3001
Generators / Re: ST Heads in the Pacific NW
« on: January 21, 2007, 10:15:07 PM »
I expected this to generate some heated responses based on what I have read in the Forum. I do agree about the price/performance ratio that applies to common sense decisions in these things. We are after all, putting a $120 device along side a $1200 device or trying to compare a Chinese KIA to an American Cadillac. The comparison is inherently unfair simply based on that ratio. I am also somewhat bent towards the higher end products because this is the quality level our customers have come to expect and sometimes demand in America. The price comparison really is a factor of 10 in real numbers (not 1/4 or 1/5) when putting the ST alongside a Marathon. Shipping will be comparable for any heavy chunk of copper and steel - good, bad, or otherwise...
Leaving the American $2000 heads aside, there are a large number of other options that would make a viable discussion here though. From the best Chinese manufacturers we can identify many variants of the ST head and copies of the high-end heads for anywhere from a very nominal price increase to about triple the going ST price. They would include ST with AVR, STC, STT, SLG, SFPW, SD, SDC, TZH, TFW models. My business model calls for evaluating quality above price but knowing full well that many on this forum and elsewhere have limited budgets; I will be importing and doing further analysis of the current options. If we come up with some contenders, they will come to the forefront. Some of the other European designs also appear worth looking into. French and Italian models ...
I have heard or read many reports of various problems with the ST heads and I'm sure that a big part of what we are hearing about represent the variances from different low-buck manufacturers. This is an avoidable pitfall. Fortunately, China presents a different business culture altogether from that found in India and I have been pleased with their responsiveness to the priority of needs inherent elsewhere in the world. It is hopeful and probable that these are going to be the new premium players (despite the negative impacts and adjustments caused in other economies).
Anybody interested in a good Marathon copy at 1/3 the price if all other quality and design factors are addressed??? This is what we will be assembling and offering with our original Listers. More later on...
I know that AVR devices will defy the average DIY person when it comes to diagnosis and repair but that is generally handled by simply having a spare on hand to swap-out. As to rewinding and repairing rectifiers/rotors/stators, equal skill and difficulty is presented by any of these devices. Except for some of the Euro designs using metric wire sizing, it is hard for me to see anyone judging one rewind more difficult than the next. Not a job many would undertake but still possible given the right knowledge, tooling and supplies.
Gary
diesel-electric.us
Leaving the American $2000 heads aside, there are a large number of other options that would make a viable discussion here though. From the best Chinese manufacturers we can identify many variants of the ST head and copies of the high-end heads for anywhere from a very nominal price increase to about triple the going ST price. They would include ST with AVR, STC, STT, SLG, SFPW, SD, SDC, TZH, TFW models. My business model calls for evaluating quality above price but knowing full well that many on this forum and elsewhere have limited budgets; I will be importing and doing further analysis of the current options. If we come up with some contenders, they will come to the forefront. Some of the other European designs also appear worth looking into. French and Italian models ...
I have heard or read many reports of various problems with the ST heads and I'm sure that a big part of what we are hearing about represent the variances from different low-buck manufacturers. This is an avoidable pitfall. Fortunately, China presents a different business culture altogether from that found in India and I have been pleased with their responsiveness to the priority of needs inherent elsewhere in the world. It is hopeful and probable that these are going to be the new premium players (despite the negative impacts and adjustments caused in other economies).
Anybody interested in a good Marathon copy at 1/3 the price if all other quality and design factors are addressed??? This is what we will be assembling and offering with our original Listers. More later on...
I know that AVR devices will defy the average DIY person when it comes to diagnosis and repair but that is generally handled by simply having a spare on hand to swap-out. As to rewinding and repairing rectifiers/rotors/stators, equal skill and difficulty is presented by any of these devices. Except for some of the Euro designs using metric wire sizing, it is hard for me to see anyone judging one rewind more difficult than the next. Not a job many would undertake but still possible given the right knowledge, tooling and supplies.
Gary
diesel-electric.us