The Respected Swede

The Rise and Plateau of Jonsereds Farbrikers AB

Started as a textile company in the 1830’s Jonsereds were one of those industrial era companies that decided that the pathway to success was to have a crack at just about everything, and so for a time you could find the Jonsereds name in a range of far flung areas.

In this regard they were not unlike Solo in Germany and co-incidentally they too moved into chainsaw production in the 50’s. They already had a foothold in the forestry industry making a range of milling equipment and the like and in many ways the move into relatively simple one man machines in this era would have made complete sense as an “opening” market.

So in 1954 the XA was released into the world. As would come to be the norm for Jonsereds it was both well-made and innovative. Its solution to the issues of a float bowl based carb was to use an injector system and its rotary valve engine was designed to run on a variety of fuels (diesel, kerosene and petrol). It was a popular saw that provided a clear export opportunity for a company that traded on innovative design and conservative values.

The XB and XC followed the same basic principles but were more traditional in their fuelling, but it was the introduction of the of the XD, XF and XG that really got things moving for the company particularly in North America where the company still enjoys a strong reputation forged in the 60’s. These saws were modern, reliable and aesthetically pleasing, with an elegance to their design that was clear to see. The Raket (Rocket) name was often used after naming rights were given over to a competition for employees.

The 70’s saw big dogs like the 111super on the agenda and again, quality of the product, functional design and sense of trustworthiness were the hallmarks, but time was moving on and while incredibly well made the saws were likely expensive to produce and the big saws were starting to look dated. Not so in the smaller range however where saws like the 49sp were shining examples of function over fashion being pretty bloody good. Billed as a “Semi Pro” saw, its good power, well weighted feel, excellent antivibe and ability to keep running and running, won many fans. One of the last true expressions of a company that had always walked to the beat of its own drum.

But in a changing globalised world, a diversified company like Jonsereds was always going to have challenges and in 1975 it was absorbed into AB Asken investment portfolio who managed this for three years before the Jonsereds, Husqvarna and Partner were all absorbed into the Electrolux conglomerate.

Of course any talk of maintaining the individual brand integrity of the three was quickly replaced with business pragmatics and over time Johnsereds simply became red versions of the Husqvarna they were based on. Still excellent saws and let’s face it you would rather be a rebadged Husky than something produced by Shin Fen Wang Corporation, but the soul of what had always been one of the most respected of saws is now gone.

The quality of the product is such that there are still plenty around and they are a saw that every collector should have at least one of in their collection, either one of the big over 100cc monsters or even a humble 49sp. They are reminders of a time when quality of product was a bigger deal than marketing spin. Jonsereds made a hell of a product.

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