Like yourself, there are many others in the market for a new lawn mower but are curious as to what brands and models to avoid getting. I’m usually talking about new mowers and technologies that come to the market like the new EGO Z6 which is quite the accomplishment for a zero-turn mower. But it’s also important to note some of the duds that have been on the market for a while based on user reviews.
So in this post, I’ll gather up the worst of the worst lawn mowers so you can avoid the hassles that many have been experiencing with them. I’ll also recommend the mower you should get instead that’s in the same price range and class.
I’ve been reviewing and testing lawn mowers for almost a decade now and have seen the best in mowing technology and some of the worst in forms of function and parts. So instead of hyping up the latest models, I decided to put this (buy these, not those) type of comparison post going over the lawn mower brands and models that you should avoid this year.
Not all lawn owners and gardeners used the same type of lawn mowers like gas-powered, reel (push), riding, or zero turns. So avoiding certain types of models and brands altogether would be worthwhile.
Each of the lawn mowers has a unique cutting deck, size, blades strength, and body shape. All of these features make a mower good or bad. But there are a lot of factors that influence the quality and fame of a lawn mower model.
All the knowledge shared in this article is completely based on my own experience as well as consumer reports about lawn mower brands. I go through the many forums and consumer response sites and my personal experience regarding the bad brands of lawn mowers.
As being myself an owner of a lawn, I personally use John Deere, Craftsman, and Greenworks brands tools.
Lawn mower brands to avoid (and models)
These are some brands that you should avoid buying because they are not actually helpful for many users. These are some brands that gave me and my gardening fellows, the worst experience.
1. Earthwise 60318
Earthwise 60318 is the worst 16″ cutting deck lawn mower I ever used in my yard. But I am thankful to this brand for giving me the experience of buying ‘green mowers’.
This mower does not only disappoint me with its low-grade performance, it also has a lot of problems in bagging clippings. It is an outdated lawn mower that has the older version of lead-acid batteries instead of lithium-ion batteries. These outdated initial powering batteries will be the first worst thing you will notice.
The manufacturer actually saved money to upgrade this mowing deck that cuts the corners and uses the older tech.
So pass on the Earthwise 60318 and go with this 16″ deck instead…
| model | brand | DETAILS | price |
|---|---|---|---|
get this instead  | Max Speed (mph): 12 Battery Life (hour): 45 MIN CUTTING DECK: 16″ |
2. The Craftsman 37420
Craftsman 37420 will disappoint you very badly if you are planning to use a clipping bag and side discharge. It will leave the worst experience of your life bagging the clipping from the yard.
This mower comes at a very reasonable price and is a great choice if you want to buy a mulching mower but it does not mean that it will perform great for bagging. The limited life of this mower will also disappoint you badly as compared to the other mowers.
My recommendation is that you should not invest in this lawn mower if you really want a quality lawn mower with longer life.
2. Troy-Bilt TB100
Troy-Bilt TB100 is another bad choice for a lawn mower if you are interested in bagging the grass clippings during mowing the lawn. I have personally experienced this problem by taking a try of this mower and confirmed this issue from other users too.
You should actually avoid this lawn mower if you want effective collecting of clippings.
Troy-Bilt does manufacture some great quality mowers too but TB100 is the one that you should avoid. It is among the big players in the lawn mower manufacturing industry.
3. Stihl RMA 370
Stihl brand lawn mowers do have an attractive look but all of this attraction fades due to the poor performance of this mower in the yard.
Stihl RMA 370 is a poor-quality grade lawn mower. It is the poor electric push mower I ever experienced. The only thing better in this mower is a lithium-ion battery but the ultimate question is, So what?
The mowing deck is just 15 inches wide and will consume more time to mow the yard.
Besides the poor performance of this mower, it is too expensive with such bad features.
4. Cub Cadet SC500Z
Cub Cadet is not actually a poor brand as a whole but the walk behind lawn mower of this company is much poorer in performance. Cub Cadet SC500Z is the gas-powered, self-propelled mower that has the same problem of bagging the clippings from the yard.
It does cost a little bit higher than a comparable mower with these features so I will recommend you to ever give it a try.
But the riding lawn mowers of Cub Cadets are great and perform well.
5. Swisher
Swisher is lawn mowers manufacturing brands that provide a vast type of mowers to market. But if you are thinking of buying a riding or zero turn lawn mower for your lawn, never go to this brand.
