Reader's Responses:

1. eyes N ears says:

   May 13, 2010 at 4:20 am

   Review by eyes N ears for Toro Recycler (22″) 190cc Self-Propelled Lawn Mower – 20330T
   Rating:
   I’ve used it several times now and I’m very satisfied with the mower.

   Rear Wheel Drive: Works well with the pressure assist handle. The harder you’re pushing the faster the wheels turn. It helps on the big hills.

   Clean Out Feature: Attach the hose and let the blades clean out the under carriage. Works very well and helps motivate you to keep the mower clean.

   Mulching: Works great. I slow down through the tall grass and it doesn’t leave any piles behind. I plan to use mulch almost exclusively.

   Engine: Started up when I wasn’t even pulling hard. I was just working the oil into the engine and it kicked off…very easy start. I used it in very deep grass the other day and it had plenty of power to chop through the worst of it.

   Side chute: Attached it the other day going through a large section of very wet/muddy, very tall grass. Probably should have weed whacked it but I don’t have one yet so I mowed. It was a mess. The wheels were spinning and I was sliding all over the place but the mower never faltered and plowed through a very messy job. The clean out feature worked very well that day.

   We had just moved into a house that was vacant for a year. Our lawn has not been cared for and the first few mows have been brutal. Even walking the yard a bunch of times I could not get all the debris and limbs out but the Toro blew through them like it was nothing. I’ve been very impressed with this mower so far.

   I take care of my tools and will clean and winter prep it properly not to mention getting the blades sharpened each year. I plan to have this mower for many, many years.
2. Mike Murphree says:

   May 13, 2010 at 4:34 am

   Review by Mike Murphree for Toro Recycler (22″) 190cc Self-Propelled Lawn Mower – 20330T
   Rating:
   After buying it last year, if I had rated it at the end of the season, I would probably have given it a 5 (even with bagging caveat below).

   This year, at the beginning of the season, the propel-assisting mechanism, which was kinda nice, quickly broke, so I just keep mowing without it (it makes a nasty sound).

   Now the starting is unreliable; definitely not a one-pull deal everytime. And, if I go more than a few minutes between starts, I’ll have to wait 15-20 minutes for it to start at all.

   This is my first bag mower. I think you have to really think about a bagging mower that you have to turn off to empty. The constant restarting is not only a serious pain (especially once the starting gets iffy) but, possibly, is why the starting is now so erratic.

   It appears they make a mower where you don’t have to turn it off to empty the bag. I’d pay more and get that next time.

   The other thing I hate, and I think it’s pretty much been true of all the mowers I’ve owned, is the near impossibility of being able to tell how much oil the thing has in it. Maybe somebody can read these dipsticks, but I can’t. If it appears low and you add a little, it seems virtually impossible to read until it’s sat for a good while. Surely, engineers could come up with a better design.

   I’ll definitely do more research before I buy another Toro.