Are these Vloggers just a scam? SOL or Shmee etc? (Vol. 3)
Discussion
Truckosaurus said:
It would be interesting to know how much seat time someone like Henry C had in the Singer before filming the video or how much was pre-scripted.
Harry seems to be able to do 'real world road tests' that other vloggers don't seem to do as it is probably not 'algorithm friendly'.
I'm a bit old-school and I refuse to go on manufacture launches, as I much prefer to review cars on the roads I know. I also insist on having any test car in for a few days, so I get to know it before pressing 'record'. This often means I'm very late to review stuff but I've long given up on being first, I'd rather be last but confident in what I'm reporting.Harry seems to be able to do 'real world road tests' that other vloggers don't seem to do as it is probably not 'algorithm friendly'.
M4SER said:
I'm a bit old-school and I refuse to go on manufacture launches, as I much prefer to review cars on the roads I know. I also insist on having any test car in for a few days, so I get to know it before pressing 'record'. This often means I'm very late to review stuff but I've long given up on being first, I'd rather be last but confident in what I'm reporting.
I feel the same, always have the cars in for a week and review them at the end so I've actually got a proper understanding of it.We're similarly late-to-the-party with our reviews too, though that's down to being a small channel rather than through choice
M4SER said:
I'm a bit old-school and I refuse to go on manufacture launches, as I much prefer to review cars on the roads I know. I also insist on having any test car in for a few days, so I get to know it before pressing 'record'. This often means I'm very late to review stuff but I've long given up on being first, I'd rather be last but confident in what I'm reporting.
I’ve always had an interest in automotive journalism and often find the “long term loan car” road tests (either written or video) more captivating as the car has to perform in more situations and not just on a preset drive which has been determined by the manufacture to demonstrate the strengths of said car. M4SER said:
I'm a bit old-school and I refuse to go on manufacture launches, as I much prefer to review cars on the roads I know. I also insist on having any test car in for a few days, so I get to know it before pressing 'record'. This often means I'm very late to review stuff but I've long given up on being first, I'd rather be last but confident in what I'm reporting.
I for one am glad you do as it makes for much better videos!M4SER said:
Love these insights, Tim, thanks for posting. I've found that when you run a highly visible enterprise, outside commentators often think they could be doing it better. It just seems to go with the territory. As you have proved over the last decade, you have turned what I guess was probably more of a hobby at the start into a full time, highly successful business. Congratulations, I find your work-rate impressive, if slightly bewildering to be honest, there's no way I could keep that tempo up for so long! I hope you find time to enjoy the spoils along the way..
I don't recall anyone criticising your farming techniques yet Harry which is pretty impressive for PH! Surely Harry Metcalfe posting nice comments about Shmee is creating an abstruse conundrum for some of the more out-spoken 'shmug/Timmy' (their words) haters that they simply won't be able to make sense of. How could one so wonderful and worshipped show support for the supposedly most dreadful man on YouTube?
Japveesix said:
Surely Harry Metcalfe posting nice comments about Shmee is creating an abstruse conundrum for some of the more out-spoken 'shmug/Timmy' (their words) haters that they simply won't be able to make sense of. How could one so wonderful and worshipped show support for the supposedly most dreadful man on YouTube?
Nah I don't enjoy either Harry or Shmee.I really don't get the appeal of watching countless videos a week of other people driving/reviewing a car, I just find it utterly boring unless it is something i am looking to buy in the immediate future.
Munka01 said:
Japveesix said:
Surely Harry Metcalfe posting nice comments about Shmee is creating an abstruse conundrum for some of the more out-spoken 'shmug/Timmy' (their words) haters that they simply won't be able to make sense of. How could one so wonderful and worshipped show support for the supposedly most dreadful man on YouTube?
Nah I don't enjoy either Harry or Shmee.I really don't get the appeal of watching countless videos a week of other people driving/reviewing a car, I just find it utterly boring unless it is something i am looking to buy in the immediate future.
crosseyedlion said:
Munka01 said:
Japveesix said:
Surely Harry Metcalfe posting nice comments about Shmee is creating an abstruse conundrum for some of the more out-spoken 'shmug/Timmy' (their words) haters that they simply won't be able to make sense of. How could one so wonderful and worshipped show support for the supposedly most dreadful man on YouTube?
Nah I don't enjoy either Harry or Shmee.I really don't get the appeal of watching countless videos a week of other people driving/reviewing a car, I just find it utterly boring unless it is something i am looking to buy in the immediate future.
Bad Obsession Motorsport
Sniff and Smith
Danny DC2 (although not so much content lately)
Car throttle
Car Pervert
B is for Build
Plenty more like that.
100 said:
High Peak Autos - excellent reviews of used cars! The presenter is very likeable.
Yeah, have watched a few of his reviews lately and they are good. Especially on the 4x4 side which I guess is the bulk of his business. I like the ones on his M3 as well, proof that even people in the trade can get rinsed on fixing up a car.
Elsewhere JayEmm has been doing some good content over the past few months. Only criticism is I'm not a fan of the drum and bass intro which seems out of keeping.
Will catch up on Catchpole on the Singer later.
Shmee said:
This has of course been discussed at length here and elsewhere, however it can't get more simple than this analogy.