Swisher provides the worst quality in zero turn mowers that have low duty hours and need maintenance more oftenly. The metal sheet used in these mowers easily bends and could harm the user.
I will never recommend you to buy the riding lawn mower by Swisher.
What factors make a mower great?
A lot of factors are considered in a mower to put them in good categories or bad ones. All of these factors collectively make a mower great for your lawn and money. A person going to buy a mower from the market by keeping in mind all of the important factors will get the right one.
The factors that make a mower great are:
1. Powerful engine
A powerful engine is the primary factor of any engine-driven machine to make it a great one. If the engine power is not enough to get the work done by this machine properly, then all of the money is wasted.
Also in the case of lawn mowers, a powerful engine is the basic need of a lawn mower that could uniformly power the cutting deck to cut all forms of grass i.e. tall and thick grass.
It also helps the mower to move along the yard having uneven surfaces and terrains.
2. Proper deck size as per engine power
The cutting deck is the second most important part of a lawn mower that has a major role in mowing the grass yard. The cutting deck has blades fitted inside that cut the grass clippings as per height adjusted.
All lawn mowers have a unique size of cutting deck and they are designed accordingly with engine power.
A proper cutting deck size as per engine could support while mowing the yard is the primary feature of the top-quality mowers.
3. Cost effective
Cost-effectiveness is another major factor that also influences the user to buy a mower. A mower having all of the great features but overpricing cost will put the product in the unsell category.
Pricing of a lawn mower also impacts the buyer’s mind to get a lawn mower.
4. Durability
Not only in the case of lawn mowers, buying any of the products from the market is directly related to the durability of the product. A lawn mower made of quality material and great in working makes it a durable one.
If a lawn mower has all the safety measures along with the user-friendly feature, then it is a great mower to get.
5. Uniform cutting with sharpened blades
This feature actually comes under the performance of a lawn mower. A great mower does have smooth cutting and performance on all types of grass. A good lawn mower having a proper cutting deck with sharpened blades and a high-powered engine will never stop on uneven surfaces and leave a smooth turf after mowing.
6. Quality material
The material used in making lawn mowers has the first and major impact on the buyer. A good quality mower does have all the parts made of good quality material. These brands do follow all the safety measures to minimize the risk of breakage of any pert while working in the yard.
Good quality material also impacts the durability of a lawn mower and its life.
Common issue found in low quality lawn mower brands
These are some common issues found in a bad quality lawn mower that particularly are present in all of the low-quality brands. These issues are directly related to the low-quality performance of mowers in yards due to improper designing of the mower.
A common issue found in the bad lawn mower brands are:
1. Poor performance
In the low or poor brands of lawn mowers, the first thing you will notice is the poor performance in the yard or lawn. It will never give a uniform cut due to improper making of the parts.
These lower brands try to save more money and put the low power engine that gives the poor performance in the lawn and puts the user in a great hassle to mow again and again.
2. Low power
Low power or improper engine power is the most noticeable factor found in these low brands of lawn mowers. These brands and companies put the low-powered engine in the mower to save more money.
A low powered engine can never perform well in a yard having thick grass or tall grass along with rough terrains.
These low powered engines can not properly power the cutting deck so they ultimately give poor performance in the form of non-uniform turf.
3. Not proper cutting deck as per engine capacity
The low brands put the large-sized decks to their mower to get more buyers with low-powered engines. But this low-powered engine does not support the cutting decks and damages the turf.
4. Less durability
Lawn mowers brands who tried to save more money do use low-quality material in making a mower that makes it less durable. You will often notice them present at the workshops.
5. White color smoke
The low-quality lawn mower from the poor brands does have problems in the combustion system. If you notice the white color smoke from the very early days of buying the mower, it is a sign of a damaged combustion system.
It also disturbs the efficiency of fuel consumption and gives less mowing with more fuel. This problem is commonly found in the mower brands that provide refurbished mowers to market as the new one.
6. Poor battery
Poor battery performance is a major issue found in electric lawn mowers. The low-quality lawn mower brands use weak lithium batteries or lead batteries to save more money.
These low-grade batteries do work for just a few weeks and get damaged.
