Why does stihl cost more than husqvarna

[Brewz]

assembled in virgina with parts from north korea and china.

That's why I buy older saws with "Made in Germany" on the side and fix em up.

 

[jake wells]

stihl are in box stores also being sold next to the poulan and weedeater brands
at ace hardware.

 

[TJ the Chainsaw Mechanic]

Well....that's kinda like asking why Chevy is more expensive than Ford.....simple....Chevy is better.

 

[Brewz]

Them Germans are very good and engineering and making quality stuff.......... not so good at world domination, but I like the saws!

Off topic but sort of relevant, I have an early WW2 German Mauser rifle with all matching numbers and the original stamps etc.
The workmanship and quality of that thing astounds me every time I pick it up.
Sit it next to a modern mass produced rifle with all the plastic bits made in china and screwed together and it really scared me where everything is going when it comes to quality.

Its the same with almost everything.

I think Stihl are more expensive because they have THE name!
Also their Orange is brighter and more attractive. Don't laugh at that..... it's a very serious marketing ploy used by many brands. Bright colors attract people to subconsciously think that the product is superior due to the color of its packaging

Think Coke-a-Cola, McDonalds, Hungry Jacks, Caterpillar etc. They all use bright red and yellow in their advertising because it grabs peoples attention.

I also think Stihl advertise more. When i think Stihl I think the slogan of "Keeps on keeping on". I couldn't tell you if Husqvarna have an advertising slogan because I just dont recall a real lot of advertising from them.

Things like this combine to build brand loyalty which allows them to charge more because people will just go buy a Stihl if they want a saw.

Also, If you want a new car, most people will go take a few different makes out for a test drive to see what they like best.
When you go to buy a new saw, you look at the pretty new saws hanging on the wall and the salesman helps you choose one if you dont know what you want.
I would say it would be a rare event that a shop lets you try the new saw in timber and then smile as you say your off the the Husqvarna dealer to try one of theirs to see what you like best.

That brings us back to brand loyalty. NOt everyone, but most people will start with one or the other, and when they upgrade or replace or add to the collection because they joined a chainsaw forum, they will go back to what they know.

I am a Stihl boy. I started out with Stihl's because I grew up with Stihl gear in my dads shed and its what I knew.
I am however not a brand loyalist and have been doing a lot of looking at the Husqvarna websites.

The issue is, where does a bloke go to "try one out" to see if he likes the feel and balance of the saw without having to buy one.

I tend to just stick with all Stihl so everything is compatible, and I like the brighter orange

 

[fearofpavement]

GTG is the answer to the preceding question. Try out all manner of things.

 

[jake wells]

Well....that's kinda like asking why Chevy is more expensive than Ford.....simple....Chevy is better.

had a chevy and it nickled and dimed me every time i turned around one problem after another i bought a ford and have not had any trouble since been driving it two years.

 

[drf256]

Take a bunch apart and you'll know the answer.

I have limited Husky experience, but I can tell you they are less ergonomically built than the Stihls of yesteryear.

Stihl bolts have a locking mechanism ground into the underside of the torx head. Less loosening.

The Huskies I've wrenched on have the inherent ability for better performance increases. Better timing and better jug design. But everything around the jug feels cheap.

 

[mdavlee]

Stihls best design is the bolt heads. They were late to the game of killing old growth over here for the most part. Lots of old timers refused to run the Nazi saws. They went to huskies first when the 2100 came out. They slowly got in more and more and had the 044 and 064 come out in the mid 80s. The stihls are hard to beat for starting reliability in the older series. Seems the newer ones are a bit finicky with the mtronic from time to time. For the price if I was buying new I can get 3 372 for the price of 2 461s.

 

[fearofpavement]

Isn't the 372 a smaller displacement saw than the 461? Seems like the 441 would be a better comparison price wise.

 

[Brush Ape]

Also their Orange is brighter and more attractive. Don't laugh at that..... Bright colors attract people to think that the product is superior due to the color of its packaging

Bright color attract people to subconsciously not squash it in a pile of Oak Leaves with a Timberjack.

 

[mdavlee]

Isn't the 372 a smaller displacement saw than the 461? Seems like the 441 would be a better comparison price wise.

Still a grand for a 441.

 

[jmssaws]

Still a grand for a 441.

Yuck

 

[mdavlee]

Yuck

Yep. No way I'd do it. 461 is $1050 list.

