Thread: Knock OFF!

Originally Posted by Krunchie

STIHL

STIHL

what do you guys think

notice the blue decompression button?

Well they do turn them out like hotcakes in China and they look pretty convincing. I checked the feedback on Aliexpress and they sell a lot to Australia:

Chain saw STIHL MS381 with 25" Stihl Guide Bar and chain+Free shipping+Wholesale price

At $375 on your door who could doubt its genuine......

...and if you can sell it on ebay for $750 + you're onto a nice little earner.

The way these things are you would be a fool to buy any of the popular Stihl or Husky models off ebay without a clear trail of provenance.

Not a knock off. They are the genuine Brazillian made stihl 381 (check the Bar it gives it away.) There was a while there where stihl australia would not bring them in but due to popular demand and some of the dealers bringing them in, they are back on the listing.

They are basically just the old 038, still more saw than the 039 but filtration is not great and they are an old saw really in comparison to the rest of the line up. They are cheap to buy really and although they are not a farm boss they are not really a pro saw either.

Hunter McPherson - Chainsaws for Professional Use

Chainsaws-Petrol Chainsaws for Agriculture and Landscaping

check them out.

Originally Posted by Travis Edwards

Not a knock off. They are the genuine Brazillian made stihl 381 (check the Bar it gives it away.) There was a while there where stihl australia would not bring them in but due to popular demand and some of the dealers bringing them in, they are back on the listing.

They are basically just the old 038, still more saw than the 039 but filtration is not great and they are an old saw really in comparison to the rest of the line up. They are cheap to buy really and although they are not a farm boss they are not really a pro saw either.

Hunter McPherson - Chainsaws for Professional Use

Chainsaws-Petrol Chainsaws for Agriculture and Landscaping

check them out.

Hey Travis if you check out the AliExpress site you'll see that some of the knockoff 381's have bars with "Made in Brazil" others with "Made in Germany" and the odds are that neither is correct. I just hope that this guy isn't one of the dealers you mentioned:



Hi, the chainsawdelivered was just what i asked for and will be looking for more of these. 16 Feb 2011 18:36
Cecil W. Chain saw STIHL MS381 with 25" Stihl Guide Bar and chain+Free shipping+Wholesale price US $375.00 x 1 piece

notice that the 381 under the STIHL logo on the fly wheel cover is the wrong font size

Originally Posted by Krunchie

notice that the 381 under the STIHL logo on the fly wheel cover is the wrong font size

Check out Wholesale - Buy Products Online from China Wholesalers at Aliexpress.com you will find ms381's ...some have bars reading "Made in Brazil" others read " Made in Germany"....the same company flogs a variety of knock offs. The 381's arrive at your door for around $370 looking quite authentic if the pics are anything to go by.

Don't buy any new big name saw on ebay without a clear trail of provenance.

Best Stihl ever made the 038 an the 381 (farming an fire wood) And Stihl went to south america before it went to china. But now I ve seen this I am going to have a little cry. the 381 is a very special saw

Originally Posted by itsposs

Best Stihl ever made the 038 an the 381 (farming an fire wood) And Stihl went to south america before it went to china. But now I ve seen this I am going to have a little cry. the 381 is a very special saw

If you check out ebay at the moment, there are now three "Made in Brazil" new in box MS 381's on sale. Two of them from the same seller, a guy who sold a new 070 last month and insisted at the time that there is no such thing as a Stihl knockoff on the basis that Stihl now has a factory in China.

People who bid on the stuff need their heads read unless they get proof its real and not a cut price copy. Ebay should also act on it.

Originally Posted by itsposs

Best Stihl ever made the 038 an the 381 (farming an fire wood) And Stihl went to south america before it went to china. But now I ve seen this I am going to have a little cry. the 381 is a very special saw

I'm glad you added the farming & firewood bit, because there is not much call for anything smaller than a 044 in the HWD logging business, from that size up they are all good saws if treated & maintained well, like making sure the airfilters are sealing, correct fuel mix ratios are used with quality synth' oil & the saw is stored in a sealed container where wasps can't build nests in the engine cooling fins.
regards inter

Ok, I thought I would check out the alibaba saws and sent a message to the contact at the J&K chainsaw mob. This is what I got back.

Grace xie: Hi,friend.
It is the same as Original.
Best Regards
Grace
>>> masculator002 Wed Mar 02 00:35:58 PST 2011 >>>
Hi I am interested in the saws but I have been led astray by sellers previously. Are the saws genuine stihl saws or are they copies made in china.

