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I have to say that husky are always a bit cheaper than sthil - and it's not just marketing. I was at the APF this weekend , and even with prices pared to the bone this price difference was still apparent. I think it's for a build quality reason. I've used both - on jobs we tend to pick up whatever saw is handy, if it's a husky brought along by a contract climber then so be it. But I find huskys temperamental starters, plasticky and easy to break. When you strip them down you find that where stihl use metal parts, husky often use plastic and more basic designs - e.g. throttle interlock and linkage in the handle, where it's out of sight and you wouldn't find it unless you were looking. Customers also recognise the stihl brand as quality.
I buy stihl. They start, work and they last. The Huskys I've used don't always do either.
FWIW - makita is a very good make of saw. I if wanted to avoid the stihl prices I'd buy makita.
Had a look at battery kit at last years Saltex and Bigga shows. Thought the Husqy and Stihl stuff looked very close on quality, though Liam comments on hidden parts are interesting.
For me it comes down to up-time and thats not only breakdowns, but also what happens thereafter, ie parts and fixes. There are at least 4 good Stihl dealers around us that I would happily leave kit with, but also, they also have lots of bits in stock, new and old for quick on the go fixes perhaps whilst new parts are being ordered to keep us going.
So for me, thats where Stihl wins.
I'm ready to be corrected but I think in general the Stihl stuff has lower vibes?
Also, I would buy differently based on self use only, vs multi team use. One person sole traders are much more respectful and careful of kit and so I would buy on how it felt to use. So myself only, I'd probably go for Husqy or Maryuma as I quite like the look and feel, and comfort, and would trust that I wouldn't abuse and so would have limited downtime. Multi-use Stihl for quick repairs at multiple trusted outlets.
Personally I use Stihl for all petrol tools. Hedgetrimmers,Kombi, strimmers, blower etc. Again its a dealer thing with 2 local, one of which always does me a deal. For mowers I use Honda, same dealers and I love the fact they start first time. I have to say though, on days like today I'm tempted to make Viking my next mower of choice.
I'm a sole trader and work is 90% domestic maintenance, 10% larger one off jobs.
I've used plenty of Stihl over the years, but only Husqvarna chainsaws (which are nice). As one of the other comments said, I too have found the Stihl I've purchased over the last couple of years to not be quite as good. The majority of my tools now are Shindaiwa i.e. hedge cutters, multi tool, backpack blower etc. I genuinely couldn't recommend them highly enough as they are so incredibly reliable and do a great, professional job. They don't do a 40" hedge cutter though so i'll be purchasing the Echo HC-341ES over the Stihl equivalent for next season. The only Stihl I have now is the BG86 hand blower, but i'm having issues with that and it's not quite even one year old yet.
For mowers I have a Weibang Legacy Pro 48 and an Etesia Duocut RMCB and they're both cracking.
Echo are top brand and have made it a 3 way fight for many. Myself it is between Echo and stihl and each machine chosen from these two. Light strimmer and Brushcutter both Echo, hedge cutter Stihl
Andrew
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