The story of the MTD auger is in another thread
(Really Weird MTD Augers: Are They a Potential Problem?) Now the story.
1) The MTD has a single lever to adjust chute deflection and direction, similar to the Toro. The lever rotates a shaft that does 2.5 turns. On the Toro it is smooth and silky. On the MTDs we tried it on it was stiff and a bit hard to position accurately.
2) The grips are covered in a hard plastic.
3) The leading edge of the scoop feels fairly thin and lacks a supporting fold. MTD instead has started using skid shoes the length of the scoop to reinforce it.
4) The impeller has over 1/2" cap to the impeller housing.
5) Its balance is ok; not as heavy as the Deere, more $#%*bersome than the Ariens.
6) The left/right freewheel works, but doesn't have a smooth feel.
We then went to an Ariens store (ok, Home Depot), a 5 minutes away.
The immediate impression was that the Ariens was a bit better. The finish and forming of the metal. The movement of the controls (they had 2 30" Deluxe models on the floor). The design of the augers and the fit of the impeller (maybe 1/8" to 1/4").
We had been considering the MTD 30" ($980 at Sears plus a 5% online discount, $1099 at Lowes and the dealer) as an alternative to the Ariens ($1300 at Home Depot and the dealer). On paper it was feature rich with a one lever chute direction/deflection control, left/right freewheel power steering, heating hand grips, and standard drift bars. This not in use comparison rather changed that; the Ariens seemed a cut above.
On the lower end an interesting model was the 'Sno Tek by Ariens" : http://www.ariens.com/products_snow/sno_tek/Pages/default.aspx. They have no features. No steering. No heat hand grips. No remote deflection control. A crank for rotation. A small 208cc motor. They come in 20", 24", and 28" models, the motor isn't small for the smaller sizes. However the construction was very similar to the regular Ariens, down to the bolts holding the piano hinge to the metal scoop. The prices range from $499 to $699.
Net, the MTD had the features and an acceptable balance, but the price seemed to reflect the quality of the details. This is similar to the US only 2011 Jetta that starts at $16,000.
