Customer Reviews

Lawn-Boy Insight Series Self-Propelled Mower with Electric Start - 6.5 HP, Model# 10686

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I read all the reviews I could find and shopped around locally for a new mower. I finally settled on a Lawn Boy and decided to spend the extra for the electric start. Had reservations about purchasing a mower on the internet but decided to give it a try.

Mower arrived via Eagle transportation... the carton had a few holes poked in it but nothing was damaged. Un-boxed it, added the oil, charged the battery, filled the tank with gas turned the ignition switch... nothing.

Mentally went into panic mode with images of all the possible problems that could be hiding under the skin of my new mower... then I realized that I did not have the blade control bar pressed back against the handle. Pulled back the bar, turned the switch, and the green machine came to life.

The sense-a-speed feature is wonderful, you can move at your own speed and the mower moves along effortlessly. I left the mower in mulching mode and mowed some rather tall grass with ease... not one blade of grass left on top of the lawn... did a beautiful job.

This is a new love affair with the green machine as I had been Craftsman user for years. Bottom line... so far, so good. Time will tell if I made the correct choice.

This is the best push mower I have owned. It runs so smoothly it almost feels unreal. Its like the cadillac of push mowers. Made the yard look better then ever and in half the time. Another thing is that alot of the newer mowers look ridiculous. This one is very stylus and aesthetically pleasing.

Lawn-Boy has been around for ever so its a name you can trust. I had one back in the 80's and im glad to have one again.

This is my 3rd Lawn-boy. The first two had problems with the drive system, corrosion of the aluminum deck, electric starter system failures, noise, lack of power, poor bag attachment design, and fair to poor operation of the drive and blade controls. Consequently, I was not set on buying another Lawn-boy. My son-in-law did some thorough research on lawnmowers and finally settled on a 2005 Lawn-boy model. I was impressed with the features and easy of use. After viewing and studying literature on the 10686 model, I decided to purchase this electric start model. The mower arrived at my house in three business days. What could be better than that? There was some minor shipping damage to a plastic drive lever on the left of the handle. I ordered the part from Lawn-boy for $1.35 and installed it myself. After adding oil and charging the battery, the mower sprang to life after just a touch of the electric starter. I have used the mower three times so far and can honestly say that the problems and issues I had with the two previous Lawn-boys and other mowers are all solved with this unit. The electric starter works very well each time without flaw. The drive system and blade control could not be easier. The bail on the handle to allow the mower to start and shut the engine off has just the right spring tension so as not to tire the hands. The drive system is flawless and effortless from a very, very slow crawl to a 4 MPH jogging pace. The engine is quiet and checking and changing oil is a breeze. The engine has plenty of power for thick grass. The bagging system is the simplest I have seen. Why did it take so long to come up with this simple approach? The mower has great suction in either the mulch mode or bag mode. I welcomed the steel deck. No more corrosion from the acid in the grass. (I had to replace the aluminum deck on my first Lawn-boy after 2.5 years because it corroded a hole through the deck on the top.) Finally, the handle storage system works slick and the switch-over from mulch, to bag, to side discharge could not be easier unless you have your wife do it for you.

I had a hard time rating this mower, because of problems not related to the mower itself. The good part is that it works flawlessly. The electric start cranks right over, the sense-a-speed feature works more smoothly than I thought it would. The bag is easy to take on and off and very easy to empty. Who could ask for more!

Well, it took 5 weeks to get to this good part. The mower was delivered and the box looked OK. I put the mower under the Christmas tree and took it out after New Years Day. I had charged it, added oil and gas, turned the key and...nothing (The Bad.)Unlike a prior reviewer, my fix wasn't so simple. I called Lawnboy, who referred me to their local (12 miles away) service dealer. I had purchased online because I don't have a good vehicle for transporting things like this. But I got it to our local service center, where it sat for a month. They said the engine had suffered severe damage, probably from being dropped a good distance. Gears were shattered. Engine covers were bent. And the local Tecumseh parts distributor was having problems and couldn't provide parts (the Ugly.) The service center eventually went direct to Tecumseh for the parts and got it fixed quickly. And Lawnboy stood behind their warranty completely. No claims or paperwork on my part. (The extremely good!)

This could have been 5 stars, but I now have a premium priced rebuilt mower. I have to question the integrity of those parts that interface with the shattered metal. This is a knock on internet purchases of large items, rather than the mower. Buy this mower locally.

Arrived with broken sens-a-speed, which I didn't realize until I had cranked the mower (beware-- your can't return if you have put gasoline in the mower). Amazon should put more open disclaimers concerning this return policy. Initially, lots of finger pointing as to who was responsible for the part (lawn boy, amazon, or UPS). Got part, installed it , and drive still doesn't work. I'm now working with Lawn Boy (who has been very good) to set up warranty repair. Bottom line... I saved close to $100, but I don't think it was worth it. I've been a loyal Amazon customer for years, but in the case of lawn mowers.......... buy from your local dealer.

Since I knew what features I wanted in a lawn mower I thought that I would try the on-line experience. Ordering the mower was simple, price was very competitive (no shipping charges), the product arrived earlier than scheduled and works great. The only downside was some small damage from the shipper which Amazon provided a replacement part within a week, great customer service. The mower starts easily, cuts well and is easy to use with the rear drive wheels, I am cutting roughly 1/3 of an acre of grass.

I ordered this mower and it was shipped via Eagle and delivered in less than a week. I loved that it came fully assembled, nothing to put together. I was never good at starting mowers so the keyed electric start is great. The sense-a-speed self propel is also wonderful, the faster you walk, the faster it goes and it stops when you stop. I have only used the mower once but so far I am extremely pleased with everything from delivery to how well it cuts.

Apparently, there's a high risk of getting these nice lawn mowers delivered damaged. Like the reviewer below both rear wheels are toed inward from being dropped. The left rear is so bad that it cannot be adjusted beyond the 2" mark without the tire hitting the decking. Upon closer inspection of the steel deck at the weld joint it's shows that it's actually cracked! I can see the imprint where the arm hit the deck from being dropped and bent the decking. No telling what the axle looks like. It's really is a shame because the mower itself is of great quality.
Amazon has got to do a better job of shipping these mowers or stop selling them. I rate the mower a five, delivery a big fat zero.

I did a lot of research and it really paid off. I am 60 years old and have owned and used a lot of different lawnmowers over 50 years of cutting my own grass and for others. This lawnmower is so easy to use and the cut quality is fantastic. The engine starts so easy that all it takes is a bump from the starter of the electric start and the engine starts and runs perfectly and with power to spare. The personal pace self-propelled system, carried over from Toro, makes mowing so easy. I have owned Toro's but this Lawnboy not only mulches as good, but it also does a very good job at bagging and that is something my Toro's lacked. I am totally satisfied with this product and it's price makes it even better.

This mower ROCKS! It was my first new mower in over ten years and it worked liked a champ. I was supposed to charge it for 24hrs but only charged it for 12hrs and it still started right up. The sense-o-speed is great. The more you push on the handle bar the faster it goes. Like my snowblower,it moves itself. NO MORE PULL STARTING! That garbage is in the past. 5 stars for Lawn Boy.