Is Stihl the Best Chainsaw Brand?

[YWPD]

How would you even decide which is the best chainsaw brand? Popularity? Published performance stats? Durability (measured somehow)? Hardest to pronounce, or most widely debated pronunciation? Best this year, or best in history?

DO NOT just say, "yes". Instead tell us how you yourself would consider various chainsaw brands and which must be best.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Bit like trying to nail down the best car manufacturer..... but with less choices!
Stihl make good stuff. Usually typically German over engineered stuff, but good stuff.
Are they the best? Well they are certainly up there with the best of them- but best over all? How about best equal?
The current 500i, fantastic innovation and perhaps the biggest leap in development for decades.
The first generation 661....... LEMON.

For most of you over there, a lot comes down to dealer support as to which colour saw is chosen.
Getting that way over here as well, most Husqvarna dealers local to me are also motorcycle dealers first and foremost, but Stihl are still dedicated stand alone shops.

Personally, I think Stihls best saw ever was the earlier 066's and nothing comes close to the 200T. I love my 200T and have several 066's, but can take or leave them when it comes to bigger ground saws- I prefer other makers models.

And that is what it all boils down to- personal preference. Some folk had a Stihl as their very first saw and will not deviate their opinion, maybe their Dad ran a Stihl, so therefore..... Same happens with some Husqvarna owners, Dolmar owners, Solo owners, them funny Lemon coloured McC saws. Everyone has their own favourites, but are any of them the best?

All companies that survived for a long while or are still surviving made great models of saws- or they would not be here no more or survived as long as they did. Most of them were probably best at one time or another, perhaps Stihl currently is and soon to be put into second best for a couple of seasons by the new 592? At least until they R&D the next winner.

 

[Fabz]

Stihl professional line is best Overall with Husqvarner neck and neck or even surpassing on certain models. Now go cut some wood !

 

[Prince Humperdink]

I think Stihl,Echo,and Husqvarna are all great,personally I prefer Stihl.I have saws from the MS171 to the MS460,and now that I'm disabled,I use my old 021,or my MS250's to do what I need to do. I first started liking Stihl when I worked in a small engine shop and then even more as a Firefighter,but I surely can't knock the other top brands.

 

[Nutball]

I can't say that Echo has any crappy disposable saws like Husqvarna and Stihl, other than the Echo 310, which is miserably underpowered.

I think whichever brand checks the most boxes for people would be best, but if one is much more affordable, then people may be willing to settle for fewer boxes checked and make due. I lean toward Husqvarna for their power band (torquey, which is what most people want and need), their fit and finish seems a bit better, and parts and saws can be ordered online.

But in general, the pros and cons of the big 3 balance out in my opinion.

 

[Chris Paul]

I would say that most saws have features that professional users and homeowners both find useful. It really depends on what the purpose and service capabilities are for a given saw. Is there a best one, well the manufacturers would have all of us buying into the hype but I feel that the individual would make that determination. Send it!

 

[Oakie]

All manufacturers have good and not so good models in their line up,
Stihl are no different.
The best saw is the one that your happy to hold and gets the job done without breaking down.

 

[chainsawmaster1000]

sthil is the best my opion

 

[R&R]

Stihl service here is depressing. Parts are overpriced. I will pass.

 

[Nutball]

Their parts pricing seems somewhat random. One part may seem over priced, another seems under priced. Sometimes I get a quote from the dealer for over $100 for a part like an ignition for example, I figure it should be $70 from past experience. Go back and actually buy it, and it rings up as $50.

 

[Chris Paul]

Gotta agree with @Nutball on the pricing. They really depend on sales volume for a lot of the prices. Plus, some of the smaller homeowner stores have questionable info and their service is hit or miss. Stihl my number one brand. It's like running and older truck... Parts are around just gotta look in all the right places.

 

[EggShooterist]

For me, the best brand of saw is the one that does what I need it to do and does it reliably. All makers can have duds and winners. I have several brands of saws and I like every one of them.

 

[schneiderschainsaw]

I look at chainsaw companies just like car manufactures. If you look on the internet you will see a lemon made by every company and a great car made by each as well. I feel the same with chainsaws. My company is not large enough to sell Husqvarna or Stihl but am selling Echo, Makita/Dolmar, Maruyama and Efco chainsaws. None of these brands have the larger models such as Husqvarna or Stihl. But in their classes I feel confident selling their products against Husky and Stihl. Makita made good chainsaws but completely mismanaged their gas products and stopped production last year. That was not the fault of the Dolmar factory. I also sell some Chinese brands that are known for high quality. What I look for in a company is European Common Market TUV certification or an ISO9001 certification. All of the companies that I mentioned above except for Chinese have the ISO9001 rating. Therefore all of them make good products. I have not sold a battery Makita chainsaw to a professional user.