Customer Reviews

TORO 21in. Toro Super Recyc

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

 

 

This is my third Toro Super Recycler, and I won't use anything else anymore. My last one spoiled me with the blade clutch and OHV motor, but those two features add up to one expensive mower, so I deleted them and got this one. Electric start is simply a must-have, even though the motor on this thing is very reliable. I'm not as spry as I was at 25, and having that key start is no longer the luxury it seemed back then. I won't buy another mower without it--and the OHV Toros don't have it.

This mower without the OHV gives you more noise and vibration, but I just stick my in-ear canal phones in, and it goes down to a faint hum, and padded gloves mean vibration is a non-issue. As for mulching, the Super Recycler deck and blade design is the simplest and yields the best results of any mulching deck I've had the pleasure to try. Had a Honda for one season, and although it ran smoothly it really clumped badly at the same grass depths the Toro system handles smoothly.

Found out that you need to keep the battery indoors over the winter--cold will flat out kill it. Install and charge it on a warm February day to keep it from dropping below useful voltage, and then bring it back inside. You'll have your battery for many more seasons before replacing it.

Wheels are very pricey to replace on these mowers. You can get them at your Toro dealer but you'll pay. But if you mow sensibly and keep fresh oil and gas in your motor, you'll need to replace your drive wheels at least once before the old girl gives up the ghost. These cast alloy decks will last forever and if you are up to small repairs like cables, wires, fuel lines and occasional carb work, your Toro could outlast you. What eventually gets the better of them is the self-propel transmission. The control cable to the Personal Pace handle on this mower broke the second season right below where the pot metal tip fits in the handle. I found a tiny turnbuckle with eye bolts on both ends, tied the broken cable to either end, and now it works better than new because I have full adjustability with a couple turns of the buckle to tighten or loosen the cable. My previous Super Recyclers both became less repairable over time as the drive axles became looser in their gear housings and metal fatigue and wear finally caused the drive to fail. At that point you could buy the parts to repair the mower, but it's so costly that buying a new one makes much more sense.

Happy to report good longevity before this happens, good enough that I will now only replace one Super Recycler with another. If I had more than the half acre I've got or needed less exercise I suppose I'd buy a riding mower. But dollar for dollar considering all I do is mow my own patch of grass, this seems to be the best tool for me. Gets me outside working in the summer, keeps my small engine repair chops up along with my Power Trim edger and Toro weed whacker. The average homeowner doesn't have space for a big rider, and it's hard to justify one in any case with the average lot being smaller than mine--and the average house being bigger! You probably have less grass to mow than me.

Toro parts will always be available, of course, and when it's time to service your mower (Toro wants you to have a dealer do it before each mowing season, I do it myself until something goes ragged and I need dealer help) there's always someone who knows your mower inside and out close at hand. Toro for the most part chooses good engines for their Toro dealer products (buy something at Home Depot at your own risk).

You don't need the Honda engine or the fancy OHV engine, the blade clutch and the rest. Blade clutch is very nice if you bag, nearly useless if you mulch--and electric start makes it redundant anyway. The one thing about the blade clutch models that's nice even if you mulch is they're easier to start by hand because you don't have to spin the blade with each pull. It's a lot easier to do. Toro makes a couple trim mowers with this feature, or used to. No electric start, no personal pace system, no extra weight. Just a high quality OHV motor, a blade clutch and a bail to engage the drive wheels and another for the blade. When you're bending over to get under bushes and into tight corners, the extra weight of battery and personal pace hardware is a liability instead of an asset. Just depends on whether it's your primary mower for the whole job or whether you just need a lightweight to get the edges. Toro makes one for you.

Since I have one machine for all my mowing, I go with one of the personal pace models with electric start and forego the blade clutch. I kind of wish they made my exact package with the OHV engine, but that would be very expensive. You'll notice a wide array of features in their line. I love electric start and really like personal pace. The Super Recycler deck and blade system is, if not the very best in the industry, right at the very top.

