You can look out on Facebook market place for lightly used mowers within your budget. I bought my Toro Super Recycler that was only a few months old on there from someone. It has the bigger 190cc Briggs engine, bought it for $360, retail is $599 
Need a New Push Mower
- Thread starter Delta
- Start date
Superbuick96
Site Donor 2023
I was going to suggest this mower for the OP stated budget. I've had this mower for 5 years. Its solid. I also have a Honda Hrx216 with the 190 engine and nexite deck, love that mower!
Go to Walmart, buy the cheapest self propelled/bagger mower they have. It will probably be a Murray with one of the new fangled Briggs engines on it. Take good care of it, mow before the grass needs bailing, religiously keep up with the maintenance, and you'll pat yourself on the back when it lasts (maybe) ten years. By the way, the Snapper they sell is just a Murray with $40 tacked onto the price. The mower will mulch every bit as well as a Toro Recycler. Not a Super Recycler. Nothing is quite as good a mulcher as a Super Recycler (or high end Snapper), but the price is way up there.
I need to get a mower, I had a corded electric mower for 4 years, but last season I whacked a bush root with it and screwed something up on it, it's in pieces in my garage and I don't think I'll ever get around to figuring out exactly what broke and fix it and put it back together. It was like $100, other than fighting the cord, the thing was super light to maneuver on hill and if I neglected a section of the yard for months and there was 2 foot tall weeds and grass, I could just mow right over it, no worries choking out an electric mower like you would a gasser.
After doing a little bit of research and looking in person it seems the Honda is in the top running! The ergonomics/storage seem to be the best in the price range. I don't need the most powerful. My little 3.5HP Briggs powered Weed-Eater brand hasn't bogged down yet. I keep my lawn mowed weekly to avoid fines (no HOA, just A-hole neighbors), so it doesn't get too shaggy.
I feel for you if you have neighbors like that. I like to keep my yard up, but life and weather happens and sometimes you need to extend a couple days. Would suck to have to worry about your neighbors turning you in! Do cops actually issue you a fine for this? I would think it would have to be an obvious repeat problem before they would fine you I hope!
I've got an old Craftsman with a Briggs 6.5hp that keeps ticking. I have had it about 17 years and it takes about 45 min to an hour to mow my yard. I have replaced the wheels once. My mother in law has a Toro Recycler that cuts great and seems to built a little more solid. If I replace it would probably be with a Toro or a Honda.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Yeah … replaced my old Craftsman with another … this one has a 7.25 Briggs and FWD …
Good power …
Just a bunch of old retired coot's with nothing better to do. They're all old money and have their hands in the towns pockets so to say. I'm an outsider so they didn't take kindly to it. Course when I moved in I had long hippie hair so that made such a great first impression. I don't make any noise or bother anybody, but my grass gets 1 cm longer than they think it should they get all up in arms. Whereas there's a couple younger couples that moved into the 'hood that have multiple brats running around screaming 24/7, have an un-registered Fox body Mustang with open headers that races up and down the dead-end street. But they're ok apparently. I had a handful of complaints on the stock exhaust on my GTI over they years. But one of the other neighbors had a strait piped Jetta that was no issue. My one neighbor has camera's pointed right at my house, garage, and yard (and it's legal, already checked into it). Same guy always has to mow right after I do as his grass can't be shorter than mine. I've started re-mowing a day later just outta spite. I can't wait to get out of here, but since the housing market is a dumpster fire it's not looking promising this year.
Kill them with kindness...
If I was the vengeful sort, I'd use a Lawnboy 2 stroke, run it at 32:1 plus a glug of MMO per tank.
That's gonna have to be the tactic I'm afraid. With the housing market a dumpster fire it looks like I'll be here another year or so...
I do have a couple good neighbors, some of them still work, some retired. Not sure what the deal is with the few that are complete codgers...
Did one final look and made my decision!
The Honda seemed to just have better ergonomics and storage to me. Assembled, added the supplied oil, gassed it up, and started it up. After the initial start I can say it runs a whole lot smoother than my old mower. Unfortunately we're close to a month away from mowing, but I figure I'd get it while it was on my mind. The old push mower will go to a friend, so no waste there!
The Honda seemed to just have better ergonomics and storage to me. Assembled, added the supplied oil, gassed it up, and started it up. After the initial start I can say it runs a whole lot smoother than my old mower. Unfortunately we're close to a month away from mowing, but I figure I'd get it while it was on my mind. The old push mower will go to a friend, so no waste there!
She's a keeper. The wife, I mean
I have a couple of ego tools. The big 5ah battery for the blower is havoing trouble already. Sometimes refuses to charge, flashes red. Than later it is fine. I think it has a problem w overheating. I am reading that others have problems with the EGO big cap batteries as well.
Old post, but I had no idea these were this expensive. You’re definitely paying for the convenience on these.
Then again, if they are a 10-15 year mower like an equivalent Honda, it’s a win win IMO.
If buying new I would splurge a little and get the Toro Super Recycler. I have one and it really is worth the difference and should last a lifetime. Mine is an '07 I got from the landfill. I used to have the mindset to get cheapest of the cheap stuff but it's worth it to spend a little for things that last a long time and make your life easier.
