shopping around for a new saw

[cleve376]

I have been searching all over for a good deal on a new chainsaw.My local Husqvarna dealer doesn't offer any bargains,MSRP is his price and no sales.

I would think in this economy that dealers would be more flexible in their selling price.

I have bought a new chainsaw from the internet and I was very satisfied with the price and transaction.

Any recommendations or past experiences with shopping for chainsaws on the internet?

I have tried ebay(no real bargains there),

You can pm me with any responses,

Thanks.

 

[johnsopi]

Best deal is the JD saws on ebay.

 

[Wet1]

You might want to checkout ebay, I see the 6401 on there every so often for $300 to $350 for new and referb. Hard to get more pro saw for the $ at that price!

 

[savageactor7]

You get what you pay for.

 

[cleve376]

Besides ebay...any other recommendations? if you don't feel comfortable posting on this forum then pm me.

I bought my first Stilh local,2nd Stihl I bought in New Hampshire(no sales tax there).

I bought my 3rd Husqvarna from a company in Phoenix,AZ(no longer in business),they were quite q few dollars less than my local dealer,by the way,I bought 2 Husqvarna's from my local dealer.I do believe in spending my money local when I can afford to but I also believe in keeping repeat customers happy and if the dealer refuses to bend alittle..then it's time to shop elsewhere.

I appreciate all replies.
Cleve

 

[prairiefire]

too bad your local dealer won't budge. it's nice to shop local when you can especially on stuff like saws cause when there is a problem the first place you go back to is the dealer that sold you it. i went and looked at a ms361 on monday at our local dealer who sells husky and stihl and he said wait a month cause the stihl is going on sale soon. that is honest service as far as i'm concerned, there is two other dealers in town but i will buy from these guys because of service. keep looking good luck!!

 

[wendell]

You might want to checkout ebay, I see the 6401 on there every so often for $300 to $350 for new and referb. Hard to get more pro saw for the $ at that price!

Is the Makita 6401 exactly the same saw as the Dolmar 6400? If not does anybody now the difference?

 

[atvdave]

From what I understand the 6401 is the same as the 6400. If you can get one for the above prices go for it. They can all be upgraded to the 7900 with a larger jug.

If you have a Dolmar dealer near you (and he actually knows how to work on saw's) I give the Dolmars a look. I really like my 5100s. I payed $409 with a 20" bar for mine.

For Husqvarna there are some on-line dealers. amickssuperstore.com is one. I've got some chain from them but not a saw. Most everyone on other messages boards talk very highly of them.

 

[KarlP]

You get what you pay for.

In the case of the two posts above yours, you get way more than you pay for. You're getting quality Efco and Dolmar chainsaws for closeout John Deer and Makita prices.

In 2003 through 2006, I bought Husqvarna equipment from Southwest Fastener, Alamia, and Baileys. All of them provided much better prices and service than my local dealer. None of them are allowed to sell any of the high end Husqvarna saws/trimmers online anymore. I really like the brand, but don't like the knowledge, attitude, or inventory at my local dealer at all.

 

[CTBurner]

[quote author="cleve376" date="1236789213"]I have been searching all over for a good deal on a new chainsaw.My local Husqvarna dealer doesn't offer any bargains,MSRP is his price and no sales.

I would think in this economy that dealers would be more flexible in their selling price.

I have bought a new chainsaw from the internet and I was very satisfied with the price and transaction.

Any recommendations or past experiences with shopping for chainsaws on the internet?

I have tried ebay(no real bargains there),

You can pm me with any responses,

Thanks.[/quote





at our lodal sears they have husky ranchers on sale for 399.00 i believe it is 53cc, i had a coupon for 25% off at a local hardware store and they sell stihls, i could not help myself and bought a 361 with 20 inch bar fot 480.00

 

[cleve376]

What I have found so far is that when buying on the internet from a dealer,it is best to contact them by phone and speak to a sales person,either already have a contact person or know what the average price is of that item you are interested in.They have room in the selling price for making a sale,they just don't want to show it on the internet.
On the internet I have seen selling prices for the model Husky I am interested in selling more than what I can buy it local,and like I said..my local dealer is asking MSRP. I know it's MSRP because I went to Husvarna's web page first and checked.

