Customer Reviews

Lawn Boy 10687 Insight Series 21-Inch 6.5 HP Gas Powered Self-Propelled Lawn Mower with Blade Control System & Sens-a-Speed

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Got this on sale came in about 8 days,filled it up with oil and gas.
first pull of the rope and bam started right up ,love the clutch blade control and the rear wheel drive , I am always moving hoses and branches and things like that
It is great and sounds like a high speed fan when you engage it,personal pace feature is great especially if you have inclines and hills like me,takes a little getting used to, you get used to going forward more for the mowing, a little heavy for dragging backwards ,plenty of power and to me it is like the ease of a riding mower and of course you still have to walk, the bag is easy to empty. I usually use it up front and mulching does very good ,my yard has to many dips and side hills and things to cut around to have a riding mower and this compared to my old Murray high wheel push mower, is plush and not like pushing a tank through the yard

If this is your first nice lawn mower you buy you will probably love it
if you have always had expensive mowers you will be more critical and find something you do not like.
but as for me and my old Murray tank kicking my but all summer i don't see that ever happening with me and my new Lawn boy

P.S Ive tried my neighbors front wheel drive Craftsman before and
the rear wheel drive is the way to go the weight is in the back and the wheels grab good on dry grass

also 2 year full coverage warranty don't forget that,
I doubt I will need it

UPDATE: Don't Buy This Mower!! (I wish I could change my star rating)

We have had this mower for going on ten months. It is now on it's third transmission. I'm very glad that it came with a two year warranty because I suspect that I will be using it after every couple of mowing sessions. Our service people have started stocking transmissions for these "insight" mowers and have told me that one customer is on his tenth transmission. Lawnboy does honor the warranty, but I would think that they would do a recall or part upgrade. I'd like to sell this mower but don't want to stick someone else with this lemon. I'll probably trade it in to a dealer just before the warranty expires.

This mower is lightweight, starts easily for my wife, using the prime feature as directed, and cuts evenly and neatly. The blade control system is an excellent feature and works perfectly. It is very helpful when you need to stop momentarily to move an object out of the way of mowing; it is nice not to have to restart the mower. The self propelled feature works very well also and does adjust to one's walking speed. It does not "tug" at you when you slow down to trim around objects, yet speeds up nicely when you are mowing an open area. All in all, it is a very good small mower.

I bought this mower based on Consumer Reports rating the 10685 model a best buy. This model looked identical but with the added feature of the blade control feature which I thought would be nice. When the mower arrived, I got it out of the box and noticed right off the bat that the rear wheels were bent inward and were hitting the steel deck. I adjusted the wheel height to the tallest and that allowed the mower to roll. I used the mower a few weeks at the taller setting just to get the lawn cut somewhat. I finally was able to take it into the shop and the repair guy said I was the second guy to bring in the same mower with the same problem, both bought online.
Besides the bent wheels, the mower seems to work fine. It takes a while to get used to the speed sensing thing. It is nice when going straight but is kind of annoying around trees and along the edges of the yard. The mower starts after a couple of pulls and seems to run fine. I do like the blade control because I hate having to restart the mower every time I have to pick up something in the yard or empty the bag. The mower mulches OK and bagging it wasn't too bad the one time I used it.

Overall, once the wheels are fixed, I am sure I will be satisfied with the mower. I just am annoyed that I had to take a 2 week old mower into the shop to be fixed. I probably won't buy another mower online anytime soon.

This is the best mower that I have ever operated. The propulsion system is as intuitive as anyone could ever hope for, and makes mowing quick and easy. Unlike some other self propelled mowers that you still have to push to mow at your preferred pace, the Lawn Boy system goes fast enough that i can walk at a quick tempo and get done sooner. The adjustable handle is great, since it makes mowing more comfortable than some lower grade mowers. The bag removal works very easily too, just one hand will do it. I love the blade control system, since I have several trees on my property, and there are always sticks in the way when i mow. BCS enables me to stop and move them out of the way without having to restart the mower every time. The pull start is very easy to use, my wife can start it if she wants to.

The only problem I had was with DHL shipping missing several trucks and taking 2 weeks to deliver the item. Then when it arrived, the part that activates the propulsion was broken and I had to mow my new lawn with a not-fully-functional mower till I could take it to get fixed. After the hassle of getting the mower to my house, I wasn't about to deal with the shipping company again, so I forked over the 17 bucks to have it fixed at the local shop myself.

Overall I love this mower, and would gladly buy another Lawn Boy in the future.