Buying a battery-operated machinery or lawn mower with a poor quality battery is not more than bringing garbage at home. You will have to recharge the battery again and again until you personally replace it with a high-quality lithium battery.
7. Overpricing
Besides using the low-quality material, the lower brands manufacturing lawnmowers do not only rely on to save money from these factors. However, they also put the pricing higher and higher to earn more.
8. Breakage
Using the low-quality material in the making of engine parts and the body of lawn mowers is a common thing by the lower brands. So the breakage of some parts always happens while working in the yard.
Low-quality material could not actually support so much heavy work and gets a break that is a huge waste of money for users.
9. No warranty
The low quality mowers do not have a warranty or any servicing from manufacturers because they already know that they are giving the poor quality product. That is why they do not give any servicing guarantee or parts warranty to the user.
In case of any breakage or poor performance, you have to manage it by yourself. So always put so much big investment wisely and buy the high-quality mower even at high pricing.
High Quality Lawn Mower Brands and Models
That is enough discussion of the low quality brands of lawn mowers. Now it turns to open up the few great lawn mowers having the latest technology.
These high-quality mowers do have all the features that support durability and excellent performance in all types of grass types. The use of high-quality material in making a powerful engine gives a great experience to users.
Here is the list of best-performing lawn mower brands:
- John Deere
- Sun Joe
- Greenworks
- Toro
- Ego
- Honda
- Snapper
All of these lawn mower brands have high-quality mowers that are made of quality material and the best deck size. They are powered with powerful engines to give smooth cuts.
Greenworks 25223
Greenworks 25223 is a good balancing mower with 10-inch rear tires that ensures smooth running over uneven surfaces. It is a great lawn mower for homeowners having terrains and uneven surfaces in their yards.
It is featured with dual batteries along with three function capabilities. The presence of a steel deck provides seven cutting heights and wise deck size. Both of these features make it the best mower for medium-sized yards.
It is a low pricing mower and the best alternative to ego electric mowers but if you don’t have the issue of money then go for the Ego.
Ego Power + Select Cut Mower LM2135SP
Ego LM2135SP mower is a battery-powered, self-propelled lawn mower that is famous for its strength and long battery life.
This cordless lawn mower is battery operated and the best alternative to the gas-powered lawn mowers with fast charging time. This latest model has extra features like two blades and effective speed controls.
The other great thing about this lawn mower that is forcing me to give it a try is the silent working of this mower. It does not even disturb your neighbor sitting just feet away in his yard.
Honda HRX217VKA
Honda HRX217VKA is the best self-propelled lawn mower that is the updated lawn mower by Honda. I personally used this lawnmower and experienced great relief from many difficulties.
This mower by Honda has an exceptional cut quality that supports the health of your lawn.
The great thing about this lawn mower is the double blade cutting system that does the job for bagging and mulching greatly. Effective collecting of the grass clippings is another great feature.
It is powered by a 200cc engine that supports the rear-wheel-drive to ensure smooth running on uneven surfaces.
If you really want to get a mower that could last 15+ years, give it a try.
Toro 21382
Toro 21382 is another great lawn mower that is featured with all the latest tech along with the best performance. The wide cutting deck of 21 inches of this lawn mower provides an impressive cutting in medium-sized lawns.
Its deck is crafted with aluminum to protect the blades from rust and powered with a Honda GCV160 engine that supports the smooth running of blades on the thick grass as well as the tall grass.
The great thing about this lawn mower that makes it a great choice for lawn owners is the excellent bagging and mulching. It does work smoothly on all forms of grass even if you are dealing with a moist lawn.
Toro 21382 has a personal pace system that does support the rear-wheel-drive and powers the wheels to move easily on the uphills. It does support the faster moving of mowers on the terrains.
It is a great choice for lawn mower especially if your lawn has uneven surfaces.
Final Verdict
Lawn mowers are a big-time investment so buying the right one could be a great hassle for someones who really want to get the right mower. A lot of mower manufacturers are present in the market that provides poor quality mowers.
In my opinion and experience, Ego power lawn mower is the most excellent lawn mower I ever used. It is a self-propelled mower having all the latest technology.
To give you the right path while buying the mower, I build this guide on lawn mower brands to avoid. In fact, some great performing mowers are also discussed in the guide that gives me a great experience.
Always consider the above-mentioned factors that make a mower great, to get the right mower for your yard.
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