neve_rider

You said your local dealer had both in stock right? Go there and tell them you are gonna buy one for sure, but you don't know which one you like better, and that you wanna gas both them up and try them.  If they think you are serious and not some jackass that is wasting their time they will do that for you. Are you gonna be using this around your house or is it commercial use? Some things to look for is how easy it is to start. How loud or quiet it is. The weight and comfort on your back, you don't wanna spend $500 and let it sit in your garage because it is too heavy. Another thing Stihl came out with this year is more vibration dampeners. So try to feel which one vibrates less and is more comfortable on your back. And last but not least the power. On the Stihl I know for a fact the the little nozzle on the end of the tube restricts ALOT of power. So before you start up the Stihl pull that nozzle off. It's a half round tip it's only about 4 inches long. That will make a big difference. Once you pull that off  put the blowers head to head to see which is more power. So I'm not saying one is better or you should buy one over another, just trying to help you out. Hope this helps in your purchasing decision.

Paula wrote:
O man. I could sure use a hand right now, maybe even two. I think Chris was right when he said those crabs could only be washed away with that expensive soap. I think I might still have them, cuz I been itching real bad lately.   I was just wondering, how much would your services run me Paula? Since you are lending your helping hand. And I do realize I am still a noob and all, but I was hoping maybe I could get the regular's price. Let me know if you can help. Thanks.

ChrisS wrote:
hmmmm.....    All the stuff in your post sounds like you are describing what happened to my brother when he spent the night with the retired hooker around the corner. He had that nasal drip thing for a couple days, then his sinuses were all yellow and green. Then when he finally thought he was getting better he started to get some anal drip.   He said everything he did to that lady, she did to him.  He said he regrets that part of it. He also said he thought she had been a smoker for a long time becuase she didn't seem to have a gag reflex it was more like a cough-reflex. So I don't know. Were you talking about my brother in your post chris? I'll try to find a picture of that neighbor lady so you guys can see her. OK. I hope all you guys get better, and I hope my brother gets better too, we have a family reunion coming up in a week, our family tends to ketch stuff easy. The last reunion my cousin Susan had crabs and 3 or my other cousins and my brother all got it too. I washed up real quick, so I didn't get it. OK, talk to you guys later.      

Homelite is not a brand that is customer friendly. They are VERY hard to start, run rough, and tend to have several problems with each model, which wears one or more peices out beyond repair. Another reason you should stay away from Homelite is because the company is in financial trouble. About 2 years ago John Deere bought the company, but only to obtain the patents for the trimmers. They shortly after dumped Homelite, so when Bill said that the repair place had the saw for 8 weeks, it's not B.S.. The top 3 brands are Stihl, Echo, and Husqvarna, in no particular order. Stihl is a good brand and tends to take care of their customers, unless you were to do something like run straight gas in it or run the saw with/out the air filter. I have not really dealt with Echo, or Husqvarna, but i heard they are good brands also. Below is a link to a Stihl chainsaw that i would recommend. Also are links to Echo and Husqvarna saws. Hopefully this has helped you in your purchasing decision.

http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/MS170.html

http://www.echo-usa.com/prods_item.asp?Model=CS-305&Category=CHAINSAW

http://www.usa.husqvarna.com/

I live in Michigan,  and what you should do is start getting your summer equipment out now.  Since the winter stuff is most likely over, and you probably don't have any snowthrower in stock anyways.  So what I would do is clear out your show room, wash and mop all the salt off the floors then wax the floors so they look good and clean for the summer. Nothing impresses a customer more than a clean show room. Then start filling up the show room.  There are quite a few people that come in early looking for a deal. So mark the equipment at the regular price, but tell your customers that it's the pre-season price. But really it's the real price, then they will feel happy that they got a deal and return to your store. As for services, you will always have the guy who waits til mid-April when his grass is 8 inches long and needs it done that day. So why make the early bird wait for the late birds worm, Get a movin' on the equipment. I hope this advice has helped. Also, welcome to the forum.