Craftsman  420cc 30'' 6-Speed Rider (49 States)

Really impressed with the larger engine with this rider as it handles the job thrown at it!Best of all it's a Craftsman and just the right size for my one acre lot.Compact in that it doesn't take up room in storage but gets the lob done!

Returned the first mower (DOA) and ready to return the second when I discovered that I got a 2013 mower with a 2012 bagger which would not disable the cutting deck safety cut-off switch to allow the mower to start. With no local Sears in the Phoenix area that had a 2013 bagger, I cut a half-inch notch in the older design bagger chute that allowed moving the chute rearward to reliably close the cutting deck safety switch. Mowing the lawn was a breeze, and the rear bagger grass catcher was easy to empty. The lawn looks good and the mower is the right size to store in my 13-foot by 15-foot storage shed. I look forward to years of reliable grass cutting.

I purchased this item in the store and to be honest with you, the sales rep was not as knowledgeable about the mower as I think he should have been for the ticket price of the item. That being said, you need to pay very close attention to the start up directions in the manual. If you miss one step, it will not start ( safety devices..this is good.) Once it got going, it was easy to handle. The turns were a lot sharper than with a standard tractor and it is definately easier to see what is in front of you. I do feel that someone not knowledgeable with tractors should not attempt to do this alone. I had to call for some assistance getting item started and service rep was very good. I was told that I could have paid for delivery men to make sure item started but again, for the ticket price of mower, that should be free.

The mower lacks a floating deck which causes uneven cutting except on the flatest of lawns. Especially true on turns. UNLESS YOUR YARD IS EXTREMELY FLAT, BUY SOMETHING ELSE. HERE'S WHY: The biggest concern is the tendency for tipping. Granted there are warnings, but this tractor is VERY top heavy. Because you are sitting directly on top of the engine, the center of gravity is quite high. In the range of 10 to 12" higher than other riders I have owned or used. For this reason, on a modest hill, the mower wants to lift off the ground when going up hill or turn over when moving along the side of the hill. On many occassions, the front wheels have left the ground while I'm cutting. Also because all the weight is in the rear, it tends to under steer, meaning that it wants to keep going straight if the grass is the least bit wet. I like the smaller size, but do not feel safe enough with the mower for my wife or 18 and 19 year old sons to use it.

The craftsman is unusually well built with a powerful engine and well constructed convenience but does not skimp on ease of handling and doing a good job of cutting the grass. It has a fairly good turning radius that is sufficient for most lawns, it starts easy, easy to control and a good value for a customer. Sears is noted for it's support of it's products and stands behind their products

I decided on this mower, over the 42", due to garage space and ease of use in and out of my backyard gate. My yard is a half acre and is completely flat. This is a great little mower for my yard!!! It starts up with ease and maneuvers easily around trees, shrubs, etc. Aside from the "no mowing in reverse,safety feature", I have no complaints about this mower and am very satisfied with my purchase! The delivery was on time, the delivery guys were very professional and helpful to answer any questions I had. Great job Sears!

I waited a year to review this mower. They must have deleted some older posts. Bypassing some of the "safety" switches allows you to mow in reverse. For my small yard this is the perfect size mower. No floating deck means you need a fairly smooth lawn for a clean cut. I have had no issues with the reliability of the unit for my first year. Easy to start and runs great. Good turning. So far so good.

I have owned my lawn mower for one year and it runs perfectly. Easily goes around all of my trees and flowers. Always starts. Has many safety gadgets. Does not cut when using reverse, lifting off of seat or if cut guard is off. I really like this lawn mower. The size is great for a 10 by 12 shed. I can fit it along with all of my other things. My last riding mower was big and took up too much room. It gets the job done. It is also very good on gas. Large tank and I only filled it two times for one summer. I cut 1/2 acre once a week.

After years of mowing 1/2 acre of wet tall grass in the PNW with a "self-propelled" push mower, I finally gave up and bought this little rider. Woohoo! It takes me about 1/4 of the time, it handles our gentle slope fine, it rarely gets bogged down or clogged by tall wet grass, it fits in my shed, it fits through my gate, and it's just plain fun to ride! My only regret is that I waited so long to make the purchase.

This mower is not good for a "Mechanically Mentally Challenged" people. Most people who buy it and don't like it are most likely attempting to have it do more that its design limits. Answer: buy a bigger mower. But for a half acre or less its great. The only thing I didn't like about it was the "pain in the backside" reverse engine cutoff switch. This cuts the engine if you put it in reverse with the blade engaged. But a simple examine of the F/N/R shift rod showed me how it worked and an easy non-evasive solution to this problem - a piece of 3/8 in. plastic tubing three inches long placed over the shift rod to insulate it from touching the engine cutoff contact solved this problem. Once I engineered this, I then bought the mower. The transmission and clutch is a bit touchy until the mower gets broken-in a bit. But after a half of a season it runs very smooth. The mulcher (extra purchase) feature is great too.