Chainsaw Repair

OK men, here's the scoop on these things. Someone at Husqvarna marketing has determined that there is still a lot of brand equity in the McCulloch name. backed up, so they say, by sophisticated market research. So they are positioning it as an entry level brand for young people/first time home owners. Lot's of that talk about aggressive/masculeeeen styling. It's a full line with mowers and tractors and what not. To me it's kind of duplicating the market position occupied by Poulan Pro, so I really don't get it. Plus most of the line moves into price points that are too close to Husky labeled product. Only unit I'm selling is the $1299 tractor. I really don't like the black equipment as it constantly needs to be dusted off.

Regarding the saws, there were originally supposed to be 4 models. The top two were simply rebaged 435 and 445 Huskys. The prices were only $20 less than the comparable Husky, so what's the point? The other two were from "some other part of the world". China/Taiwan or whatever. When the price list was updated on Jan 1, the two Husky derived saws that those Swedish guys managed to talk about with a straight face in the video were dropped from the list. The other two remain, but were not available the last time I checked.

Prediction: Some time this year or next, the persons who hatched this idea will be explaining to top management why it turned out to be a complete flop. They will probably blame the sales reps or dealers for not getting behind it, but when it's all said and done the next thing they'll be working on will be their resumes. 

I spoke with a long-time OPE shop owner the other day.  He said that the Mac-labeled riding mowers he carries alongside his Husqvarna models have outsold Husky 4 - 1 so far this Spring.  He says that if it wasn't for the paint, you can't really tell them apart.  Same machine as far as he can see.  The price difference is $100 on his sales floor.

While this isn't the 'old' Mac we know and love, I just hope that Husky raises the level of quality in the product.