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Consumer Reports Loves MTD!

12K views 46 replies 21 participants last post by  UNDERTAKER 
#1 ·
The March 2015 issue of CU is out and the Lab Test Top Ten is dominated by MTD products. (It shouldn't take long for the rabid fanboys to show up...)
 

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#2 ·
I don't always agree with Consumer Reports' methods of evaluating. Too heavy on features and function, with too little value placed on long term reliability and durability (harder to evaluate)
 
#6 ·
+1 on that, pretty much exactly what I was thinking long-term durability .. tough to simulate unless something happens to break while they're testing. Also they tend to test what is popular and widely available in the big-box stores. :cool:

That said, I do like the CR for certain things. Maybe not so much for yard equipment.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Do you realize that that this statement is going to go against a small yet very vocal group of people here who intensely dislike MTD. I Do not automatically hate on things without first looking at and evaluating the product first. If it is a well made well working product I am not afraid to say so. Despite its country of origin or company of origin.
 
#4 ·
Interesting list. I will have to pick it up and read how they did their evaluations.

What does a 5 point difference really reflect? Could the results of the top 11 easily have been flipped?

Cost may be a big factor. As timettime said they really don't look at long term reliability all that well. They do a pretty good job of this with cars but not other products.

6 of the top 11 are MTD's. I know Cub Cadet is owned by MTD but it's designs are a bit different than the core MTD products. I am not sure if they are a subsidiary who they let do their own thing to some extent.
 
#7 ·
I think I saw on YouTube them doing testing on snowblowers with wet sawdust ...something in my mind sparks a memory of seeing that. Now you got me curious and I'm going to have to go look it up tonight again. :eek:
 
#10 ·
The March 2015 issue of CU is out and the Lab Test Top Ten is dominated by MTD products. (It shouldn't take long for the rabid fanboys to show up...)
You Proved his point here exactly. I say I look at stuff. I evaluate. And if it is a bad product then I will say so. I do not automactically hate on things. I do like Ariens. They are still in bussiness because they do make excellent snowblowers. Likewise some of the higher end MTD machines are also decent to very good snowblowers as well. They are not Hondas per say yet they still are a good running excellent products especially for the price they are sold at. You and I are not all that different Scott in that we appreciate high quaility Equipment. I did maintanence for years and I know my way around a wrench. Unfortunately Briggs and yes the now demised Tecumseh were not always the very best products on the market. I am just not afraid to say so however.
 
#17 · (Edited)
You Proved his point here exactly.
...and it took less than two hours.

FWIW, I backed into MTD ownership via a Craigslist deal that was too good to pass up. I found that they are stone simple to work on and parts availability is fantastic. Nothing but normal preventive maintenance and replacement of wear items to report on. My Honda HS621 has been great too! I'm pretty brand agnostic when it comes to OPE. As long as it works for you, I'm not going to badmouth your brand. :)

Off to blow some more DTW snow...
 
#11 ·
Some posters think their 50 or 60 inches of snowfall in a season is a lot of snow. Their MTD products seem to be lasting a lifetime. I live on a private road road in central NH where most residential roads are private so the town does not have to maintain them. Not only do I do my own driveway but also neighbors and hundred of square feet of end-of-road piles that quite often contains some 3 to 6 rock kicked up by the plow if the road isn't frozen rock hard. The truck makes one pass to the end of the road, back up, and and then makes another pass widening it a bit. I am one of those Arien lovers because my 2002 commercial has not needed a single repair doing all of the above year-after-year. How many MTD models do you think would stand up to this abuse?
 
#14 ·
Some posters think their 50 or 60 inches of snowfall in a season is a lot of snow. Their MTD products seem to be lasting a lifetime. I live on a private road road in central NH where most residential roads are private so the town does not have to maintain them. Not only do I do my own driveway but also neighbors and hundred of square feet of end-of-road piles that quite often contains some 3 to 6 rock kicked up by the plow if the road isn't frozen rock hard. The truck makes one pass to the end of the road, back up, and and then makes another pass widening it a bit. I am one of those Arien lovers because my 2002 commercial has not needed a single repair doing all of the above year-after-year. How many MTD models do you think would stand up to this abuse?
It should because it is a commercial made blower. We have to compare simular products. Comparing a super duty pick up Truck to a car based cross over SUV is not exactly a fair comparision. However for the higher price you paid for your Commercial blower it should be the better product. I say Compare simular machines in simular price points and then base your conclusion on how they preform. Yes Ariens makes excellent machines. Likewise for the average homeowner the higher end MTD products are certainly up to the task as well.
 
