Thread: GB hardtop or stihl duromatic E

Originally Posted by Travis Edwards

I found it was quite tight at first with the new chain but once all of the paint had cleaned from the groove was running quite well..

I always strip the paint off and out of the grooves on new bar before using them.

I did actually strip what I could get out bob but it was damn near impossible to get it all. Got a couple of carlton/GB chains not convinced about them though yet. will post some pics for ya later to evaluate bob

A bit rough if, you've especially gone out to buy an Aussie product and you find out it's a badge job for some foreign thing

Originally Posted by Travis Edwards

I did actually strip what I could get out bob but it was damn near impossible to get it all. Got a couple of carlton/GB chains not convinced about them though yet. will post some pics for ya later to evaluate bob

A bit of Brake fluid works good for me, just paint it on and let it sit for a while. It can take a bit of of the paint off the outside of the bar but it's gonna come off eventually anyway.

Originally Posted by BobL

A bit of Brake fluid works good for me, just paint it on and let it sit for a while. It can take a bit of of the paint off the outside of the bar but it's gonna come off eventually anyway.

The drive links stripped out what I couldnt within about a milisecond of firing it up.

Originally Posted by Travis Edwards

I recently purchased a GB hardtop bar online, It arrived with a genuine GB packet with all stickers matching the Bar contained inside saying it was Aussie made, however under my kitchen light I could CLEARLY see "STIHL Duromatic E made in brazil" in the standard stihl paintwork under the GB paint, there was also some hand written stuff in black Texta which had bled through the GB paintwork. On closer inspection There were telltale signs that it was almost definetly a stihl bar (tooling marks,stamping etc.) It seems like a decent bar however and I ran it in the other day with a new chain and sprocket ready for the weekend. I found it was quite tight at first with the new chain but once all of the paint had cleaned from the groove was running quite well.

The thing that astounded me most though was the fact that it had the GB paintjob but definetly isnt. Is it that it was a common size and GB just bought a heap cheap and rebadged it or was it the supplier I bought it from? and if so how did it end up in a genuine GB packet?

Just goes to show when you try to keep an aussie employed you are still probably supporting someone in a foreign country.

Just for your information, you are not supporting a foreign country, I have attached a copy of the email I got from Tom Beerens at GB as a result of voicing your concerns to him.

Laurie

RE: gb or stihl From: Thomas Beerens

Date: 9/11/2009 12:27:19 PM
To: Sawchain Supply - Laurie

Subject: RE: gb or stihl



Laurie,

We made the bars. They painted them. They were returned to us as a result of the confusion with the Receivers, we re painted them and sold them as our product which indeed it was.

Tom

Originally Posted by Sawchain

.
.

We made the bars. They painted them. They were returned to us as a result of the confusion with the Receivers, we re painted them and sold them as our product which indeed it was.

Tom

Thanks for the confirmation Laurie.

No worries Bob, Just thought I'd clear the air on that one, I knew that GB had made bars for Stihl and many other OEM's.
Nothing worse than thinking you are supporting Oz when in fact a lot of times goods are manufactured elsewhere and misrepresented by an importer.

Cheers .... Laurie

Originally Posted by Sawchain

No worries Bob, Just thought I'd clear the air on that one, I knew that GB had made bars for Stihl and many other OEM's.
Nothing worse than thinking you are supporting Oz when in fact a lot of times goods are manufactured elsewhere and misrepresented by an importer.

Cheers .... Laurie

Thanks for finding that out Laurie. I deliberately left your name out of It as I had no intention of discrediting you in any way, as I was more than impressed with your professionality of service, unlike another company I have recently dealt with on Ebay also for chainsaw bits, And I had a feeling that there may have been a simple explanation for it. Just made me wonder when I saw the stihl duromatic under the paint work. As I said it looked to be a good quality bar and being a toolmaker myself I could see the quality of workmanship in it. I was not really concerned at the end of the day whether it was a GB or a stihl as I find as far as bars go They are of as good a quality as each other. Just glad to know that it really is a GB. Will be chasing some Ripping chain for said bar in the near future and will contact you about that..

Makes me wonder how many of my other Stihl bars are actually GB's, as a lot of the tooling marks are the same, or very similar.

[/QUOTE]I could CLEARLY see "STIHL Duromatic E made in brazil" in the standard stihl paintwork under the GB paint, .[/QUOTE]

I'm a bit confused here, if the bar was made by GB in OZ why the Made in Brazil sign??

I could CLEARLY see "STIHL Duromatic E made in brazil" in the standard stihl paintwork under the GB paint, .[/QUOTE]

I'm a bit confused here, if the bar was made by GB in OZ why the Made in Brazil sign??[/QUOTE]

That is what made me wonder in the first place. I would put pictures up, But I do not think that it would show up well enough to be seen in the resolution required by the website. Look the Bar is a good bar I have run it and it seems fine, at the end of the day be it a stihl made in BRAZIL, or a GB made in OZ it is a good bar and according to Tom Beerens it is an aussie made bar. I am not about to debate what the head of the company who supposedly made the said product has stated. I bought the Bar from a supplier as a GB product, It arrived in a genuine GB package with a GB paintjob, however underneath It was showing to be a STIHL duromatic made in Brazil. The supplier has obviously looked into the matter further and gotten a reply from the head of the company stating that it was actually made in OZ, and although I still have my wonderment on the issue I feel that If Tom Beerens is willing to put both his personal reputation and that of his company on the line by issuing the statement that he has then it is good enough for me. I only hope that if it comes to it that he will back it with a warranty as well.