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Thread: Winter's Coming!! Snow Blower Suggestions

  1. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by Don Morris View Post
    Ya know...after reading good and bad about several of the brands mentioned, I'm reminded of something I concluded after researching coffee makers by studying the feedback comments on several sites. When you read multiple feedbacks, there are no perfect machines. Someone will have one that has problems and someone will have one that is perfect. It makes making a decision based on feedback often difficult. Better than no feedback, but still sometimes difficult to pull out your hard earned coins and feel there will never be a problem. At least you know you might get one of the perfect ones. With my luck however........
    I've been looking at dishwashers recently even though I probably won't buy one for a while. After reading consumer reviews online I'm almost thinking a cabinet where the dishwasher opening is might be a better investment. I was reading the consumer reviews of dishwashers at Consumerreports.org and even the highest rated dishwashers are universally panned by consumers. The reviews have five to ten negative reviews for every positive review. It isn't just someone giving a negative review because they didn't like the arrangement of the racks or something. The complaints are mainly they don't wash well, or the units have required many service calls and a number of complaints about leaking units, often multiple times.

    I don't know if it is just people with good experiences don't post reviews, or if there really fundamental problems with most new dishwashers due to new energy saving requirements.

  2. #47
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    Brian,

    Just look at what happens here at SMC.

    How many times do you see someone rant about a bad power tool they receive versus how many times you see someone post a good review about a product they receive? Obviously companies wouldn't continue to sell a seriously defective product.

    I don't think you can place complete confidence on any one source of consumer information.

    Magazine reviews may be slanted due to advertising. If so and to what extent? Who really knows?

    Consumer Reports may be less biased due to no advertising but to often, their tests are rather short compared to actual consumer use, IMO.

    Consumer reviews are hit and miss too. Right here at the Creek, we have had members who ranted strongly over something, and then admitted to me privately, the final resolution was "Operator Error" on their part and they were grateful I had removed the thread and handled the matter via PM. There are a lot of people who will try to argue technical/engineering data and details but on closer examination, they could not be my mechanic.

    Complaints about "bad customer service" deserve close detailed inspection too. Regardless of how much money someone spends for a product, the customer IS NOT always right. They are always the Customer but they aren't always right. The attitude that someone displays when in conversation with a customer service representative may determine just how far a company may go to the letter of a contract and beyond to aid that customer. Customer service agents are humans too. They don't last long in those positions without having empathy and taking a certain amount of heat from a customer. Once that amount of heat a customer exhibits crosses an invisible line and becomes abusive, nobody has to take it regardless of how much money someone spent with your company. Then the customer service agent may become unfriendly.

    Just recently we had two appliances give up the ghost. When the microwave went out, it was no big deal. My wife and I were shopping at Costco the next day and I said let's look at what they have for microwaves ovens. We walked out with a new microwave. I did no research. It cost less than $100. Why spend a lot of time worrying about it?

    The next week when our main refrigerator in our kitchen died after 23 years (We have a much smaller one in the basement utility room), I didn't allow the shopping hormones of our visiting DIL and wife override my researching a product that met my wife's requirements, was recommended by Consumers Reports and one on which I found literally hundreds of good reviews at several different websites.

    When it comes to making major purchases like dishwashers, for example, I don't think one can use just one source of information to get a true representation of a product's reliability, quality, and usefulness.
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 12-03-2014 at 12:07 PM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  3. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Fitzgerald View Post
    When it comes to making major purchases like dishwashers, for example, I don't think one can use just one source of information to get a true representation of a product's reliability, quality, and usefulness.
    The thing here is, it wasn't just one dishwasher that had bad reviews. Bosch and Kenmore Elite are some of the recommended models by Consumer Reports. I couldn't find a single Kenmore Elite or Bosch that wasn't universally panned by consumer reviewers on the Consumer Reports website. I certainly don't treat Consumer Reports as a bible when buying appliances, but I put a fair amount of stock in their reviews. I recently bought a new refrigerator, a new microwave, and a new range and certainly looked at Consumer Reports. The three appliances I bought were well rated by Consumer Reports, but are not the recommended models. I also looked at other reviews online when buying the three appliances.

