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I recently bought a 50€ electric chainsaw at an Aldi discount store in Europe (against my better judgement). After a few uses, the chain tightening bolt broke

I recently bought a 50€ electric chainsaw at an Aldi discount store in Europe (against my better judgement). After a few uses, the chain tightening bolt broke into two pieces. I begged them to send me just the bolt, but NO. They said I'm not entitled to repair it. I was even willing to pay for it, but I couldn't find it below 15€ on the internet. So I sent the whole chainsaw to the repair service on their dime and they sent me a brand new one. They probably tossed the perfectly fine old chainsaw into the dumpster. Because of a 0.10€ bolt. The corporate throwaway culture is incredible.

grecy 6y ago
Now you have one with an in-tact screw you should take it out and figure out the size and thread-pitch so if it breaks again you can buy a generic one. And then post the info online somewhere - even if it's a random Reddit thread Google will pick it up and a search like "Aldi chainsaw chain tightening screw replacement" should pick it up.
- shimonabi 6y ago
  It's a special bolt. I would have to buy a lathe. I have a 3D printer at home and I taught myself 3D design so I already made a bunch of replacement parts out of plastic.
  - lostlogin 6y ago
    How is the saw? I went the expensive route and got an electric Stihl. It’s a monster. I find the proper use of the saw to be more important that with a petrol saw as it isn’t immediately clear if it’s on or not. Others in the area are immediately aware when there is an idling chainsaw, but not so much with an electric one.
    - shimonabi 6y ago
      Well, you did the right thing. I think I will sell mine, because I also have an old small gasoline Stihl for firewood. It sure is an interesting feeling how the blade stops immediately. Mine is 2000W. I always handle it like it is spinning, so there is no difference safety-wise.
neop1x 6y ago
This. Manufacturers often don't provide spare parts to the users directly. Sony was not even able to sell a genuine smartphone battery to me. Apple Independent Repair program is a joke as you must be a company and go through their gatekeeper terms and selection process...

grecy 6y ago

Now you have one with an in-tact screw you should take it out and figure out the size and thread-pitch so if it breaks again you can buy a generic one. And then post the info online somewhere - even if it's a random Reddit thread Google will pick it up and a search like "Aldi chainsaw chain tightening screw replacement" should pick it up.

shimonabi 6y ago
It's a special bolt. I would have to buy a lathe. I have a 3D printer at home and I taught myself 3D design so I already made a bunch of replacement parts out of plastic.
- lostlogin 6y ago
  How is the saw? I went the expensive route and got an electric Stihl. It’s a monster. I find the proper use of the saw to be more important that with a petrol saw as it isn’t immediately clear if it’s on or not. Others in the area are immediately aware when there is an idling chainsaw, but not so much with an electric one.
  - shimonabi 6y ago
    Well, you did the right thing. I think I will sell mine, because I also have an old small gasoline Stihl for firewood. It sure is an interesting feeling how the blade stops immediately. Mine is 2000W. I always handle it like it is spinning, so there is no difference safety-wise.

neop1x 6y ago

This. Manufacturers often don't provide spare parts to the users directly. Sony was not even able to sell a genuine smartphone battery to me. Apple Independent Repair program is a joke as you must be a company and go through their gatekeeper terms and selection process...