Hotrodder wrote: ↑Wed Oct 09, 2024 12:28 pm
JCB hardly has any grip in France. Case seems to have the major market share.
My current mowing disaster is one of the many MTD brand names. "Yard Man". During my ongoing searches for replacement parts I discovered several different brand names on the same product. Like almost every consumer appliance these days the brand name is no longer an indication of source, reputation or quality. Multinational corporations have the clout to buy reputable brands and then authorise copies to be made in China where quality control is but an ancient myth. In my field of interest I have noticed the name of Sony emblazoned on products that unless they are at the very top of the range have never been near Japan. The Nikon camera I have been thinking of buying was actually made in Thailand. Stihl, once regarded as a fine example of German quality has its second largest production facility in China. As soon as a successful manufacturing company has hit that glass ceiling of profit the next step is to sack employees and buy robots, or to outsource production to China and the far east. Some insist on tight quality control and deserve their continued good reputation. Others just give the bean counters free reign to cut corners until the product is reduced to crap.
The irony here is that we were warned off Bestgreen and buying from a brico, 18 years ago, on the basis that they were cheap, nasty Chinese imports. That mower gave of it's all for 15 years without a sniff of a problem! Fair enough, we could have spent 4 times the amount on a Husqvarna or whatever and not had any problems with that either. It's not always a case of 'you get what you pay for', though. Back on the topic of mower lifts, best laugh of the day was watching a YouTube video showing a very slight, pretty teenage girl daintily placing a toe on the hydraulic foot pump of a lift with a 500kg Honda beast which she'd shoved on with one hand. She then washed off the deck with a watering pistol. All this on immaculate block paving. It was still immaculate when she'd finished I do love a good fairy story....
I shall digress a little here.
While out shopping yesterday in the big town, I suggested to Mrs PE that we take a look at a cheap electric car in a dealer showroom. It took some work to get the salesman to cough up the full technical specs of the car without glossy pictures (I was not that impressed due to all the flippant, bound to go wrong, electric extras) After asking a few technical question and getting them bounced by the not very well informed salesman, Mrs PE then asks “What colours does it come in”……. AAAAAARRRRGGGHHH.
Polarengineer wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2024 6:57 am
I shall digress a little here......
Mrs PE then asks “What colours does it come in”……. AAAAAARRRRGGGHHH.
I have been wondering about the scarcity of cars around with non-monochrome paintwork. When we go shopping our route passes three new car dealerships with dozens of cars out front. Often nothing but grey or white to be seen, a yellow or blue one if you're lucky. Then yesterday I watched a short clip of the evacuation of Florida. Dual carriageway with all black, white, and mostly grey cars over there as well. Some sort of conspiracy?, or the manufacturers saving .0002% on the miniscule amount of paint on each car to increase profit.
Either that or I have some unknown fault with my colour perception.
On my headstone it will say: Please switch off mobile phones. I'm trying to get some sleep.
Quiksilver wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2024 4:29 pm
In rural France it's more to do with the car being splattered with mud for 98% of the time, so what's the point having a fancy colour?
I live on a fairly busy road, and I can assure you the grey cars passing by have just as much mud on them, which by the way, makes them harder to see in the poorly lit lanes.
On my headstone it will say: Please switch off mobile phones. I'm trying to get some sleep.
Aforementioned bronzy-brown MTD was, I thought, going to be much less of an eyesore dust and mud-wise. How wrong can you be? I gave up dusting and polishing it within a month. I know a lost cause when I see one!
I do love a good fairy story....
