This is a first.

[NewYankeeSawmill]

Sounds to me like you might require a new or better Stihl dealer..
 
Maybe he has pi**ed off Stihl somehow and they aren't giving him the time of day for some reason but I'm sure those saws would be available elsewhere..

I have become rather rabid about supporting the local individual small business people in my community, but I think @realzed is correct.

In all things we have our own opinions as well as seeking counsel from trusted sources. My local small-engine shop is no different. If I can source an item from his shop, I gladly pay 3x what I can get it for online, and he knows it, too!
If he doesn't have it, DaNile will get it on my doorstep in 2 days. And he knows it, too!

I think you've been more than fair with your vendor waiting 3 weeks for them to source inventory. I would give them one more chance to source the product before pulling your order, but I would let them know you've got too much invested and are going to stick with Stihl. Its a simple, polite explanation they certainly deserve, as there may be forces beyond their control at work.

... I've seen things like this in other industries I've worked in. Whether real, imagined, or manufactured, sometimes consumers are forced to move between brands of product (and all the associated tools, spares, etc.) due to sourcing problems. So for 3-5 years it's all Echo, then suddenly Echo has sourcing problems, but look at these Shindawa's I just got in! Happened to me in the print manufacturing and transportation business, I doubt forestry is any different. Personally I think it's a game they play to suck more money out of us, but that'll get this thread bounced into the tinfoil-hat forum.   

... And as loathe as I am to admit it, it appears to be a feature of the 'new normal' that will be with us.

[Magicman]

You answered your own question,

No Steve, I answered what I did and why.  One lacked the cc for my use and the other lacked a compression release that I needed.  There was no lower quality with either.

My sawmill business bought "pro" saws simply because it could afford to do so.  Pro saws use higher $$ magnesium to lighten them but that does not mean that using other materials is cheapening.

i have not seen an example from you describing what you deem as cheapening. ??

[21incher]

It's like the old Ford  vs Chevy vs Dodge argument  we all used to have before Toyota and Honda came along  . I am very  glad I switched from Stihl equipment to Echo because of how much easier to use and start the Echo equipment has been. Along with a great dealer 10 miles away.  Biggest thing that pushed my switch was trouble  with coils when Stihl started  making them in China at $100 bucks a shot. I am finding  it doesn't  pay to stay loyal to brands anymore,  go with  what works  best for you and has good support and never look back.

[ladylake]

You answered your own question,

No Steve, I answered what I did and why.  One lacked the cc for my use and the other lacked a compression release that I needed.  There was no lower quality with either.

My sawmill business bought "pro" saws simply because it could afford to do so.  Pro saws use higher $$ magnesium to lighten them but that does not mean that using other materials is cheapening.

i have not seen an example from you describing what you deem as cheapening. ??

 If you work on these saw you can see the lack of quality and poor design, yes they run but have low power and heavy weight except the  170  which is light and gutless.  Way too many companys have lowered their standards to make money a Stihl is one of them.  Steve 

[ladylake]

 I dont think there is anyone who doesn't think that Stihls quality hasn't gone down on their homeowner saw from what used to be unless their really color  blind.  Steve

[Al_Smith]

Being a collector /restorer I don't value one brand above another because I've just about owned them all over the years .Nearly all brands have high quality saws and likewise have a few not so robust .It's about like comparing apples to oranges to compare a low priced saw to a pro model but people are inclined to do so .
Some years back Husqvarna decided to make a power play saying it's either us or them ( the Germans )Those who did not comply they pulled their dealership .However they did not buy back the parts supply and hung the dealers with parts they had a hard time selling .As a result 40 years later other than TSC and Lowes you will not find a Husky dealer in these part .Fact the nearest stocking dealer to me is about 40 miles away and he never has parts in stock .So for parts I use a dealer in North Carolina .Three days after I order them I get them .

[Magicman]

Have a good day Steve. 

[Spike60]

Should this thread be moved to the axe grinding section? Oughta be razor sharp by now. 

[customsawyer]

I've owned a few Echo saws. Nothing in particular wrong with them, just that the balance never felt right. Sold them both and never looked back.

[B.C.C. Lapp]

Customsawyer what are you running now? 
For the record one of the saws I'm waiting on showed up today.  I picked it up on the way home.   Came with a "lite" bar that cant be re tipped.     Geese I miss the old days when things made sense, companies wanted our business and worked for it, stood by their products and kept their word.   

