How about a review section?

[KathysLGC]

http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=100015

[Sean Adams]

I like that idea, but as mentioned in the other thread there would have to be some sort of understanding as to who performs the review, etc...

[bobbygedd]

how bout i perform the review, after 15 beers?

[TClawn]

why not have them fill out a form I.E. how long have you used the equipment, which kind of equipment (rider, walkbehind, trimmer, blower, hand tool, fert spreader, sprayer, accesory), kind of grass used on (warm season or cool season), dealer you bought the equipment from, price paid out the door. etc.

[Charles]

how bout i perform the review, after 15 beers?

Nice to see you trying to cut back :laugh:

[lawnman_scott]

I dont think it would work if the threads were locked there would be people starting a new thread about the same thing telling their story. If people could reply i think it could work. Becajse then you could see different opinions, and come to a conclusion on what someone says based on what you think is a responsible or good source.

[KathysLGC]

Look at how cluttered the buy/section would be if it wasn't locked... I think a review section should be just that. If you buy a product online from say Amazon you have the option of reading reviews before you buy. This would be similar. Currently if you do a search for lets say the Red Max EB8000 you'll come up with many posts and if your looking for info on it you have to read through reply after reply to get find what you want. A review section with standards or guild lines will give you your answers on one post. The reviewer will take time try to cover all points of the product both good and bad. A review should be an honest opinion and the board is moderated any way so i think no one would just bs. How many times a day does some one tell a new guy to do a search? Well doing a search isn't always an easy thing to do.
I'm a moderator on an other board and I review many pc/xb apps and they really do help a forum out if done correctly.

[KathysLGC]

Quality of build:
This mower is well built with smooth edges. It's not a tank as in other mowers, but I feel eXmark took many things into consideration when designing this mower. It is very well balanced and the paint finish is very strong.
Operation:
The eXmark is very easy to figure out with the ECS controls being at a comfortable position. The hydros are very smooth running but I feel they are too sensitive compared to the amount of force needed to squeeze the controls. I feel the controls should be softer if there is only about 1.5-2" of movement on the controls. Your hand muscles get just as tired as with standard pistol grips. I wasn't too impressed with the ECS controls. The safety levor should have padding on it as well.
I really don't like the fact that the blade engagement is manuel. In a way it's one less electrical part you have to worry about replacing but i still like to flick a switch to turn the blades on... It took me some getting used to the safety switches eXmark put on. After hitting the heel of my boot with the blade on another mower, I don't mind them.
Placement of the hydro tracking adjustment is convenient and very easy to adjust.
Performance:
The TTHP performed as expected. It will hold a hill pretty good but i'm not a fan of small rear tires. I've been having a problem with rutting on thin lawns or wet lawns. It just seems there is not enough contact patch to the ground to disperse the weight of the mower. The choice of engine is a good combo as well. Mine has the 17hp V-tiwn Kaw and it is plenty of power although many will disagree and say a 48" deck needs 20hp or better, I can't see why. The 17hp doesn't bog down even when mulching leaves. If the leaves are thick and wet and you try to mulch a pile thats too big you could force the engine to bog down but why do it?
The quality of cut is all eXmark. The trivantage deck does a great job at dispersing clippings which to me is a big factor in cut quality. Many mowers can cut good but not all can take care of clippings as well as the eXmark deck does.
I got this used last year with hardly any hours on it. I did have to adjust the rpms but that was it. eXmark could of used a hydro oil cooler on their units but they feel Mobil 1 is enough.

I would rate this mower a 3.75 out of 5

[Markf]

Sounds like a great idea. However, Playboy, how long did it take to type the review of the ExMark? If your like me in typing (poke and hope) I would be hard pressed to spend the time to type a review. What if there was a "click the appropriate box" review and a space at the bottom for comments? Perhaps more people would be inclined to partake in a review. My .02.
Mark

[KathysLGC]

That would make it more generic. I think if a person took the time out to really think about the product in review it would be more informative. It wouldn't matter if it was a bit long winded because some one looking for a review would want to know everything they can about how you feel and what you like/dislike of the reviewed item.
If some one is lazy then maybe they shouldn't type up a review. No offense to you by that statement either. We have a spell check feature so people can check their review before posting.