#13 ·
And yes, as others have said, the problem with Consumer Reports is that they only rate snowblowers when they are brand new, long term reliability isn't even a factor..a brand new Kia might compare favorably with a brand new Honda Civic, but the Kia isn't going to last 250,000 miles and 20 years, which the Honda will do with ease. And the Kia will also cost a lot more in repairs over its shorter 10 year lifespan than the Honda..anything looks fairly decent when its brand new, but that's only a fraction of what should be considered for a complete evaluation..its just a fact that not all brands are equal quality.
 
#16 · (Edited)
And yes, as others have said, the problem with Consumer Reports is that they only rate snowblowers when they are brand new, long term reliability isn't even a factor..a brand new Kia might compare favorably with a brand new Honda Civic, but the Kia isn't going to last 250,000 miles and 20 years, which the Honda will do with ease. And the Kia will also cost a lot more in repairs over its shorter 10 year lifespan than the Honda..anything looks fairly decent when its brand new, but that's only a fraction of what should be considered for a complete evaluation..its just a fact that not all brands are equal quality.
I actually own a Hyundai and they incidentally own Kia as well. It is a very reliable and dependable car. Plus Hyundai actually employs thousands of American workers in Alabama. May be Ford could take a look at what Hyundai is doing and bring back some of those jobs from Mexico back here to the USA. I am well aware of your dislike for Hyundia and Kia in your thousands of posts. Have you ever owned a Hyundia or Kia? Prove to me that they are bad cars.
PS I have 361,000 miles on my Hyundai
 
#20 ·
Hey guys, not that I'm trying to get in the middle of this dogfight, but the top 10 on this list we are arguing about are separated by only 5 points...which means to me they are virtually the same ratings wise. We all love our machines/brands for our own reasons, now let's go blow some snow!!!
 
#21 ·
GustoGuy, and which MTD product might that be? I know some of the "higher end" products are priced near commercial model prices, but is the build quality the same? BTW, I bought mine used for $650. I believe according tothis forum that MTD started in the snowblower business in the mid -1980s? Are OEM parts for their first blowers even available? Honda and Toro to-a-degree are. Some of those with old Yamaha are retiring good snowblowers due to a lack of parts. The common thread about Chinese made products is that repair parts are not available. I agree that the CCR report is in the inverse order it should be if my opinion isn't obvious.
 
#22 ·
GustoGuy, and which MTD product might that be? I know some of the "higher end" products are priced near commercial model prices, but is the build quality the same? BTW, I bought mine used for $650. I believe according tothis forum that MTD started in the snowblower business in the mid -1980s? Are OEM parts for their first blowers even available? Honda and Toro to-a-degree are. Some of those with old Yamaha are retiring good snowblowers due to a lack of parts. The common thread about Chinese made products is that repair parts are not available. I agree that the CCR report is in the inverse order it should be if my opinion isn't obvious.

Of course I do not lump all MTD products into the same basket. Low-end models are like I said low-end models. I say look at the product to see if it will meet your snow blowing needs. A brand new Commercial grade Ariens or Honda is pretty much overkill for the average homeowner. Likewise not all MTD machines are bad. Yes some of the low-end stuff is less than ideal for me too yet the very best MTD has to offer is often of very decent quality and at a price point that most consumers would like. Cub Cadet 3X machines are not bad machines at all.
 
#23 ·
T824 noted that CU does a good job evaluating cars.. I always feel like they offer some really good information in their annualApril car issue. I think that their car reliability evaluations are a major part of their content (and sales). Cars are a huge market, with many billions in sales, lots of buyers, a lot of available information, and much research.

