Hi all,

My push lawnmower has packed up and i'm in search for a new one. Takes about 45minutes to mow the lawn. I do and will use a catcher.

I went to a local store thinking i'll get a Briggs & Stratton. The shop person was pushing me towards an 'Al-Ko' engine (on a Masport body). Same price as the B&S on the same body, but 19 more CC with the Al-Ko engine.

Now, i've never heard of this engine before, he mentioned it was:

-"Made in China and supposedly really good."
-"Run on the smell of an oily rag and oppose to B&S who tune their engines so finely the carb can block up easier etc"

My own research can't find a hell of a lot on these motors in terms of online reviews. I also found information saying made in Germany/Austria.

My concerns:
-Although the shop guy was friendly and super helpful, I wonder about his info saying China compared to what I find online?
-He also mentioned 'we have been getting any whatever we can on whatever body we have lately due to the delays and supply issues' (Is this why they have an Al-Ko?)
-They only appeared to have the one single Al-Ko engine in the store which he was pushing for me to buy (They aren't even listed on their website from what I can see which made me question if they are trying to 'get rid of it')
-He did also mention he has far more B&S come back than Al-Ko, which sounded good, But after more thought once home I thought well actually they probably sell far more B&S so that would make sense (example 5/100 B&S is actually better than 1/10 Al-Ko's)

What's everyone's thoughts and recommendations? Especially those that have used both Al-Ko engines and B&S engines?

Cheers.