Looking for some interesting input about Made in USA

[MCW]

Must agree with MCW. Anything stamped "made in USA" is most likely just assembled there from parts sourced from anywhere and everywhere.

Stihl has a Brazilian assembly plant for their cut off saws and whatnot, I believe... I predict that 20 years down the road, there will no longer be any North American "assembly" plants. Saws will all be imported completely assembled from either Brazil, Mexico, or China.

Perhaps the pro models will still come from Germany, but even I have my doubts about that...

Yeah I've become very sceptical of even Stihl's pro saws after seeing the quality of their "Stihl" branded cylinders on a couple of brand new MS660's I've owned. I'm importing my own BB kits for these saws from China and rest assured the Chinese kits have it all over the Stihl ones as far as build quality goes. I'd be pretty certain that the Stihl branded cylinders are coming out of China or Taiwan. I must admit though that looks can be deceiving as the Stihl branded cylinders have shown to be reliable and produce good power but the quality is shocking.
I agree with your country of manufacture comment too. I mean we have an "Australian made" car called the Holden Cruze (GM) which contains 75% foreign components.

 

[CentaurG2]

You would think that if stihl is assembled in the USA to avoid import tax, they would sell em to us at a massive discount. I try to purchase stihls that are made in Germany. Heck, if I am paying that much, its got to be a fine import.

 

[mayhem100]

Good day,

I was at a big store today, while my wife was in a department I try not to be seen, I was looking at some yellow, green, red and orange chainsaw. I am from Canada, and what is made in Canada is usually of good quality, sometimes not the best but at least, there is some sort of pride and quality control.

Then, I came back home and made a little research on the brands I have seen out there ie. Poulan, Poulan Pro, Craftsman and Husqvarna, all made in USA, which I think is synonym of quality. I ended up on this website and I discovered that most of you are not really impressed with those brands. What make them such a poor buy? I bought a building lot on which I will have to clean up a bit, but after what I've read, I feel a bit shy to show up there with one of those.

Both of my Husqvarnas were made in Sweden.

I think you would be very hard pressed to find people who lump Husqvarna into the same bucket as Poulan and Craftsman..unless you're tlaking about the orange cased Poulan's with Husqvarna stickers (like the 200 series).

I ran a Craftsman 18" 42cc saw for about 15 years before it finally gave up on me...it was $125 when I bought it. Excellent return on my investment. Take care of your tools and they'll be there when you need them, but everything wiht moving parts will eventually wear out. If you're looking at doing some long term work, look at a Husqvarna 300 or 500 series saw or the equivalent Stihls and DOlmars. The beauty of this is you can get a good quality saw thats going to do everything you need and when you're done, if you've taken care of it, you can recover most of your investment on the used market.

Or you can grab a Poulan Wild Thing and do the same thing...lower cost of enrty, slower production and less of a recoverable percentage on the used market.

One question, when you say you need to clean up a building lot, what are you looking at actually doing? Are we talking about dropping a few dozen trees or a thousand? What size are these trees? Are you experienced with using a chainsaw safely?

 

[Philbert]

Must agree with MCW. Anything stamped "made in USA" is most likely just assembled there from parts sourced from anywhere and everywhere.

For wht its worth:

STIHL – Virginia Beach Manufacturing Facility Virtual Tour
STIHL Incorporated USA -- Information -- Manufacturing the World's Number One Selling Brand of Chain Saws

"inculding manufacturing many of the components . . . "

A lot of this stuff is highly automated - cuts down on some of the labor differential. They save a lot in shipping costs.

I predict that 20 years down the road, there will no longer be any North American "assembly" plants.

In 20 years, cutting wood will be an iPhone app.

Philbert

 

[FrenchyII]

Both of my Husqvarnas were made in Sweden.

I think you would be very hard pressed to find people who lump Husqvarna into the same bucket as Poulan and Craftsman..unless you're tlaking about the orange cased Poulan's with Husqvarna stickers (like the 200 series).

I ran a Craftsman 18" 42cc saw for about 15 years before it finally gave up on me...it was $125 when I bought it. Excellent return on my investment. Take care of your tools and they'll be there when you need them, but everything wiht moving parts will eventually wear out. If you're looking at doing some long term work, look at a Husqvarna 300 or 500 series saw or the equivalent Stihls and DOlmars. The beauty of this is you can get a good quality saw thats going to do everything you need and when you're done, if you've taken care of it, you can recover most of your investment on the used market.

Or you can grab a Poulan Wild Thing and do the same thing...lower cost of enrty, slower production and less of a recoverable percentage on the used market.

One question, when you say you need to clean up a building lot, what are you looking at actually doing? Are we talking about dropping a few dozen trees or a thousand? What size are these trees? Are you experienced with using a chainsaw safely?

To answer your questions, I am actually looking at cutting around 30 trees (mostly aspen) ranging from 4-10'' and removing a lot of small stuff like 1-2''. And no, I'm not experienced using a chainsaw but I don't plan to do it by myself. I'm way to concern about safety to start doing a job like that without having experience people guiding me through the process.

 

[XJWoody]

I have nothing to add in reference to your choice of saw, but commend you on approaching the upcoming lot-clearing with safety in mind, and an awareness of your skill level.



If you do purchase from a dealer, don't be shy about letting them step you through the process of fueling, chain & filter care, and most importantly, safe starting & operation of your new saw. You can always take to doing it 'your way' later, but at least consider what they teach.

Have Fun!

