Mowers Reviews

I've used this mower for about 3 months now. My lawn is about 4000 square feet and I can usually cut it in about an hour. You can order an optional grass catcher which I use once a month or so although it only catches 3/4 or so of the clippings. Setup was pretty easy although the instructions were not all that clear. There was a helpful video somewhere online I saw which showed how setup should be done. I let a neighbor borrow it and he ended up buying one too!

I remember cutting a lawn with a push mower at neighbor's house when I was a kid and dreaded it becuase it was so heavy. My dad always had a loud gas mower. This mower, in contrast, weighs about 15 lbs. or so and is very quiet. An average man should be able to pick it up with one arm. Pushing this on a reasonably flat lawn is really not that more difficult than just walking without it. Most reasonably fit people should have no problems using this that I can imagine.

All of the pros to this mower have been adequately articulated: it cuts grass very well, no gas needed, very quiet, etc. For most people with a medium sized lawn, I would say that the cutting time versus a gas powered push mower is about the same.

A few drawbacks are that it does not cut tall weeds well--or even at all--it just runs over them. That's no big deal for most people, just bend over and yank it out. The mower is also not great for edging. I have a weed wacker and do edging once a month or so which works fine.

Also small twigs or wood chips will get stuck between the rotating cutter and the base of the frame causing the wheels not to turn and the cutter to come to an abrupt stop. This will happen when you mow. You can minmize it by raking or picking those things up. Once or twice on a typical mow is no big deal, you just slide the mower backwards, pick up the twig/chip and throw it away.

All in all, this could be a very good alternative to a gas-powered mower for a lot of people with an average sized lawn. Factoring in gas and maintenance costs, it should save a lot of money over the long run too.

I spent the first 20 years of my lawn mowing "career" using a gas mower just like my dad did. When my gas mower was stolen, I picked up an electric mower because it was cheap and I liked that it would require less maintenance. After 10 years, that mower died. I'd seen a Brill reel mower on an online site when I bought some garden products and had been intrigued, so I ordered one. I'm never going back to a power mower! This is the easiest, most pleasant, most intuitive thing to use. Even though the cutting width is less than the width of my other mowers, I get done more quickly because it's so light and maneuverable. It's so quiet, I can listen to the radio or listen to birds sing or my children play while I mow. And the quietness means that, during the summer, I can mow the lawn at 8 PM or at 7 AM (when it's a lot cooler outside) and not even worry about bothering the neighbors. What I like most is that there's no real prep work or maintenance involved. I just pull it down from the wall, set it in the grass and start. No gas cans, no filters, no sparkplugs, no bags, no cords, no outlets. It also takes up a tiny bit of room in my garage (I've got it hanging on the wall next to my shovels) so I'm not tripping over it or banging the car door into it all the time. To be honest, I actually look forward to mowing the grass now and what used to be an ugly chore is something I enjoy. Thanks, Brill!

Leave it to the Europeans to show us Americans how to mow a lawn without gas. I love showing off my Brill Luxus 38---it's the closest to a owning German performance car that I will ever come!

This lightweight, stylish reel mower, which I purchased refurbished from the factory, has actually made mowing fun. I can mow at 6:30 AM without waking the neighbors or I can listen to the radio as I mow, two things that would have been unthinkable with a gasoline mower. While it definitely takes more effort to push this mower than to use a self-propelled gas mower, the exercise feels great and the clean sweat is a good way to start the weekend. Our yard is a medium-small yard, with a few rooty trees, and it takes roughly an hour per week to mow. (The mower even managed to cut the grass after a rainy two-week vacation, although then it took me almost three hours to mow the lawn.) According to the manufacturers, the blade never needs resharpening either; you simply adjust the blade reel within the cutting deck every year or so to keep the parts aligned.

If only this level of thought, engineering, and design went into all aspects of lawncare.

Very light weight, almost too light, it has a tendancy to bounce over parts of the lawn that are not smooth. Requires more than one pass for truly manicured look. No need for a catcher as it mulches nicely. I have it on the highest cut setting and wish it was a bit higher yet. If you mow twice a week during the growing season its very easy to use and still gives good exercise. Pays for itself in a month with saved gardner and gym fees.

This is a great push reel mower. I remember push mowers from when I was a kid, and thought I'd never ever own one as an adult. After getting a house with a small yard in the city, I started to research small gas or electric mowers and came upon the brill push reel mowers and decided to give it a chance after all that I had read about it. The ease of use, minimal maintenance and great grass cutting performance has me regretting I didn't discover this sooner. The 33 is perfect for my yard, plus I've learned its better for the grass, so my lawn looks great. Regular lawn maintenance is easy without the noise and fuss of a gas or electric mower.

