What's Happening with Husky?

[Machold]

Saw ads in a flyer for the local Canadian Tire store (aka, Crappy Tire) for low-priced Huskies 16 & 18", painted red. Haven't gone to see them to determine where they are made and if they are Jonsered clones. Is the great Husky brand heading for cheapo knock-offs made in a very large country in Asia? Will it also happen to Stihl and who knows what else?

 

[sunfish]

Husky as been after the 'cheapo big box store' market for some time now.
Not sure if they will go to Asian built, as far as I know they haven't yet.

They make enough good models to get me interested.

 

[MacLaren]

I wander, are the XP saws made in Sw:monkey:eeden and the non XP in Charlotte,NC?

 

[Steveo_supremo]

Saw ads in a flyer for the local Canadian Tire store (aka, Crappy Tire) for low-priced Huskies 16 & 18", painted red. Haven't gone to see them to determine where they are made and if they are Jonsered clones.

They are orange like other Husqvarnas, not red. It's just a poor picture in the flyer. They are the 238 and the 240 which are made in the Poulan factory I'm pretty sure. Other big box stores have been selling these same saws for quite a while.

 

[Zombiechopper]

nothin new. Husky's been marketing cheap junk in the big stores for a long time

 

[JustinM]

Unfortunately, its the way so many big companies have gone. gone are the days you can just go to the store & buy a model without doing research first (not that any of us probably do that with chainsaws) because you know the 'brand' is such high quality.

So many companies - most, really - have gone this route because there's just so much money available. I still believe that its short sighted because the decades spent building up brand name & reliability will be undone in a matter of years, but i suppose the current CEOs and CFOs dont really care as long as they get their big bonuses now. I applaud companies like Panasonic & Canon that (on the surface at least) appear unwilling to compromise their quality just to get into the discount box stores.


As for these huskies, are they really that much worse than the low end consumer grade stihls? My dad has an ms180 and while I havent used any of the big box huskies, to the naked eye at least they look to be built about the same (i.e. just a little bit better than a poulan pro or something).

 

[MacLaren]

I have an ms170 and that is one good saw! I don't really know that stihl has what you would call a low grade saw. To me, all stihls are high grade.

 

[GASoline71]

Everybody complains about the "junk" saws that are made by big name companies... but people still buy them, and they fly off the shelves.

Old news mang...

Gary

 

[MacLaren]

I guess I shouldnt say "all" are high grade, its just that IMO,you always hear good things about the reliability of stihl. Heck, I really don't know enough to be takin about it anyway.

 

[GASoline71]

Meh... so many people loathe the MS290 and 455 Rancher... they are both great saws and fit their niche perfectly.

All in the eye of the beerholder.

Gary

 

[BuddhaKat]

It's a phenomenon I call "Feeding the machine". I don't hold making money against any company. In fact, I enthusiastically support the concept, but success has it's downside. When a company first goes into business, most are driven by the philosophy of building a quality product, sold at a reasonable and fair price. This business model is often successful and before you know it, the little company starts to grow like a weed.

At some point a growing company has to face facts and shed some of its naivete and start adopting a business model based on making money more than making a quality product. In order to maintain growth and increase revenue these companies start looking at expanding their market. Look at Husky as an example. At first they produce a quality saw which gives their company a good reputation, then they expand by adding more models and different products. Then they expand their market, first by going national then international. At some point every economy takes a downturn. Sometimes not so bad, sometimes catastrophic. When that happens, the bottom line is affected and the brilliant people at the helm of the company look for ways to maintain growth. In Husky's case they branched out into a lot of other products and expanded the scope of their market, meaning they started servicing the homeowner via the mass market, (big box store). They also have to face facts and learn to cope with new marketing methods, such as the internet.

I do have to tip my hat to companies like Husky and Stihl. They have maintained their professional lines and do a reasonable job of looking out for their dealers. Homeowner saws are flying off the shelves because people think they're getting the same quality saw as a pro and a fraction of the price. Of course we know the truth, but if you're a Husky or Stihl, their is a lot of value in your brand name. They exploit it in order to keep the bottom line numbers from going down. In the end, that line of thinking usually causes a problem.

 

[sunfish]

Meh... so many people loathe the MS290 and 455 Rancher... they are both great saws and fit their niche perfectly.

All in the eye of the beerholder.

Gary

Well said, Gary!

 

[GASoline71]

I do have to tip my hat to companies like Husky and Stihl. They have maintained their professional lines and do a reasonable job of looking out for their dealers. Homeowner saws are flying off the shelves because people think they're getting the same quality saw as a pro and a fraction of the price. Of course we know the truth, but if you're a Husky or Stihl, their is a lot of value in your brand name. They exploit it in order to keep the bottom line numbers from going down. In the end, that line of thinking usually causes a problem.

I disagree with ya here Mr. Cat... The saws in the "homeomner" line of saws by Husqvarna and Stihl are designed with the non-pro sawyer in mind. They realize that no everyone is a saw nerd and needs a pro saw with all the bells and whistles to trim their aunt Betty's apple tree.

