Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

i don't see to many discussions for husky's. i have an 8527sbe and it's built pretty solid. i like the fact that it has metal rods instead of wires for the the operation of the machine. it has a b&s ohv engine. got it on a tax free day in mass 3 years ago. paid 800.00 bucks for it. how do husky's compare to the big names.

I wrote  to Husqvarna and asked them to give me some facts on their blowers, and here is their response:

Discussion Thread
Response (Richard Haynes)	12/02/2009 03:01 PM
Husqvarna owns Craftsman and Poulan. However, the Husqvarna line of snow blowers have different features. The Husqvarna blowers have improved control levers and contact grips. The engine pulley has been strengthened to a split steel design and is reinforced welded 360 degree. Belt tension has been improved for longer belt life. Drive gears strengthened. Impeller pulley has been strengthened. Stronger impeller blades The shear bolt design has been improved. The impeller housing is thicker and reinforced So for anyone out there looking at buying a snowblower, I hope you find this info more beneficial than Husky is a Craftsman in sheeps clothing.

I don't think Craftsman is owned by Husky,  Craftsman has  contracted Husky to build a price point line of snow throwers.  Husky also owns Poulan ( wich is the parent name of  Weedeater brand)...    This  pretty much sums it up at Wikipedia.....

Poulan brand today...

The Poulan brand name is used primarily for outdoor power equipment, such as chainsaws, lawn mowers, and leaf blowers, aimed at the mid-level consumer market. Since Poulan is owned by Husqvarna, the two brands often share technologies. In recent years Poulan has offered a more upscale "Poulan Pro" brand employing a black and gold color scheme instead of Poulan's traditional green. As a result, Poulan products have been pushed even further downmarket.

Along with Poulan and Husqvarna brand products, Husqvarna also provides lawn mowers, tractors, and other yard equipment to Sears that are sold under Sears'  Craftsman house brand name. Most mid-level Craftsman products are slightly altered Poulan products.

-end

Now for husky info--- this is a list of stuff they own as the parent company and a list of Brand names they produce for other companys/stores (prviate label)

Brands Owned

• AYP (American Yard Products)
• Bradley (as in David Bradley. Roper purch. company from Sears and began building tractors for Sears)
• Flymo website
• Gardena AG website
• Husqvarna website
• Jonsered website
• Komatsu Zenhoa
• Lawn King website
  • Lawn King Rally
• McCulloch
  • McCulloch Pro
• Partner website
  • Partner Pro
• Pioneer chainsaws
• Poulan website
  • Poulan Pro
• Rally
  • Rally Plus
• Rodeo
• Roper
  • Roper Rally
• Talon
• Weed Eater website
• Yard Pro

[edit] Private Label Brands Produced

• Agrasamit
• BERNARD Loisirs
• Bestgreen
  • Bestgreen Comfort
  • Bestgreen Serie Or
• Central Park
• Columbia
• Companion (for Sears)
• Craftsman (for Sears)
• Fleurelle
• Gardol
• Handy Power
• Hurricane
• Huskee (for Tractor Supply)
• Klippo
• Lazer
• Mr. Bricolage
• Performance Power
• Predator
• Prestige
• Prim
• Royal
• SARP
• Sentar (for Univert)
• Statesman (for Southern States Cooperative)
• TAGA
• Uniropa
• Val Garden
• Verts Loisirs
• Westfalia
• Wizard (for Western Auto)
• Zenoah

------ This is a list of what  wikipedia has for info right now,   give it a year and it will change...   Husky and all its subgroups that bought and manufacture things under contract can change in a flash...   ( all it takes is a better contract with someone new)..

One reason why things bought from sears will change in appearance from one year to the next and none of the old parts stock fit.....

Friiy

"So for anyone out there looking at buying a snowblower, I hope you find this info more beneficial than Husky is a Craftsman in sheeps clothing." I'm certain that if you look deeply into the comparison between Craftsman and Husky, you'll find that in Mr, Ma's list of differences, Husky in is likely comparing their best machines with Craftsman's bottom line products. If you look at Craftsman machines and Husky of the same or similar model/features, they're probably far more in similarity than they are different. Yoyo: You're drinking the Koolaid!

No Borat, you are drinking the Simplicity koolaid!

