--- and some of us have fairly extensive personal experience. I used to be a dyed-in-the-wool OS engine fanatic -- pretty much didn't (wouldn't?) own anything else. That changed in recent years with repeated bad experiences &/or disappointment with OS performance when compared to significantly less expensive alternatives.

Despite my current ambivalence toward OS engines (at least in the sizes that I use), I recently bought another OS .46 LA, & it works well enough -- very similar to a pair of TT .42 GP's that I also own. I actually agree with Harry Lagman's relative assessment of the 46 LA vs the TT 42 (the LA has more torque & the TT has more peak power).

My personal beef with OS, aside from the unforgivable slide in quality & reliability, is that several competitors offer much better value for no apparent penalty in user-friendliness, lifetime & performance -- Thunder Tiger being an especially relevant example. TT & OS both use ABN technology, but TT makes it work very well & OS still struggles with it -- at a premium price. OS engines are no longer the relative powerhouses that they used to be & they are no longer the standard in quality & real-word reliability (at least in some versions). The better competition has caught up (or passed OS) in virtually every aspect of ownership & operation in certain engine models.

I don't own anything larger than a .90 size engine, but in the 40 - 90 2-stroke sizes, OS has some very tough competition in performance & virtually overwhelming competition in price.