 

[FrenchyII]

It's nice to see how my safety is important for you. Don't worry, I don't plan to do things in a stupid way, this is a learning experience for me. You guys are really concerned about safety. Probably because you have seen pretty bad things happening out there. And the comment about buying from a dealer so I can have things explained to me prior attacking the job makes a lot of sense, something you don't get at Sears and Canadian Tire.

 

[MCW]

For wht its worth:
STIHL – Virginia Beach Manufacturing Facility Virtual Tour
Philbert

Yeah marketing at it's best mate. I'm not sure what percentage of foreign componentry you can have before you have to change the "Made in the USA" tag...

Here was my "Made in the USA" MS201T...

My "Made in the USA" MS261 was exactly the same. Don't worry though, Australia's manufacturing is in exactly the same boat...

 

[weimedog]

The entire made in USA (or Canada) thing is a sad story with both political and financial cultural roots I'm not going to get into. Let Rick Santorum or someone like that talk about that! BUT I have had a LOT of fun over the years running "Made in America" (USA/Canada) saws. And can report that I will dabble again there after a hiatus into the Swedish world where I spend the majority of my saw time now. (Moving towards Jonsered from Husqvarna)

You can have a two saw plan with made in the USA and be perfectly productive if you have some mechanical acuity. For example a McCulloch 10-10 and any one of the saws in the McCulloch Super Pro 81 series. Very effective pair even with today's standards.

My two that will get time this summer are a XL-903 I have used for years and Super-XL 925 I'm building up now. Both are 80cc class saws that are really productive. The 903 is easy to start and the 925 cuts like the pro saw it is.

In the spirit of "The Hunt is more fun than the Kill" learning about the history of those old 1960's and 1970's era Die Cast American built saw, there are samples you can research and find that are still useful in today's world.

In my mind....a few: XL800 thru S-XL925 Homelite, Homelite S-XL, Homelite 550 thru 750, Homelite 540-8800. McCulloch 2-10 thru 10-10 series, 6-10, Super Pro 81, etc. Have to say a lot of wood has been cut here on this farm with vintage iron! Cheap fun!

You can go here for inspiration and information
Chain Saw Collectors Corner - Gasoline Chain Saws by Manufacturer

 

[nick 55]

If you're looking at doing some long term work, look at a Husqvarna 300 or 500 series saw or the equivalent Stihls and DOlmars. The beauty of this is you can get a good quality saw thats going to do everything you need and when you're done, if you've taken care of it, you can recover most of your investment on the used market.

Or you can grab a Poulan Wild Thing and do the same thing...lower cost of enrty, slower production and less of a recoverable percentage on the used market.

That assumes he won't succumb to CAD and will be completely done with a saw once his lot is cleared.

To answer your questions, I am actually looking at cutting around 30 trees (mostly aspen) ranging from 4-10'' and removing a lot of small stuff like 1-2''. And no, I'm not experienced using a chainsaw but I don't plan to do it by myself. I'm way to concern about safety to start doing a job like that without having experience people guiding me through the process.

Frenchy, based on how big the trees are that you have described, I would look at that 5020 that was referenced earlier in the thread. You don't gave hundreds or thousands of trees to take down, and you don't have to do it in 2 weeks. By purchasing that 5020 brand new over a used 346, you get a warranty(though pretty unlikely you will need it), and still have some money left over for a good pair of chainsaw chaps and a forestry helmet which I would regard as necessary safety gear. Also, don't forget a good pair of gloves and I would recommend a steel toed work boot also.

Nick

 

[FrenchyII]

Sorry for my lack of knowledge but what CAD stand for? I have seen this abbreviation a few times on this forum but I just can't make it out. Stihl fans must not like that picture saying China on it. I am not saying that Stihl products are not good, I know according to this site that they are one of the best brand and probably the most popular, but if Stihl are subcontracting out parts to China and do a good job controlling production, it can only help other chainsaw companies dealing with the same parts manufacturer. Maybe we will see good improvement on the less popular Poulan, Homelite, Craftsman, McCulloch....and help to fill the quality gaps existing between the 2.

 

[Philbert]

Sorry for my lack of knowledge but what CAD stand for?

It is a silly Arborist Site acronym: Chainsaw Addiction Disorder.

It starts when you have one chainsaw, join this site, them suddenly find the compulsion to buy more (and more, and . . . ).

Philbert

 

[nick 55]

Sorry for my lack of knowledge but what CAD stand for? I have seen this abbreviation a few times on this forum but I just can't make it out. Stihl fans must not like that picture saying China on it. I am not saying that Stihl products are not good, I know according to this site that they are one of the best brand and probably the most popular, but if Stihl are subcontracting out parts to China and do a good job controlling production, it can only help other chainsaw companies dealing with the same parts manufacturer. Maybe we will see good improvement on the less popular Poulan, Homelite, Craftsman, McCulloch....and help to fill the quality gaps existing between the 2.

Many non-Stihl/Husky saws are actually pretty on par with the big name equivalents. They just get a bad rap because most of them aren't maintained well because most Joe Homeowners aren't that in tune with taking proper care of mechanical things. Then, when they take them to a shop to have a carb rebuilt, the kit costs $15 and the labor is usually an hour plus or minus, which is $60-95 depending on region. The shop tells them to buy a new saw because they only paid $130 on the saw to begin with. These cheaper saws aren't bad if they are used for their intended purpose, but just like buying a Walmart kitchen knife and using it in a restaurant, it won't last long in commercial use. Same with fishing equipment and many other things.

It is a silly Arborist Site acronym: Chainsaw Addiction Disorder.

It starts when you have one chainsaw, join this site, them suddenly find the compulsion to buy more (and more, and . . . ).

Philbert

I suffer from this.....I came to the site with one saw, now I own 9.

Nick