Would you like to know whether you should choose a Craftsman, Honda, or Toro Lawnmower? Well, we have researched these mowers and have the answers for you. Understanding the differences between these mowers is crucial to know which suits you.
When choosing between a Craftsman, Honda, and Toro lawn mower, choosing a mower that works for your needs is crucial. A Craftsman mower is best for someone who needs a balance between price and performance, a Honda mower is best for someone who needs a powerful mower for large lawns, and a Toro mower works great for someone who mows small lawns.
In this article, we will learn whether you should choose a Craftsman, Honda, or Toro mower. We will also learn the answers to other interesting questions, such as what maintenance do Craftsman Honda and Toro mowers require, and what's the best way to mow a lawn? Keep reading to learn more.
Craftsman Vs. Honda Vs. Toro Lawn Mower: Which To Choose?
When choosing between a Craftsman, Honda, and Toro lawn mower, it's essential to know the different features of each mower and what each mower excels at. Let's examine each mower's advantages and disadvantages and learn which works best for you.
Craftsman
Craftsman mowers are great for medium to large lawns. These mowers have more torque than a Toro but less than a Honda, which makes them quite capable for the tallest residential lawns.
Craftsman mowers are also great a mulching grass, which the Toro falls short of. With its powerful engine, its blades chew through thick wet grass that a Toro can't. Craftsman mowers may have difficulty mowing through tree suckers and thick overgrowth but can handle almost any lawn.
These lawn mowers are more durable than a Toro mower but not as hardy as a Honda.
Craftsman mowers have adjustable handles to make mowing comfortable no matter your height. These mowers also have a height adjustment lever to make changing the height of your mower easy.
While Craftsman mowers have a self-propelled drive to make mowing more manageable, there isn't a way to adjust the mower's speed without performing maintenance.
Honda
Honda mowers have the highest torque when compared to both Craftsman and Toro. These mowers can chew through the tallest wettest grass and even tree suckers.
Like the Craftsman mowers, Hondas are great at mulching grass with their dual blade cutting system. With an extra blade, Honda mowers can chew through the thickest overgrowth.
Honda mowers are also some of the most durable built mowers, often outlasting both Craftsman and Toro mowers.
Honda mowers have adjustable cruise control to precisely control how fast it drives. This adjustable cruise control is more precise than a Craftsman but doesn't compare to Toro's personal pace system.
Honda mowers also utilize a ball-bearing suspension system to make mowing over uneven ground easier.
Toro
Toro mowers have the lowest torque compared to Craftsman and Honda, but what it lacks in power, it makes up for in features.
Toro has been making mowers longer than Craftsman and Honda, and they have learned how to add helpful features to their mowers. Toro's self-drive uses their personal pace system that adjusts the mower's speed to match how fast you walk.
Toro mowers also utilize a power reverse that allows the drive to be engaged in reverse. This can be useful if you need to reverse in a tight area.
These mowers also have a feature known as Smart Stow, which allows them to be stored upright to save space. Toro mowers also have one of the largest selections of mowers available, making finding the right one for you easier.
One of the only drawbacks of Toro mowers is their lack of power, which can make mowing large overgrown lawns difficult.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a mower that can handle large residential lawns and has a medium price point, then a Craftsman mower is right for you. A Honda is best when you need to cut down thick overgrowth and care for large lawns. If you only mow a residential yard and are looking for many features to make it easy, then you can't go wrong with a Toro.
What Maintenance Do Craftsman, Honda, And Toro Mowers Require?
While all mowers require maintenance, different mowers will require additional maintenance. Let's look at the most common care needed for Craftsman, Honda, and Toro mowers.
Craftsman
One common area of maintenance that a Craftsman mower will need is blade sharpening. This should be performed twice per year or every 25 hours of operation.
Remove the blade and sharpen both sides with a file. Next, reinstall the mower's blade, and you're finished.
Another area of maintenance that a Craftsman will require care of is under its deck. Grass can accumulate under your mower's deck and increase its weight.
To restore the deck take a metal flathead screwdriver and scrap away the grass. Be sure not to press too hard to avoid scratching the mower deck. Scratches in the metal can increase rusting and shorten the mower's lifespan.
Honda
Honda mower blades also need sharpening, but not as often. Because of Honda's dual blade system, each blade works less hard and only needs sharpening once a year.
Honda Mowers have well-built engines and often don't require much maintenance beyond blade sharpening.
While it's a good idea to occasionally scrape excess grass from the bottom of your mower deck, Hondas collect less grass on their decks because of their powerful engines and dual blade system.
Toro
Toro mowers are the cheapest made mowers we are comparing and, as such, require the most maintenance. Toro lawn mower blades are often cheaper than their counterparts and need more sharpening. A Toro lawn mower blade should be sharpened three times a year or every 20 hours of operation.
The spark plugs on Toro mowers are also known to wear out quickly and may require frequent replacement. It's best to replace the factory spark plug with a quality one to ensure a longer lifespan. Here are two of the best mower spark plugs available on Amazon.
Briggs & Stratton Spark Plug
You can find this product here on Amazon.
Champion Spark Plug
You can find this product here on Amazon.
The pull string on a Toro mower is also very cheap and may require replacement after a few seasons. If you replace the pull string, choose a strong line to avoid needing to replace it again soon. Here are two of the best mower pull strings on Amazon.
Briggs & Stratton Starter Rope
You can find this product here on Amazon.
Lawn Mower Pull Cord
You can find this product here on Amazon.
What's The Best Way To Mow A Lawn?
While many feel you can mow a lawn any way you'd like, there is an optimum cut method that delivers the best results.
The first step is to mow around the perimeter of your lawn twice. On the second lap around the edge, overlap your wheels onto the cut grass several inches; this overlap will help prevent any grass from being missed.
You want to start mowing the perimeter so that when you cut straight lines, you can turn around quickly without leaving behind patches of uncut grass.
Once the perimeter is cut, you can begin making your lines. You will want to go back and forth, creating lines that barely overlap to ensure no uncut grass.
The most vital part of making your lawn look good is how straight your lines are. The trick to straight lines is to aim your mower for a section of lawn at the other end of your yard and avoid looking at the ground just in front of your mower. After each line, you can see any drift and correct it on the next pass.
The directions of your lines should be alternated every week to avoid cutting grooves into your lawn. Rotating between mowing your lawn horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and then reverse diagonal ensures each week of the month has a different direction.
Edging
It is also critical to edge your lawn each week when you mow. Edging is just as much a part of cutting your grass as mowing. There are some areas that mowers can't reach, no matter how small.
The best way to edge your lawn is to take a weedeater and cut a forty-five to sixty-degree angle along the edge of your grass after mowing, and this will give your yard a professional finish.
Next, use your weedeater to cut any grass in tight corners your mower couldn't reach. Doing this will ensure every part of your lawn is cut uniformly.
Blowing Off
Another often forgotten part of mowing is blowing off afterward. When you cut your lawn, you leave grass clippings on your sidewalk that can be unsightly. Before you genuinely finish mowing, you should take a leaf blower and blow off these clippings.
Start on one side of your yard and blow the clippings onto your lawn. Many wish to blow their lawn clipping into the road, but nothing hides green lawn clippings like a green lawn. The clippings will also be picked up next week when you mow, so you don't need to worry about them accumulating.
Edging and blowing off are critical parts of the best way to mow a lawn.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we learned that whether you should choose a Craftsman, Honda, or Toro mower depends on your specific needs. We also learned that different brand mowers have different maintenance requirements.
Remember, edging and blowing off is just as much a part of mowing as mowing itself.
We hope you enjoyed this article. If you want to learn more, check out some of these other posts.