Great Mower & Value, Buy the Warranty
Written: May 13 '08 (Updated May 15 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Attractive, powerful, key-start, single lever height adjustment, automatic choke, great value
Cons: Questionable build quality & defect rate, need to prime, deck wash system would be cool
The Bottom Line: This mower looks good, works well, and is a great value with tons of features- unfortunately there seem to be some lemons out there so buyer beware.
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| hawknoah's Full Review: Husqvarna 8.75 Torque Rating (190cc) 21" Deck 3 N ... |
My last mower was a feature-rich but disappointing Sears Craftsman mower with the Honda engine and a brake blade clutch, which allows you to stop the blades without having to restart the mower. That was a good mower for 5 seasons then went downhill fast- not so good for a $500 mower that was well maintained. After doing much research, I happened upon what looked like a steal from Sears (off season for $342) on this Husqvarna model.
In terms of features, this model is self propelled with variable speeds, rear wheel drive, ball bearing wheels, has a single lever height adjuster, the most powerful mower engine I've come across at 8.75 torque (I guess they don't measure lawn mower engines in HP anymore), a key start, and an auto choke. I am never ever again using a mower without a single lever height adjustment, since life is too short to fight with the individual wheels. I was sold on the brake blade clutch option on mowers in the past, but it seems that's a mower item that tends to break more than most, so I begged off on that since this is so easy to restart with the key option. The only features it's lacking other than a brake blade clutch is the new deck wash system that allows you to wash the underside with a hose from the top of the mower, and an automatic prime (very minor).
I'll describe how I use the lawn mower-- in case those reading this use it in different conditions, you want to be able to make a good comparison. I live in suburban Washington, DC where mowing is necessary nearly nine months of the year. I have about 8,000 square feet of grass to mow on a mostly flat landscape with only slight inclines. I only have about seven large trees on my property to contend with, so it's not a particularly difficult lawn to mow-- it takes about forty minutes to mow the whole lawn using a standard 21 inch deck (like this mower has), if not a bit less. I mulch the clippings most of the year and only bag during the late fall when I need to pick up leaves. I never have the need to side discharge the clippings, which is also an option on this mower.
The mower came assembled out of the box, thank goodness. I added the bottle of oil that came with it, charged the battery for a day by plugging an adapter into a wall socket, and filled it with gas and I was ready to go. I very simply set the height using a single lever with about eight settings. I happily found that the mower was very simple to use- there was no choke to engage, although a primer bulb needs to be pressed three times when the engine is cold (no big deal at all). Then I hold down a safety lever, then twisted a key to start the engine and engage the blade and squeezed a trigger to control the variable speed self propeller (I also tried the rope pull which was about as easy as any mower I've tried before). Sure enough this is a powerful mower and it is also quite nimble. It was very easy to regulate the amount of acceleration- I mainly held the trigger at top speed, but just let up on it a little to make turns. And if I needed to stop mowing to clear branches away or something like that, it's not a big deal to kill the engine and just twist a key to restart it instantly.
I haven't tried the bag yet, but the mower cuts pretty evenly and mulches without leaving many clumps of clippings, except in high grass. It obviously clumps more if the grass is wet at all, but this is a pitfall I have to endure sometimes. The bag that comes with it is an silver bag that looks pretty standard- I can update that later in the season. The mower itself is rather attractive with the standout Husqvarna-orange color- I have taken to cleaning the mower all over and even Armor-Alling after each use because I'm so pleased with the appearance, I want to keep it looking its best. I imagine this will also prolong the life of the mower, at least by removing clippings from the underside.
Like my previous Craftsman mower, the gas tank is pretty small, I have to refill before I can finish mowing the lawn twice. And since the tank is so small, I need to be careful not to overfill and spill gas. I imagine this is not the most fuel efficient mower because of its super powerful engine, although mowers are pretty efficient in terms of using gas in general. The mower and its components seem to be more durable than my Craftsman/Honda mower that was downright delicate, but only time will tell if this is true.
I have already had an issue with this mower that had me returning it to Sears (they kindly just gave me an exchange on a new one rather than sending it out for an overly long repair). Overnight one night, after over a week since using, the gas tank leaked out all of its gas- which we noticed because the garage stank like gas all of a sudden. Not sure about the cause- it could have just been a hose clamp, but Sears took care of it. They were so helpful that I decided reward the salesman by buying the extended warranty which I should have gotten in the first place- I think the plastic parts probably break off or battery goes frequently enough that this will be well worth it, even though I don't do this on most items.
Overall, I eagerly anticipate mowing each week, because this mower is a pleasure to use. Strange as it may sound, I find it so much fun using such a fine piece of machinery outside each week to get exercise and make the appearance of my property look immediately better. Again, I can't speak for long time durability yet, but I feel protected with the extended warranty, and am optimistic that it will last longer than the five years on my last mower-- and if it doesn't, well the price was right at only $342 anyway for such a fine set of features.
Update
My replacement mower has suspect build quality- first, the blade wasn't attached properly and bent after using it briefly for the first time. Sears was not so good about the return, claiming I "abused" it-- after a long argument, the kid in the merchandise pickup area said he could dig up another blade to put on then and there so I agreed to it. Although it fits, I don't think it's the Husqvarna blade and I don't think it's brand new. Worse still, the new mower's engine makes a slight sputtering sound and the height adjuster doesn't stay put and I ended up scalping a bit of my lawn. If they let me, I'm going back to a different Sears to return it. I think after two defective Husqvarnas, I will try the new Snapper instead.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hawknoah
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Reviews written: 67
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