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

Hi Folks, back again, finally starting to see some white stuff around here - Santa brought it Dec 25th.

Very little action for the machines so far, maybe yours too, so here's some reading for ya:

Ratings.

Cheers!

They cannot be experts on everything, more likely they are not experts on everything. I prefer magazines that test one product, (motor vehicles)      like Car and Driver  or Road and TRack.

NotMoneyGuy wrote:

Well now I know what model to buy when I want to blow wet sawdust!

Steve_Cebu wrote:
As funny as it sounds, I can't really fault them. It's probably more repeatable than using actual snow, even if we were getting snow at the moment. If you get to test half the machines on cold, dry snow, and the other half can't be tested (not enough people to run them all, say) until the next storm, which is wet, heavy stuff, then it would be awfully hard to make a useful comparison.

I've wondered how the manufacturers themselves test them. I hadn't considered wet sawdust, but I wouldn't be surprised if they had their own not-really-snow concoctions. I'm sure they'd like to be able to test new designs on something during the warmer months, before trying to get a machine rolled out into production.

And, as others have said, I take some of their reviews with a grain of salt. Computers, A/V equipment, and OPE are things that I tend to do my own research on. That's not to say I won't read what they have to say. But I do have to raise an eyebrow when, say, an MTD blower out-ranks a Honda. Maybe this year, on select criteria, OK. But what about in 5 years, 20 years?

But for things that are suited to testing in a structured environment, and which are hard for the rest of us to truly *compare* (air conditioners, dehumidifiers, refrigerators, food processors, things like that), I really appreciate their work. I might be able to post a review of my window A/C. It's "good" (because I bought the right size for my room, or maybe one that's too big for it), it's "quiet" (because maybe I'm tolerant of noise, or it's not near me, etc). But that's very different than gauging how well it truly compares in cooling performance against other similar-BTU units, and comparing noise levels, across 20 units, as well as energy consumption. None of us can offer that kind of big-picture feedback by ourselves. And it can be tough to really compare units myself, just reading reviews on the stores' websites.

Agreed, if you want a car review, go check a car magazine. But I haven't seen any advertisements for Refrigerators Monthly

Steve_Cebu wrote:
It doesn't really matter what CR says, it's no secret that you only buy a Toro. 

aa335 wrote:

Hey, I bought a Honda! I returned it, but I still bought one.

Now if I have to put in a generator and that means being 100 feet away from the house then I might need a tracked Honda again. The hill is too steep in the back for anything with wheels.

We lose power when it rains so it's a worthwhile investment. I think if we lose power for another 3-5 days in a row this year I will have to pony up and buy one.

Honda tracked models are great in that they can climb hills and have 3 height settings a must for grass and gravel.

Steve_Cebu wrote: Just curious, why did you return it?