Talking of parts, I have a Solo 640 saw that I bought at Costco maybe five or six years ago. It was just a cheap saw, I think that I paid like $99 for it, but try to get a part for it. I need a throttle lever to fit it. Since I live near Memphis, I figured that someone locally would be listed as a dealer, but that is not so. I even went to a couple of shops that carry Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo, etc., but they all looked at you like you just fell off of a spaceship the minute you mention the word "Solo". The next step was to call Solo. I talked to a receptionist and she found the part that I need, but it is on backorder and will be at least 4 to 6 weeks at the very earliest. Baileys.com has the part listed as "being in stock", but after ordering it from them, it looks like they are just turning around and reordering it from Solo. So I think you know what the means. That is not what I would call very good customer service, especially from a company that is still making chainsaws, let alone one that is not. Like I said earlier, the saw is only five or six years old. It is not some antique that has been out in the shed for twenty-five years. I am glad that I am not depending on this saw to make a living. Next time, I believe that I will purchase something a lot more common such as Stihl or Husqvarna. I may get burned one time, but I promise you I want get burned a second time. I don't know if this is true of all Solo's, but I don't want to find out. I can't emphasize the importance of having a dealer that stocks an inventory of repair parts. The fact that Shindaiwa is apparently getting out of the saw business can only mean that parts will start to get scarce regardless of what Echo is saying.
. Time will tell.
