How brands are ranked?

[Dragon Breath]

I posted this in another thread I'm just now getting into the hobby. I was wandering which brands are better than the rest. I'm looking at the IHC brand 'cause they have a few loco's I haven't seen elsewhere. I've asked this shop and that shop but everybody says they're is just as good as anybody else's or better. I'm getting tired of all the B.S. I just want a straight forward answer. I've came to the conclusion they're just trying to sell their products. I don't blame them for that, just don't lie to me.

 

[UP2CSX]

This question doesn't have a straightforward answer. There are some IHC locomotives that are very good. A much higher proportion are mediocre and a smaller percentage are terrible. When they were made, where they made, and the exact model is more important than the company. For example, Bachmann and Life-Like used to make nothing but fair to poor quality train set type equipment. Since Like-Like was acquired by Walthers and came out the Proto 2000 brand and Bachmann started to produce the Spectrum series, they now make some of the finest plastic motive power available. With the exception of Kato, I can't think of any company producing plastic motive power who hasn't made some truly awful stuff in the past. It's much better to ask question about a specific locomotive that's made by IHC than just asking if IHC is any good. Many of these manufacturers have been in business for 50 years or more and it's just too broad a category to say there's one manufacturer who always made a superior product.

 

[Selector]

International Hobby Corporation (Mehano) is based in Slovenia. They make engines a step above the cheap toy train sets in terms of quality. They are generally quite robust and reliable, but their engines are a generic one-style-fits-all kind of engine that only resembles a real locomotive that existed at one time. Pick any steamer and the IHC will not be quite right because something is out of place or missing.

The valve gear on all but the latest Premier Series 2-10-2 are not much better or realistic than toylike.

For the price, I would take a much longer look at Bachmann, as suggested. You can get real bargains on excellent Spectrum class engines from that company. Walther's Proto 2000 Heritage steamer series are peerless in terms of the detail and realism they offer, but their engines are almost universally light on their feet...they don't do a great job at hauling reasonably long trains unless they are outfitted with traction tires....in which case they are very good....if you like traction tires. And they are expensive.

Bachmann warrants its engines for life. Everyone else is quite liberal about helping out buyers with a good story, but certainly they stand behind their products for a full year. Industry wide, I would guess that about one engine is 10 is returned for one reason or another...it might be more like 3 in 20. IHC would be no worse, and perhaps better.