 

[Tor R]

They are more pricey in Norway also, retail price (1$=8,93nok today):
241 CM VW, 8250 nok
261 CM, 7990 nok
261 CM VW, 9100 nok
362 CM VW, 9650 nok
Those Stihls are old versions, not the new mk II.

Husky:
543 XPG, 6600 nok
550 XP, 7400 nok
550 XPG, 7850 nok
560 XPG, 9200 nok

Jonsered:
2253, 7450 nok
2253 WH, 7650 nok
2260 WH, 8950 nok

In general in Norway, there is more price wars between Husky/Jonsered dealers compared to Stihl dealers also.

 

[bwalker]

Them Germans are very good and engineering and making quality stuff.......... not so good at world domination, but I like the saws!

Off topic but sort of relevant, I have an early WW2 German Mauser rifle with all matching numbers and the original stamps etc.
The workmanship and quality of that thing astounds me every time I pick it up.
Sit it next to a modern mass produced rifle with all the plastic bits made in china and screwed together and it really scared me where everything is going when it comes to quality.

Its the same with almost everything.

I think Stihl are more expensive because they have THE name!
Also their Orange is brighter and more attractive. Don't laugh at that..... it's a very serious marketing ploy used by many brands. Bright colors attract people to subconsciously think that the product is superior due to the color of its packaging

Think Coke-a-Cola, McDonalds, Hungry Jacks, Caterpillar etc. They all use bright red and yellow in their advertising because it grabs peoples attention.

I also think Stihl advertise more. When i think Stihl I think the slogan of "Keeps on keeping on". I couldn't tell you if Husqvarna have an advertising slogan because I just dont recall a real lot of advertising from them.

Things like this combine to build brand loyalty which allows them to charge more because people will just go buy a Stihl if they want a saw.

Also, If you want a new car, most people will go take a few different makes out for a test drive to see what they like best.
When you go to buy a new saw, you look at the pretty new saws hanging on the wall and the salesman helps you choose one if you dont know what you want.
I would say it would be a rare event that a shop lets you try the new saw in timber and then smile as you say your off the the Husqvarna dealer to try one of theirs to see what you like best.

That brings us back to brand loyalty. NOt everyone, but most people will start with one or the other, and when they upgrade or replace or add to the collection because they joined a chainsaw forum, they will go back to what they know.

I am a Stihl boy. I started out with Stihl's because I grew up with Stihl gear in my dads shed and its what I knew.
I am however not a brand loyalist and have been doing a lot of looking at the Husqvarna websites.

The issue is, where does a bloke go to "try one out" to see if he likes the feel and balance of the saw without having to buy one.

I tend to just stick with all Stihl so everything is compatible, and I like the brighter orange

I have a mint, unissued 1909 argentine made by DWM. When I look at the quality and for and finish it amazes me that this rifle was intended for battle. It would cost 5k to produce something similar now.

Back to saws. Stihl has a very good reputation and they are built well. However they are way behind Husky in areas like engine technology.

 

[bwalker]

One other thought. Husky saws are damn ugly compared to a stihl..

 

[jmssaws]

I like huskys but I work on and run stihls mostly. I do own a 372 394 and 395 and like them a lot. 394/5 is a very hard saw to beat and more expensive here than the stihl counterpart.

 

[Magic_Man]

It's all marketing , I'm sure the cost to manufacture the saws is about the same. Stihl has done a great job marketing their name and the value of their saw. Around here you walk into a Stihl dealership and they all have the same very nice well lit display, fancy printed cards with specs and prices, a full line of PPE equipment and saw accessories. Husqvarna dealers in the area usually have some saws thrown up on some shelves with hand written price tags or no price at all and little in the way of accessories. I'm a fan of both saws, own both, run both. But all that marketing and appeal costs money, so that has to be built into the price.

 

[Mark71gtx]

In my area the only Stihl saws on display are the homeowner saws at most dealerships. Any pro saw (or parts) would have to be ordered. Then, if you are like myself and have a job that bounces you around a lot from site to site, you are at the mercy of their store hours to get your parts. My biggest problem with Stihl is the inability to order parts online and have them shipped. I usually just go on eBay and buy aftermarket. I am not taking off of work to order a part just to take off work again to pick it up.

 

[TJ the Chainsaw Mechanic]

had a chevy and it nickled and dimed me every time i turned around one problem after another i bought a ford and have not had any trouble since been driving it two years.

Sorry about your bad experience....It's funny though how people have completely different experiences with brands. My Dad owned a ford that did nothing but cost him money....bought chevy...never had issues since. Same thing with me. lol