If you step into the garden shed of a lawn owner, there’s a piece of garden equipment you’ll most likely find in there – a lawn mower. In this feed we will get to know which are the lawn mower brands to avoid, helping you to make a good decision.
As a lawn owner, access to a lawn mower is not a luxury but a necessity. You need it to keep your lawn in good shape and accessible. Even though this equipment is so necessary, it is not the cheapest, and as such, a lot of gardeners are wary of buying the wrong one.
A right lawn mower should serve you for years without issues, provided you do routine maintenance like sharpening mower blades, changing the oil, among several other things. A bad mower, on the other hand, will only bring you trouble. No one wants to keep changing pricey lawn mowers every few months.
I do not want you to invest above a thousand dollars in a machine that’ll not last long. That is why I’ve come up with this piece, to show you some lawn mower brands to avoid that have repeatedly been flagged as troublesome.
Before we go into that, in the course of my research, I came across some commonly reported problems associated with bad lawnmowers.
Commonly Reported Lawn Mower Problems
when I was going through customer reviews and talking to lawn mower owners, some particular issues often came up. Lawn owners kept emphasizing these issues that I felt obligated to let you know.
- Low Power
This is perhaps the most obvious problem with low-quality brands. Power is so important when it comes to lawn mowers. High enough power in the engine will allow the mower to do your mowing needs without smoking or overheating comfortably.
Low-quality brands, in a bid to save cost, put in engines with very low power. These low powered mowers are barely able to handle your needs.
- Poor Combustion System
The combustion system is in charge of breaking down the fuel used. When this system is poor, your mower will keep smoking, even though it is still new. Since this system deals with the mower’s fuel, a bad combustion system will also mean poor fuel consumption.
- Bad Mower Battery
This problem is prevalent in battery-powered mowers, and low-quality mowers in this category usually have this fault. A bad or faulty battery will only work for a short time before it needs replacing. Low-quality brands decide to put in poor lithium or lead batteries because they are cheaper.
- Overpricing
Quite a number of people had this as one of the major issues they had with their brands. They felt the lawnmower they bought was not worth the price they bought it.
Very few people will have any issue with a 50 dollar lawn mower having issues, but you expect the very best when you spend as much as $3000. Sadly, this is not so for all brands. Some low-quality brands still set too high prices for their mowers.
Lawn Mowers Brands to Avoid
Through extensive research, some lawn mower brands to avoid with specific models have been pointed out as troublesome. Because even the most popular brands have a few bad models, it would be limiting to focus only on the brands. We’ll instead be focusing on the models of these particular lawn mower brands to avoid.
Here we go.
Earthwise 60220
This is a 20″ cordless electric mower with one lever height adjustment. This particular Earthwise lawn mower model has a lot of unsatisfied customers. Complaints ranging from inability to do work quickly to bad batteries have plagued this model. This is because it uses ordinary lead-acid batteries instead of the more popular lithium batteries used in many others.
You’ll struggle to cut thick and tall grass with this mower effectively. A major challenge this mower is facing is its poor customer service, with customers claiming it’s so difficult to get a replacement part even during its warranty period.
Troy-Bilt TB100
Bagging grass clippings after mowing is important. Some people cannot do without a lawn mower with a proper bagger attached. If you’re that kind of person, then this Troy-Bilt TB100 model should be in your list of lawn mower brands to avoid.
The Troy-Bilt brand has been around for a long time, and they have a lot of good models to choose from, but the TB100’s bagging issue is too big a problem for most gardeners to handle.
Bagging clippings while mowing instead of leaving unsightly heaves on your yard is an essential aspect of mowing, and this model wouldn’t satisfy that desire.
Craftsman 37420
Craftsman started making garden equipment in 1927, close to a century later, it has produced several machines that have made our garden work easier. You probably have a piece of craftsman equipment in your shed at this moment.
This particular craftsman model, craftsman 37420, has too many complaints, and you should rethink if you’re planning on getting one soon.
One recurring issue about this model is its outright lack of bagging attached. This means you cannot mow and bag at the same time. You’ll either have to leave heaps of grass clipping on your freshly cut lawn or come back to clear it after mowing. Either way, this is so stressful and not worth it.
Stihl RMA 370
Just like a craftsman, the Stihl brand is a highly regarded brand with lots of good products, but this model? Well, below their standards.
What did Stihl get wrong here that has caused so much dissatisfaction among its customers?
Not only is this model’s design unpleasant, but its narrow mower deck of 15 inches is also a no go area if you want to finish mowing on time. This narrow deck will take you a lot of time to finish mowing a small portion of your lawn. Unless, of course, you have a very small lawn.
Avoid this mower if design and time are important to you.
Cub Cadet SC500Z
Bagging mowers that do not have a hard pull from the ground will struggle with bagging, and this gas-powered, self-propelled mower will not bag your grass clippings effectively because of its poor pull.
This model is also overpriced, and coupled with the bagging issue; you’re better to add this in the list of lawn mower brands to avoid.
The cub cadet brand does have some excellent mowers, so as much as you may want to avoid this particular model, you can go for other models, especially its riding mowers.
Final Verdict
You’ll struggle to find whole brands without a few good models; much of the problem is with particular models. So this list of particular models of brands to avoid and why you should avoid them is a more accurate representation.