If you have a high street shop selling two different types of products; item A that you personally like and item B that you don't care for. Your customers are flocking to buy item B and they are selling like hotcakes, yet nobody really wants to buy item A despite your efforts other than a few really vocal tyre-kicking customers.
Do you: 1) Stick to your guns and only excessively stock up on item A because it's what you believe they should be buying even though they aren't. Or do you 2) Put as much of item B on the shelves because you can make huge sales and your business will make much larger profits. Or 3) Listen to forum users of Pistonheads because how could data and analytics possible be correct
It's easy to forget that Shmee is the character that I, Tim, choose to present for the optimisation of the business that I am running. Of course that is never going to be to everybody's tastes, but nor is it supposed to be, and the general demographic of Pistonheads is far and wide from what I am going for. The content is carefully calculated, planned, scripted and published to find the balance that my team and I choose as the route to go down which is more one of informed entertainment and not one of being a technical car journalist. The stats don't lie, we have a very good idea of who is following and watching on a global scale. The world does not revolve around purely the users of PH, or even just the UK, it is a much, much bigger place and fortunately it's proving to be very successful the way it is.
Great analogy. Appreciate the honesty and transparency.If you have a high street shop selling two different types of products; item A that you personally like and item B that you don't care for. Your customers are flocking to buy item B and they are selling like hotcakes, yet nobody really wants to buy item A despite your efforts other than a few really vocal tyre-kicking customers.
Do you: 1) Stick to your guns and only excessively stock up on item A because it's what you believe they should be buying even though they aren't. Or do you 2) Put as much of item B on the shelves because you can make huge sales and your business will make much larger profits. Or 3) Listen to forum users of Pistonheads because how could data and analytics possible be correct
It's easy to forget that Shmee is the character that I, Tim, choose to present for the optimisation of the business that I am running. Of course that is never going to be to everybody's tastes, but nor is it supposed to be, and the general demographic of Pistonheads is far and wide from what I am going for. The content is carefully calculated, planned, scripted and published to find the balance that my team and I choose as the route to go down which is more one of informed entertainment and not one of being a technical car journalist. The stats don't lie, we have a very good idea of who is following and watching on a global scale. The world does not revolve around purely the users of PH, or even just the UK, it is a much, much bigger place and fortunately it's proving to be very successful the way it is.
Patrick-Peter said:
WarrenB said:
Patrick-Peter said:
Doesn't Sol still have the Ferrari 458 as well as his Lambo?
Who knows anymore. There's no continuity in the videos. This year we've had a tie in with a gym, then an Aventador he'd buy (but can't), an electric car challenge that was as exciting as cardboard, a comparison between a Focus RS and an ST, a boat in Dubai and now a football keepie uppie video. I really want him to get back into the groove again, he was one of the first automotive YouTubers I subscribed to years ago and it's not good to see the channel go the way it is. He did say he's going for quality over quantity video wise, but at the moment I don't think there's either.
Shout out to the
OO squad Horsey McHorseface said:
Patrick-Peter said:
WarrenB said:
Patrick-Peter said:
Doesn't Sol still have the Ferrari 458 as well as his Lambo?
Who knows anymore. There's no continuity in the videos. This year we've had a tie in with a gym, then an Aventador he'd buy (but can't), an electric car challenge that was as exciting as cardboard, a comparison between a Focus RS and an ST, a boat in Dubai and now a football keepie uppie video. I really want him to get back into the groove again, he was one of the first automotive YouTubers I subscribed to years ago and it's not good to see the channel go the way it is. He did say he's going for quality over quantity video wise, but at the moment I don't think there's either.
Shout out to the
OO squad Edited by The Li-ion King on Wednesday 26th February 21:33
g3org3y said:
...'salvage rebuilds uk'....
Indeed. Their MG Midget video popped up in my recommended feed the other day, so I watched that and a couple of their other videos and have Liked-Commented-and-Subscribed. Rebuilding a crashed Focus isn't as exotic as some of the supercar rebuilds on other channels, but at least they finish projects and sell them on.
It's also interesting that some of the 'salvage' cars are pretty undamaged to have been written off (or even being 'unrecorded' but being sold as salvage).
I've not watched all their vids, but what's their deal? They are motor traders of some sort but the guy doing the filming seems to be just an enthusiast level mechanic, is flipping rebuilt cars all they do?
g3org3y said:
Mentioned it before, but am really enjoying 'salvage rebuilds uk'. Good interesting and honest content.
Yes, I am as well. The channel hasn’t even been going a year and they’re already up to 82k subscribers. They’ve clearly found a format that works for them - it’s like the real Wheeler Dealers.
I also like that they donated the extra money from the sale of the Land Rover to charity. The business is clearly not making a fortune so that was a real sacrifice.
My one concern would be whether they’re putting out too much content. I think it could be hard to sustain and it might be better if they restricted themselves to two or three episodes a week.
Truckosaurus said:
I've not watched all their vids, but what's their deal? They are motor traders of some sort but the guy doing the filming seems to be just an enthusiast level mechanic, is flipping rebuilt cars all they do?
The impression I get is that they’ve been rebuilding salvage vehicles for years. Rob is the one who deals with the buying and selling, as well as helping with the rebuilds, and Chris is the main mechanic.The channel started when Rob bought a crashed Ferrari 360. He put that on YouTube to document the rebuild and things just took off from there.
Edited by AJB1971 on Thursday 27th February 11:11
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