Crowe

I went to the local outdoor power store and did this very comparison with the sales guy today (8/11/15). First of all, the engine specs on the Simplicity above are understated as it's 420 CCs as well. Also, the warranty is the same 3 year consumer, 1 year commercial. The sales guy talked up the Simplicity over the Ariens Pro 28 for a couple of reasons. The transmission is better for one. It has an automatic torque adjustment based on how much work you give it. When you hit the end of the driveway and run into that wall of solid snow left by the snow plow, it "shifts down" and applies more force to the auger so you don't get the engine stress like the direct drive on the Ariens. He also commented on the auto turn feature being a huge pain on the Ariens. They're on their 2nd generation and it still causes the unit to fishtail down the driveway. It auto turns like a dream on a driveway with no snow but give it an uneven surface of snow and ice and he said it's all over the place. Go on snow blower direct's website and read the reviews. Overall he said they're comparable, but as the guy who sees repairs come in and hears customer complaints, he felt the Simplicity edged out the Ariens.