Every Major Lawn Mower Brand Ranked Worst To Best

Guy with lawn mower

Sometime between March and April each year, most of us have to gear up to tackle the sometimes daunting task of lawn maintenance. Rarely seen as a fun or enjoyable task, cutting the grass is a fact of life for dwellers of houses from coast to coast. Fortunately, modern science and engineering has made the job exponentially easier than it once was, and the proliferation of powered lawn mowing machines has given all of us the ability to keep a well-kept lawn with minimal effort.

Mechanical lawnmowers date back to the 19th century, but the ’50s and ’60s brought affordable designs and materials making motorized lawnmowers available to everyone, leading to the expansive mower industry we have today. Over the many decades of mower development, scores of companies have arisen, flooding the market with an expansive list of choices from which to pick the best model for your needs. This can make it difficult to decide which one is best for you, especially as the market is now populated by a growing list of electric and battery-powered lawn mower options.

Taking into account brand reputation, customer reviews, and independent quality testing, some brands fare better than others. Therefore, we have compiled a list of major lawn mower brands, with a few omissions to keep it from being unwieldy. Here’s our list of well-established brands that currently offer gas-powered push and riding mowers for the consumer market, ranked from the worst to the best.

Murray

Murray Mower

The Murray name has been affixed to lawnmowers for over a century dating back to 1913, but saw a decline until it was bought out of bankruptcy by Briggs & Stratton in 2005. The brand has since been offered as a low-budget mower exclusively by Home Depot.

Murray offers only four push mowers and just two riding models. With prices starting at $249, they rest clearly on the budget side of the market. What you get from a Murray mower is a basic design using established components and features. It is not the choice for those who prefer innovative products and are willing to pay for it. However, the standard Briggs & Stratton engines will provide competent and trouble-free operation.

The only self-propelled model from Murray, model 153003, offers front-wheel-drive with rear bagging for $379.00. Consumer Reports notes that it lacks an option for side discharge and that it is a bit on the loud side, offering an overall rating of 58/100. Furthermore, reviews posted to Consumer Affairs reveal an abundance of negative experiences owners have had with their Murray mowers. These reports do not inspire high confidence.

Troy-Bilt

Troy-Bilt mower

The first Troy-Bilt product was a garden rototiller in 1937 — the first of its kind. Troy-Bilt built that early success into a company that makes a wide range of outdoor power equipment, and today offers a full line of products as a brand owned by MTD (and ultimately Stanley Black & Decker).

Troy-Bilt offers several models of lawnmowers and riding mowers, available from major retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s, as well as independent equipment dealers. Pricing of Troy-Bilt mowers generally falls in the middle of the range, providing good value for buyers who prefer not to buy budget brands while keeping purchases affordable.

Unfortunately for Troy-Bilt, feedback to Consumer Affairs is rather poor. With 600 reviews collected overall, it only musters a 1.1/5 rating. Dozens of one-star reviews cite difficulties with return policies and poor customer service. Others complain of having multiple failures and difficulty starting. Consumer Reports gives its Troy-Bilt TB220B XP model a rating of 64/100, essentially placing it in the middle of every category from reliability and noise to bagging and owner satisfaction. Not everyone has the same experience with Troy-Bilt, but you might want to carefully compare options before buying.

Cub Cadet

Cub Cadet Mower

The agricultural machinery giant International Harvester sought to break into the consumer lawn care market in 1961 when it introduced its first garden tractor called the Cub Cadet. The Cub Cadet was well-received by buyers and the brand would become known for making dependable products with innovative features for years following its debut. Some 60 years later, International Harvester is no more but Cub Cadet continues to make lawnmowers as one of several brands of MTD, a division of Stanley Black & Decker.

Today’s Cub Cadet lineup continues to include garden tractors but is accompanied by a full range of outdoor power equipment, including zero-turn mowers, tillers, snowblowers, and push mowers. Cub Cadets are often highly regarded, but user reviews generally provide a more nuanced view of its products. The overall rating of the brand from Consumer Affairs, a consumer feedback site, currently stands at 2.3/5, with many one-star reviews from owners frustrated by poor customer service and product failures occurring soon after purchase. Furthermore, Consumer Reports gives the Cub Cadet SC300B self-propelled mower a rating of 67/100, citing an exceptionally even cut while rating the reliability at just 3/5 and customer satisfaction the same. Cub Cadet is a trusted name that may warrant further research before buying.

Snapper

Snapper lawn mower

The phenomenal growth of the suburbs after WWII led an intrepid entrepreneur to establish a company to help meet the demands of suburban lawn care. In the process, he created the first self-propelled rotary blade lawn mower, using power from the engine to drive the wheels. The large mowing contraption protected users from the blade with a large metal covering that made it look a bit like a turtle shell, leading to the name of the company, Snapper.

Since its inception in 1951, Snapper has been a mainstay in the lawn care industry and its products have been seen across the country mowing lawns, including an appearance being operated by none other than Tom Hanks in “Forest Gump.” Despite the company being of an advanced age, it is still going strong and producing brand-new products as a division of Briggs & Stratton.

Snapper no longer produces the iconic rear-engine mowers once ubiquitous in the suburbs but it offers a range of push mowers, riding mowers, and zero-turn mowers for professionals. Late-model Snappers include many innovative features that set them apart, such as the dual-blade NINJA mulching system. Consumer Affairs aggregate rating of 2.5/5 may not appear high, but it is still higher than competing brands such as Cub Cadet or Troy-Bilt. Furthermore, the most recent rating from Consumer Reports on the battery-powered Snapper SXD19PWM82K is 78/100, among the highest tested. Snapper mowers tend to be a little expensive, with the retail price of the self-propelled NINJA set at $799. However, the price reflects the quality, and a Snapper may be worth it.

