WHAT SAW HAS THE BEST WARRANTY, AND STANDS BEHIND IT?

[truck243]

Between Stihl and Husky, which has the best warranty, and stands behind it?

 

[smokinj]

Both very good!

 

[mainstation]

Both have great warranty and stand behind it, the onus on the buyer is to suss out a good reputable dealer who you trust and will be there in 5-10 years. Buy a pro grade saw of whatever size you require, maintain it and you'll never have a problem.
Me, I like Orange saws. Swedish girls over German girls.

 

[TreePointer]

Even if you buy a pro saw, it's often the case that you'll get a longer warranty if it's for homeowner use.

 

[Thistle]

Even if you buy a pro saw, it's often the case that you'll get a longer warranty if it's for homeowner use.

Yup. Echo is 5yrs now for homeowner,Husky & Stihl 2 yrs.All are 1 yr commercial,90 days rental I believe.

 

[CTYank]

Even if you buy a pro saw, it's often the case that you'll get a longer warranty if it's for homeowner use.

Yup. Echo is 5yrs now for homeowner,Husky & Stihl 2 yrs.All are 1 yr commercial,90 days rental I believe.

If you check owner reviews of Echo saws on Amazon, you'll find many instances of Echo dealers, being the warranty magistrates, charging owners to, in effect, find reasons to disallow warranty coverage. I was kinda shocked- seems like a major scam. They were accused of, for instance, unilateral determination that saw had been straight-gassed, or that non-Echo oil had been used.

Check on CS-400.

OTOH, my CS-315 dates from '77. Never paid attention to warranty; wouldn't to Echo 5-yr.

 

[BrotherBart]

Can't help ya. The two little Huskys are way out of warranty and have never been to a shop. The little Poulan WalMart special, the same. Made sure I bought the big Poulan/Partner from a reputable dealer (back when ya either bought a Poulan Pro commercial saw or a Stihl) to insure warranty coverage. He went out of business twenty years ago and the saw has never been to a shop.

Maybe somebody with a Stihl can tell ya what happens when a saw breaks. :lol:

 

[Thistle]

If you check owner reviews of Echo saws on Amazon, you'll find many instances of Echo dealers, being the warranty magistrates, charging owners to, in effect, find reasons to disallow warranty coverage. I was kinda shocked- seems like a major scam. They were accused of, for instance, unilateral determination that saw had been straight-gassed, or that non-Echo oil had been used.

Check on CS-400.

OTOH, my CS-315 dates from '77. Never paid attention to warranty; wouldn't to Echo 5-yr.

My 280E is almost 30 yrs old itself.First saw I owned or used,was High School Grad/Xmas present from parents in late '81.Dont remember what the warranty was on it.Tough little sucker,used loads in climbing/pruning yrs ago,dropped 20+ ft more than once,started right up.

 

[amateur cutter]

Have never bought a new saw, but the Stihl dealer hear has really good reputation, & has done warranty work no ?'s asked for the few folks I know of that have had issues. Personally I think any good quality saw cared for & used as intended will last far past the warranty period. My newest saw is 10+ years old, & has never given me any trouble, & I use em pretty regularly. A C

 

[midwestcoast]

Probably will depend on the dealer much more than the brand. Finda good dealer, buy the saw from them & you'll have much better chance of good service, whether under warranty or not.

 

[zzr7ky]

I wouldn't waste time thinkin' about it. Run It with oil in real (not alcohol) gas if you can get it and you're probly never going to have an issue.

 

[Battenkiller]

Probably will depend on the dealer much more than the brand. Finda good dealer, buy the saw from them & you'll have much better chance of good service, whether under warranty or not.

The Stihl dealer I bought my 011 from 22 years ago wanted an $80 bench charge to look at the saw when it developed a leaky oil pump. Another guy in a real small shop went through my old friend for $45, and that included a tune up, new fuel line and a used oiler. Guess where I buy my next Stihl from?

I bought two Husky's and had a third overhauled by a very good local shop. I was surprised when they told me that they did not have to, and would not do, any warranty repair for saws that were purchased elsewhere. Guess it's not like most other product warranties, where the warranty repair center has to take all comers. I don't see why they wouldn't, seems that they'd get fully reimbursed by Husky. I think it's a response to the big box stores selling Husky stuff. I'm just glad I bought my saws from them, their repairman is an awesome Husky mechanic (even if he is a bit of a psycho to deal with at times). Got the best price, too.

 

[DanCorcoran]

Yes, my closest (former) Husky dealer has dropped the product line. He said that people would go to big box stores to buy the saw, then come to him to buy a $7 part and spend 30 minutes asking questions about how to install it themselves. No margin in that business model...

 

[thinkxingu]

A warranty is only as good as the dealer that will (or will not) service it. I buy the dealer, not the warranty.

S

 

[amateur cutter]

I buy the dealer, not the warranty.

That's some really good free advice imho. A C

 

[Flatbedford]

I bought my 029 brand new in 1996. I have no idea what the warranty was, but I do know that it has never needed service. I have replaced the fuel and air filters and recently replaced the drive sprocket,drum. I bought a used MS180 4 years ago that has never needed service either. The Homelite that we bought at Sears in 1990 was serviced regularly under an extended warranty until we gave up on it and threw it away.

 

[firefighterjake]

A warranty is only as good as the dealer that will (or will not) service it. I buy the dealer, not the warranty.

S

Very good advice . . . My wife bought a Husquvarna 350 for me years ago from the local dealer . . . and she bought the model based on the very good advice of the dealer. While I have never needed any warranty work done on the saw and whatever warranty it had ran out years ago, the dealer has often thrown in free, quickie repairs, free files and has always been able to give me a quick turn around whenever I've brought the saw in for service (usually after I've done something bad to the saw on my own account.) This dealer has also been very accomodating by offering advice on what models I might want to consider when I upgrade and actually has decent prices on stuff for a small, rural store (i.e. $55 for chaps and the price of the Husquvarna oil is comparable to the oil I would get it a big box store or the local general store.)

These are the reasons why my next saw will also be bought from this dealer.

 

[MasterMech]

Stihl is running a promo that doubles your warranty (so long as your not a commercial user) if you buy a six-pack of their HP Ultra oil with the saw. That makes for the longest warranty in the biz plus the oil is excellent to boot. Having worked in a dealer shop that sold and serviced both Husqvarna and Stihl, I'm going say buy Stihl. Husky makes some great performing saws but the Stihls tend to out-last them. If we put a P&C in a Stihl it was because someone straight-gassed it, used old motor oil for their mix (slaps forehead), or the saw was 20 years old and the commercial tree-cutter just couldn't bear the thought of a proper burial. We did however re-jug a Husky or two on a fairly regular basis. I also never cared for Husky's one piece handle/fuel tank combo. Expensive to replace and not the most durable design either.