I agree, brands like McCulloch, Homelite (and to a degree Poulan and Ryobi) used to make good machinery, now all they sell is badge engineering cheap and nasty half cranks that are palmed off through large store with no hope of any backup service.
The idle screw on the Homelite's and Ryobi are now packman tamperproof head for god sake.
But think, in 1975, a basic storebrand Victa Monaro cost somewhere around $150 - 190 (low arch v high arch) - thats $670 - $850 for a basic mower in todays money. Then if you went up to a VC Sports, Mustang or AutoDrive, you would be looking at a lot more coin.
That puts us square into Honda territory - well you would have to add a bit more because Honda are greedy b**tards. Still can't really match the longevity of a 2 stroke though, especially with a gcv.
The basic Victa (18 inch, cut catch) is now $399 ish - lot less money, lot less quality. Also, no one is content on making a reasonable amount of money any more, they just gouge as much as they can.
They posed the question on 6PR (WA equivalent of 3AW 2GB talkback) the other month "the best business advice you have received". One guy rang in and said something along the lines of "be a sheep shearer not a slaughterer - if you just shear, you can do it again and again."
Then there is a famous quote that I recently saw on a mower shop wall
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." John Ruskin
Says it all really
Last edited by Tyler; 14/01/20 03:08 AM.