Husqvarna

Husqvarna lawn mower

Hailing from Sweden, the manufacturing giant Husqvarna produces lawnmowers, chainsaws, trimmers, and a wide range of other outdoor power equipment. The company was founded more than 300 years ago as an arms maker, relying on local hydropower available from waterfalls in Huskvarna, Sweden. This early expertise led to centuries of making high-quality tools and equipment and the establishment of a global manufacturing operation.

Husqvarna has a long-standing reputation for innovation and quality, particularly with its chainsaws, but that has applied to its lawnmowers as well. In recent years, the company has been building expertise in the area of battery power and Husqvarna robotic mower development has been ongoing for more than a decade. Although gas-powered push mowers have been a part of its business for some time, currently the only model listed on its website is a commercial model. All of its consumer-grade models run on batteries, even though there is still debate whether electric lawnmowers really are better than gas.

The Husqvarna LE-322 self-propelled battery-powered lawn mower uses a 40-volt system with two removable 7.5 Amp-hour batteries, offering up to 75 minutes of runtime. Homes and Gardens put one through its paces, resulting in a generally favorable impression of its performance and features, giving it 4/5 stars. The biggest complaint seems to have been the price of $799, which is certainly at the upper end of the scale for a consumer-grade product. It received the same score from TopTenReviews. If you have room in the budget, Husqvarna is a solid choice.

Craftsman

Guy starting Craftsman mower

The Craftsman brand has been around for well over a century and sold lawnmowers since 1934. Over the years, Craftsman mowers have become regular fixtures in suburban homes all over the country. Even though the store that introduced and sold Craftsman products for decades, Sears, is all but gone, Craftsman continues as an American manufacturing tradition under the corporate umbrella of Stanley Black and Decker.

The current lineup of Craftsman is a broad mix of models designed to cover nearly everyone’s needs throughout the price range. This includes battery and gas versions of push mowers plus a range of riding and zero-turn mowers. With prices ranging from $279 to $459, Craftsman has something for nearly every budget, and all of them include Craftsman quality for no extra charge.

Even though Craftsman isn’t really perceived as a prestige line of equipment, ratings and reviews online are generally favorable. Consumer Affairs shows 166 reviews with an overall rating of 3.1/5. TopTenReviews lists a slightly older review of a self-propelled mower, giving it 4.5/5 stars, while Viewpoints gives Craftsman 4.2/5 stars. Finally, Consumer Reports comes in with a 74/100, putting the Craftsman M320 self-propelled gas mower on its CR Recommended list. Craftsman has been a trusted brand for more than 100 years, and it is nice to see it maintaining its integrity in the modern day.

Toro

Woman mowing with Toro Mower

The Toro Company is a large corporation producing and distributing machinery for lawn care worldwide. While its early history was spent building engines for various applications, in the 1920s it dedicated its work to lawn care and has been a leader in that segment ever since, introducing many innovative designs later adopted throughout the industry.

With a broad range of equipment made for the upkeep of golf courses and other large commercial properties, Toro equipment is regularly seen on the trailers of professional lawn care companies everywhere. However, Toro has also offered products for consumers to use at home for decades.

Toro mowers are high quality and priced accordingly. A Toro Personal Pace Recycler, which is a gas-powered and self-propelled model, is priced near $500 and features rear-wheel-drive, which can provide benefits over front-wheel-drive lawnmowers, and uses Toro’s Recycler system for mulching grass clippings. Consumer Reports includes this in their recommendations for mowers and gives it a score of 73/100, praising its mulching and side discharging capabilities with top marks and noting no discernible flaws during the test. TrustPilot is less forgiving with a 2.8/5 stars, but with only 20 reviews listed, this rating is likely highly skewed. Professional tool reviewer Pro Tools Reviews recently awarded a similar model 9/10, adding to its overall ranking.

Honda

Honda lawn mower

The first Honda lawn mower arrived in 1978. Extensive research, which took engineers from Japan to the United States and France to study lawns in prospective markets, contributed to Honda creating the best mower possible, adding Honda’s legendary reliability as a standard feature. Since then, Honda has continued building lawnmowers and is a leader in the field today.

Honda mowers are built to last, and that contributes to their reputation. Furthermore, most mowers are backed by the manufacturer with a warranty of up to 7 years, and Honda’s continued innovation keeps customers returning to the brand expecting more of the same.

Among the feedback and reviews for Honda’s latest mowers are many glowing statements. USA Today recently reviewed a standard gas-powered push mower proclaiming it to be, “the best one we’ve ever tested.” Another review from TopTenReviews earns Honda 4.5/5 stars, praising it for having a powerful engine and only downrating it for being a bit large, heavy, and expensive. Pro Tool Reviews gives a commercial version of a Honda mower 9.1/10, and a recent New York Times piece placed it as the top choice for a lawn mower for anyone not yet ready to go electric. Finally, in a head-to-head matchup by Consumer Reports, the Honda came out two points higher than the Toro, another highly rated lawn mower brand. Even though the starting price of $599 puts this out of reach for many, the Honda lawnmowers are worth it — it’s the clear choice for the best lawn mower brand.

How The Brands Stack Up

Lawn mowing

In compiling this list and sorting out the rankings, we looked into a variety of factors. Ratings coming from sources such as those with consumer reviews and feedback as well as professional testing and rating organizations apply the most weight to each ranking. Other factors including product offerings and price also affect where each brand stands.

In ranking these brands, it would be difficult to assess every model for every strength, meaning this is meant to be a rough guide or overview. Furthermore, this should not be construed as a definitive guide when shopping for a new mower model. Nothing should outweigh your own assessment, based on your particular needs (and budget), to help choose the right product for any scenario. Hopefully this is an informative read that helps guide you in the right direction when you’re shopping for a lawn mower.

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