Why don't more people support smaller operations

[Krieg]

It's a matter of $$$. If I were independently wealthy that would be different.

 

[PimTac]

OK but I don't see Wolf's Head on the shelf either. That's my point, too hard to get.

And I agree. Sure you can get it online but like others I wouldn’t go to extra lengths to buy it.

 

[Braapdaddy]

Amalie makes /blends STP ,Wolf's head ,FRAM, oils and their own brand Elixr

WPP has the luck of snagging Super Tech and Costco but also sells their own brand MAG1

The list goes on...... it's all a marketing bait and switch with what you mentally feel comfortable with using by association to the logo on the bottle for a lot of people

I have used some different smaller blenders or at least a they weren't the usual names people see on the shelf

RUGGED OILS ( Colorado)
Service Pro
Mystyk ( way back when it was from Oklahoma)
BG Oils ( Kansas )
Have used bunches of Orielly Omnipac (Louisiana)

I have absolutely nothing against Mobil or SOPUS or any other big name on the shelf other than a more environmentally friendly bottle needs to be put into use since we know they have the technology and/or promote the bag in box more ..... but I do imagine some billionaire exec living the good life of a Oil CEO only sees dollar signs not the landfill

That being said if you look and research enough there are plenty of smaller oil blenders out there who have their reputation on the line to produce a quality product

I have often said a independent blenders needs to mix up a BITOG formula and advertise it here what oil nut wouldn't buy BITOG brand oil

 

[Gene K]

Schaeffer's 7000 (701) 5W-30 GII+/PAO Blend is still one of my favorite oils but I can't justify $10 a qt online for it when M1 ESP is $6.40 locally. Maybe if we had a distributorship in my state so it wasn't so hard to get or I still traveled regularly so I could pick it up from the distributor it might be different.

 

[Zee09]

It's a matter of $$$. If I were independently wealthy that would be different.

Three weeks ago @AutoMechanic was not made of money. Now he is.
You may want to DM. Him...

 

[Kira]

"...what oil nut wouldn't buy BITOG brand oil" Sure, if I knew the best BITOG oil for my car!

Are we saying the amaliestore.com site is STILL not back? I've bought cases of their stuff.
Early on the cases arrived opened along the seams made for store display purposes.
I called them and suggested they film wrap the cases AND THEY DID.

 

[OVERKILL]

Why don't more people support smaller operations(instead of big Corp. Like ExxonMobil)such as Amalie? Fram oil is one choice that gives your money to someone other than the usual players

FRAM (First Brands now) and Amalie aren't "small operations". Amalie has been around since 1903 and is the largest private blender in the Americas. Amalie was owned by Witco until the mid 90's and was then purchased, along with Kendall by Sunoco. This was the case until '97 when it was purchased by its current owners (the Barkett's) who had gone into the oil business in 1977 by buying Petroleum Packers (there's a decent Wiki on this).

Being one of the "original" oil companies, like Mobil, Esso, Exxon, it had all the opportunity to be as successful as the brands that eventually made up JD Rockefeller's Standard Oil, particularly after the break-up, but it didn't. The merger of Exxon and Mobil brought back together two of the most successful constituents. Both Kendall and Amalie were part of Sunoco's brands, and Sunoco one of the major players, no different from Shell, Mobil, Chevron, Philips...etc. Kendall was purchased by Sun along with Amalie but Amalie not having the name recognition was then sold to the Barkett's when they approached Sun about the idea. Kendall changed hands again too, now being a P66 brand along with Redline.

Small blenders would be companies like HPL, Joe Gibbs...etc.

Small-ish blenders would be companies like Royal Purple (before they were gobbled up by Calamut), Redline (before they were gobbled up by P66), AMSOIL, Lucas (who I wouldn't buy from if you paid me)...etc.

Then you get into larger players, but still small compared to Mobil/Castrol/Shell like Motul, Fuchs, Liqui-Moly, Ravenol...etc.

 

[tolian21]

Free market

 

[Gene K]

Three weeks ago @AutoMechanic was not made of money. Now he is.
You may want to DM. Him...

I would be happy to forward my address if he wants to donate a few cases of 701?

 

[Hall]

OK but I don't see Wolf's Head on the shelf either. That's my point, too hard to get.

I've actually seen Wolf's Head engine oil at small, independent or small chain stores. No idea about the price though but I suspect it's competitive and my guess is it's bought by small fleet operations for their in-house oil changes (repair shops likely stick to bulk oil purchases).

Most of those "Where to buy" tools are useless too. For example, Wolf's Head/Amalie have a distributor in an area that is someone like "Joe's Oil Supply Co" who in turn sells it to John's Auto Parts and Smith Parts and so on. Amalie has no idea who actually has it on the shelf and you and I can't walk into "Joe's" and buy it at retail.

