New pricing from Stihl

[Ryan'smilling]

I was at my local Ace hardware today which (unfortunately) is our only Stihl dealer in town.

I was recently in the market for a 40cc saw that was very easy to start, so I had been eying their prices on the cbe models. I ended up buying a Dolmar 421 instead of a Stihl, for a number of reasons, but I always eye the prices when I go in there.

Well, first I noticed that the pro saws have all gone up. A 241 is now $569 and a 261 is now $629 ($20 and $30 increase respectively). Didn't see what they want for a 362, but it's gotta be creeping up on $800.

Then I noticed that everything else had changed prices too. But... They all went down! The amount varied, but all the non-pro saws came down on price, some quite a bit. The guy behind the counter said that the larger ones, 291ish and up had dropped $60.

Interesting to see this from Stihl. The guy said he'd never seen their price come down on anything. Maybe they're feeling the squeeze from other brands?

Anyway, maybe this is old news, but i just thought I'd post this in case anyone was interested. If you've been on the fence about a non-pro Stihl, here's a little help making up your mind. If you've been saving up for a pro saw on the other hand... Not so much.

Ryan

 

[Franny K]

Did you go on line, go through the process of picking a dealer and getting a price DSRP dealer suggested retail price. What I did just now does not seem to correlate with what you post. One needs specify a bar length to get a price in most cases. 18 inch bar 261cm is dsrp $610 and quite often it is $10 more than when I search in a place hundreds of miles away. Any chance you are in one of those states that just passed mandatory maternity leave and new minimum wage laws?
MS 251 C-BE - $379.95 DSRP
MS 251 WOOD BOSS® - $339.95 DSRP
I guess the 231 really would be the 40cc however that seems to have disappeared.

 

[MarcS]

I know you said that ACE is your only dealer in town but I've noticed that every ACE and John Deere shop is way over priced and in their own world compared to an honest to god saw shop. Loops of 72dl chain for 30, jug of Stihl branded bar oil for 20...

 

[Lowhog]

What he says is true in Minnesota anyway. I purchased a new ms291 a month ago for 479.00 now I see they just took drop to 449.00 He gave me a sale price at 479.00 regular 499.00. What saved me was a free extra chain and a pack of oil mix. The new 4hp ms261 c-mq m-tronic took a big hike in price 739.95

 

[Franny K]

c-mq is with the quick stop chain brake. Husqvarna dropped the battery saw $70 and the battery $30 lately. These prices are really the Stihl supplied price tags?

 

[clemsonfor]

$500 for a 291!!! Who the heck is buying one!! That's about !150 too much in my book.

 

[cedarshark]

Like the OP, the Ace is the only saw shop in town and they do not service what they sell. It is shopped out, even warranty work. They sell saws but not to me. You can get Jreds at Tractor Supply but the girl at the cash register cannot usually get the cable lock off the saw to look at it.

 

[Rockjock]

In my area all the dealers have the same price. They can not sell it for more than is advertised but they can sell for slightly less. In Germany all the prices are in the annual catalog so you know what you are getting. Often someone will come in and say I can get that for less and the owner says alright go get it for less, BUT when you come in I will still greet you with a smile and do my best to help you. " It is easy to make the sale, it is not easy to keep the customer. I am sure many will agree that dealer support is paramount.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I don't get how the Ace is allowed to be a dealer if they don't service.

They did that to my friend, sent him out the door with a saw in a box. He called me to figure out how to get it all sorted out. That was 100% against Stihl's way of doing things.
I made some calls and that Ace had him back in there with them nearly serving steak on silver platters.

BUT a year later, right back to box store ACE.... "I dunno" and selling saws right out the box again.
That **** doesn't equal $500,600,700+ for a saw!

 

[svk]

What he says is true in Minnesota anyway. I purchased a new ms291 a month ago for 479.00 now I see they just took drop to 449.00 He gave me a sale price at 479.00 regular 499.00. What saved me was a free extra chain and a pack of oil mix. The new 4hp ms261 c-mq m-tronic took a big hike in price 739.95

I noticed this as well at my Ace. They don't normally have much for pro saws but all of the HO saws had gone down.

It would make sense for Stihl to try and compete with both big boxes and the bargain brands. Their name carries a premium but only to a certain extent.