Snow blowers are a much smaller niche market. It may not be the same bread and butter to CU as cars, but it is certainly not an unimportant topic for the guy who lives in the snow belt and has to keep thousands of SF clear of snow.
 
#46 ·
The thing i find most useful in CU is their section on consumer reported issues and problems. That's the meat and potatoes of machines much more so than the dial and gauge placement and other bells and whistles. Much of those are subjective. What i always want to know is What Breaks with regularity. Much of the rest is personal preference and subjective.
 
#32 · (Edited)
I think the CR test shown above may not be perfect, I doubt sawdust packs like wet snow, but it seems fair.
In this discussion I'm with GustoGuy. While it is true some manufacturers products are generally better that others I see no reason to buy more machine than you need which is exactly what I did. I have an Ariens Pro that is well maintained. I'm 66. That machine will outlive my kids. Do I need a snowblower that will last longer than me? A MTD or a less expensive Ariens would have served me as well imo.
 
#34 ·
I do not know what to think or say. But My 18 year old Craftsman I just sold to buy my new Toro I had no Problems with and My Toro has had many small problems and will go back to the dealer latter on this week. I still like to believe that Toro makes a great product??
 
#35 ·
I do not know what to think or say. But My 18 year old Craftsman I just sold to buy my new Toro I had no Problems with and My Toro has had many small problems and will go back to the dealer latter on this week. I still like to believe that Toro makes a great product??

Well at one time Toro was totally made here in Minnesota in the USA. Now all the 2 stage Toro snow blowers are made in Mexico. MTD still makes it snow blowers here in the USA. Innovation and quality needs to be earned and once in a while companies like Toro think they can save money and rest on their laurels are often shocked when competitor’s machines leapfrog theirs in quality. Yes, you usually get what you pay for in quality, however once in a while quality can take a back seat to cost cutting.

 
#38 ·
if someone wants to buy an mtd its their coin so have at it. will it last as long as my toro? I don't know. I saw my new neighbor out with his newer craftsman two stage snowblower earlier today and it was doing a good job. I just sold my craftsman two stage snowblower a few days ago, i bought it new in '03. the four times I used it, it did a good job of blowing snow. I sold it more out of frustration and the fact that I knew I wouldn't be happy with it. the guy I sold the craftsman to said his uncle had one just like it that he had used. he also said the craftsman worked real good. he's happy with the craftsman and I'm happy its with someone that wanted it
 
#42 ·
I never put any merit to CR or any published reports. Motor Trend for example voted 1971 car of the year... Chevrolet Vega. Geez that one was a winner. 2015 truck of the year is Colorado. Both years were brand new unproven models.

I will stick with common sense. Ariens, Toro Honda. And anything older than 10 yrs has proven itself.

Maybe CR should bring all the models way up north To Canada or Alaska for a real evaluation. How it works, starts, blows chunks of real EOD when its below freezing. Pretty sure the wet saw dust test has no merit.
 
#43 · (Edited)
That saw dust test is certainly limited and leaves out many real world issues. Big chunks of ice, cold weather and slush just for a few.

I will reserve full judgment until I read the entire article.

To Scrappy's point, trade magazines can favor to sponsors. On the other hand CR is suppose to be independent and does not take advertisements to avoid conflicts of interest.
 
#44 ·
I own a 10 year old Ariens,and I love it...I previously owned a 20 year old Mtd built blower.that had carburater problems was very unreliable.because ran like ****,and a lot of times wouldn't start.I can't say it was Mtd's fault it had a Tecumseh motor,same as my Ariens.I can say there was a big difference in build quality in the 2.The Mtd had a plastic shute,and the metal seemed flimsy.And my Ariens has a metal shute,and thicker metal.The Mtd lasted 20 years,but the previous owner took care of it,kept it clean,he used to spray the whole thing down with Wd-40.I have to agree with whoever mentioned in this thread about maintenance, is a big factor in reliability no matter what brand you own....but that being said I would never trade my Ariens for a Mtd!! But whatever you own take good care of it.who cares what you own,as long as it works,and you like it!!!!
 
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