    I don't need a dishwasher right now. In my last house I might have gone six months between using the dishwasher. I washed dishes by hand 99% of the time for whatever reason. The primary reason I will get dishwasher at all is because a modern kitchen is expected to have one. Based on how bad the reviews of all the high end dishwashers are I might not ever get one until the day in the future I decide to sell the house.

  4. #49
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    Lewiston, Idaho
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    Brian,


    The replacement refrigerator we bought was 1 of several recommended models. It was panned by a few reviews there at CR but we literally found hundreds of reports by other consumers at other websites that liked it. Out of 200+ reviews, there was something like 168 - 5's , 38 - 4's and 1 - 1. I always read a lot of the reviews, especially the extremes. The one review with a score of 1? The person was angered by the fact that the selling store didn't install the water line as it was against their policy. Their people just delivered the new refrigerator and removed the old one.

    I really don't think there is one definitive place to get an absolute review. They all have their issues, IMO.


    BTW....I am redesigning our kitchen with a possible bump out to increase it's size. Room for and installation of a dishwasher will be happening. I will get a few rough measurements to leave room for it in the cabinet design but will buy after the construction IF we end up doing a bump out. Our kitchen is only about 9' x 8' and all the appliances are in that area. Our cabinets are 1960's site built cabinets. Though there is one cabinet sized and placed logically for installation of a dishwasher, with so little cabinet space, my wife refuses to give up the storage space and instead introduces me as her dishwasher.
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 12-03-2014 at 12:53 PM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  5. #50
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    We are getting way off topic, but I see tons of one star reviews on Amazon because of silly things like the item arrived a day later than promised, the item didn't ship for days or weeks, or the item was DOA and so on. Shipping and delivery issues have no bearing on if the item is good or not. Amazon allows buyers to review third party sellers on how the actual sale including delivery and speed of shipping.

  6. #51
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    Sep 2010
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    Livonia, Michigan
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    10 years ago we were given a Toro S-620 that was in bad shape. With strips of metal, spit and bubble gum I've kept it going but now that I'm disabled my wife does the snow. She doesn't want to deal with patched up junk. We just pulled the trigger and bought a Sears 22" 2 stage snow blower on a black Tuesday(!) sale. Once we bought it and got it out of the box found it was made by MTD.

    Can't tell you how well it works, hasn't snowed enough yet. Only problem so far is when my wife and daughter got it out of the minivan they had to turn the box on the side. That allowed the engine oil to leak out the breather and into the carb and all over the box. I had to clean it up, add some oil. When it started it filled the garage with smoke. Also the metal skids on the front are a bit small, I might drill them to add polyethylene wear pads to extend their life and make it slide easier.

    As far as dishwashers go, keep in mind the manufacturers designed the dishwashers to use a minimum of water. To do this they relied on the phosphates in the detergent to hold dirt in suspension. Once the phosphates were taken out that strategy went to heck. I don't know if any of the appliance makers have sorted out what to do about it, haven't been in the market for one. I know our Kenmore doesn't clean as well as it used to.

    -Tom

  7. #52
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    Sep 2010
    Location
    Livonia, Michigan
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    Dragging up an old thread and kinda replying to myself here but an update on the MTD built Sears 2 stage snowblower.

    At first there were Grumbling and Mumbling from my wife about it being big and hard to manage. After some of the snows we've had the muttering changed to: Gee, how hard would it be to load it in the minivan and take it to Mom's house?



    The one problem that's come up: the choke mechanism is goofy and the markings on the rotary knob are fairly useless. I could clearly hear the engine running at half choke when my wife was trying to clear the snow. That lead to some early frustration on her part. She seems to have it figured out now but after trying out the mechanism it sure could have been better.

    -Tom

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