Rating Summary
“Sturdy, Powerful ... a real performer!”
- mowing the lawn
Craftsman 37436 —
Craftsman Rear Propelled Rear Bag Lawn Mower 700 Series B&S Key Start 22" cut
My first run with this lawn mower brought out the fact that this Craftsman is heavier, sturdier, powerful, quieter, and definitely has better grip (my last Craftsman was front wheel drive). A longer wheelbase contributed to some initial maneuverability clumsiness, but this peculiarity goes away soon after figuring out how to effectively use (or not use) rear wheel power.
I reviewed commenter issues and respect their opinions; however, most were not issues for me. Upon reviewing the specs and physical aspects of the lawnmower it didn't take long to see where improvements have surfaced: Powerful B&S engine (what more can I say about B&S); Rear wheel drive (better traction than front wheel drive); Variable drive (awesome ... let's hope it's as durable as the single speed); Wheel height adjustment (much better ... if you will place your hand under the frame and lift slightly to take the weight off the wheel, it will move very easily and much easier than earlier designs); Longer deeper rear-loading bag/assembly (I like the locking/unlocking mechanism, ease of removing straight-up through the handle bars for dumping, and window on the top); Handle-bar design is better, in my opinion ... comfortable and I like the squeeze control on the variable drive system for speed.
Getting a lawn mower with the battery-starting feature was my decision, although I have no problem pulling the rope as B&S engines start easily. Charging the battery on the lawnmower is not an issue with me. There is less to worry about leaving it on the mower (legal ramifications, reliability, etc.).
Setting the speed of which you want to walk is performed by a simply squeezing the hand lever closer to the handle bar to increase speed and vice-versa to slow down. Release it entirely and it stops. I personally find the new design handle bar to be a solid improvement over the more conventional one of which I have spent numerous hours.
Consumer's Report (CR) has Model 37435 (same as this one ... less battery) and three Toro's ranked as a Best Buys. Honda had 4 mowers in the top ten, Craftsman 3, and Toro 3. CR had a total of 33 mowers that made their listing. Craftsman is in good company ... or is it Honda and Toro are? One can buy Craftsman lawn mowers with Honda engines. However, I grew up with Briggs and Stratton engines and never once saw one fail.
Bottom line ... it's an impressive and well-engineered lawn mower which should provide a good number of years of excellent service. I'm going to enjoy it and would definitely recommended it to friends.
Last edited on Apr 14, 2011
Craftsman 37436
