Saw Shortage!

[mike_belben]

as long as its an opinion poll off a street in my town instead of one in berkeley or beijing i am fine with that. 

[HemlockKing]

News people only really have one purpose;to shock and/or scare you. How they achieve that makes absolutely no difference to them. They are soulless ghouls in actual function. Accuracy, honesty....nah. It's all about being heard, printed and read.....what they used to term 'selling copy'.

Folks are getting their 'facts' from people that write blogs. Might as well just take an opinion poll of people on the street for your facts.

At least with saws, we can get some reasonable grip on the reality of things.

Kevin

they will say anything to get your attention and a “knee jerk reaction” . Usually weak frail soft handed soy boys in New York or Toronto(for Canada).

[mike_belben]

soy boys  :D

[HemlockKing]

soy boys  :D

They can't be counted on for much except hen gossip/drama. Get out and be the real deal 

[21incher]

soy boys  :D

They can't be counted on for much except hen gossip/drama. Get out and be the real deal

Only a bluenoser would  come up with that. 

[HemlockKing]

I thought that was a pretty widely used phrase/word lol . Yhuup 

[ehp]

I know out west they have saws in Canada but in my area there are very few and if they do they are old stock . Saws like the MS400 and MS462 there is zero here , same as the XP372 . I do know of a 395 thou but no 572's either . I phoned what I am sure is the biggest Stihl dealer in this area which is over an hour north of me as I was looking for 1 length in the stihl light bars and he only had 1 bar and it was a 36 inch and that was between 2 big stores and he cannot get any 

[hawkins111]

Been waiting since Aug 5th for my new MS 261 from our Bethel dealer. Already paid for as well.

[doc henderson]

I read that bar oil was getting pricey and sparse.  i bough a gallon of the blue winter and silver standard premium Stihl at my Amish dealer today for 15 buck each.  they were low on saws, but had a break in 5 weeks ago and most saws and commercial trimmers were taken, including the warehouse out back.  I am sure they have serial numbers so they may at least catch the culprits and poss get some saw back.  although i do not plan to hold my breath.

[lxskllr]

I'm still waiting on an fs460 brushcutter I ordered over a month ago. Saw shop's near a job I infrequently work at, so hopefully I can stop in soon to see how things are going.

[ehp]

I bought a few more cases of bar oil , I think things are not going to get any better around here for a while . Just way to many people looking to buy saws and stuff 

[rburg]

I have been to 5 stihl dealers in the area I live in, and have only seen 1 500i, and 1 400c-m. I have not seen a 462 yet, but I have seen 3 or 4 461s still in stock.

[lxskllr]

Just got a call that my fs460 came in yesterday. I'll pick it up before the week's over.

[ehp]

I got my winter order today . Got 10 cases of chain oil.. I already got I think 5 cases.  Got 8 more bars and 20 chains but that is all the bars the 3 dealers had that I run. Stihl warehouse has zero of them but I shoukx be pretty good for this winter. I really hope things start getting back to some what normal in the new year

[HemlockKing]

Just got a call that my fs460 came in yesterday. I'll pick it up before the week's over.

Gotten around to testing it out yet?

[lxskllr]

Not thoroughly. I've only gotten in a ~45 minute session so far. My initial thoughts comparing it with the Husqvarna 545FR, which is real close in specs...

The harness the Stihl came with isn't as good as the Husky. It also didn't come with a complete selection of blade guards. It came with the guard for the circular saw, which doesn't work with the mulching blade I typically use. A couple eyebrow raising differences are no grease fitting's on the Stihl, and a thinner shaft with a 20mm arbor rather than 25mm.

The Stihl is lighter, and the harness attachment balances better. The shaft is also a bit longer. I'm 6'5", and there was a real possibility of cutting my toes with the Husky. It's impossible with the Stihl while clipped into the harness. I also believe the longer shaft is easier on my back. By 45 minutes with the Husky, my back would have started hurting. No problem at all with the Stihl.

The Stihl gets ready to cut quicker than the Husky. On first start, you had to feather the throttle with the Husky to keep it from dying. It only took ~10 seconds til everything was right, and it was always fine starting warm, but the Stihl gets going quicker. Power feels about the same between them, and vibration feels about the same.

Which would I recommend buying? Dunno yet. I need more time with the Stihl to really know. *For me*, the Stihl feels like the better machine, if for no other reason than shaft length. The Husky came with more stuff, and a better harness. The Husky has a manual carb(How do you set the carb on a brushcutter anyway?), and the Stihl is Mtronic. Both are well made machines, and will do a lot of work. The Husky was ~$200 cheaper locally.

I forgot, the Husky also like unscrewing the blade nut. I've lost one already, and almost lost a splined blade clamp disk thing(?). I don't have enough time with the Stihl yet, but everything stayed in place, as did my echo which was my first cutter.

[sawguy21]

Is the blade nut on the Hosky not LH thread?

[lxskllr]

It's left threaded, but it still comes loose. My echo came with a hole to install a cotter pin, but I quit using it after awhile cause the nut never came loose. I'd love to have that hole on the Husky.

[Al_Smith]

On that bar oil business I had problems finding it this time last year .Then it was some off the wall stuff in a green bottle but it works .TSC had that high priced Husqvarna stuff but before I'd go down that road I'd buy that equally high priced stuff from the Stihl dealer 2 miles the other direction .It's not like I'm buying it a pallet full at a time maybe 2 gallons at a time .I've always figured bar oil is bar oil .I mean it's not like putting motor oil in a fully restored 1923 Rolls -Royce automobile .
Worse comes to worse I've got a couple of jugs of light weight gear oil which will work  .The stuff smells like a bucket of fermented skunk rectums but will do the job .

[mike_belben]

ive milled logs to lumber with one chain, one bar, and motor oil for quite a long time. i keep the bar dressed and the groove gapped and get acceptable performance.  extra oil is brushed on for cooling purposes and to let the saw idle out some heat periodically.  its not efficient but im a survivalist. time and money go out the window when youre just trying to make it through the day and cross tasks off the homestead list. 

[lxskllr]

I think I'd run water before I ran gear oil. That stuff just doesn't go away. The stink stays long after the oil's gone.

[ehp]

I just run the costly stihl stuff. I tried abit of the other brands but its just not worth it to me   Screw up a $1000  white oak log cause running junk bar oil just does not make sense to me 

[Al_Smith]

Two different objectives here I think .Cutting rock hard dead ash and hickory for firewood and veneer grade white oak. ;)

[Al_Smith]

You can get into some long winded conversations about bar oil .Some think salad oil is the way to go .Somebody makes water based stuff .Some people cheap out and use old crankcase oil .I'm not that cheap .I did however decades ago when it used to get cold used automatic tranny fluid a few times .It worked .Danged bar oil was about like pouring molasses at 15 below zero .

[Spike60]

Not long ago I was selling bar oil for $10. Now my cost is $11 and I'm selling it for $14, splitting the difference between the cost and the $17 MSRP. But unlike most of the stuff we are talking about in this thread, at least I can get it.