Customer Reviews

Weed Eater WE-ONE 26-Inch 190cc Briggs & Stratton 875 Series Gas Powered Riding Lawn Mower With Electric Start

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

I have never had a riding lawn mower before. The last year or so I have been thinking about getting a small lawn mower. My lawn is average. Takes about 45 minutes to cut it. So I wanted one that was small & fit through the gate to the back yard. Sears has a craftsman rear engine for $1400. That's more than I wanted to spend plus it maybe to but for my yard. So I seen this Weedeater at Wal-mart for $650. It was the perfect size. It stared right up & was easy to use. I cut my yard & it did a great job. I was real pleased. The only problem I ran into is the mower can not do hills. I have a very small hill & it would not make it up it no matter what I tried. It made it down the hill great. So I will go down & not up. I would say if you have flat yard this is a great mower & go for it.
CORRECTION - I was wrong about the hills. A gentleman called & asked about the mower & stated he had a hill in his back yard he was concerned about. He lived across town so I fired my WE-ONE up and drove it over there. After 3 days, two Cracker barrels, I arrived at his house. ( I really loaded it up on my truck & was there in 10 minutes.) He had a decent size hill.
The WE-ONE rode right on up the hill. No problem at all. I was surprised. So I'm pleased to report go out & get this mower. It is perfect for the person who doesn't want to pay $1400 for a craftman & is tired of walking behind a mower.
Saw this mower at the Local Wal-mart for $650 with a $100 gift card. What a deal.
Also if you read the Walmart reviews it seems some people are have problems because it wasn't put together correctly. So before you panic, read the manual, & think through the problem. Most of the time it is human error & something simple. I am still impressed with this machine.

With this being a new item this year, early availability has been low. Found that one of the Big Box retailers had received one or two each and thought I'd snag one quick as they could be in short supply. Going on faith, as no reviews to be found yet, I brought one home still crated. Was very pleased with quality at first sight, found it to be very simple to assemble and it started right up with just some fuel...oil already installed. I had read about the new Briggs 875 engine and although no HP rating, the 8.75 torqe rating was listed. The engine is very quiet with a nice muffler system and it moves the mower over grass very well. Engaging the mower deck (belt driven so do so slowly, the noise level increases while turning the drive pulleys and the blade and the enging revs with the increased load. As it is only mid March, I haven't cut grass with it yet, but I expect it will do so nicely. There are 3 forward speeds and I am hopeful that it will cut well at the fastest because the lower two are a bit slow for long stretches, but nice for going against walkways, etc. There are only four cutting heights available with the middle two being approximately 2 1/4 and 3 1/4 high. I expect that I may wish it had another height in between these, say about 2 3/4, as the highest and lowest will probably not be useful for me. While the ergonomics seem fine so far, the seat appears to have cushioned sections but they are no softer than the rest of it. Given the low price, I can't really quibble with that and I will likely use a stadium seat pad if uncomfortable as is. Controls seem convenient and sightlines for cutting are good. 26" cut is relatively small, but hopefully will be made up for by speed and less walking. The specs say that the blade is designed for mulching and bagging, but the accessories (mulch kit or bag) are not yet available but the mulch kit is expected to be soon. The turning circle is not tight, as I expected for this type of unit, so a few perimeter runs will likely be needed to gain area for turning for the mid-lawn runs. My property is only 120' square, but significantly larger lots may demand a wider cut and more features. Having said that, this unit is fairly small, of low complexity (one blade) and if it cuts well should meet the needs of many homeowners. It is not a tractor, so towing attachments doesn't appear to be an option, but that allows for a smaller motor and footprint in the garage. Lastly, I like that it is in cruise control when moving, no foot on the gas, only the brake/clutch when needed (it actually has a brake pad and rotor). I will review grass cutting later in the Spring.

Update: (6-20-2011)
The problem with the transmission has never reoccurred again. It is working flawlessly. It may have been a piece of debris that got caught up in the chain or belt and has now gone away. I still really like this mower. The only drawback is the transmission's excessive noise and the vibration when the mower blade is engaged. This mower is perfect for small yards and has plenty power to cut a really thick lawn.