Nice, very light, very high quality. Mows well if grass is not too tall, needs help in tall grass. 96 lb. 61 year old woman can mow complete yard in 32 minutes.

I bought this mower for my Fiance whose dogs have turned her back yard into an obsticle cource of holes and massive chew toys.
She is able to easaly start and run this mower over her uneven back yard. It did not come with a grass catching bag. The box states that this is an option, so I thought I would order it later. Hours of web searching have not yet located a bag and this is rather upsetting.

for 169.00 at "wally world" this mower runs quiet and is easy to push because of the large rear wheels.

I actually use an older model of this Yard man. The big wheels make it a breeze to cut my grandparent's one-and-a half acre yard(with lots of stumps) I don't mind it at all. My old one starts with just one pull(usually) and has never died on me(exccept when out of gas)

I have used this tractor for about 9 months now. Overall it has performed well. I do not have a large area of grass to mow. I purchased this to use with a 42" snow blower attachment to clear 5000 sq feet of driveway.

I have had two problems with my tractor; both the same issue. The fuel sending unit has malfunctioned twice. Each time, the unit has remained charged/pressurized after I have shut off the tractor. The result is that the carburator and engine begin to fill with gasoline as the sending unit continues to push fuel down the line. The first incident was covered under warranty, although it took several weeks for the shop to repair it as I was bringing it in during the "snow blower rush". To add to this, even though I am in a suburb of Boston Mass., I had a difficult time finding a repair shop that would warranty repair a tractor manufactured by MTD. It appears MTD's reputation is that of being difficult to collect on for warranty work. So much so that repair shops no longer handle their warranty repair work.

I mentioned the first was warranty repair because the second fuel sending unit failure was last week. I will be bringing the tractor back to the repair shop this weekend. I have to wait and see what happens.

I have to admit that, although they weren't available last year when I first needed the tractor, my local Home Depot now carries the Cub Cadet brand. Although they too are put out by MTD, I think they come with a 3-year warranty, as opposed to the 1-year for Yard-Man. I think Home Depot is also more apt to help "make you happy" and get whatever problem you have with the tractor fixed. Amazon.com is unable to give that kind of "service" for your tractor purchase. For the $150-$200 more for a comparable tractor, I think the Home Depot purchase would be my route if I had to do this again.

As I mentioned in the beginning though, overall the tractor has perormed well. I'm giving it 3-stars because of the two failures and the poor reputation of MTD for repair work.

I have been using this Tractor for about 2 months . I have about 2 acres of grass , and have not one problem ( yet ) with this machine . The Engine is powerful and quiet , and I like the auto-drive , with cruise control. The 46" deck is nice ( had a 42" ) , and cuts great , even on hills. For the price you can not find a better deal !!

Wow. My son was so excited when we got this tractor. It started right up and worked GREAT! There is a spring that came loose on the deck but that was easy to fix, by just stretching it. I like this tractor a lot and it Mows great. I like the auto and I like how it cuts. Everything is Awesome with this tractor and is very worth the money

On July 3 our B & D electric mower stopped working, after 5 years of use. Since our local Home Improvement store, Menards, had a sale I bought a yardmachines 19-inch electric mower. This mower was very well designed and well manufactured. So, I can only confirm the positive reviews before me.

Now comes the problem of the service. Again, I can only confirm the nagative reviews before me.

Here are the details: I could not find any refernce to brushes in the manual. I thought that this is a routine oversight on the part of MTD. I worked hard to contact them. The customer service representative could not find it either. Never the less, he was very nice and promised to call me back later. Indeed, a couple of hours later I got a call: if I need to replace the brushes, I need to buy a new motor. That is fine, could you please quote a price, was my reaction. Yes sir, it is $265.00. Well, do I understand it correctly? The price of a new motor is considerably more than the list price of a new unit. That is correct, was the answer. So, I had no other option, but to return the mower.
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I wish I could agree with the other reviewer. After using the machine for about three times it did hit a rock. My fault, agreed, but not uncommon to happpen. So one of the first parts to break did indeed need replacement. About 20 dollars; no big deal you'd say. Were it not that in our part of the state (CA) no shop services electric lawn mowers (I wish someone had told me that before). So I ordered the part myself as it seems easy to replace. Now I've been waiting for more than three months because the manufacturer doesn't have this part available (REMEMBER: It's the part that would break down before anything else on this machine!). And whenever you want to speak to someone in customer service over at MTD you'd better have a lot of patience because it can take hours (IF you manage to get hold of someone).
I envy the other reviewer's satisfaction, but for us buying this machine has been a mistake. Of course it has to be better than B&D, for that's one of the lousiest brands on the planet. Still, you buy a mower because you need to use it, not for storing in the garage because the manufacturer won't help you solve a simple problem. I'd avoid MTD products.