 

[Gene K]

I've actually seen Wolf's Head engine oil at small, independent or small chain stores. No idea about the price though but I suspect it's competitive and my guess is it's bought by small fleet operations for their in-house oil changes (repair shops likely stick to bulk oil purchases).

Around here it's Mobil, Shell, Chevron and ConocoPhillips for almost all of the bulk and/or barrel and bucket deliveries. Anybody else primarily picks up the same product from Costco, Sam's or Walmart.

 

[Zee09]

This place stocked Wolf's Head oil since the beginning of time. I used to buy it there in the 60's myself as it was a walk away and the only store-garage for 15 miles then.
It actually had a cult following as this garage brought in folks from 3 states...yes it had a wood stove in the lobby and the old timers all smoked a pipe and it was the place for the latest gossip.

 

[eljefino]

Sams' club is selling Amalie-made generic ATF at a price point. I'm psyched it's an option but leery, as "Dex-Mer" is a spec/not-spec you have to trust the bottler on.

And if they can get their hands on it, why can't Walmart?

 

[Hall]

Sams' club is selling Amalie-made generic ATF at a price point. I'm psyched it's an option but leery, as "Dex-Mer" is a spec/not-spec you have to trust the bottler on.

Most of the big-name oil/fluid producers have an ATF that meets both Dexron VI and Mercon LV because it's effectively the same spec. GM and Ford co-developed a range of transmissions and the fluids they use.

And if they can get their hands on it, why can't Walmart?

They can but they just choose not to. I don't know what this generic fluid is that you saw at Sam's but Walmart tends not to sell unknown or off-brands.

 

[Braapdaddy]

I've actually seen Wolf's Head engine oil at small, independent or small chain stores. No idea about the price though but I suspect it's competitive and my guess is it's bought by small fleet operations for their in-house oil changes (repair shops likely stick to bulk oil purchases).

Most of those "Where to buy" tools are useless too. For example, Wolf's Head/Amalie have a distributor in an area that is someone like "Joe's Oil Supply Co" who in turn sells it to John's Auto Parts and Smith Parts and so on. Amalie has no idea who actually has it on the shelf and you and I can't walk into "Joe's" and buy it at retail.

This is 100% true I spent a few hours trying to find a local source to go get Amalie DCT fluid and would have chosen it over the German Liqui Moly 8100 simple because it's made in the USA but it came to be more of a hassle so I just went to and NAPA grabbed it off the shelf this in turn kind of had a influence on going Liqui Moly for the rear dif and oil on my wife's CLA 250

 

[4WD]

FRAM (First Brands now) and Amalie aren't "small operations". Amalie has been around since 1903 and is the largest private blender in the Americas. Amalie was owned by Witco until the mid 90's and was then purchased, along with Kendall by Sunoco. This was the case until '97 when it was purchased by its current owners (the Barkett's) who had gone into the oil business in 1977 by buying Petroleum Packers (there's a decent Wiki on this).

Being one of the "original" oil companies, like Mobil, Esso, Exxon, it had all the opportunity to be as successful as the brands that eventually made up JD Rockefeller's Standard Oil, particularly after the break-up, but it didn't. The merger of Exxon and Mobil brought back together two of the most successful constituents. Both Kendall and Amalie were part of Sunoco's brands, and Sunoco one of the major players, no different from Shell, Mobil, Chevron, Philips...etc. Kendall was purchased by Sun along with Amalie but Amalie not having the name recognition was then sold to the Barkett's when they approached Sun about the idea. Kendall changed hands again too, now being a P66 brand along with Redline.

Small blenders would be companies like HPL, Joe Gibbs...etc.

Small-ish blenders would be companies like Royal Purple (before they were gobbled up by Calamut), Redline (before they were gobbled up by P66), AMSOIL, Lucas (who I wouldn't buy from if you paid me)...etc.

Then you get into larger players, but still small compared to Mobil/Castrol/Shell like Motul, Fuchs, Liqui-Moly, Ravenol...etc.

Amalie Arena

www.amaliearena.com

 

[ChrisMU]

I’ve been using the Amalie-made Prime Series Dex/Merc from Sam’s in my 1977+ Ford C6 and GM TH350/400 vehicles (5 total, including an ‘85 GMC van I drive cross-country). It’s a bargain that’s hard to beat, unless you find a good clearance or someone unloading grandpa’s stash. I notice no difference between it and Pennzoil, Valvoline, or Castrol ATF I’ve used in the past.

 

[OVERKILL]

Amalie Arena

www.amaliearena.com

Yes, exactly, lol.

 

[Dean]

When I used to buy Parts Plus oil it was made by Amalie, the local Parts Plus dealer went out of business. I've bought Renewable Lubricants oil.

 

[Ronsant]

What about Klotz? Are they considered a small blender, relative to the big guys?
someone just bought Klotz recently….