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13 Responses to Kato vs Athearn vs Bachmann
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Hey Mike, Welcome to model railroading, from my experience, Kato and Athearn are your best bet for locomotives. From my own, I would stay away from Bachmann. They don’t have a good support system, and getting parts is hit or miss. I’ve been dealing with them for about 4 years and have had poor results. I no longer purchase Bachmann Locos.
Kato is a quality product. Better design then bachmann in my opinion. I have both and kato is my choice. Can not speak for Athearn, but i do hear good things aboutthis company.
I’m a big fan of athearn and I wouldn’t run from Kato, but I’ve avoided Bachman since I started modeling 20 years ago
I disagree with the comment that you should stay away from Bachmann. Their new line of diesels and steam, for the price and detail, are worth purchasing. However, the original posting didn’t say if they are operating DCC or DC. How much money are you considering to spend for an engine? Do you want to run steam or diesel? All these are factors before choosing but I would not rule out Bachmann.
Mike,
Welcome to the hobby. In terms of quality Kato is number 1. Athearn if you go for Genesis is very good. I have a different opinion on Bachmann from my brethren. It is not the same quality as the other two but if you stick with Bachmann Spectrum they are pretty good for the most part. The other thing to consider is variety. Bachmann has the widest selection, followed by Athearn then Kato. If you want to model any time period other than modern Kato has nothing for you.The other thing to bear in mind is price is a good dictator of quality.
I have numerous Bachmann and when I have needed parts I have been able to order them on line from their web site.
You could also look at Rapido and Atlas both of whom make very good locomotives.
Kato Athearn are much better. Bachmann service and parts are terrible
I have a number of Bachmann Spectrum steam locomotives which I run on our model railroad club modular layout at at least four shows a year. They run for 5 to 6 hours a day at each show and the only maintenance that I do is clean the wheels between shows. I read the comments about service and parts but since you are just getting into model railroading I doubt that you will be taking an engine apart any time soon. I consider myself a frugal model railroader and the Bachmann locomotives have given me a good running experience at a reasonable price.
I did a lot of research prior to selecting Kato 3 years ago. Reading all the reviews Kato was #1 on nearly all the reviews followed by Athearn. I have not been disappointed with my selection of Kato.
Welcome Mike. I have all three companies on my layout for different reasons. I have been in model trains since the 40’s. The industry has changed a lot over the years some good and some not so good. A company you did not mention is Stewart which was one of the best, and now has gone Tyco with its engines. Kato has been always good. Athearn has always been good especially with getting parts. Bachmann had a good reputation at one time with their reputation, but of late their reputation has been slipping. You did not mention Inter moutain. they have ver goo DCC equipment. It is discouraging to see these companies going Tyco. It hurts the industry.
Bachmann service is outstandingly terrible. Try entering the Service Portal on their website. Impossible. Then quality control in service department is also terrible. My diesel locomotive was returned worse than it was sent. How can a service technician send back a locomotive with no headlights, erratic sound and noisy mechanism? Stay away from Bachmann locomotives unless you just decide to throw it away when it fails.
Kato, then Atlas, then Athearn Genesis,then Athearn for DCC and DC. Some other DC brands for diesel engines at hobby shops are old yellow box Atlas mede in Japan, not Austria, and Proto 1000 or 2000. If you want to spend more money fir DCC Broadway Limited or MTH.
Bachman Spectrum is better than Bachman. They don’t last as long as the ones mentioned above.
They all have their place, and price point. Often your budget or prototype dictate the brand you buy.
Hello my railroad friend, your best way to go,…. go KATO… I called kato the Cadillac of trains, Athearn ????? & Bachmann ????? …most of our locos are kato…my friend,.go for the best quality KATO,