My older self propelled mower stopped working and decided to buy a lawn boy. The blade control system and price is what convinced me. I used it today for the first time and have to say the blade control system is a great feature for me since I have to move things as I mow and the engine can stay running but the blade stops. I mowed without the bag and it mulches really well. However it did stall approx 4-5 times do to height of grass since my old mower broke 2 weeks ago. The mower is VERY heavy and I don't understand how they can consider this a self propelled mower. It has sense a speed but I feel like I pushed it the entire time. My old mower the wheels would spin and I would just guide it. This lawn boy the wheels don't move unless I push it! I have flat property and I was never so sweaty and exhausted after mowing. Thank goodness we have landscapers for the front yard or I would have collapsed.

This was my first Lawn-Boy mower purchase and I would have to say that it may be a little over rated. I do like the "full throat" grass catcher because it will empty in a flash. The sense-a-speed feature is a little tough to get used to and I would not recommend it for small area lawns. It seems to do better and is more consistent on longer runs. The wheels are hollow hard plastic which seems a little "cheap" compared to my old mower that had rubber tires. I do like the blade control system so that I don't have to re-start the mower every time I empty the bag or have to move something out of the way. The motor seems to run rough on occassion and is made by an unknown mfg. that I have never heard of. If I had it to do over again, I would spend a little more $$ and opt for the Honda motor. Overall, I would rate this mower above average only because of the blade control system.

My husband talked me into buying this overpriced piece of crap lawn mower. We paid over $400.00 for it two years ago at Home Depot. From the start, it was a disappointment. It starts easy, but the wheels are hard plastic and small, and if the grass is the least bit damp, or the yard the least bit bumpy or hilly, all they do is spin uselessly in one place. The "self propulsion" feature is a joke. My old Murray lawn mower had a separate system to engage the self propelled drive, and when it was engaged the thing literally took off by itself. The lawn boy, however, barely even spins when you push the handle to engage the self-propelled drive, and as soon as you move it into the grass, it just stops altogether. So in essence, it's like having a push mower, only a lot heavier, and trying to mow in the humid, sultry midwest up and down our hilly yard is like a day spent in hell. I hate this stinking thing, feel utterly ripped off by the price, and would rather buy a goat to keep the grass trimmed than use this pricey joke of a lawn mower for anything other than giving it away to someone I don't like. At the end of the season, when the prices drop, I'm buying another Murray!

Purchased this mower through amazon.com on July 31, 2007. Instructions were not very clear on how to properly start this unit that would engage the blade into action. Had to call Lawn-Boy customer support in order to understand how to properly engage the blade after start. Mower worked great the first year and half, but all of a sudden in early spring 2009 the power-propel system developed problems. The mower suddenly developed a grinding sound, when the handle was pushed forward to engage the power-propel mechanism. Had to carry unit into certified shop for analysis repair. Mechanic diagnosed the problem to a failed transmission, which had to be replaced. I am hoping that Lawn-Boy honors their 2-year warranty, and absorbs most of the cost of repair. As this mower was lightly used and with tender-care by one operator, I suspect the transmission quality and engineering. Will see how long the 2nd transmission lasts, and will withhold final judgement, until later.

Having only used 2-cycle LawnBoy mowers, I was hoping the 4-cycle would be up to par. So far it's everything a mower could ask for.

Sens-A-Speed is very nice. Similar to other self-propelled mowers out there, it allows the mower to keep up with you in almost all conditions.

Rear Wheel Drive - I prefer this over front wheel drive on some of the cheaper mowers. It allows you to change directions, but still have it self propelled feature.

Starts of first time every time as long as the kill switch is turned to the on position. The kill switch is necessary since you can run the mower without the blade moving (see below).

Blade Control - Had to have it, but then realized I've mowed for 20 years without it. I find myself getting lazier by keeping the mower on and pushing it around the yard after the grass is done being cut. It is nice to let it run by itself after you've sprayed the mower down after a good use. Not essential, so if I had to do over again, I might save the extra money it costs.

Tecumseh Engine - Went for something new, since my Briggs and Straton seem to get a couple good years and then give you problems starting.

The only minor thing that's not appealing is that they do not give you motor oil for the mower. Don't be cheap. We don't want to pay $400.00 just to see we have to make a special trip to buy $1.50 worth of oil.

I've owned this mower for 3 years now and have had absolutely no problems with it. Each spring I change the oil and put in fresh gas and after 1 or 2 pulls it always fires up. The BCS is also a great feature which speeds up my mowing time by not having to restart the mower each time I empty the bag.