Non-Starter wrote:
By the way, like a lot of very successful products, the Mantis has a
group
of people who like to convince you that it is not as good as it really
is.
There are good reasons why so many gardeners own the Mantis.

Don't confuse successful marketing with good products. McDonalds sell a
lot of hamburgers, but few people, even among their regular customers,
would say McDonalds has a good hamburger. (And I'd suspect that most of
those who think it's a good hamburger simply don't have a large enough
frame of reference.)

Call up a non-gardening friend or relative, and tell them you got a
mini-tiller, and half will say "you mean like a Mantis?", and the other
half wouldn't know what you meant unless you compare it to a Mantis.
That has a lot to do with the continued success of the Mantis despite
better alternatives like the Honda.

The only way for you to know the truth is for you to try it out, and
let
them pay to take it back if you don't like it.

Sure. Why not. It's only your time and trouble invested.

On the other hand, unless you can compare it to something, your frame of
reference is only your expectations. If it meets your expectations, it's
good enough, and it doesn't matter if the Honda exceeds your exceeds
your expectations because you'll never know.

That's why people ask for opinions from others, and why the opinions of
those who've tried both mean more than a one year trial. Ten of those
folks know far better how well a Mantis stacks up than a hundred people
who can only say the Mantis met or exceeded their expectations, but have
nothing to compare it to.

When it comes right down to the bottom line, if your argument is that
it's good because they sold a lot of them, that's really not a very
convincing endorsement unless. We're talking power equipment, not pop
music or fashion.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
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