Echo pro-lite?

[Jeff11]

Was just wondering if anyone has any knowledge (good or bad) of the Echo "pro-lite" blower model # PB260L. Am thinking of buying one and was wondering if these are worth the $300. Cunsumer Reports gave them a very good rating, but then again it was Consumer Reports. So I don't know what to get.:blob3:

[BRIAN FOLEY]

The pb 260 is a great little blower, i have 2 of them they are great for sidewalks & driveways after mowing, i have the 650 for big jobs and it is the most powerful of all blowers. try alamia.com for pricing and i think they still offer free shipping. Brian

[aakin]

I got the Echo PB260L Blower at Home Depot for $239.

I saw it at floridaoutdoor.com for that price. Printed the page out and took it to Home Depot. Home Depot matched that price no questions asked. I saved $60.

[Martino]

Originally posted by aakin
I got the Echo PB260L Blower at Home Depot for $239.

I saw it at floridaoutdoor.com for that price. Printed the page out and took it to Home Depot. Home Depot matched that price no questions asked. I saved $60.

Florida Outdoor is not a dealer. They are a distributor that supplies Echo products to dealers. The price that you mentioned is a state bid price, available to municipals and other non-profit entities, usually for multi-unit purchases. All mfgs. of commercial OPE products have similar programs. These programs are run through dealers, not distributors or mfgs. The dealer preps and delivers these products and makes about ½ of his regular margin. So you see, this is NOT a retail price. If you already knew this and did the Home Depot thing, that makes you a thief. You, in essence, stole $60 from HD. To top it off, you are now encouraging others to steal, too.

If you did not know this, I wonder if you will go back to Home Depot and give them the $60 that they are entitled to?

I can't believe the measures that some people go to in order to save a few bucks. Enjoy your ill-gotten gain.

[P&J Lawncare]

Martino I feel like a non-profit organization so I guess it is all right for me to do this then JUST JOKING. I have seen these blowers brand new on ebay going pretty cheap so jeff 11 you might want to check out ebay.

[aakin]

Martino let me start by saying you are a hippocrit. You go out of your way to pay the highest price for stuff you buy? If you do you are dumber than I thought.

I certainly will not return what you term as my ill gotten $60 from Home Depot. And no I did not know that it was for state contracts. And by the way neither did Home Depot.

I did a search on Yahoo for that back pack blower and gotten a list of many sites that sell that blower for considerably less than the suggested retail price. I believe Yardgeek.com had if for $249.
I printed out the lowest price I saw. I went to Home Depot and asked them if they matched prices. They said sure, I gave them the print out and they matched the price. What is wrong with that?

Judging from your post you sound like one of those greedy fat cat dealers. Don't blame for for the market dynamics. If you are unhappy that Echo sells their products through Home Depot then stop selling Echo.

What I did is is every consumers right. I did nothing wrong and nothing I am ashamed of. If you can not compete get out of the business.

I work hard for my money and my utmost responsibility is to keep as much of that money as possible for use by my family, not for some fat cat dealer. And if the likes of Home Depot and Yard Geek can sell it at these prices profitably (even at a 20% discount) why can't you?

I have nothing agains't dealers of such products. Most are very nice, some choose to negotiate on price and others choose not to. And I choose who I want to dod business with. I also purchased a Husqvarna 325LX trimmer from a dealer for $329, not that it wasn't available at Lowes and not that Lowes wouldn't match the lowest price I found on the net ($281) but because I liked the dealer he provided support and I was appreciative. I chose to give him my business.

The purpose of these forums is to exchange information, that is what empowers us consumers and business owners. Don't shun me or try to muffle me becuase I say something that is not in your best interest. By posting my experience I am helping many people keep more of their hard earned dollars and reinvest in their business.

[Martino]

-"You go out of your way to pay the highest price for stuff you buy?"
Nope....always looking for a good price, but always an honest one.

-"you are dumber than I thought."
Thats what my wife keeps telling me.

-"And no I did not know that it was for state contracts."
It was stated clearly on the website page that you printed out.

-"And by the way neither did Home Depot. "
Why would they?

-"I went to Home Depot and asked them if they matched prices. They said sure, I gave them the print out and they matched the price. What is wrong with that?"
What is wrong with that is that it is not a retail price.

-" Judging from your post you sound like one of those greedy fat cat dealers."
Nope again. Am not, have never been and never will be a dealer. Okay you're partly right....I could stand to lose a few pounds.

-"What I did is is every consumers right. I did nothing wrong and nothing I am ashamed of."
No, every consumer has the privelege (not right) of bringing in a legitimate competitor's retail price for HD to match. You did not do that, by your own admission.

