ST6 More Issues

[Bobbies]

On 21/07/2020 at 22:01, butters said:

I run a forst and only had a small starting issue when warm but was all sorted very quickly by forst. Machine chips like an animal and I wouldn’t buy any other machine. You’ll only ever hear the bad never the good. They are selling more than the other big names and end of the day they have only been going for what 5 years now and have obviously caused the whole industry to wake up.

I can think of plenty of other common issues on other machines but because it doesn’t have forst wrote on the side of it no one pipes up.

Well said Butters, I have no complaints to make about Forst. In my opinion and experience they are by far the best chipper on the market and best service and aftersales from Redwoods.

 

Forst do seem to have some haters online but reads like lots of this is from people that aren't even running a Forst chipper!  They have clearly taken over the chipper market and are the most popular machine out there these days, i think lots of the anti Forst could be coming from other manufacturers and dealers that are losing lots of business to Forst! 

[Khriss]

@Bobbies  that I can understand , but looking at the blade design with my shed engineers eye, it ain't a good design , sorry. An mates of mine have had three Forst trashed with blade failure.  The other stuff of switches, filters n electronics CAN happen with any make , to be fair. K

[Bobbies]

31 minutes ago, Khriss said:

@Bobbies  that I can understand , but looking at the blade design with my shed engineers eye, it ain't a good design , sorry. An mates of mine have had three Forst trashed with blade failure.  The other stuff of switches, filters n electronics CAN happen with any make , to be fair. K

Interesting @KhrissI'm no engineer but the Forst works great for me and never had any issues with the blades but I do make sure I buy genuine ones as have heard of people having issues with the copies.  Not sure if its to do with the Forst blade design but the chip quality is also really good and consistent

[PeteB]

 Every make has its 'haters', it has always been the case. Now, they can go public. And as you say, some have no experience either!

 

Mother always said, 'if you got nowt good to say, then shut up!'. Or 'better to say nowt and appear to be stupid, than open yer gob and have it confirmed beyond all doubt!'.

[Mick Dempsey]

That’s true Pete, every make does have its detractors, just by sheer volume of units it’s inevitable.

 

I think the difference is the amount of complaints and importantly the people that are making them. Not just inexperienced young peeps new in the industry for whom it’s “branch goes in, chip comes out and what happens between is a mystery” but more experienced guys like me who have used many different brands are seeing the failures again and again.

 

I wish them well (Forst) on a personal level they’ve been top notch, and I hope they iron it all out, but my ST8 has been a nightmare that endures to this day (4 years later) the worst machine I have ever owned including chippers, tractors, diggers, grinders...

 

I’m lucky in that I could afford to buy another machine and keep working, but if I was 25 with a couple of sprogs and a new mortgage a machine like mine could finish the business.
 

[Robinson]

1 hour ago, Mick Dempsey said:

That’s true Pete, every make does have its detractors, just by sheer volume of units it’s inevitable.

 

I think the difference is the amount of complaints and importantly the people that are making them. Not just inexperienced young peeps new in the industry for whom it’s “branch goes in, chip comes out and what happens between is a mystery” but more experienced guys like me who have used many different brands are seeing the failures again and again.

 

I wish them well (Forst) on a personal level they’ve been top notch, and I hope they iron it all out, but my ST8 has been a nightmare that endures to this day (4 years later) the worst machine I have ever owned including chippers, tractors, diggers, grinders...

 

I’m lucky in that I could afford to buy another machine and keep working, but if I was 25 with a couple of sprogs and a new mortgage a machine like mine could finish the business.
 

Got to say i've got 3 ST8's and they have been nothing short of excellent for me, they are however all 2017/2018 machines and i know the early ones had some issues so if yours is 4 year old it's probably not the best comparison for machines being built today. Best 8" chipper on the market IMO, ok i've had a couple of little niggles but nothing which wasn't sorted quickly. Forst customer service is spot on. I've also noticed some people seem to talk Forst down but with the amount you see on the road i think they must be doing something right!

 

 

[butters]

@Bobbies  that I can understand , but looking at the blade design with my shed engineers eye, it ain't a good design , sorry. An mates of mine have had three Forst trashed with blade failure.  The other stuff of switches, filters n electronics CAN happen with any make , to be fair. K

The blade design is no different to Jensen. The blades are exactly the same. Considering Jensen have been running the same design since I was probably born. It can’t be that bad of design.

Thing is people don’t realise is a Jensen/forst flywheel is heavy compared to the others and don’t use outside draft fins to get the throw. Plus then the blades are huge compared to the timberwolfs and GreenMech. So in theory the blade only needs to hit something it shouldn’t and can cause a lot of damage.

This is something I know as I had a Jensen throw it’s blade and cost me 2.5k to get it right.

[PeteB]

I did get told that the blades are so similar that it is uncanny, but, the blade angle had been increased. This angle change significantly increases the loads that it is asked to take and parring off a bigger bite means that it will fold quicker than a Jensen blade.

[Stubby]

3 minutes ago, PeteB said:

I did get told that the blades are so similar that it is uncanny, but, the blade angle had been increased. This angle change significantly increases the loads that it is asked to take and parring off a bigger bite means that it will fold quicker than a Jensen blade.

I heard that when Forst first came out they took all the good bits from a Jensen and then improved all the bad bits . . Maybe they went too far Re the bades

[Chipperclown]

Seriously, sorry but if at any age your are spending 1000's on a chipper whatever the make you expect it to perform for years right!!?? If I was just starting out, with not a lot a cash in the bank and my chipper worked only when I it fancied it that would of ruined me, even now that could still be the case.  

 

I have used Jensons, Greenmech's, Bandit's, Timberwolfs and Forst's, only ever had problems with a hired in Forst on more than one occasion. 

Edited July 24, 2020 by Chipperclown
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