Ybravo 21" lawn mower review

I've owned a Metro 26 and a Turfmaster 30. Hated the Metro 26. The turfmaster 30 had its good points but it was too slow and too heavy. Still, if I'd had a bigger trailer I'd have kept it.

Lawnboy18 said:

Yes, indeed! It Is a lot! Next on the List would be a Snapper Hi-vac. The commercial one.

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I've had several high end push mowers before and I find that the ones you can buy at these big box stores are just as good. They might not hold up as long but you can buy three of the cheap mowers to every one commercial mower. I currently use the husqvarna awd mower as my push mower. I rarely use it but it does a good job and stripes fairly well. I've also used the Troy Built 21" mowers and they do a good job as well.

I've used and abused a plethura of cheap mowers they don't work good commercially. The quality of cut is not there(yes I take care of my machines) the walk speed is not there and the durability is not there. My first year I destroyed 2 craftsman mowers yes not the engine but the transmissions were done. Next up was a few cheapy toros same thing the engine was fine the rest of the machines fell apart around it. Then a Honda hrr which was actually not to bad for 400$ still ran and everything was good when I sold it last year. Then came my 30 year old commercial toros those were great machines but 30 years took its toll. I now have a $1600 toro 21" and I wouldn't have it any other way. Guess what I don't have to carry a spare mower with me anymore .

LoCo86 said:

I've had several high end push mowers before and I find that the ones you can buy at these big box stores are just as good. They might not hold up as long but you can buy three of the cheap mowers to every one commercial mower. I currently use the husqvarna awd mower as my push mower. I rarely use it but it does a good job and stripes fairly well. I've also used the Troy Built 21" mowers and they do a good job as well.

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exotion said:

I've used and abused a plethura of cheap mowers they don't work good commercially. The quality of cut is not there(yes I take care of my machines) the walk speed is not there and the durability is not there. My first year I destroyed 2 craftsman mowers yes not the engine but the transmissions were done. Next up was a few cheapy toros same thing the engine was fine the rest of the machines fell apart around it. Then a Honda hrr which was actually not to bad for 400$ still ran and everything was good when I sold it last year. Then came my 30 year old commercial toros those were great machines but 30 years took its toll. I now have a $1600 toro 21" and I wouldn't have it any other way. Guess what I don't have to carry a spare mower with me anymore .

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You could probably make a good case for both those views. I'd rather buy one good used commercial 21 than 3 HD 22s. The one mower I regret selling was my exmark 21 with a Honda engine. I bought it used for 200. That mower cut great and cut anything.

Mike88se said:

You could probably make a good case for both those views. I'd rather buy one good used commercial 21 than 3 HD 22s. The one mower I regret selling was my exmark 21 with a Honda engine. I bought it used for 200. That mower cut great and cut anything.

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The exmark 21" is a good mower. And left a nice cut.

I am sometimes torn in between commercial mowers and residential mowers. I've had a residential mower. It did fine, but the mower itself could not last. After a season it had bent wheels, rust, etc. Now, I also have this Lawn-boy. Same as the commercial one, except it is a residential unit. it is a 2006. Very good mower. Cuts well. Only things that broke are handle bar on the right side (need to get it welded) and a bearing in the tranny. All the rest is original (except the blade).

Now I understand why it is worth spending the extra money on a commercial mower. They are built much more solid. Down side is that they can rut up a yard more easily.

Just received my Gen 2 Bravo 25"...and it is a mother...It is very heavy, but you do get what you pay for. I used it Saturday May 6 and I have to say that I don't regret purchasing it...
First Impressions...
Mine came with a Kawasaki FJ180V engine, throws out 173cc's. It is heavy, so you need to have a ramp to bring it down from your vehicle, unless you have a willing friend to give you a hand. It is sturdy, does not wobble even when you are changing the height of the deck. The tires do look flimsy, but rest assured they are not. It does come with the BBC and three choices of speed.

Mowing the yard...
On the first pull the engine purred like a cat...no I mean it. I have a Ariens edger and it is more quiet than the Ariens. Since you have a BBC, you have to understand that the motor sounds interesting when it kicks in and away we goooo. I did not use the variable speed choice, but when pushing the lawn mower it's not so though as long as you are used to pushing heavy objects, other wise you may want to use the speed controls. It does cut the grass very evenly, but then again this is the first go-around with the mower. Compared to the Crafstman (190cc's), I am in love with this Bravo.

Complaints...
The clippings bag sucks. I wish the bag was twice as long, it seems that it gets full real quick, but that's not much to not purchase it.

Verdict....
I hope to update this as I move along and let you know how thins are going. If it's as strong as I would like it to be, I might just buy another one and store it for the future, you never know how long a company will last.

Out looking at Bravo 25" and was hoping for an update on your experiences. Thanks

I sold the Gen I Bravo last year. It was a very fast mower and had a cool design. But, the deck is not made for cutting nor mulching good in my area (north of Canada). When I switched to Exmark 30'' mower, I was amazed at how well they could mulch dry grass and even damp grass. The YBravo was a clogger.

Thanks for the update!