Previous version of this mower (1998-2000?) used a motor that required brush maintenance (and replacement if worn out). The newer version (2001 & after) uses a brushless motor and the brush drawing in the 1998 user mannual is no longer shown in the latest mannual.

I recently opened the motor assembly to see if there is dirt inside. The mower was made in Hundary a few years ago. The brushless motor was made in Germany and labeled "13 Amp" even though the mower is rated at 12 Amp. This might be part of the reason why this mower seems to have a bit more power than the the current Black & Decker 19" mower, assuming the B&D mower uses a 12 Amp motor as advertised and not the same "13 Amp" German motor.

The cord keeping system is a nice feature that makes mowing faster and reduces the risk of damaging the cord while moving.
Standard 120V AC outlet has limited power so it is difficult for the manufacturer to make this mower (or the similar B&D) larger and more powerful without using 240V AC (maybe safety concern?)

This mower is made well, in typical Lawn-Boy fashion. However, due to its heavy 4-Cycle Engine, the machine's weight is higher than traditional Lawn-Boy 2-Cycle Models. This, combined with the 4-Cycle's cumbersome cutting deck, makes maneuvering and navigating difficult.

Get the comparable 2-Cycle Lawn-Boy, Model 10424, and you will be delighted with the overall performance. NO FILTHY OIL CHANGES, EITHER!

I bought the Lawn-Boy Gold-Pro 10528 partly because my previous mower, which had lasted more than 30 years, was also a Lawn-Boy. But the 10528 also has some features the old one didn't, like a 4-stroke engine instead of a smelly two-stroke, a three-speed drive, and safety features that just weren't available in 1970. The deck is still bright green cast alloy (aluminum instead of magnesium), the wheels are still famously staggered, and (amazingly) my old bag attachment still fits, but that's about the extent of the similarities.

So far, it's performed well, both bagging and mulching. The self-propelled feature is great, a real treat after years of pushing. I use only the lower two speeds; third gear is almost too fast for me to keep up with, and faster than I'd ever mow anything. I have lots of trees, shrubs, and other obstacles on my lawn, so handling was a top priority. I had previously tested a mower with Toro's variable-speed "Personal Pace" system (what's called "Easy-Stride" on Lawn-Boy models), and found it touchy - far too easy to pop wheelies with. I wanted more control, particularly while turning and jockeying, and the 10528's more traditional drive system provides it. The only problem I've found is that the drive wheels sometimes lock up when pulling the mower in reverse.

The engine is an OHV Tecumseh, a more advanced version than what's offered on Lawn-Boy's current Silver-Pro line. It starts easily and has plenty of oomph for mulching, even in grass that's a little too long and too wet. Having a throttle control is nice for when the conditions aren't so challenging, and the engine doesn't need to run at full bore.

My wife likes the new mower because I no longer come into the house reeking of two-cycle oil smoke, and I like it because mowing the lawn is a lot easier and faster. The no-rust deck and sturdy appearance suggest that I'll probably have it around for a long time. If it's as durable as my old Lawn-Boy, it may outlive me!

I use this machine exclusively in its side-discharge mode (it also mulches and bags). It side-discharges clippings absolutely perfectly! The deck doesn't clog even when the grass is tall and wet, and the cut is clean. Even though it self-propels, its relatively light weight makes it even easier to maneuver. The Tecumseh OHV engine is a bit picky when it comes to starting, but it's powerful, quiet, smooth, light, and, best of all, clean.

This is a great machine. And the price is right.

Mower has very good engine but frame itself is very cheaply made. What a shame that they went to the expense of putting a very nice engine on it but really cut corners when it came to the body. Cutting height is easy to adjust and level but it does not come with any deck wheels so it scalps the yard quite a bit. I would not purchase this mower again. Instead would go with the Husqvarna mower of comparable size.

I ordered this mower, with the free shipping option, on 06/02/2005. My credit card was charged on June 20th. It shipped, via Eagle Global Logistics, on June 25th and was delivered on July 6th. Eagle was very easy to deal with and they called several times to discuss delivery and unloading options. Unfortunately, the driver showed up with neither ramps nor power lift gate but with nebulous ideas on how to unload the mower, which was crated on a shipping pallet. One of his thoughts was to dump it off the rear so it would be standing on end (on the ground) and then lower it so it could be uncrated. Another idea was to back the truck up to a convenient mountain (I live in Appalachia), and slide it off the rear. Fortunately I had a pair of ramps so we wound up uncrating the mower in the back of the truck and rolling it down the ramps. It was a little hairy because the ramps are short and the truck was high and the mower weighs 584 pounds but it worked fine. The driver was hard-working and had a great attitude and sense of humor.
Some minor assembly was required....seat, battery and steering wheel but it would not start because the battery was dead. Also the oil was low. Not dangerously low but right on the line. The instruction book refered you to a label on the battery and recommended a charge if the date of service was after the date on the label (it was by 6 months). I charged it overnight with a trickle charger and the next morning it was good to go. I didn't attempt to cut anything as we are in the middle of Dennis' aftereffects but the mower ran fine, needed the choke only for the first time, is very fast and more nimble than my 28" Snapper rear engine. I give it two thumbs up.

