Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Have you seen the junk they are now selling on the Home Depot website?It's called Sno-Tek by Ariens.It's being described as a value machine lol.Ariens will do anything to be known as the Co. that sells the most machines.They have forgotten about quality and it's all about sales.

I'd hold my opinion until I see it in person. I'm not too fond of Ariens marketing but I'll keep an open mind. In today's economy, everyone's got to make a buck and stay in business. It's a bold move and a risky one for Ariens to market this value product line. Die hard Arien's loyalist will balk at this one, while uninformed buyers with only brand recognition are likely to buy one since it appeal to their budget.

Personally, I think its a good move that might save their reputation. They've sucked for so long now, they might as well jump the shark completely. It was a huge mistake to sell to the big boxes in the first place, because most people don't understand the whole dealer "this amp goes to eleven" theory. 95% the same parts.

If they can pay the bills with these crappy things, maybe they can get back to making real machines.

http://www.abbysguide.com/ope/discussions/40370-0-1.html

btw...not defending them but if they made a machine that would last 20+ years...well, uhh...wouldn't they go out of business long before then?...I mean they need to keep selling stuff right...also would not the price be astronomical.  I do look forward to the review of the sno teck though....

People are willing to pay more for quality.Thats why I bought a Simplicity Pro.Also I think a company wants a good reputation for quality and reliability.Thats how you get repeat customers and also recommendations.I told my brother to look at anything but those Sears machines.He got himself a Simp. So thats how they make $$

...and if he did not need another blower for 20+ years SImplicity would have long been out of business....but I bet Sears would still be around. I am not defending it...just saying people would rather spend 1/3 less with the expectation that it lasts 8 - 10 years....or it seams thats the way things are going....hence all the brand names at the box stores...

mikiewest wrote:

Unfortunately many more people are willing to pay less for low quality..

which is what the big boxes count on..which is why we have so much low quality junk made in china..that sells great..

Scot

Anyone who supports the the philosophy of producing poor quality for less money is following the lead of numerous domestic manufacturers, of which, many are on the ropes. Is this how we built our nations? Is that the philosophy that launched the U.S. to the forefront of world manufacturing dominance? Please. Our nations were built on our reputation for building quality products, mass produced for reasonable prices. Throwing together cheap crap, with built in obsolescence and pre-determined expiry dates is a recipe for failure. There are numerous North American manufacturers that can attest to that. You can only build and sell junk for so long. Someone will see that there is an opportunity to fill the void and will step in to capture that piece of the market with a better product. Unfortunately, it will likely be a foreign company and the product will be better and cost even less. Building inferior products, may, in the short run, bolster manufacturer profits and put smiles on the faces of dealerships up to their necks in broken down machines charging $82.00/hr. (still can't get over that). Even the most inexperienced consumers will eventually learn that spending a few bucks more to have a machine that spends more time working than being worked on, is worth the premium. People will pay more for a premium product if it's available. It's becoming evident that all of the domestic manufacturers are taking the short cut to easy profits. Sooner or later, we'll only have Honda and Yamaha to provide us with quality products. When that happens, I suspect the Chinese will challenge their piece of the market as well. Take good care of your old Ariens, Toros and Simplicitys. It's not too likely that you'll be seeing domestic snow throwers of that build quality again.

That's just it:  No one is going to spend $85/hr to keep a machine running when you could buy a new one every three for what it would cost to keep a decent one running. 

80% or so of people in the snowblower market can get by with an 8hp/24 inch snowblower.  That's 80% of the market.   Everybody else is not the market.   Instead of greaseable bearings/gears and strong transmissions, it makes sense for manufactures to use plastic bushings and 30-40 year old disc/belt designs.  Then every 3 years the homeowner is back buying a snowblower for full retail when the pos (which they treat like a pos) won't start.    They sell a new machine instead of a new shear pin.   This I can understand, because $500 every 3-4 years makes more sense than $2000 every 20 years BECAUSE THE NEW MACHINES WILL NEVER LAST THAT LONG!!!!!!!!!

What I hate is the idea that pro models are worth a 50% premium over their lesser bretheren.  Honda doesn't make a cheap machine, so they're the exception. ( Do I think my snowblower will last 20 years? I won't have it that long.  My last honda was a 828wa, over 10 years old and I sold it in 2 days for $700.  If I can find a nice skid steer for under 8 grand that 1132tas is going up on craigslist....Shhhhhh...don't tell the wife!) 

If I had 30' of flat asphalt to deal with, I'd be using the cheapest piece of junk I could find (in May of course) instead of pretending my Super Deluxe Pro model of the same thing was really all that much better.   

It's not only how long will the machine last but how many trouble free years will one have with the machine.I looked at the troybilts sitting at Lowes and they look like crap.I guarantee you my machine will have less problems due to the fact that I dont have plastic this and a flimsy looking auger gear case.Look at those 4 piece auger blades...very flimsy.So I might have to take my machine to the shop but it wont be for a long time.Even if I change the spark plug every year in addition to oil change and lubing,what does that come to $6/yr?I am not a mechanic and just by watching a  a video on how to change a friction disc,I feel confident I can do it.Which wont be for a long time.