It may also be noteworthy that Sears and Snapper all use this same type of transmission. I have not tried their mowers but I do know they cost two or three times as much as the Weed Eater One.
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Update: (4-12-2011)
The transmission that I was concerned about, went out. It suddenly started grinding and tore up something in the drive. The machine is still under warranty, but now I have to load it (it is heavy) and haul it to a lawnmower shop. That is where their warranty work is done. It has failed and will be out of commission right in the middle of grass cutting season. I will have to borrow or buy another mower until it is fixed. I seriously question the longevity of this machine now.
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I have had my Weed Eater We-One for about a month now. I like it very much and will list below my pros and cons:

Cons:
1. Replacement battery costs almost $50. It is a closed wet cell like that used on kids electric cars.
2. The instructions say not to "shift on the go" You are supposed to stop then shift. Bummer
3. The "transmission" is a rubber tire that rides on the output pulley of the motor. (no gears) I wonder about it's longevity.
4. You have to "suck" the oil out of the engine to change your oil.
5. The mower vibrates pretty badly when engaged and while it is in use. It makes the mower somewhat noisy.
6. The steering wheel seems a bit tall.
7. There is no engine speed control. The engine runs at the same RPM at all times.

Pros:
1. The engine has no choke. It works like a car engine and is very easy to start. Pull starting is a breeze and it usually starts on one easy pull. This may eliminate the need to replace the expensive battery.
2. The "shift on the go" is not that badly missed as the clutch works well to slow down.
3. The "transmission" is advertised to be designed like snow mobile transmissions and you know they have to be reliable!
4. The lack of engine speed control is not that much of a problem since the gear range is almost perfect and the clutch works really well.
5. The grass cuts very evenly and smooth. The mower part is excellent and well designed.
6. The engine is very quiet. You will hear almost nothing until you engage the blade. Then the noise and vibration starts.
7. It seems very economical on fuel. I use as little or less than my push mower.
8. It has a 2 year warranty.
9. The "fit and finish" are excellent. This mower is really well designed. My compliments to the engineers.
10. The size is perfect for small lawns which is the norm in many areas. It will take on a large lawn but consider it has only a 26" cut which is just a little bigger than a push mower.
11. Seating is comfortable and has two springs to cushion the ride. It can be a little rough ridding on rough ground.
12. Turning is easy with no problems. The radius is limited by the nature of the design. It cannot be made to turn any sharper with it's physical limitations. It is like driving a Go-Cart and it is fun to drive. A neighbor said it even looks like a Go-Cart.
13. The price is wonderful considering the competition. This mower should turn out to be a number one seller, in my opinion.
14. I saved the best for last. It is made in the USA!!!!

I hate mowing the lawn. HATE IT. But last June I purchased a home because my dogs are loud. :-) I had an electric push mower already (love it; very lightweight), but I'm afraid to use it in the springtime when it rains more often. Even if there's one day without showers, I have to get out there an mow regardless.
To make mowing more bearable, I shopped around for an electric start, self-driven push mower. I found a Toro online that sounded good and went to Home Depot to purchase it. As I was walking to the door, I thought, "Dang, I wish they made a tiny riding lawn mower for my tiny yard--maybe that would be easier and more fun."
Talk about an answer to my prayers! I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked in and saw the WE1! Though it was priced twice as high as the push mower I'd planned for, I snatched it up and took it home that night. It's the first riding mower I've ever used to actually mow; my Grandpa used to let us ride around the farm on his with the blade disengaged. :-)
Since my yard/sod is less than a year old and I have not top-dressed it, I had the deck too low and wound up scalping a few bumps. On the normal parts of ground, the other heights seemed too high. Go figure.
I, too, am slightly disappointed with the turning radius, but that just means that I have to break out the string cutter (hmmm...is this Weed Eater's evil plan? lol).
I'm sure my neighbors must think I'm the laziest person since my lawn's so small & I am only 36yrs old, but it is so much more preferable to having an unmown lawn and dealing with the HOA & the City. I also was able to use it as a leaf blower to clean the sidewalks afterwards.
I am pretty excited to have this mower. My 70yr old mom sometimes visits for a month at a time, and she will be interested in mowing while I'm at work. ;-)
Over all, I am very pleased with the mower; it lets me knock out an unpleasant chore quickly and in a fun way without expending so much physical effort that my body's out of commission for a week! Yay! Recommended!
**Note: if you are not familiar with engines, read the entire manual before using it, no matter how annoying it is to not get started right away. There is a lot of good information in there, like how to drain the oil, etc.
Be advised that it ships with oil already in it--I did not know this because I did not read the manual. As a result, I overfilled the oil and had to siphon some out. It could've ruined the engine forever. Huge pain in the butt.
----Update----
Still loving this mower! I'd really like to know when the mulch kit will be available, though. I guess 'til then I'll continue to dress like a train robber. 3:|>
20100727: Still looking forward to Mulch Kit availability online. I broke down and emailed Poulan. I'll post a follow-up if they tell me how/where to buy the Mulch Kit.
----Update May 7, 2011----
Found the mulch kit on S e a r s Parts Direct but haven't used it yet. I also had to buy a replacement for the black adapter in the steering wheel assembly. I could steer more easily in reverse, but forward was almost impossible. I'd turn and turn the wheel then it'd barely *eek* one inch. The part had a hairline crack in it that caused it to slip. The replacement was cheap, though, and I'm still happy with my purchase. :-D ** In other news, WeedEater has a new riding mower out called the SmartCut. From what I could tell it comes with the mulch cover you can change out for the discharge chute. It looks like it'll be better in bumpy terrain as the back tires are bigger and they've upgraded the seat. I watched the videos on their site and it looks like the turning radius hasn't improved. This model is $899 at my local Home Depot (exclusive retailer for the SmartCut).
----Update April 1, 2012----
Though this update is being written on April Fool's Day, I can assure you I'm not joking. :-) 1) Sheared the valve stem off of one of the rear tire's innertubes, so I had to replace that with a generic one from Home Depot. My friend did it for me, and he did not have an easy time with it. So make sure you check once in a while that your valve stems are lined up with the holes in the rims. They are meant to stick straight out, not at an angle. 2) Discovered today that the black adapter in the steering wheel that I replaced last year is cracked once again. Checked Sears Parts Direct, and it appears that the manufacturer wised up and now makes it out of metal. Bad news is: it's currently back ordered & it costs twice as much as the previous version ($19 plus shipping now). Part number is 532186737 (old part number was 437747). 3) I did finally put on the mulch kit; it was easy to remove the side-discharge dealie and replace it with the mulch plate. I like it a lot better as it doesn't raise as much dust and bits of grass into the air.

