Why doesn't Dolmar?

[Adirondack]

Why doesn't Dolmar make a 100 cc plus saw any more. I would think they could really earn the respect they deserve if they could engineer a saw that is as smooth as the 7900 but designed for longer bars.

 

[cherrycutter]

I think that Stihl and Husky definately own the market on that one. What will be interesting is to see what Dolmar will do to comlpy with the new emmission regs. I believe all of their pro saws are only EPA phase 1.

 

[Adirondack]

I think that Stihl and Husky definately own the market on that one. What will be interesting is to see what Dolmar will do to comlpy with the new emmission regs. I believe all of their pro saws are only EPA phase 1.

What is EPA phase 1?

 

[spike60]

The market for 100cc+ saws is pretty small these days, and it's not going to get any bigger. That's why Husky and Stihl are the only two players left.

Dolmar had one of the best 100cc saws ever: the 166. Awesome torque.

I hate to cover this ground again, but Dolmar has always had good saws. For various reasons that would take all night to sort out, they have never been able to attain the market share that the quality of the saws deserves. They remain a fringe player in the US, and no matter how hopeful you Dolmar fans are, that will unfortunately continue.

Perhaps more competent distribution in the 70's and 80's would have made a difference, but the market has matured, and sadly, the window of opportunity is no longer open. It all Husky and Stihl now, and nobody has a realistic chance of joining them on the lead lap. Together, they have 90% of the market, and that number isn't going down anytime soon.

The 7900 is a great saw, and has proven to be as durable as it is powerful. The 5100 is very quick, but it's durability is maybe still a question mark. What else have they got that stands out? And outside of AS, Dolmar has rather poor brand recognition. On top of that, their non-saw products are ordinary at best. Even the guys who I think are the best Dolmar dealer in the country, carry Red Max.

This is not meant to be a "Dolmar Downer". Much the same story can be said of my beloved Jonsereds, if not worse. They had their spot on center stage and lost it. When Jonsered was selling the 49SP, 52E, 621, 70E, and related models, you couldn't find better saws at either the Husky or Stihl dealers. And they had market share as well. But some of the saws that replaced the models I mentioned were letdowns to say the least. And when Electrolux started gobbling up saw companies, Husky was the favored child.

Then there's Homelite and McCulloch, but it's getting late. lol

Some companies make mistakes, and others let opportunity slip away, but as a market matures, there is always a contraction in the number of players. The big fish eat the little fish and keep getting bigger. We're seeing more of that in the auto industry right now.

We should enjoy what little variety we have left in the saw world while we can.

 

[stihl sawing]

The market for 100cc+ saws is pretty small these days, and it's not going to get any bigger. That's why Husky and Stihl are the only two players left.

Dolmar had one of the best 100cc saws ever: the 166. Awesome torque.

I hate to cover this ground again, but Dolmar has always had good saws. For various reasons that would take all night to sort out, they have never been able to attain the market share that the quality of the saws deserves. They remain a fringe player in the US, and no matter how hopeful you Dolmar fans are, that will unfortunately continue.

Perhaps more competent distribution in the 70's and 80's would have made a difference, but the market has matured, and sadly, the window of opportunity is no longer open. It all Husky and Stihl now, and nobody has a realistic chance of joining them on the lead lap. Together, they have 90% of the market, and that number isn't going down anytime soon.

The 7900 is a great saw, and has proven to be as durable as it is powerful. The 5100 is very quick, but it's durability is maybe still a question mark. What else have they got that stands out? And outside of AS, Dolmar has rather poor brand recognition. On top of that, their non-saw products are ordinary at best. Even the guys who I think are the best Dolmar dealer in the country, carry Red Max.

This is not meant to be a "Dolmar Downer". Much the same story can be said of my beloved Jonsereds, if not worse. They had their spot on center stage and lost it. When Jonsered was selling the 49SP, 52E, 621, 70E, and related models, you couldn't find better saws at either the Husky or Stihl dealers. And they had market share as well. But some of the saws that replaced the models I mentioned were letdowns to say the least. And when Electrolux started gobbling up saw companies, Husky was the favored child.

Then there's Homelite and McCulloch, but it's getting late. lol

Some companies make mistakes, and others let opportunity slip away, but as a market matures, there is always a contraction in the number of players. The big fish eat the little fish and keep getting bigger. We're seeing more of that in the auto industry right now.

We should enjoy what little variety we have left in the saw world while we can.

Very good information.Thanks

 

[aandabooks]

Spike,

I would rep you if I could but I have to spread it around before I get back to you. Very intelligent and well reasoned post. Pretty close to what one of my old college business professors would sound like.

 

[bcorradi]

Yeah imo experience dolmar isn't very well distributed/marketed. I honestly think they make a very capable and quality product. I guess I don't know what the current allowable distribution channel is with dolmar, but we do have quite a few great dolmar dealers on this site including cuttingedge, ed & edge engine, etc.

 

[bcorradi]

Like always Spike writes another knowledgeable unbiased post. Good job Spike.

 

[chowdozer]

The market for 100cc+ saws is pretty small these days, and it's not going to get any bigger. That's why Husky and Stihl are the only two players left.

Dolmar had one of the best 100cc saws ever: the 166. Awesome torque.

I hate to cover this ground again, but Dolmar has always had good saws. For various reasons that would take all night to sort out, they have never been able to attain the market share that the quality of the saws deserves. They remain a fringe player in the US, and no matter how hopeful you Dolmar fans are, that will unfortunately continue.

