Why pick a husky over a stihl (And vice versa)

[holeycow]

I own an Echo cs590; It's a good saw.

a couple of old Jonny 590's; Great saws.

an OE Stihl ms362. Smooth like buttah and handles OK too. Ridiculously complex but really, really nice to run.

a Dolmar 420; great saw. A Dolmar 5105; good saw.

a jonny 2152; nearly a great saw.

a Husky 262xp, the American small block muscle car of saws. Nice to run when you're looking for a raw sports car kind-of feel. And ridiculously simply constructed.

that's it. They were all bought as good examples of their class with no thought whatsoever as to brand.

I would like a smaller saw and a couple of bigger saws. Eventually. Brand will have nothing to do with it.

I have never stepped into a dealer for service, only a few parts from time to time. I have a couple of good dealers I would trust with some stuff, but no need so far. Dealer proximity/availability also has nothing to do with it. Unless you are a dealer, then it's your mantra on here..

just buy known good models, then you will not be running a pig because it happens to be the colour you prefer. If you stick to one brand, you'll miss out on lots of good equipment.

If you buy right, you can buy a gem for the same money as a pig.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I can’t remember the last time I drove past a Husky dealer.

Lots of them got shut down when the big box stores starting selling them.
Kind of like what happened to other brands in the past (Poulan, McCulloch, Homelite, etc)

With Stihl starting in box stores (Ace), you have to wonder if it's the writing on the wall too?

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

Lots of them got shut down when the big box stores starting selling them.
Kind of like what happened to other brands in the past (Poulan, McCulloch, Homelite, etc)

With Stihl starting in box stores (Ace), you have to wonder if it's the writing on the wall too?

Either that, or they were looking to increase market share among Joe Homeowner. Why should Husky/Poulan and Echo make all the money in the lower price market segment ? ...and by lower price, I'm not talking lower quality, just the lower priced product offerings. Joe Homeowner will most likely never buy a 660, but that $300-$400 saw.... yup, all day long. Then there are those who don't know any better and think they must buy Stihl branded consumables for their Stihl saw.

And finally, at the end of the day, there's the leaf blower, hedge trimmer, weed wacker..... since that Stihl chainsaw they bought runs so well...REPEAT CUSTOMER (who will continue to buy Stihl branded consumables)

 

[rocketnorton]

To me walking into a Stihl dealer is like going to a Harley gathering on my jap bike I just don’t belong.

not the bike, it's the rider. real riders see rider first, bike second.
sidewalk commandos, not so much.

 

[sean donato]

Either that, or they were looking to increase market share among Joe Homeowner. Why should Husky/Poulan and Echo make all the money in the lower price market segment ? ...and by lower price, I'm not talking lower quality, just the lower priced product offerings. Joe Homeowner will most likely never buy a 660, but that $300-$400 saw.... yup, all day long. Then there are those who don't know any better and think they must buy Stihl branded consumables for their Stihl saw.

And finally, at the end of the day, there's the leaf blower, hedge trimmer, weed wacker..... since that Stihl chainsaw they bought runs so well...REPEAT CUSTOMER (who will continue to buy Stihl branded consumables)

I have to agree with 90% of this. I'll only point out, the 4 mix engines that power stihls other power equipment are not the same quality as their saws.

 

[Mr. K]

I just look for the deals. My Stihl was free, and that's my favorite kind of saw. Actually, the 272 was free as well, and I like both of those saws a whole lot. I bought my 362 used for a great price, and that's the best saw I've ever used; but its also the one I learned the craft on. I worked with a tree company for a while that had all sorts of stihls, and they were just fine. I have a feeling most of us will appreciate whichever saw feels most natural as long as it doesn't crap out too soon. As for me, I look for deals and getting the most saw for the money.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I have to agree with 90% of this. I'll only point out, the 4 mix engines that power stihls other power equipment are not the same quality as their saws.

Have a Kombi that's 4 mix and it's been ok.
I did have to bump up the idle more that spec after a couple years, would constantly stall otherwise.

Oddly enough, my brother had same exact issue on his. He had the dealer do a full service, even put valves in it, and it still wasn't any better.

 

[MacAttack]

I'd love to have either one! But since my old Macs never die, I'll probably have to just dream...

At the tree service we used primarily Huskys, I did the saw maintenance and repair, spinning chains, etc. The Huskys were so much easier to work on, parts were cheaper, and the engines could just take years of hard use. I had an old beat up 272 that rode in the toolbox ot my log truck with the chain binders, chains, etc, that saw just ran and ran.

One time I had to fix a stihl top handle climbing saw, the throttle/choke linkage in that stupid thing was so over-engineered, it was like a puzzle. But the Stihls also seemed very durable, just more complicated.

 

[lone wolf]

I'd love to have either one! But since my old Macs never die, I'll probably have to just dream...

At the tree service we used primarily Huskys, I did the saw maintenance and repair, spinning chains, etc. The Huskys were so much easier to work on, parts were cheaper, and the engines could just take years of hard use. I had an old beat up 272 that rode in the toolbox ot my log truck with the chain binders, chains, etc, that saw just ran and ran.

One time I had to fix a stihl top handle climbing saw, the throttle/choke linkage in that stupid thing was so over-engineered, it was like a puzzle. But the Stihls also seemed very durable, just more complicated.

I'm the complete opposite of what you said on Stihls and Huskys.

 

[MacAttack]

I'm the complete opposite of what you said on Stihls and Huskys.

Huh....maybe they've changed over the past 20 years or so?

For reference we used mostly 372XP ground saws, an occasional 357xp, some older 272's, and 335xp climbing saws. I also had a 3120 on the log truck. Most of the repairs were replacing mufflers, the anti-vibe parts, bars and chains, rarely an ignition module, and whatever else the guys could destroy.

 

[lone wolf]

Huh....maybe they've changed over the past 20 years or so?

Its really what you work on and are used too then they become familiar and easy . That's my take on it. Love the Stihls.

 

[MacAttack]

Its really what you work on and are used too then they become familiar and easy . That's my take on it. Love the Stihls.

I certainly had no dislike of the few stihls we had, they just seemed more involved to take apart and put back together. I actually thought they were more "refined" than the Huskys if that makes any sense. Those Huskys were just easy to work on.

 

[soloz2]

I have to agree with 90% of this. I'll only point out, the 4 mix engines that power stihls other power equipment are not the same quality as their saws.

I have had mixed luck with the Stihl homeowner line. I had an old string trimmer that was difficult to start, and I got rid of it. I have a HT103 pole saw with the 4-mix engine and it's been fantastic. It starts easily every time and just works. I've had it a little over 2 years and it sits between uses as I just use it around my property.