I appreciate all replies,they have been very helpful and I'm glad I found this site/forum.

 

[Wet1]

You might want to checkout ebay, I see the 6401 on there every so often for $300 to $350 for new and referb. Hard to get more pro saw for the $ at that price!

Is the Makita 6401 exactly the same saw as the Dolmar 6400? If not does anybody now the difference?

The difference is color and the name on the side. Other than the P&C;, the 6400, 7300, and the 7900 (and their Makita equivalents) are all identical saws. The 6400/6401 is a great saw, and it turns into a monster when you replace the P&C;with the 7900 P&C;... should you decide you need more power.

As I said, you won't find more saw for your money than a new/referb 6401 for $300-$350!

 

[Highbeam]

I checked the price for the P&C;to make a 6400 into a 7900 and it is like 250$ plus then the labor of swapping them. A 6400 will run a 20" bar that will do the job for almost any firewood cutter right? New online prices for the 6401 are under 550$ and it runs the 3/8" chain vs. the smaller .325 from the stihl 290 or similar 50 cc saws.

To me, the fact that the whole powerhead of the 6401 is stout enough to handle being a 79 cc saw tells me that the saw is overbuilt and should last a long time being "underpowered" as a 64.

My struggle is the local dealers all sell a stihl 290 for 380$ with a 20" bar. The online 6401 with a 20" bar is 550$ and no local support. Resale (yeah right) is always better on a common stihl product. Ugh. I too am in the saw shopping mood since the buds are beginning to leaf out in the woods.

 

[Wet1]

As I said above, you can get the 6401 online for a lot less, but it's not coming from a local dealer (which I've generally found dealers to be over priced and a pain to work with anyway). The 6400/7300/7900 is a stout saw, failures are very rare, even in the largest 7900 configuration. I have a 7900 included in my collection (of dozens) of saws, and it's used as my main saw (along with one of my 064's) almost every single time a saw gets pulled for duty... which says a lot given the caliber of saws I have kicking around.

I haven't looked at the prices for the larger 7900 P&C;in the last few months, but it was about $210 through Bailey's. I believe they have also released an aftermarket big bore P&C;which brings the displacement up to around 84cc or so and it's about half the price as I recall. I've heard the saw really kicks some butt with the BB P&C;on it. Changing the P&C;is pretty easy, but it would probably take an hour or two to do if it was your first time doing the swap.

In 6400 configuration, the saw is pretty similar to Stihl's 361 (although the 361 gang will tell you the 361 can't be matched by anything), but it is a little heavier. In the cut the 361 might edge it out, but if so, not by much. It's a lot more saw than the 290, in power, construction, and in quality. It's a very smooth running saw as well. The 7900 obviously has considerably more power, but the same weight... which gives it one of, if not the best, power to weight ratios on the market. If I were going to only own one saw, it would probably be the 7900.

 

[Highbeam]

Wet1, is there a non-ebay online seller of the makita with those very good low prices? I'm not a pay pal type guy. Even just a reputable business that I can call and purchase from? I would love a 6401. Blue is my favorite color.

You can PM me if you know of a big time seller that wants to stay discreet.

Thanks!

 

[Wet1]

Sorry, I'm just now getting back to this thread.

I haven't ever looked for cheap places to buy the 6401, I've just noticed the ones listed on ebay and I'm amazed how cheap they can be had from there. I hear you on the PP thing, I don't like to use them either. If you contact the seller, many times they would be fine with accepting a check or MO. I don't mind buying through ebay, as long as the seller has a lot of good feedback...

I'm sorry I can't be of more help with finding (cheap) online retailers.

BTW, I noticed there's a shop in NY that's selling the factory Dolmar 7900 P&C;conversion kit for $189 and this includes everything needed to do the conversion.

 

[cleve376]

I probably should have been more specific on the manufacturer of the saw I was shopping around for.

I am interested only in buying a Stihl or Husqvarna.

I'm sure there are other brands out there just as good but for me it's the availabilty of service and parts.

I have owned Homelite and have used a Makita.

I presently own a Stihl 034 a Husqvarna 350,55 and 359.

The 350 and 55 are both for sale, they might be for sale on ebay soon.