Craftsman  190cc* Briggs & Stratton Platinum Engine, 22'' Rear Drive Self-Propelled EZ Lawn Mower 50 States

The only problem I have with this mower is that the blade doesn't mulch as fine as I think it should. Easy to replace, other wise it starts easy, lots of power, easy to handle, set up out of the box very easy. I purchased this mower over a toro because my sales person was very knowledgable and took the time I needed to help me make an informed decision. Trusted him and sears, glad I did!

I bought this mower (917-370920) a year ago in the Spring of 2012. I was replacing a 10 year old Poulan with a Briggs (not self-propelled like this one), mainly because my Daughter and Son-in-Law had just moved into a new home and needed a mower, so I gave them the old one. To be honest the Poulan seemed like a Craftsman with different paint. About 25 years ago I had a self-propelled Craftsman (front wheel) and after a few uses I just pushed it because the drive system was 2 speeds, neither of which suited me and the front wheel system drives under the lightest part of the mower, so it slipped a lot especially when the bag was full and heavy. Anyway, this EZ-Touch drive system is a dream. You can drive with either hand and the variable speed easily lets you crawl or fly over the lawn end everything in-between. It has a good feel to it and is easy to use. If you are mowing under something with low branches you can hold the mower off to the side, at arms length. (Continued)

Setup was easy, although I didn't realize right away that you should pour the entire bottle of oil into the engine (kept doing a few ounces at a time and checking the dipstick). Once I added gas, it started right away on the first pull, which it has done since. Tall and wet grass has yet to bog the engine down, and it does go fast if you squeeze the trigger all the way. Love how the bag mounts securely, and how the door drops down when squeezing the lever to start it. Only two complaints... one which has already been mentioned about the bar that spans the rear wheels. If you hit an unlevel area, like a flower bed, you have to lift up on the rear of the mower to keep going, unless your cutting height is adjusted higher. The other issue, which is getting better with use, is that you have to squeeze the self propel trigger harder than I would expect. All in all, well worth the money!

fast, good looking

Now that I am getting a bit older, I needed a new mower first of all and decided to get a self propelled unit to be a little bit easier on my body. Since my last mower had the larger wheel in the rear, I opted for a new unit that had the same maneuverability as my previous one. This mover fit all my needs including a variable speed control that I could actually walk behind it at my own pace. The motor does not bog down at all at any walking speed. There is enough horsepower to maintain speed and rpm's. Mower starts on first or second pull on the starter rope.

I really liked this mower, had great features. I read reviews and looked around quite a before I decided on this mower. My last craftsman rear wheel drive 6.5 horse power turbo cooled lawn mower was the best. When I bent the shaft hitting the curb I knew it would be hard to replace. It was 10 years old and NEVER failed to start or run. NO problems with it ever. This one, ran one season and now it won't start. Made sure I didn't store it with gas in it (as the directions stated) and used new gas. New spark plug, checked filter. Called service center. It will cost 70.00 just to ship it to manufacturer - and it is only covered if it is a manufacturer defect. Sorry, but any lawn mower than won't start after one season is a defect. I will never own another Craftsman, and I will never own another mower without a primer button.

One pull start out of the box. Factory blade was good, but I upgraded after first cut to the Premium Mulching/Bagging Blade. We'll see how it does. I read all the reviews about the "rear wheel lock". I actually tried to get my mine to "lock up". It NEVER did. Only way I could get it to do so was to not completely release the EZ mower control. With two of them, my guess is these people are gripping both and forgetting to release one of the controls (most likely their non-dominant hand). Always been a fan of B&S engines, and this one is a winner. Relatively quiet to operate, but very powerful. I have thick, well fertilized fescue and this mower handles it with ease. Handle could be a little more ergonomic, but just wear a good pair of gloves and your set (most do anyway).

Works and cuts great, easy to control.

I adjusted the mower all the way, and it still leaves the grass too long. I'm going to take it back and hopefully they can fix it.