If you are looking for a mower engineered for both longevity and a quality mowing job, you pretty much can't do better than this Toro unless you get a better Super Recycler farther up the model line. The Hondas, Snappers, Husqvarnas, Cub Cadets and other lines of good mowers will work fine, but even though this is a premium mower with a premium price I find it to be very cost effective over time. Millions of groundskeepers, landscapers and homeowners can't be wrong.

i have owned a LOT of mowers in my life, and this toro super recycler is by far the best. i will be selling my toro e-cycler, which i bought because i am beginning to have a bit of difficulty with the pull start. but our yard slopes a lot, so pushing the e-cycler was a chore, and i had to do the lawn in different sections each day. also, i like to mulch. prior to the e-cycler, i had a john deere js-40, which was one of the WORST mowers i ever had. i was seduced by the castor wheels in the front, which, although a great idea, just dont work. the js left huge piles of cut grass all over the place. bagging was a joke. the e-cycler is a much better mulcher, but nothing comes close to the super recycler. it just dont leave any clippings anywhere. it's like i bagged the lawn, but instead it is all mulch, which is great for the lawn. even if i did want to bag, the toro bagging system is excellent. easy and quick. the js was a lesson in futility. to avoid the recoil pull start, i got the electric start. also excellent, no more pulling. the personal pace system is by far the best self propelled system i have ever used. amazing. it makes the yard seem perfectly level. i would say the cut is equal to a reel mower. the yard looks great

I've used the 20095 for a full season now. I upgraded to this electric start model, so that when I'm away my wife can mow without having to try to pull-start the mower. Well, the electric start feature has spoiled me. The pull-start feature does work on 1-3 pulls, but the electric start is just effortless, if you just make certain to re-charge the battery every 4-8 hours of use. I find no problems with the Personal Pace feature, & like the way if executes compared to previous Lawn Boy models I've had, & Honda & Craftsman models that I tried before purchasing the Toro. It is outstanding at mulching both grass & considerable leaf volume. I find it to be a reasonable value for the dollar spent & have no real negatives after a year of use.

I've used the 20095 for a full season now. I upgraded to this electric start model, so that when I'm away my wife can mow without having to try to pull-start the mower. Well, the electric start feature has spoiled me. The pull-start feature does work on 1-3 pulls, but the electric start is just effortless, if you just make certain to re-charge the battery every 4-8 hours of use. I find no problems with the Personal Pace feature, & like the way if executes compared to previous Lawn Boy models I've had, & Honda & Craftsman models that I tried before purchasing the Toro. It is outstanding at mulching both grass & considerable leaf volume. I find it to be a reasonable value for the dollar spent & have no real negatives after a year of use.

I've used the 20095 for a full season now. I upgraded to this electric start model, so that when I'm away my wife can mow without having to try to pull-start the mower. Well, the electric start feature has spoiled me. The pull-start feature does work on 1-3 pulls, but the electric start is just effortless, if you just make certain to re-charge the battery every 4-8 hours of use. I find no problems with the Personal Pace feature, & like the way if executes compared to previous Lawn Boy models I've had, & Honda & Craftsman models that I tried before purchasing the Toro. It is outstanding at mulching both grass & considerable leaf volume. I find it go be a reasonable value for the dollar spent & have no real negatives after a year of use.

Having owned other Toro mowers, I purchased the 20095 last fall and only used it once at that time. I had major problems mowing on the incline since I had to keep pushing down on the "Personal Pace" bar. This spring I took it back to the dealer who adjusted it. I have used it since with the same problem. This mower is not for those who have slopes or hills on their property. With the twists and turns one needs to make while mowing, you have to push down the bar while trying to maneuver around trees, flower beds, etc. to keep up the speed. The Toro website recommends keeping your arms outstretched with elbows by your side while mowing in order to have the Personal Pace work! I emailed Toro and they suggested I download the complete owner's manual. With no satisfaction from them or my dealer, I am going to sell it.

Bought it at Home Depot late May 2010 and after 6 uses the engine broke spitting out a broken piece of metal (part of the engine) almost cutting my legs yesterday. Took it to a local Toro authorized dealer and apparently the engine is not covered under the warranty and would cost $37 just to have them take a look ... for 10 days - dealer needs 10 days to just figure out what's wrong and is charging me $5 day each day that they have it for. The dealer rep also didn't fail to mention that for them to fix whatever is wrong with it, it would cost $400.

Submitted a complaint to the Toro corporate and got an auto reply saying they'll get back to me in 6 days.

I regret buying this all together. I wouldn't give it any stars if I could, if not for the poor customer service and dysfunctional corporate-dealer relationship, definitely for the safety hazard product that it refuses to be responsible for. Once you buy it it's your problem, not Toro's.