I purchased the Weed Eater One for $650 from WalMart Superstore. 2 year guarantee best I could tell.

The mower came assembled and in good condition.

1. Grass cutting quality - very good.
2. Mower power - adequate, even on hills.
3. Turning radius - could be better. Ok I suppose.
4. Gear ratios (ground speed/power). 1st is fine, 2nd is too tall (fast), 3rd didn't even try.
5. Mows in reverse. Good.
6. Starts good.
7. Gears can be changed on the fly. Good.
8. Tends to lose traction mowing across even gentle slopes. Up and down is just fine.
9. Fuel usage - good
10. Comfort - good with good seat adjustment

In summary, it is great for my small yard (1/3 acre)

I have now been using my We-One for two seasons. By and large it has been a good tool. It has never failed to start, it is not rusting anywhere, and the fuel economy remains better than my push mower. I mow 1 1/2 acres with some hills and dips. The We-One has proved to be more stable on the slopes than I thought when I first started using it, but there was a learning curve because the steering is not very tight. There are three forward speeds and one reverse speed, no throttle, so reverse is slow and the lowest gear is slow, but one can use the brake pedal to modulate the fastest speed so this has not been a practical issue for me. Overall for the price I have been satisfied.

However...Be aware that the steering wheel attaches to the column with a plastic spline that will strip out sooner or later (mine stripped at the end of last season) rendering the mower unsteerable. This is a replaceable part (part # 186737, about $16.00), and the replacement is metal. Next, the left steering linkage will bend, also rendering the mower unsteerable. You can only hammer the linkage straight again a couple of times before it snaps off. This part is also replaceable (part #428033, also about $16.00) and has been improved over the original.

These are the only maintenance issues I have experienced so far. Three stars because of the poor quality of these steering parts, otherwise I would have rated the We-One at four or even five stars.

I had high hopes for this mower as my initial review indicated. I had a chance to cut about 3/4" of grass today and have to say that the Weedeater One met or exceeded my expectations. Start up with key was fine...had to crank it twice. Mower deck engaged nicely as the engine revved up to accommodate the load. Engage it slowly and vibration is minimal. The blade is very powerful, cutting clean and evenly even in the fastest "transport" speed. I'm only 150 lbs. and this thing scooted me around like I wasn't even on it. Blade spins fast and sprays the clippings far out of the wide chute opening...they just disappeared into the grass. I may not even bother getting the mulch kit when it is available. My grass was dry, but got a little buildup around the inside of the deck. I won't be cutting wet grass so as not to have to clean it out or spoil the flow inside the deck housing. Easily trimmed around beds and walkways in a slower gear, and you can lightly push the clutch to slow a bit if needed without changing gears. The second highest cutting height was perfect for my lawn, I'll probably only use the next lowest late in the Fall and maybe never need the 1st and 4th level of cut. The blade comes out to the wheels so I didn't have to overlap...just lined up the wheel next to the previous pass and didn't miss a blade! The best thing as compared to my Personal Pace mower? This was pure fun, no work at all. Cut my time in half. So good that I won't need the walk behind at all any more, just a bit of string trimming. I wasn't so sure that the seat would be comfortable enough, but it truly was. Got done so fast I didn't need more padding or a cup holder! By the way, my lawn is fairly flat, no more than 5 degree slopes. As others have posted, be aware of 15 degree limit. Steering was nicer than I expected...I knew that turning circle would be fairly large, but I can deal with that. If you have a lot of straight runs and few obstacles, that would be ideal for this machine. It cuts grass like crazy. Tire marks in lawn are less than with my walk behind as these are wider and don't leave grooves, just flatten the grass a bit. These are more noticeable where I turned, but the ground is still moist from Spring rains...again great for longer runs. Stayed fairly clean, I just used the small leaf blower to get the clippings out of a few areas. Bottom line...if your situation is within the above parameters, you probably can't beat this One for the price...half the cost of 28" Craftsman or Snapper. No fatigue, lots of fun, excellent cut, nice look, nothing but barebones mower and it seems to do that job well. Buy one if you can find one!