[TClawn]

it would not take me too much time to type up a review. if your too lazy (or busy) to do it now, do it in the winter when your board to tears. btw, I type around 60 wpm, so no problem for me. :)

[lawnman_scott]

Quality of build:
This mower is well built with smooth edges. It's not a tank as in other mowers, but I feel eXmark took many things into consideration when designing this mower. It is very well balanced and the paint finish is very strong.
Operation:
The eXmark is very easy to figure out with the ECS controls being at a comfortable position. The hydros are very smooth running but I feel they are too sensitive compared to the amount of force needed to squeeze the controls. I feel the controls should be softer if there is only about 1.5-2" of movement on the controls. Your hand muscles get just as tired as with standard pistol grips. I wasn't too impressed with the ECS controls. The safety levor should have padding on it as well.
I really don't like the fact that the blade engagement is manuel. In a way it's one less electrical part you have to worry about replacing but i still like to flick a switch to turn the blades on... It took me some getting used to the safety switches eXmark put on. After hitting the heel of my boot with the blade on another mower, I don't mind them.
Placement of the hydro tracking adjustment is convenient and very easy to adjust.
Performance:
The TTHP performed as expected. It will hold a hill pretty good but i'm not a fan of small rear tires. I've been having a problem with rutting on thin lawns or wet lawns. It just seems there is not enough contact patch to the ground to disperse the weight of the mower. The choice of engine is a good combo as well. Mine has the 17hp V-tiwn Kaw and it is plenty of power although many will disagree and say a 48" deck needs 20hp or better, I can't see why. The 17hp doesn't bog down even when mulching leaves. If the leaves are thick and wet and you try to mulch a pile thats too big you could force the engine to bog down but why do it?
The quality of cut is all eXmark. The trivantage deck does a great job at dispersing clippings which to me is a big factor in cut quality. Many mowers can cut good but not all can take care of clippings as well as the eXmark deck does.
I got this used last year with hardly any hours on it. I did have to adjust the rpms but that was it. eXmark could of used a hydro oil cooler on their units but they feel Mobil 1 is enough.

I would rate this mower a 3.75 out of 5
What would have made it a 5? And how would I find out if I couldnt respnd to the thread? I could pm, but then others dont see.

[Tanaka]

Tanaka has started a field test program and they will be posted in the Tanaka forum. I would be more than happy to post them in a central location with other manufacturer reviews.
-MW

[KathysLGC]

What would have made it a 5? And how would I find out if I couldnt respnd to the thread? I could pm, but then others dont see.

A review is only a persons opinion. What would make my review for it a 5? There are many small things that i feel could be changed but if they where changed to suit me and I gave it a 5 out of 5 some one else may review it and give it a 3 out of 5. To me, a mower needs to have a great cut, be reliable and easy to operate for starters. You could just PM me any questions you had on it or submit a post with questions on the review so that the reviewer and others can comment. This will keep the original review clean.

[Sean Adams]

Playboy - you are making it easy for me to make this "review section" a reality.... i agree, it should be locked becasue it is a chosen person's opinion. I also agree that before one submits a review they are going to have to provide the site (me, Jodi, Charles, Mike, whomever) with some information that shows they are a true consumer who purchased the equipment and is now willing and able to create an honest and unbiased review.

Only problem I see is this....

I would not want reviews to be taken as Gospel. One review per product would make it seem like that is what LawnSite and it's members feel about that product...when in reality...the person creating the review may be one in 500 who feels a certain way.

Therefore, it would only seem fair to have multiple reviews of the same product - at the very least to present users with differeing opinions.

[Tanaka]

I agree, Sean. My goal is to at least have three reviews per product.

-MW

[KathysLGC]

Then perhaps have the review section moderated, a person submits the review for a product and when another person submits a review for the same product a mod can put in in the same thread. The threads can be alphabetically sorted in the review section to make it a bit easier to find what your looking for. I agree more then one review per product is the best way to have the section. It might look like a lot of work for the mods to sort through the reviews but i think in the end it will help them out because it will assist in filtering out duplicate threads with the same questions.

An example, this time of the year we see a lot of questions about the JRCO tine dethatcher, while I like conversation I also dislike reading duplicate threads. If there was a review section i'm sure there would be at least 10 reviews for it. Out of that, 50+ questions would be answered. Again doing a search is great but often hard to sift through the threads to find what you need which helps lead to duplicate threads.

I find when buying from Amazon or any other online store i always read the product reviews to see if I find consistency in them. If i'm looking at purchasing shoes and 20 out of 30 reviews say the soles wore out too fast, I might look toward a different brand..