Never in a million years did I expect to buy a mower online, however, I am glad I did. I am very satisfied with this unit. The 20HP engine is rugged and you will spend much more for a 20HP elsewhere, believe me, I looked. Cuts and turns well. Just added gas and it was an immediate start. Shipping was 100% free and delivered within the quoted time frame and came in a wooden crate for protection. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is that the unit has a low-back seat and doesn't mow in reverse. But for the price, I'm not going to complain about that. As for the Tecumseh engine vs a Briggs & Stratton, I had a push mower equipped with a 4HP Tecumseh engine that outlasted two B&S push mowers. Maybe luck, but I have had no issues in the past with Tecumseh.

The low rating on this product is aimed at the customer service/warranty associated with the product group. I bought a MTD lawn tractor 5 months ago and within 31/2 months the thread on the shoulder bolt striped out resulting in the idler pulley falling out of position. I called MTD for the location of a authorized service location in my area. The automated answering machine gave me the name and number for the service dealer. I confirmed with the service provider that the defect was a warranty repair. It took a month to get the tractor fixed and when I went to pick it up I was told that it wasn't under warranty and if I wanted to pick up the tractor I would have to pay for the repairs. I reminded him that he had confirmed warranty at the time I brought it in. At that time he said it was to hard to procees the warranty. I contacted MTD and the service rep said he would contact the service provider and call me back. He never returned the call so I called again. This time a service rep told me that they didn't tell me were to take the tractor for repair and that the choice had been mine. I told him that the automated system for service had that dealer as the authorized service provider in this area. He said he didn't care what it said, that the choice was still mine for where I took it. He did say he would call them to get the other side of the complaint and call me back. I went ahead and paid the charges for the repair because by that time I needed it. I did get the nut and bolt that had been replaced and after measuring them found that both components were grossly out of industrial specifications. The thread engagement for that combination should have been about 77%, the bolt and nut used on the tractor had less than 50%. With a third less thread emgagement the bolt would stripe at a much lower torque than normal. The components used on this tractor can be manufactured cheaper and faster than standard fasteners. The service rep from MTD, surprisingly, did call back and told me that the reason the warranty was not allowed was because I hadn't supplied Proof of Purchase. I told him I had and that the date was on the receipt I received from the service provider. I informed him of measurements on the defective material and the impact on the failure mode. Some of the numbers were technical in nature so I told him he should confirm them with his engineering dept. His main concern was that I had the defective parts and he wanted to know how I got them. I told him I had just ask for them. He said he would investigate further and call me back. Guess what? No call. It's also the last MTD product I ever buy.

I was reluctant at first to make this purchase over the net. I am, however, sure glad I did. The process went fast and painless. The equipment was exactly as I expected plus more. The price was much better than if I purchesed this lawn tractor locally. The speed of delivery and the friendly help of the delivery personnel was a big plus. I have already used this equipment and find it to be of good quality and ease of use.
Keep up the good work. Lastly, I've noticed a customer service availability, I don't need them, all is fine here.

I love Riding Lawn mowers and this one is one of the best it is comfertable is easy to use gives you control like no other and with the 20 hp engine you can cruise in style

I bought it two years ago. The first year it was working fine,
During the second year it started vibrating. In the begining of the third season it died. The pull rope came out and doesn't want to get back in

She starts easy, handles nicely, and she at least trys to do everything that I ask of her. She's dern good!

"Usually ships in 24 hours" isn't accurate. After 1 week from my order, Amazon is predicting another two weeks before shipping.

While it's nothing to do with Amazon, I'm particularly disgusted that my local retailer, a large national chain (HD), doesn't even stock this item. My grass is getting pretty tall.

I am very disappointed in Amazon concerning this product.
The product header states that the item normally ships within 1 or 2 weeks and yet I have been waiting for a month and the product is still not shipped. My expectations were reasonable, but Amazon has failed to deliver.

The mower replacement blade instructions were easy to follow and the product worked as advertised. The grass was cut sharp and clean.