I'll start by saying that I own gas power tools from various manufacturers -- Husqvarna, Stihl, Echo, etc. I've owned Fords, Chevy's, Hondas, Toyotas, Subuarus, etc. I consider myself to be brand "open" and not brand "blind". So, I went over to the local Stihl dealer to buy a new FC 111 straight-shaft edger. Yes, I realize it's still winter, but I hadn't purchased any gas-powered equipment for several months so decided to scratch that itch.
I walked around the shop and looked at the 500i, the 462 and the 661. I asked the dude there a few polite questions and how the saws compared to the 572XP, and 592XP. Dude immediately went into a long-winded bashing of everything that wasn't a Stihl product. Lots of anecdotal stories about non-Stihl saws blowing up, parts problems, dangerous conditions, etc. He also claimed that Stihl out-sold the other pro saws 10 to 1. Right.
I got bored of the Stihl infomercial, so I went over to the trimmers and edgers. I told the guy I wanted the FC 111 and he immediately went into "up-sell" mode. I got the sales pitch on Stihl Motomix and Ultra oil. I politely declined. He then pressured me several times and asked what type of fuel and oil I was using. I told him: ethanol-free. Red Armor. Klotz. TruFuel 2-cycle. Again...stories of failures due to bad fuel and bad oil. He also hinted that I needed to run Motomix and Ultra so that any potential warranty issues would not be questioned by Stihl. Right. I asked him if he was aware that Stihl did not make the Ultra and that it was produced by a third-party refiner / blender / packager? Dude was unconvinced. I told him that I had 20 years in the petroleum business and that I was confident in my information. Nope. Dude says: "If it ain't Stihl, it ain't worth buying." Right.
I bought the FC 111 anyway.
Thanks, Captain Stihl.
JQ
I walked around the shop and looked at the 500i, the 462 and the 661. I asked the dude there a few polite questions and how the saws compared to the 572XP, and 592XP. Dude immediately went into a long-winded bashing of everything that wasn't a Stihl product. Lots of anecdotal stories about non-Stihl saws blowing up, parts problems, dangerous conditions, etc. He also claimed that Stihl out-sold the other pro saws 10 to 1. Right.
I got bored of the Stihl infomercial, so I went over to the trimmers and edgers. I told the guy I wanted the FC 111 and he immediately went into "up-sell" mode. I got the sales pitch on Stihl Motomix and Ultra oil. I politely declined. He then pressured me several times and asked what type of fuel and oil I was using. I told him: ethanol-free. Red Armor. Klotz. TruFuel 2-cycle. Again...stories of failures due to bad fuel and bad oil. He also hinted that I needed to run Motomix and Ultra so that any potential warranty issues would not be questioned by Stihl. Right. I asked him if he was aware that Stihl did not make the Ultra and that it was produced by a third-party refiner / blender / packager? Dude was unconvinced. I told him that I had 20 years in the petroleum business and that I was confident in my information. Nope. Dude says: "If it ain't Stihl, it ain't worth buying." Right.
I bought the FC 111 anyway.
Thanks, Captain Stihl.
JQ