[lxskllr]

The dealer should put any bar you want on the saw, and adjust the price as necessary. My two pro Stihls I bought new, I specified everything, including what chain I wanted. 

Technical nitpick... I wouldn't call the laminated bar a "lite" bar. It is lighter due to it's nature, but they have an actual pro light bar with a replaceable tip. I'd encourage you to take the saws back before you use them, and get the bar you want. Aside from being a laminated bar, it's also a "safety" bar with a smaller nose. It won't bore as well as the pro bars, though they will bore.

[customsawyer]

I run mostly Stihls but still have one 385 Husky that I keep a 36" bar on. I think I might have one of the Echos still in the my blade shop. I keep a 261 and a 500I close to the mill. I don't use saws near as much as you guys are. Most of my logs come in cut to length. I might go through 2.5 gallons of gas every month or two.

[Wlmedley]

At this point in life my main requirement with any gas powered equipment is ease of starting. I bought a small Husqvarna saw for limping and light cutting and didn't keep it long although I love my 372. Next I tried a echo 341 and it's hard to start after it gets hot. Bought a Tanaka (which I had never heard of)  and it starts easy every time and runs good.I use Shindiawa trimmers and they seem to last forever and start and run good. I have a Stihl trimmer and it has good power but sometimes is hard to start especially when hot. I hate to be worn out from pulling a starter cord before I get started working. I don't care what brand it is I want it to start easily.

[SwampDonkey]

I run Husqvarna 555 for firewood saw. Never liked their low end models. For thinning brush and small trees I prefer Stihl 560 or 561 (now), built tougher for thinning hardwoods. If I was cutting light plantation a Husq 555FX does what it needs to do. But in more involved thinning I'll take out shafts, clutch drums, handle bars and throttle cables on the Husq 555FX. With that model, if you take out the shaft, you absolutely have to replace the drum, the star shaped receiver end for the shaft will usually be stripped enough that you might get a week and it will break a shaft end again.  And yes, Stihl has been difficult to get parts. I have spares, but a new harness was all summer arriving last year. Some stuff can still take 2 or 3 weeks. With what's going on over there in Europe now, it all affects production and commerce. Those Stihl brush saws come from Germany.

[B.C.C. Lapp]

The dealer should put any bar you want on the saw, and adjust the price as necessary. My two pro Stihls I bought new, I specified everything, including what chain I wanted.

lxskiir that's how it used to be alright.   I've been running stihl pro saws since I started logging in 1995. When i was growing up grandad ran stihls.   Ive bought and owned more saws than I care to think about. Dozens and dozens of em.  Some I just wore out, some got killed by tree monsters, one fell out of the back of my pickup when I forgot to put the tailgate up. Never saw that saw again.   One ended up under a skidder tire, one had a log truck back over it.   One,,well you get the point. I've owned a few saws.   And your right. EVERYONE of them up till now I specified bar and chain and the dealer sold it to  me.   Ain't that way now.   The dealers are telling me stihl tells them what gets sold with what now. 
At least that's what I'm being told.   Things at stihl are just not the way they were.  In truth how many things today ARE as good as what they once were?

[lxskllr]

Sounds like I might need to make a road trip and ask my dealer how things are going. I don't really need much, but I could use another box of 5/32" files, and it's always fun to look around the shop.

[Spike60]

With Husky, each saw model has several SKU's that can be ordered. Each SKU represents different, yet "approved" bar and chain combos. Not just length, but .050, .058, and sometimes .063. Saws cannot be ordered PHO. Naturally a dealer will order the popular combos for his customers. But I NEVER told a guy he couldn't have something different. Usually, I'd ask "how ya want if set up?" Most times, I already knew. Hardly a big deal to pull a bar off the saw and hang it on the bar wall, right? 

Could sometimes include a switch between .325 and 3/8. 3/8 on a 346 or 550 wasn't unusual as some guys can't file .325, and some spun their own chains, so 1 reel in their shop was enough. One guy liked 555's over the 562, cause the small mount bar allowed a .325 8 pin set up that was very smooth and quick. Any of you "chip size" guys won't get it, but that was one hot set up. And not a new idea. He was doing that on the 262 and 357 before the 5xx saws came out. 

But telling customers they can only buy a saw with one bar and chain combo is like telling them everyone has to buy the same size work boot, no matter how much it hurts.