Hydraulic Hose Guy said:
At the prices your local hose shop charges, no one can blame you for "going cheap" as you called it. The markup on a simple hose assembly is ridiculous.
Of course, I might be a little biased. I happen to work there.
We have a local hose shop, from the looks of their property, they don't appear to be getting rich.
I own a well used fairway mower with about 20 hoses, some more than 12 feet long. The local guys are here when I need them in a pinch, to get it up and running fast. I leave there with
exactly what I want, and they are still 25% cheaper than buying OEM.
Andy takes pride in his business, and I don't blame him for being defensive.
Ken, there might be an occasion were when I am fabricating, or rebuilding something, and ordering hoses could be an option. Keep in mind that having a machine up and running again, inside an hour, is worth a lot sometimes.
If you need it now, and your local guy is out of business, leaving waiting for UPS, or driving 50 miles as the only options, the cost is no longer important.