-----------------

I am not trying to say that Husky's are as good as other options but they definitely not bad either.  They  have some upgrades over cheap craftsman or MTD throwers.  At least in the U.S. market all the craftsman throwers are basically the same.  Same build platform only different sized engines and buckets.  All the craftsman stuff out there is pretty bad compared to anything else you can get.  The huskies might have some nice features but at their lower end I would rather go with an Ariens or a Sno-tek which is also made by Ariens.  One thing I definitely know is that Husky uses thinner metal than the other premium brands.  I know this since I have actually seen a husky in person.  Ariens did a very smart move with their Sno-tek line since they used a cheaper platform and engine but still provided "trickle down" technology from their orange units.

One other thing.... most of them have friction disk drive, until you get to the $1800 US price point for hydrostatic.  I haven't seen their tractor design so I don't know the quality of that.  In 2009 they are using Chinese engines after techumseh's absence.  Forgot the manufactuer for the engine.  Their cheapest 208cc 24 thrower is $900 here in connecticut.  For that price a $600 Sno-tek is a much better option.  Heck even the 24 deluxe at the promo price of $900 US market price would be better than the Husky.

---------------------------------

Personally I think that it all comes down to features and price.  Assuming you picked something in the premium category, which I include Husqvarana/Poulan in there too.  The point I am trying to make is that you can get more feature/performance for better price.  If Husky changes this, then they will be the better option.  As the price increases value can be found in other brands, depending on what you are looking for.  So one brand can have really good low priced models.  While another brand has more bang for the buck at the expensive side of the spectrum.

Nothing wrong with KoolAid if you're thirsty

O

That is interesting frily, I have been looking at chainsaws and the older poulans were pretty good saws but now people that have them are saying the news models, even the pro line, aren't as good anymore. I know husquvarna makes good chainsaws so the poulans must be their lower speck models then also. Interesting.

Ok guys kool down, this forum is about the friendly exchange of info. The good folks here are just relating their own experiences.

I was in purchasing for a large corporation for 30 years and if I learned anything, it is that marketing & sales folks are always trying to find new language to try to differentiate their product from the rest so you will buy them. It's up to you to challenge them, then decide if what they are saying makes any sense or is just a lot of smoke & mirrors. Are these features that you are willing to pay for, do they add functionality to the product, are they just cosmetic or are they just so much marketing hyperbole. Inform yourself, then decide, before you spend your money.

iLikeOrange wrote:

The "Koolaid" that you often hear being referred to is the Jonestown recipe. Nothing like a styrofoam cup full of warm Koolaid served out of a 45 gallon drum after a sermon from Jim Jones.

Yeah a bit too slight on my part.

Coldfingers wrote:

     When I sold husky Saws a few years back,  Husky really did not make small saws (10, 12, 14 and 18 inch bars)....  But after husky bought Poulan,  all of a sudden Husky hade in the new year line  all the small saws....  The only problem is that these saws were part for part the same as the Poulan saws sold through Sears...  The saws were the same, except for color of plastic,  placards, and gas cap shape..  Sears even was able to undercut the Husky dealers by about $20 bucks a saw, or offer a the same saw without a chain brake evan cheaper...  These saws weren't bad saws,   But they had flaws... The smaller Sears/Husky/Poulan saws were made to be run a few times a year...   Gardeners who bought these saws found soon that they were not made to the husky Quality (Husky, Stihl, Echo saws are made to work a few hours a day and are repairable).   These saws though they not very costly were oddly put together..  (lots of self tapping pk screws and screws into plastic) They did not reflect the quality of Husky saws that we sold in the past,  hense we stopped stocking them, we could not be proud selling them..   The Husky/Sears small saws I see now may also  resemble the Mcculloch Beaver line of saw (14-18 inch cut saws)..  Since Mcculloch is now owned by Husky,  I wonder what crossover is being used where...

    I think the "Good Poulan Saw" you are thinking of is the Super 25,  it was a good running 12-14-18 inch  saw made in the 80's and 90's and sold at Sears and department stores.  the saw saw a long service life and was a very powerful pruner/ limber for homeowner use..(very simple and easy to work on, but kinda heavy)

The good old days,   yes it was sold under this name too ...

Friiy