This is our review for Bobistheoilguy.com.
First off, you may be asking, what is bobistheoilguy (aka BITOG)?
Bob is the oil guy is an internet website/forum that was created back in 2002 by a guy name Bob Winters. Bob was a Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants distributor who started a message board hoping to bring interested lubrication and filtration enthusiasts together to discuss products, issues and oil related topics. The Bobistheoilguy forum also began to attract people that wanted to learn more about oil and to find answers about various products for lubrication, filtration, as well as fuel and oil additives.
Tony Riek, who bought BITOG from Bob Winters, has since passed away and the website is currently owned by his wife, Helen Riek. Bob Winters is currently living in Florida and is no longer associated with the website.
Bobistheoilguy is now referred to as the #1 oil related website. There are over 47,655 Members as of this posting.
Why am I writing about and reviewing BITOG?
Back in the early 2000’s when I was first getting started as an AMSOIL Dealer, I ran across Bobistheoilguy.com and joined as a member. I wanted to learn as much as I could about lubrication and filtration as well as gain some insight into competitive products. This was June of 2002, just one month after the site was started. My BITOG member number is 80. That means I was the 80th person to join.
After a few months, I approached Bob Winters to become an AMSOIL Sponsor of the BITOG website / message board. I saw that many people also desired to learn more about lubrication and that I could help contribute to the board and help keep it alive and growing. I then became the first sponsoring AMSOIL dealer of the forum.
As my AMSOIL business grew, I allowed another dealer in my team to take over as the sponsor so I could focus on a few other things. At the time, BITOG had three AMSOIL Dealer sponsors that covered the US and Canada. Eventually, the current owners of BITOG decided to only have one sponsoring AMSOIL Dealer and I went back to being an active forum member and contributor. I still believe in the value of the forum and that is why I am offering my review today.
My review of Bobistheoilguy
Over the years, I’ve enjoyed meeting many wonderful people that are enthusiastic about oil and lubrication. I’ve had many great discussions and debates on oil, filtration and fuel additives and I’ve learned a lot.
As a member from the very beginning, I’ve seen this website grow and grow and grow. With over 47,000 members, you can imagine the forum contains a wealth of information as well as opinions. Therein lies the first component of my review; it’s very important to determine the difference between facts and opinions.
As part of my review, I took a step back and asked myself some questions:
- If I were looking for the best motor oil, would I seek out someone from a message board?
- How do I know if this person is even a knowledgeable resource?
- How can I determine if what they are telling me is backed up by facts or is simply their opinion?
- Who is this person and what is their background?
As a long time forum member, I’ve seen a lot of misinformation and claims from certain members stating definitively that an oil, additive, etc., is the best. What is backing up that claim?
The most challenging aspect of finding information is determining a credible source. Using message boards can be a resource, if you read carefully and find the supporting source of the information and be able to corroborate that information from other places.
If you use Bobistheoilguy, I would recommend that you consider the information you find as opinion, until you confirm it as fact.
And when you decide that you want to upgrade your oils and lubricants to the best products available, seek out information from a reliable source. Seek out AMSOIL. As an experienced, factory-trained AMSOIL Dealer/Direct Jobber and long time supporter of Bobistheoilguy.com, I would love to show you the facts about why AMSOIL manufactures the best synthetic oils, lubricants and filters available on the market, and help you determine which AMSOIL products are best for your vehicles and equipment.
Contact Michael Sparks, AMSOIL Dealer / Direct Jobber
If you have visited Bobistheoilguy let us know how you feel. Please leave your comments below.
