# TORO FANS GONNA BE HAPPY WITH JAN 2021 CONSUMER REPORTS



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

scored tops for single stage and 2 stage snowblowers in January 2021 Consumer reports.


----------



## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

Whoa! No surprise though
Edit,
Yes I'm happy


----------



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

i think CR goes more on value than quality. 

plus they like the 3 stage blowers which many here think are a gimmick.


----------



## aa335 (Jan 21, 2020)

Zavie said:


> Whoa! No surprise though
> Edit,
> Yes I'm happy


CR is right this time, but I haven't agree with their review for many years.


----------



## dman2 (Sep 22, 2019)

I would say that Toro makes good snow blowers, but I don't need CR to tell me which snow blower is worth buying. They make money just like any body (if you know what I'm talking about), and their reviews aren't necessary accurate/expert reviews.

Like you said: They goes more on value than quality. Also they like 3 stage snow blowers.
On cars, they would give scores to radio, gps nagivation, ... which no one gives a *** about.


----------



## dman2 (Sep 22, 2019)

I hope they didn't use saw dust to test those snow blowers out.


----------



## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

dman2 said:


> I would say that Toro makes good snow blowers, but I don't need CR to tell me which snow blower is worth buying. They make money just like any body (if you know what I'm talking about), and their reviews aren't necessary accurate/expert reviews.
> 
> Like you said: They goes more on value than quality. Also they like 3 stage snow blowers.
> On cars, they would give scores to radio, gps nagivation, ... which no one gives a *** about.


I agree that Toro has made and makes some very good machines. I disagree, however, with the last part. From what I have seen, many (most ??) consumers are very much into the features (GPS, radio, self-parking, etc). I would bet that most forum members here do not fit into the "average consumer" bucket. We tend to favor functionality and durability. 

tx


----------



## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

Yes I agree. CR gives the average consumer a knowledge base to start the buying process off so they are not completely clueless.
With this knowledge they can go out this morning and get that Toro!


----------



## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

i pay no attention to what CR has to say, i've found them to be wrong on so many items over the years


----------



## Johnny G1 (Jan 28, 2020)

I found CR the biggest Bias reporter's anywhere, if they didn't like it no second thought's, it was no good in their mind's then it was no good for anybody, quit their subscription over 40 yrs ago and never looked at one since.


----------



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

dman2 said:


> I hope they didn't use saw dust to test those snow blowers out.


ya they did.


----------



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

detdrbuzzard said:


> i pay no attention to what CR has to say, i've found them to be wrong on so many items over the years


I agree 100%. They do have some good articles but I take their recommendations with a grain of salt. I tell people to go thru their neighborhoods after a snowstorm up here in the Sierra.

When you see that 9 out of 10 snowblowers are Honda , there must be a good reason.


----------



## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

orangputeh said:


> I agree 100%. They do have some good articles but I take their recommendations with a grain of salt. I tell people to go thru their neighborhoods after a snowstorm up here in the Sierra.
> 
> When you see that 9 out of 10 snowblowers are Honda , there must be a good reason.


I'm happy with that too.


----------



## Rooskie (Feb 12, 2015)

aa335 said:


> CR is right this time, but I haven't agree with their review for many years.





aa335 said:


> CR is right this time, but I haven't agree with their review for many years.


As you readily admit, If they haven't been right for all these years, wouldn't it follow that they are more likely than not wrong this time, as well?
I agree with others who note Consumer Reports is not what it used to be, by a long shot, anymore.
From the 'Recommended Reading' list below, it seems Consumer Reports is mighty fickle on their recommendations.


----------



## Miles (Sep 16, 2016)

Consumer Reports, even back in 1985, was making mistakes with products I bought. They recommended a phone answering machine just because it had a lot of features without testing it for longevity. A year later, they downgraded the answering machine because it kept breaking down. Their sawdust testing for snowblowers leaves a lot to be desired as well.


----------



## aa335 (Jan 21, 2020)

Rooskie said:


> As you readily admit, If they haven't been right for all these years, wouldn't it follow that they are more likely than not wrong this time, as well?
> I agree with others who note Consumer Reports is not what it used to be, by a long shot, anymore.
> From the 'Recommended Reading' list below, it seems Consumer Reports is mighty fickle on their recommendations.


I like Toro snowblower and they perform well and fits my budget. They are easy to work on, parts prices are reasonable, and they are reliable. I haven't found CR reviews useful to me and have stopped reading CR for many years.

Over the years, I've acquired enough knowledge and experience to decide what product is good for me. I think CR is weighted towards value, and that is safe approach and extend to a larger audience. If it pays the bills and make most people happy, so be it. At the end of the day, you take your chances and live with the consequences.


----------



## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

orangputeh said:


> I agree 100%. They do have some good articles but I take their recommendations with a grain of salt. I tell people to go thru their neighborhoods after a snowstorm up here in the Sierra.
> 
> When you see that 9 out of 10 snowblowers are Honda , there must be a good reason.


around me you see both toro and ariens doing the heavy work, guess it has to do with income levels..


----------



## deezlfan (Nov 8, 2017)

What CR says about any brand has to be pretty low on the list regarding members here. I'd even venture a bet that a recommendation from people on this forum is well down the list. I would think that the typical Toro owner here came about their opinions regarding the brand in a different fashion.

1. A long family history with the brand.

2. A deal fell into their lap.

3. Neighbor, friend or family recommendation. [This might be where the forum come in.]


----------



## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

I read CR only for the tire reviews. But I also combine that with Tire Rack tests and reviews and Discount tire reviews.
We bought a Bosch dishwasher based on CR.
Thank goodness Lowes exchanged it for a Kitchen Aid. The Bosch was terrible.


----------



## Rooskie (Feb 12, 2015)

aa335 said:


> I like Toro snowblower and they perform well and fits my budget. They are easy to work on, parts prices are reasonable, and they are reliable. I haven't found CR reviews useful to me and have stopped reading CR for many years.
> 
> Over the years, I've acquired enough knowledge and experience to decide what product is good for me. I think CR is weighted towards value, and that is safe approach and extend to a larger audience. If it pays the bills and make most people happy, so be it. At the end of the day, you take your chances and live with the consequences.


I like the Toro look, but you'd think that big drum around the rakes would limit how much snow gets into the impeller. That's my concern with Toro. My Ariens rakes got all filled up with snow a couple weeks ago, but that was the first time I'd ever seen that. Throughput was affected and it made me think about the Toro once I got around front to see how the snow was packed inside the rakes. Don't get me wrong,if I see a free toro alongside the road, I'd turn around to pick it up.


----------



## aa335 (Jan 21, 2020)

I haven't used those older style drum auger. There are people still using those machines. I believe those are the Powershift era. My opinion is that those machines weren't designed to be in a hurry. They do the job. I like the open ribbon style augers with serrated teeth which seems to work great breaking down frozen end of drive snow.


----------