-"And if the likes of Home Depot and Yard Geek can sell it at these prices profitably (even at a 20% discount) why can't you?"
Again, I am not in the dealer biz, but I can tell you that the dealer cost (including HD) is around $239. Please explain to me how they can make a profit with customers like you.

-"By posting my experience I am helping many people keep more of their hard earned dollars and reinvest in their business."
Albeit in a less than honest way.

Again, I ask, now that you know the price that you gave HD was bogus, will you do the right thing and pay them the money that they are due?

[trimmasters]

Aakin, Thanks for the tip, I'm going to homedepot tonight so I might just have to pick one of those up.

[P&J Lawncare]

If you want someone to blame than blame echo for selling to mass merchant stores they had to know that there would be this kind of situation happening all the time once they allowed just anybody to sell their merchandise. Do you think that would of happened at your local dealer, of course not because he would have enough knowledge of the product to know that it cost him more than that to stock the product. Echo's greed brought this upon themselves once they took their product from the pro's (dealers) and allowed 16 year old kids (home depot) to sell their product. You don't see stihl doing this do you, no because they want knowledgable people dealing with their product so that when it comes time to ask about a certain feature you get the right answer and not some information that the 16 year old just found on the box.

[David Gretzmier]

sheesh martino- If I buy a brand new echo backpack 260l from a dealer who sells them on ebay for 239, am I a thief? I have had lots of stores price match stuff that I knew was too cheap. many companies do "loss leaders" and others will match it even though they lose money too. heck, Lowes will even beat it by 10% ! I hardly think this is dishonest, especially when it is THEIR rules you do it by. Dave g

[keifer]

Man i just read all of that and could have been watching paint dry.

[aakin]

I think consumers have to take advantage of every opportunity available to them. If a mass merchant matches the price of a product others sell for cheaper or even beats it I would have to be a fool not to take advantage of it. Even if Home Depot loses money on this one sale (which I highly doubt) they make make plenty of profit from me year round. I will always shop at Home Depot. Some people will say but you can't get the type of support you get from a small local dealer, that may be true in some cases but what can be better than a replacement warranty? You have a problem with it take it back during the warranty period and I assure you Home Depot will not hesitate to replace it.

Merchants take advantage of every opportunity that they have as well. Lets say you are buying a new car and it is a hard to get hot car you think you will get it for a discount or MSRP? No way. The dealer will sell it for as much as the market will bare. So when the advantage is in favor of the consumer why should the consumer not do the same.

Also, as I have indicated I found that blower at many other places selling for considerably less than $299. Yardgeek in particular had it for $249.

I think consumers should always explore their options buy from whatever merchant provides them with the best overall value. And quite often this may very well be to purchase from a local dealer.

[Jeff11]

Geez guys..... and to think in my original post I was just wondering if it was a good blower. Didn't expect to open up a argument on economics or anything, but hey I guess that it what this website is all about. Bottom line, I'm basically kind of poor and need to save every penny. So sorry Martino even though your points are very valid I feel I must go the "unethical" route. Thanks to all for the replies, or course I'm still left wondering if the blower is worth the $50-$70 or so savings over another model/brand.

[tjcezar]

I just bought the 260l from the local Pawn shop. It was brand new in the unsealed box for $183. Great deal and have a 30 day warranty! :D :D :D

[Buba]

Wow, sounds like Martino is a factory rep for Echo. I can understand why he is so upset with Home Depot selling Echo. Business is business, and sometimes manufacturers bring these problems on themselves. When a discount box store sells a product for less than the dealer can you blame a customer for purchasing it there? Martino's point is a valid one on using the bid pricing to work Home Depot down on price. Where will you take the blower for repair? Will your local dealer repair this blower when you purchased it from a box store? Things to think about.

[Martino]

No, not an Echo rep.....I have nothing to do with Echo; I just know how the deal works. Fact is, it is a very good decision for Echo to do biz with HD.....gets their consumer products in front of an entirely new customer that doesn't shop at independent dealers, while still maintaining a huge dealer base dedicated to providing their commercial customers with the commercial products that they need, in addition to the more discriminating consumers. And, as I'm sure you know, there is a servicing dealer network set up to handle warranty service and other service needs that a HD customer might have.

The reason I posted to this thread (13 months ago!?!?!?) was to point out the difference in taking a LEGITIMATE competitive RETAIL price in for HD to match as opposed to a govt. bid price from a program that HD doesn't even participate in. Just isn't right and I said so. Just curious as to why you and your Red Max brethren care so much about what Echo is doing to reach this segment of the market that your company doesn't even participate in?!

Also curious as to, on a Friday at 8:40 AM, you're not out making dealer calls?

[Buba]

Martino, you must be refering to my dad. Dad sells them, and I use them. Good luck.

[Grass Master]

Martino..


Go get 'em!!!