Craftsman  140cc* Low Wheel Side Discharge Push Mower 50 States

I LOVE this mower.  This has been my summer of lawnmower heartbreak.  My old mower doesn't work, and is probably fixable, but I don't have the time for that.  Meanwhile, the grass continues to grow and needs mowing.  I want to trust the experts who sell these things because they have knowledge I don't have about features and benefits of the various machines, as well as what would work best on my terrain (hill front and back, sideyards are flat strips on both sides).  I was first talked into a high-end self-propelled mower.  I liked NOTHING about that mower.  Self-propelled mowers WON'T move backwards, so there is no mowing back over a small area that seemed to be missed, or maneuvering in and out of tight spaces.  The mower was so heavy it pulled me down the hill sideways (scary).  Rear wheel drive self-propelled machines tend to spin like a car stuck in a snow drift (I found that out AFTER purchase), so I had ruts all over the yard.  After the spinning, I had to push hard to get it to start to move in a forward motion.  So much for the ease of self-propelled.  Turned out to be more of a detriment than a benefit.  I couldn't bear the thought of mowing, so that mower had to go back.  Next, the high rear wheel machine.  Definitely not as maneuverable as my old machine, but basically okay.  Then a home improvement store cheapie that was well reviewed.  That mower was lightweight and easy to use, but would cut no lower than 4", and left a 3" wide swath along the curb and along the concrete mowing strip. Both areas had to be trimmed by hand.  Way too much hand work, and who wants to mow twice a week to keep up with the long grass?

Getting desperate for a simple mower that would work, I turned to Sears.  Finding a plain old-fashioned mower that is NOT self-propelled and doesn't have specialty wheels is not easy.  Of the few available, this one seemed like the best.  The mower box was easily loaded into my mini-van, and easily unloaded by me, a 5'8" 56 year old woman about 145 lb.  The salesman showed me what I would need to do to set up the handle.  I added oil according to the instructions, and poured in the gas.  Set up time took no more than a few minutes.  Because of my last experience with the 4" tall grass on the lowest mower setting, I set these mower wheels to the lowest possible setting.  The mower started easily with one pull.  Started to mow, and WOW!  This machine actually cuts grass.  It was clear that the lowest setting was going to scalp the yard, so I easily adjusted the wheels to a higher setting.

I typically mow and then cross-cut each time I cut the grass.  Not necessary with this mower.  It cuts a nice clean swath the first time around.  The mower deck DOES extend beyond the width of the wheels, as detailed in the product description.  -  The curb and concrete mowing strips were cut clean and beautifully; no hand edging needed.

This mower is easy to start, easy to use, easy to push uphill, easy to maneuver around obstacles, has easily adjusted wheel height, is lightweight, and sturdy.  I especially like the fabulously designed "flow through" wheels that are easily sprayed clean of grass and dirt from both sides.

I am very glad to have found this mower.  Based on my previous three disasters, I was beginning to despair of finding a simple lawnmower like they used to make, and was wondering if it was just me.  I was expecting to soon see my picture with a line through it in the yard machine departments of the big box stores.  I don't have to dread mowing anymore.

Thanks, Sears!