Perhaps more competent distribution in the 70's and 80's would have made a difference, but the market has matured, and sadly, the window of opportunity is no longer open. It all Husky and Stihl now, and nobody has a realistic chance of joining them on the lead lap. Together, they have 90% of the market, and that number isn't going down anytime soon.

The 7900 is a great saw, and has proven to be as durable as it is powerful. The 5100 is very quick, but it's durability is maybe still a question mark. What else have they got that stands out? And outside of AS, Dolmar has rather poor brand recognition. On top of that, their non-saw products are ordinary at best. Even the guys who I think are the best Dolmar dealer in the country, carry Red Max.

This is not meant to be a "Dolmar Downer". Much the same story can be said of my beloved Jonsereds, if not worse. They had their spot on center stage and lost it. When Jonsered was selling the 49SP, 52E, 621, 70E, and related models, you couldn't find better saws at either the Husky or Stihl dealers. And they had market share as well. But some of the saws that replaced the models I mentioned were letdowns to say the least. And when Electrolux started gobbling up saw companies, Husky was the favored child.

Then there's Homelite and McCulloch, but it's getting late. lol

Some companies make mistakes, and others let opportunity slip away, but as a market matures, there is always a contraction in the number of players. The big fish eat the little fish and keep getting bigger. We're seeing more of that in the auto industry right now.

We should enjoy what little variety we have left in the saw world while we can.

Very true. I wish Dolmar would put some effort into some of their dealers here, they could do better. I would have bought a 7900 a year ago if the local dealer wasn't doing business out of a 1 car garage. I had this weird feeling I was at a garage sale.

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

For the number of units sold it wouldn't cover the cost of research and development. I know a Stihl dealer who is one of the highest volume dealers in the country he does 1.5 Million+ in Stihl and moves 3000+ units a year and sells 1-3 MS880's a year. And the largest dealer for MS880's in NY state only sells 8-10 a year. It just shows that there isn't much market for such a large saw anymore. They'd be better spending the time and money in replacing the DCS9010 with something based on the 7900 platform, imagine how many 95cc versions of the 7900 they could sell and price them around 950$.

 

[spike60]

For the number of units sold it wouldn't cover the cost of research and development. I know a Stihl dealer who is one of the highest volume dealers in the country he does 1.5 Million+ in Stihl and moves 3000+ units a year and sells 1-3 MS880's a year. And the largest dealer for MS880's in NY state only sells 8-10 a year. It just shows that there isn't much market for such a large saw anymore. They'd be better spending the time and money in replacing the DCS9010 with something based on the 7900 platform, imagine how many 95cc versions of the 7900 they could sell and price them around 950$.

I'll bet your talikng about Dave S., right? One of the nicest guys in the business.

Last year I sold my first 3120 in 10 years, and I sell a lot of pro saws.

If I was going to author the marketing strategy for Dolmar, I would take the Red Max approach. Red Max has completely focused on being a pro line of trimmers and backpacks for landscape contractors. They have eliminated most of their home series units, and do not market at all to the general public, just to the pros. Just like Exmark and Scag, they will sell a lot of product to homeowners, but the focus, and the image, is one of professional tools. Dolmar should stop wasting their time trying to have a full catelog of handheld equipment for pros and homeowners alike. They could concentrate on the pro saw market, and cultivate an image similar to Red Max, but as a supplier of saws for pros. The pro market may be a limited one, but as the image grows, some collateral sales to homeowners would follow. Dolmar cannot realistically be a full line player, but they need to identify their niche and stick with it. I'm not saying that they should discontinue the rest of the catelog, because there is some business in those products that would ride along with current so to speak. But the marketing should really concentrate on the pro saw user, and they must select dealers who are involved, and competent, in that area. Just signing up anybody so they can stick a pin in the map isn't going to accomplish anything.

 

[Edge & Engine]

I'll bet your talikng about Dave S., right? One of the nicest guys in the business.

Last year I sold my first 3120 in 10 years, and I sell a lot of pro saws.

If I was going to author the marketing strategy for Dolmar, I would take the Red Max approach. Red Max has completely focused on being a pro line of trimmers and backpacks for landscape contractors. They have eliminated most of their home series units, and do not market at all to the general public, just to the pros. Just like Exmark and Scag, they will sell a lot of product to homeowners, but the focus, and the image, is one of professional tools. Dolmar should stop wasting their time trying to have a full catelog of handheld equipment for pros and homeowners alike. They could concentrate on the pro saw market, and cultivate an image similar to Red Max, but as a supplier of saws for pros. The pro market may be a limited one, but as the image grows, some collateral sales to homeowners would follow. Dolmar cannot realistically be a full line player, but they need to identify their niche and stick with it. I'm not saying that they should discontinue the rest of the catelog, because there is some business in those products that would ride along with current so to speak. But the marketing should really concentrate on the pro saw user, and they must select dealers who are involved, and competent, in that area. Just signing up anybody so they can stick a pin in the map isn't going to accomplish anything.

I totally agree 100%!

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Why doesn't Dolmar make a 100 cc plus saw any more. I would think they could really earn the respect they deserve if they could engineer a saw that is as smooth as the 7900 but designed for longer bars.

My couple of pennies,

As Dolmar is owned by Makita, if there was a market, they'd have one. Makita is a very well run company with plenty of cash that pretty much only develops what the market(s) want and still get a good / rapid return on their investment.

As an example, in talking to the local Dolmar dealer, he's moving a lot of the new PS350 and PS420 saws to homeowners that want a decent quality product and dealer support, at close to big box pricing.

Take Care