I'm disheartened that we've lost so much of our manufacturing capability.

I've been shopping snow throwers for next year.... I'm ready to move up (from a fairly substantial 8HP Tecumseh-powered machine that's served me well for about 20 years and still runs strong) to a total beast of a machine. I learned that the bigger sizes (440cc) Briggs & Stratton engines are now made in China, and almost all the other "branded" engines are really made by a company called LCT which is a US-based company with all its production in China. The only other option is Honda. It bothers me that I can't get a quality US-branded engine in the size I want.

The Ariens or the Honda are front runners. The Ariens Hydro Pro has more features but the Honda has that famous Honda engine quality. Features don't mean much if the thing doesn't start or run reliably when there's a foot of fresh snow in the driveway.