Therefore the saws are made with less features, and at minimal cost. Quality compared to the pro lineup isn't "compromised", but done in a more economical way. The cats that buy "homeowner" grade saws expect exactly what the are getting from the saw. If they ever by chance run a "pro-level" saw... they will immediately see the difference between the 2.

Not necessarily a "quality" issue... but more like a longevity, and ease of long term maintenance issue. Most of the homeowner saws are purchased by cats that will use them once maybe twice a year, or maybve more for firewood cuttin'. There are some tree services and other types that will buy these saws and quickly realize that they usually need the pro saws due toease of maintenance for longevity... i.e P&C kits, non-clamshell types, metal chain covers, etc.

The Stihl Husqvarna homeowner saws are not "cheap quality" IMO... but are of "good quality" to support the market they are targeted at.

Gary

 

[SawTroll]

I wander, are the XP saws made in Sw:monkey:eeden and the non XP in Charlotte,NC?

Regarding models currently sold in the US, only the two very cheapest models have usually been made outside Sweden since 1990, by Poulan in the US. In addition, some cheap top-handle saws probably have been made by Redmax (Zenoah), in Japan lately.

The story varies on different markets, and has also varied through the years.

Saws still are made in Brazil, and has been in at least Germany, Yogoslavia and Canada in the past.

 

[SawTroll]

....
As for these huskies, are they really that much worse than the low end consumer grade stihls? My dad has an ms180 and while I havent used any of the big box huskies, to the naked eye at least they look to be built about the same (i.e. just a little bit better than a poulan pro or something).

No, they aren't!

.....
The Stihl Husqvarna homeowner saws are not "cheap quality" IMO... but are of "good quality" to support the market they are targeted at.

Gary

:agree2:

 

[sunfish]

There are more 'plastic case' home owner saws in the woods around here than pro models. The adverage person doesn't know the difference and doesn't care.

I chose my 346xp because the filter cover had clips instead of screws, didn't know it was a pro model. Then, as I was paying, the dealer said it was a 14,000 rpm pro saw. I left the store with a big smile on my face

 

[PasoRoblesJimmy]

In addition to their line of homeowners saws, the following pro models of Husqvarna XP saws are listed for sale in the 2010 Master Catalog of Northern Tool and Equipment.

Husqvarna XP saws are not shown on their NorthernTool.com website.

Husqvarna Model 346XP

Husqvarna Model 357XP

Husqvarna Model 576XP

Husqvarna Model 390XP

Husqvarna Model 395XP

Husqvarna Model 3120XP

Husqvarna Model 339XP

In addition, the following non-pro saws are listed:

Husqvarna Model 353

Husqvarna Model 359

Husqvarna Model 570

 

[Hedge Hacker]

Therefore the saws are made with less features, and at minimal cost. Quality compared to the pro lineup isn't "compromised", but done in a more economical way. The cats that buy "homeowner" grade saws expect exactly what the are getting from the saw. If they ever by chance run a "pro-level" saw... they will immediately see the difference between the 2.

+1
My first saw was a 290. I know everyone owns one. I thought it was a great saw.... Untill i bought my 460. There is no comparison. The power to weight ratio alone is worth the extra 600 bucks. But the 290 is a very dependable saw. It runs at least 3 to 4 hours a day from nov to apr. Its been nothing but dependable.

 

[CGC4200]

Havn't seen an XP model in a box store. yet

In my area, Lowes & Tractor Supply carry the homeowner & landowner
class Husqvarna saws; dealer only for an XP pro model.

 

[BuddhaKat]

I disagree with ya here Mr. Cat... The saws in the "homeomner" line of saws by Husqvarna and Stihl are designed with the non-pro sawyer in mind. They realize that no everyone is a saw nerd and needs a pro saw with all the bells and whistles to trim their aunt Betty's apple tree.

Therefore the saws are made with less features, and at minimal cost. Quality compared to the pro lineup isn't "compromised", but done in a more economical way. The cats that buy "homeowner" grade saws expect exactly what the are getting from the saw. If they ever by chance run a "pro-level" saw... they will immediately see the difference between the 2.

Not necessarily a "quality" issue... but more like a longevity, and ease of long term maintenance issue. Most of the homeowner saws are purchased by cats that will use them once maybe twice a year, or maybve more for firewood cuttin'. There are some tree services and other types that will buy these saws and quickly realize that they usually need the pro saws due toease of maintenance for longevity... i.e P&C kits, non-clamshell types, metal chain covers, etc.

The Stihl Husqvarna homeowner saws are not "cheap quality" IMO... but are of "good quality" to support the market they are targeted at.

Gary

I don't believe we disagree on any point at all, in fact I think we both agree completely. I just used the terms 'quality', 'pro' and 'homeowner' as a general descriptors. I didn't mean to infer that a homeowner class saw from a name brand mfg isn't a quality saw, but like all things, you get what you pay for. In my mind a pro caliber saw is a higher quality saw than a homeowner class one. In either case, both are infinitely higher quality than a Chinese knockoff POS.