I am in the market for a new self propelled mower. I checked out Craftsman and really liked the feature but wary of the name. I know Toro is extremely reliable. So any advice out there? Had a Honda and it died on me. So, all you Honda owners - shhh.
Help! Craftsman or Toro
- Thread starter Thut
- Start date
dont worry to much about the name thing,if you are not going to run the mower all day long and run in to everything, either one will work fine.Sears (in my area) has a very good mobile( home service)van that does repairs if they need to be.i've had good luck with sears as well as toro.
Never had a Toro, they seem a little too proud of their mowers (price wise). I've had two Craftsman mowers over the years, both with Briggs and Stratton engines, and both were great. The last one I had was self propelled front wheel drive. It just wouldn't quit, it took a beating in the 12 years I had it and my only complaint about it was the front wheel drive was very hard to keep going straight in a bumpy yard. It was fine in the smooth yard of the house we lived in when I bought it. We moved to a house that had a bumpy yard, mostly due to tree roots, and it was a constant fight to keep the mower in line. After I broke my shoulder and had to cut our big yard with it one armed, fighting to keep it going straight, I decided to get a rider. I recently got rid of the Craftsman, which was still running strong, in favor of a lightweight push mower to use as a trim mower and on new grass that the rider might tear up. If you have a bumpy yard, you may consider a rear wheel drive model if you aren't already.
We invite you to see what sets the Toro self-propelled wpm apart from others. See it at YouTube - Toro Walk-Behind Mower Features
Grass ala Mowed
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 5, 2010
- Threads
- 7
- Messages
- 207
I guess I always bought the mid or low grade Craftsman and then would find that replacement parts had been discontinued or were very expensive. I haven't had my Toro very long, but I love the personal pace drive. Yes they like them, but it has a 5 year warrenty and the local dealer I bought from has done well by me in the past on an older Troy Bilt tiller and repairs to various equipments after a fire in my garage; that's worth something too. The Sears in my area, and I live a mile from the local repair center, are not very competent.
You make a valid point. Sometimes I too will pay more for something to get it from someone I know will be there if I need service. I've just been lucky with lawnmowers I guess. I've never had any warranty issues with a mower and all the mowers I've had or used lasted at least 12 years and were still working, though a few were on their last legs by the time they were close to 20 years old. My dad had a Craftsman mower that he bought when he and mom lived in Dallas, TX when he worked for Texas Instruments in the early 60's, we were still using it in the late 70's when I took over cutting the grass as one of my household chores as a kid. The Sears service center that we used to be close to was terrible also. I never had mower issues, but had problems with other Sears stuff.
Jetblast
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2011
- Threads
- 4
- Messages
- 274
I don't think of any Honda, Toro, or Craftsman as inherently better by brand, but in my opinion, Toro's "Personal Pace" self-propulsion system cannot be beat. Push the handle hard, mower goes fast. Push lightly, mower goes slow, and there are infinite degrees between the two. Frankly, I'm surprised any other system is still selling, and I'm not getting paid by Toro to say that.
Grass ala Mowed
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 5, 2010
- Threads
- 7
- Messages
- 207
Actually I find I don't push the handle on my personal pace. I just hold my elbows at my sides and walk. If I walk faster, it goes faster, if I slow down, it slows down. Very intuitive; I let my girlfriend try it and she just started mowing with no problems. I can't believe there is anything else either.