TORO Electric Start Walk

This mower is a huge money pit. I have had mine for two years now and all I seem to do is replace parts. The thing rarely works. When it actually does work it does a nice job, but that is a rare moment. I have gone thru two batteries, two chargers, engine parts, etc. Toro customer service is a waste of time. They just tell you to take it to an "authorized dealer" which gets to decide if it is under warranty. And none of these dealers get it fixed. Oh yeah, they went by the warranty, but what good is it if the product keeps falling apart. $400 is a lot of money to spend on useless products that the manufacturer won't back up.

I bought this lawn mower today. I have 1/3 acre lawn. There are a couple of very slight inclines and I had to essentially push hard on the "personal pace" bar to get it to go up the incline. The only way the mower would take over is to hold onto the handle bar with one hand, while pushing down the pace bar with the other hand. I didn't think this mower would require that much effort. I also have a Sears mower that, when working properly, just takes off, but you can adjust the speed very nicely. It will take you up the hill with no effort whatsover (however the wheels get stripped and it becomes a push mower every summer). I AM SO DISAPPOINTED in this Toro mower. If I could, I would return it immediately. Cost from a Toro dealer was $399. The only plus I see is that it does a nice job of cutting the grass.

Pros: Started with first turn of the key. Used rear bagger and mower cut tall and fairly wet grass without a problem, manual states to mow only in dry conditions but that is near impossible in the northwest; runs a lot quieter than my 21 year old Ariens; pace system works very well.
Cons: Fold down handle requires manually loosening hand knobs - not quick release which is a pain for those of us that do it after each mowing; adhesive-backed covering over battery compartment cover gets covered with grass and wet during cleaning, will not be long before it is loose enough to let grass and moisture in, needs better sealing method for the long haul, battery compartment needs to be relocated where it does not get covered with dust, grass and moisture; bag is difficult to clean after mowing as there are lots of folds and seams that grass gets stuck in and won't wash out with a hose; wash out port should have a cover when not in use; have to lower mower to lowest position each time...Read more