With a half acre and a disability that prevents me from operating a push mower, I needed a small, lightweight, inexpensive rider. After reading some reviews that said it would not climb hills, I was hesitant to buy the WE261 as I have a 10 degree slope on my property.

Seeing nothing else at that price point and small enough for me to handle, I picked one up and hoped for the best. With the exception of spinning a wheel when encountering fairly large fallen branches, it pulled the hill, no problems, with my 210 lb frame on board and the blade engaged.

If you have a push mower size lawn and moderate slopes, this is an excellent buy.

I have found that I was in the same position as the first 2 reviewers, a medium size yard, that takes about 1 hour to mow by walking. I didn't see buying the smallest Sears or Home Depots 36 or 42 inch riding mower for my yard. Yard Machine made a 28 inch mower about 6 years ago and when I got the financies to purchase it, Yard Machine Co. had discontinued it, it was a 28 inch mower. Snapper has a 28 inch mower but wants $2200 for it. I was saving to buy it. Since Home Depot had it and WalMart, I did the same thing, grabbed it up before it is discontinued. As for liking it, I love it, even though its been raining every other day since I recieved the crated box. So I'm excited, and will give this great review based on the others reviews, and basically for the manufacturer for manufacturing an economically viable riding mower for all those with small to medium lawns and have no need for dual bladed mowers.

My next request is, when will Weedeater (or Husqvarna) offer the accessories for this mower, like a grass catcher, or do I have to invent/modify one to fit this one.

P.S. Sorry Amazon, your cost was higher than Home Depots and Walmart. But you get a plus for having the review section, which I use with the upmost regards.
I will give an update to this when I get to use it...

Update 5/21/10: Absoutely great. This mower was better than expected. It even had holes in the rear for me to design an attachment. Yes, that's right, I designed an attachmet as an interim fix for not having a grass catcher. Being an engineer, I now use my push mower (the attachment) to collect the grass clipping. Although I have to go over the yard twice, I can cut the entire yard, collect the clipping with a second pass in 45 minutes.

I ordered and received on 10-4-10. Delivery was fine. Packaging was good however the crate was a big problem to dissemble and dispose of. It arrived at 10:30AM. Removed crate, assembled wheel and seat with no problems. Put in gas and mower started right up. Drove around yard, tried to lower and raise mower deck and it would not budge. Came back to garage, smelled gas and saw gas was leaking. Mower deck was jammed back against back body and would not move. Called 1-800 number and was told to call authorized dealer. Dealer said to bring in. Took mower into shop at 2:30PM on same day as delivered. Received call today from shop (10-11-10) and was told mower deck and gas leaking was fixed but they found drive disc was bad and had to call manufacturer. Manufacturer said "Oh yes, we're having a great deal of recalls and problems with that, and part was on back-order and should be in around two or three weeks". Well, I am a 67 yr old female, used to fixing things, do a lot of electrical, wiring, plumbing, using electric saws, drills, etc., because my dad was a builder. However never have I bought anything that I have had to take to a shop on delivery day. This whole thing has been a major disappointment, very aggravating and totally ridiculous. Guess I'll go back to my Home Depot push mower (which I assembled) and never had a problem with. Thank goodness, it is cooler weather and not much mowing necessary now. I wish I had never purchased this item. Please beware if you are buying, prepare for shop detail soon if not on delivery day. If had to do over would have bought the Craftsman 28" mower, costs more but I've never had a problem with a Craftsman.On 11-5-10 I called shop and was told manufacturer was not making part because these mowers are too new. Well, that did it, stuck with a mower that don't work and no available parts. I then called Amazon and they refunded my money. THANK YOU AMAZON! THESE PEOPLE ARE GREAT. THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!