Thanks Travis.

Obviously the response is at the top and the question is at the bottom. So is this saying Yes they are genuine stihl saws or are they copies that are the same as the original?? I am still unsure. Anyone want to chip in to get one and see?

Anyway I see there is also debate about stihl manufacturing in china. Stihl have been manufacturing in china for MANY years as they have in mexico, brazil, and umpteen other countries. The stihl saws that are made in germany have a no1 as the first digit of the serial number. This used to be preceded by the stihl symbol stamp, However if the first serial number on your saw is a 4 you can guarantee that it was made in china!!!

I will try and find the info that tells you where they all come from and post it if I can find it. Oh and don't just think it is stihl who got saws made there. The difference is that the genuine ones were made to stihls exacting standards, with strict quality control, the cheap rip offs were not!!!

Oh and here is stihls stance on dealers selling over the internet

STIHL Incorporated USA -- Manufacturing the World's Number One Selling Brand of Chain Saws

Originally Posted by Travis Edwards

Ok, I thought I would check out the alibaba saws and sent a message to the contact at the J&K chainsaw mob. This is what I got back.

Grace xie: Hi,friend.
It is the same as Original.
Best Regards
Grace
>>> masculator002 Wed Mar 02 00:35:58 PST 2011 >>>
Hi I am interested in the saws but I have been led astray by sellers previously. Are the saws genuine stihl saws or are they copies made in china.

Thanks Travis.

!

Good work Travis, I did the same thing yesterday and Grace opined as follows:

Grace xie: Hi,thank you very much for your message.
The chainsaw is Original of Stihl,made in Germany Stihl Brand.
Best Regarsd
Grace
>>> Wed Mar 02 02:14:15 PST 2011 >>>

Hi,

Are these saws made in China or do they come from Stihl in Brazil?

It leaves it all a bit up in the air....I also communicated with another Chinses company which claims to be able to supply an MS 880 for $972 delivered,,,,,.

Facts are that there are a lot of plain fakes about the place, my guess is that all the 070's sourced from China are built there and not by Stihl. The one I bought is dodgy but cosmetically you could be taken in by it...the local dealer here was briefly.

Anyway I guess that it comes down to buyer beware...although at $375 delivered for the MS 381 it's almost worth the punt to find out.

Originally Posted by maragle

Good work Travis, I did the same thing yesterday and Grace opined as follows:

Grace xie: Hi,thank you very much for your message.
The chainsaw is Original of Stihl,made in Germany Stihl Brand.
Best Regarsd
Grace
>>> Wed Mar 02 02:14:15 PST 2011 >>>

Hi,

Are these saws made in China or do they come from Stihl in Brazil?

It leaves it all a bit up in the air....I also communicated with another Chinses company which claims to be able to supply an MS 880 for $972 delivered,,,,,.

Facts are that there are a lot of plain fakes about the place, my guess is that all the 070's sourced from China are built there and not by Stihl. The one I bought is dodgy but cosmetically you could be taken in by it...the local dealer here was briefly.

Anyway I guess that it comes down to buyer beware...although at $375 delivered for the MS 381 it's almost worth the punt to find out.

I am led to believe that the 070's are not made by stihl however I am also led to believe that they are made by a company which bought the dies for the parts to manufacture them. If you look at the photos of them online you can see plainly that they are not made to stihls quality standard, and by the one I have seen (hands on) I would not recommend buying one.

These other saws however look the part. I have not had my hands on one but the photo's obviously show that they are of a much higher standard, and I would not doubt that there is a very good chance that they are the real thing, and as the ad says they are buying in bulk and selling cheaply. Due to the massive turnover and not having to have a store etc. would enable this to be possible. However I would not expect any other warranty than replacement of obviously defective parts that were noticed upon receival or shortly after.

It also does not change the fact that stihl do not look kindly upon their product being sold online.

Unfortunately I do not have any desire for a 381, so I will not be buying one to test the theory, an 880 however now that may be on the cards in the foreseeable future.

Wastalking to a long term Stihl dealer the other day. He seemed to have a pretty good grasp of things, but I was surprised when he said that the Stihls that come from Brasil are assembled there from parts made in Germany.

He also said that all Stihls sold in Aus. - in fact all CSs sold in Aus. - Must have a chain break. He seems tobelieve that the Gov, has no control over any internet purchases but might try to sort that problm out in the future. Good luck!!