the (at that time) West German mfd saws.
I have personally never been able to tell any difference in the quality of the USA built saws vs. German saws. A very good authority on Stihl has stated on here that the defective rate on USA made saws is actually lower than that of the German made saws. Virginia Beach, newer facilities, newer tooling, and mfg processes compared to the older German facility. I personally don't think there is enough of a difference between the two to measure, I've got full confidence in both.
 
I bought for Stihl quality first and with that said I would take made in the USA any every chance I get.

The made in the USA products has dropped for the last 25 years. I would much rather pay a little or even a lot more if that meant someone near gets a job out of it in the homeland:msp_thumbsup:
 
NO not really

Made in USA and on the beltline with SC and NC is a plus. High technology with good work ethics in a real mfg area.

As a product engineer the mfg world is truly global and I deal with mfg in the USA and globally.

A big plus for me with Stihl-USA is great quality without added export costs and shipping issues to have product as needed. The Virginia Beach location is a benchmark of what north american mfg can be. Michelin and BMW in Greenville are other examples.
 
What does it mean to be made somewhere? Where are the parts made? Where do the materials for the parts come from? How do you add it up and decide where the end product was made? Where was it designed, where is the company incorporated, where do the profits go, where do their taxes go?

Still, the more local content the better.

Most every product of any complexity is the result of an even more complex global supply chain, which is something to keep in mind - also relevant to the other thread about having duplicate saws. Take a look at what is happening in regard to the global economic situation and think about how secure that global supply chain is.
 
What does it mean to be made somewhere? Where are the parts made? Where do the materials for the parts come from? How do you add it up and decide where the end product was made? Where was it designed, where is the company incorporated, where do the profits go, where do their taxes go?

Still, the more local content the better.

Most every product of any complexity is the result of an even more complex global supply chain, which is something to keep in mind - also relevant to the other thread about having duplicate saws. Take a look at what is happening in regard to the global economic situation and think about how secure that global supply chain is.

What are the actual amount of parts that are made in Germany that enable them to claim made in Germany I do not know.I know a lot of saws have Chinese carbs on them now.
 
I think it might be obvious that I buy American all the time. I won't even hire a contractor that employs illegal immigrants, which is hard to find nowadays. So I wind up doing all the work myself most of the time, even though I don't have time to do it. Small projects just turn into multi-month or multi-year undertakings.

However, I wouldn't discriminate against a German model, or American model at that rate. I believe you're getting a similar product in both circumstances, as stated by other posters above.
 
What are the actual amount of parts that are made in Germany that enable them to claim made in Germany I do not know.I know a lot of saws have Chinese carbs on them now.

It could be that once all the parts are sourced, it's assembled in Germany. Designed/engineered, tested, and assembled in Germany as opposed to physically creating the parts there. Just a thought, not sure how much weight it holds.
 
I don't think you have to worry. Many beloved stihl products are and have been made in the US for quite some time.

I think the reality is that anything can be made in virtually any country provided that the work force is sufficiently competent.

Like it or not but the overwhelming majority of your computer came from China, as did your cell phone, etc, and many components in it are made with much more strict tolerances than your chainsaw.

I won't be the first in line for a chinese saw, not by a long shot, but if competent management and mfg oversight want to make a quality product, and go through the necessary labors, they can make them anywhere as far as I am concerned.
 
I don't think it makes much difference on origin of manufacture of the Stihl small and mid range saws. Stihl must have a reason why the top 5 pro saws 441 thru 880 are made in germany. I suspect the German made mahle cylinder heads and pistons have closer or precision machining tolerances therefore producing a more durable saw for the North American timber cutter.
 
Made in the USA = Employment in the USA.

Wouldn't it be nice to see an American chainsaw (McCulloch, Homelite, etc.) being made in the USA?
 
What are the actual amount of parts that are made in Germany that enable them to claim made in Germany I do not know.I know a lot of saws have Chinese carbs on them now.

Most brands use the Chinese Zama carbs on some pro models - those are just fine as far as I know!

All the US sold saws made in the US since about 2003 have less power than their German counterparts, except the newer "strato" saws. This has to do with the EPA, and nothing else (more restricted mufflers, and sometimes a different cylinder), and has nothing to do with quality - as far as I know.
 
Maybe it's just a coincidence, but we have broken more rear handles on German saws than on the American made ones. It's a bummer to bust a rear handle...and expensive to replace if you buy the factory part, not one of the knock-off replacements. The off-white rear handle plastic seems to be exactly the same, but maybe not? :confused:
 
First choice is a US made saw from a US company. Short of that I'm take a Germ saw that is made here since that is about the only option right now. Those sleazy Stihl guys are pushing enviro BS to try and gain market advantage and I hope it bites them where it hurts.




Mr. HE:cool:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top