 

[Rockjock]

I don't get how the Ace is allowed to be a dealer if they don't service.

They did that to my friend, sent him out the door with a saw in a box. He called me to figure out how to get it all sorted out. That was 100% against Stihl's way of doing things.
I made some calls and that Ace had him back in there with them nearly serving steak on silver platters.

BUT a year later, right back to box store ACE.... "I dunno" and selling saws right out the box again.
That **** doesn't equal $500,600,700+ for a saw!

VF you do not have to do service to be a dealer, you could have a nearby dealer that does that for you BUT you can not sell the saw in a box, unassembled and untested. No warranty if that is done. 9/10 times when a customer comes in with a big box store saw they leave with a stihl because the lack of Husqvarna, Echo, Puolan, Dolmar and alike parts and service just leaves a bad taste in their mouths. And those customers that are thinking of getting a saw, trimmer, blower etc. just have to look at the landscapers and choose what they do. Perhaps this makes them complacent, but I have heard of Stihl dealerships that have been shut down for the same thing.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

To me a proper dealer services, makes chains, etc. I don't need to waste my time with a "dealer" that doesn't know a carb from a sparkplug like the Ace "dealer".

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Our Ace/Stihl dealer does service saws and other small power equipment. Their prices on saws and parts are the same as the dealer in the next town over, which is not a hardware store.

Only problem is... They just aren't great at servicing stuff. I have had only bad luck with anything I've taken there. They'll charge you $75 for a new carb even if that wasn't the problem, and they'll try to send it home even if the problem isn't fixed. Furthermore, they just don't know the saws very well. One guy is alright, but the other who is often behind the counter (a Stihl certified technician) can't tell me which saws are strato saws (actually he'll make it up if he doesn't know). I ordered a roller chain catcher to which he said "it's not a chain catcher, it's a..." Not sure where he was going with that one; by then I was pointing to the words "chain catcher" on the part bag.

I almost bought a new Stihl from them. They give me good prices on bars, chains, oil etc, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Partially because of the Stihl lineup not impressing me, but in a large part because of knowing how bad they are at servicing stuff.

 

[KiwiBro]

A 241 is now $569

US$880 here.

 

[craneguy1]

Ive heard their pro series jump from 362 to 460 due to so many unresolved problems with the new 441 version...my neighbor is looking at a 460 for i think $959...cheaper at our local john deere dealer here lol...

 

[Rockjock]

Ive heard their pro series jump from 362 to 460 due to so many unresolved problems with the new 441 version...my neighbor is looking at a 460 for i think $959...cheaper at our local john deere dealer here lol...

Why the 441 was missing for so long is a mystery. But as I posted they are back and in Stock. Hopefully I will see if it is a re-freshed version when they come in

 

[Conquistador3]

That's not expensive. Try buying a Stihl or, God forbid, a Husky or Jonsered here.

Most Stihl dealerships have to stick to the list price but a select few, usually their "historical" dealers who shift them a lot of saws, are allowed to give customers a small discount. With all the new dealerships Stihl opened in the past five years that's probably a way to keep those old dealers who stuck around since the Contra days and who helped build their image happy.
My local Stihl dealership is one of those: they always sell chains at a good price (about the same as Blount) and they have tried pitching me a 461 they are stuck with on multiple occasions. That's why I tend to avoid the place unless strictly necessary.

 

[opinion]

VF you do not have to do service to be a dealer, you could have a nearby dealer that does that for you

In the US, you MUST service the units or you cannot be a dealer. You have to go through Bronze and Silver training and you must own the MDG1. Do some stores get away with it, yes. How? Because the distributors are shady, too. All you can do is make a report where there isn't a service center in house.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Stihl prices for professional saws always go up on a regular basis. Can anyone remember when the regular price of a new professional Stihl chain saw (not a special sale) from a dealer ever dropped?

So, now I know that I can replace my 026 PRO for about $629 plus at least another $40 sales tax.

 

[cre73]

In the US, you MUST service the units or you cannot be a dealer. You have to go through Bronze and Silver training and you must own the MDG1. Do some stores get away with it, yes. How? Because the distributors are shady, too. All you can do is make a report where there isn't a service center in house.

I am almost positive that our local BigR doesn't service on site.