Craftsman 625 Series Briggs & Stratton 21” multi-cut

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Craftsman 625 Series Briggs & Stratton 21” multi-cut

by Seth
(Fernley, Nevada)

I have always been impressed with the quality of the Sears Craftsman line of products until one incident recently. About two years ago I bought a Craftsman 625 Series Briggs & Stratton 21” multi-cut lawn mower and have been disappointed.

As always, Briggs & Stratton engines are great. As claimed by them, it easily starts on the first pull every time, provided you give the carburetor three priming pumps as recommended. The engine runs strong and quickly tackles my lawn if I use it only as a side discharge mower and not a rear bagger. Unfortunately this is not always practical for me.

With the rear bagger installed, the mower quickly clogs well before the bag is full. This in turn causes the mower to stall out endlessly. To compensate for this I am always stopping to clear the bag opening. This easily doubles the time I have to spend mowing thus adding needless time to task.

Another issue with the mower is the weak and flimsy wheels. They always appear to be loose even though they are not. If they receive any kind of a side load they appear as if they are going to break off. To be fair though, this has not happen yet after two summers of use and they don’t seem any worse than the day it came out of the box.

I will not be going out to buy a new mower anytime soon as this one does get the job done. I would thou, highly recommend investing in a higher end model of the Craftsman line. On a scale of 1 to 5 this mower gets a 3 in my book.

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Craftsman 625 Series Briggs & Stratton 21” multi-cut

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Oct 27, 2009
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My Craftsman 625 Series Lawn Mower
by: Anonymous

PROS
- It is much easier to self propel this lawn mower forward than to use all your strength pushing it.
- Enjoy the choices to convert it from bagging to discharging.
- It has the flexibility to use it for mulching, rear bagging, and also side discharge.

CONS
- Needs a power propel feature to mower with it backwards and not just forward
- Problem with draining out the oil and gas

This is a review of my push lawn mower and how I rate it as a product. There are both pros and cons with owning this lawn mower but let me give you my cons first.

I first rate this lawn mower with a score of three, for one thing it needs a power propel feature to mower with it backwards and not just forward. I wish it would self propel backwards because it requires a good deal of energy to push backwards as well as forward, especially up and down the small hilly areas in my yard.

Also draining out the oil and gas is a task. When you want to change the oil you have to drain out or run out all of your gas and then tilt the mower on its side and let the oil drain out. When you want to change the gas and add fresh gas you have to tilt the mower over on its side and let it run out, instead of having a drain on the bottom of mower. When you do this the oil spills out through other components on top of the mower, thereby causing a mess and perhaps a dirty air filter.

The pros of this lawn mower are the power propelled feature that it has. It is much easier to self propel this lawn mower forward than to use all your strength pushing it. I also enjoy the choices to convert it from bagging to discharging. You have the flexibility to use it for mulching, rear bagging, and also side discharge.

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Oct 27, 2009
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Submitted by: Anonymous

Title

Comment
<b>PROS</b> - It is much easier to self propel this lawn mower forward than to use all your strength pushing it. - Enjoy the choices to convert it from bagging to discharging. - It has the flexibility to use it for mulching, rear bagging, and also side discharge. <b>CONS</b> - Needs a power propel feature to mower with it backwards and not just forward - Problem with draining out the oil and gas This is a review of my push lawn mower and how I rate it as a product. There are both pros and cons with owning this lawn mower but let me give you my cons first. I first rate this lawn mower with a score of three, for one thing it needs a power propel feature to mower with it backwards and not just forward. I wish it would self propel backwards because it requires a good deal of energy to push backwards as well as forward, especially up and down the small hilly areas in my yard. Also draining out the oil and gas is a task. When you want to change the oil you have to drain out or run out all of your gas and then tilt the mower on its side and let the oil drain out. When you want to change the gas and add fresh gas you have to tilt the mower over on its side and let it run out, instead of having a drain on the bottom of mower. When you do this the oil spills out through other components on top of the mower, thereby causing a mess and perhaps a dirty air filter. The pros of this lawn mower are the power propelled feature that it has. It is much easier to self propel this lawn mower forward than to use all your strength pushing it. I also enjoy the choices to convert it from bagging to discharging. You have the flexibility to use it for mulching, rear bagging, and also side discharge.

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Aug 21, 2009
Rating

My experience - Fair
by: Anonymous

Yes I have the same problem as the original poster as it clogs and stalls out and you have to keep emptying the rear bag even when not full. I have had it for about 3 years and forgot what allcame with it but would love for the cutgrass to shoot out the side at when using only the mulcher I can't even get across the yard before it clogs.

Jun 06, 2009
Rating

Sears craftsman 625 mower - pulley problem
by: Anonymous

I've had a Sears Craftsman 625 for around a year. The first time mowing this year, the belt came off and even though I replaced the belt with a brand new one of the same size, it pops right off when I pull the starting cord.

The pulley looks strange... It appears to be two discs that pinch the belt at a funny angle. Perhaps it is broken and is actually supposed to be one part, like most pulleys.

I am not impressed with this mower. I wish I had the money to get a Honda, my friend uses them for his landscape maintenance business and wow are they amazing. And they bag wet grass like nothing I've ever seen.

May 02, 2009
Rating

Sears Lawn Mower
by: Anonymous

I also purchased this items and used it perhaps 4 times and it will not start...Sears is the the store it use to be...

Apr 17, 2009
Rating

A little loud and vibrates but maintenance is a breeze
by: Florence

I like my Craftsman mower because it's versatile. I can use it to cut and bag the grass for a clean finish with the grass catcher bag or use the side mulcher door.

The best thing I can say is the unit came pre-assembled in the carton. For someone like me who doesn't understand machines, what a relief to simply unfold the handles, add the engine oil, gas and be ready to mow. There are separate units for the oil and gas so you do not have to premix anything to get it started properly. One lesson learned be sure to push the primer button as specified and make sure you don't overfill the oil or you will experience a smokey start!

The 21-inch base cuts a fair size path, which reduces my cutting time. The high wheels on the back make it easier to push the mower since this model is not self-propelled. The height is adjustable too, if you are like me and let the grass grow for a while between cuttings! I've not had any problems trimming three to four inch heights but anything higher seems to stall the engine.

The Briggs and Stratton engine is a little loud and vibrates but maintenance is a breeze. To change the oil simply tip the unit to the side and let it empty in a pan. This is a great feature, no messing with an oil drain plug. The spark plug was easy to change if you buy one pre-gapped like I did. The air filter is conveniently located on the side and should be changed or cleaned every year or if you use it frequently the replacement parts are not very costly.

I've had my mower for over a year and on a scale from 1 to 10, I give it an 8.

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Apr 17, 2009
Rating

Submitted by: Florence

Title

Comment
I like my Craftsman mower because it's versatile. I can use it to cut and bag the grass for a clean finish with the grass catcher bag or use the side mulcher door. The best thing I can say is the unit came pre-assembled in the carton. For someone like me who doesn't understand machines, what a relief to simply unfold the handles, add the engine oil, gas and be ready to mow. There are separate units for the oil and gas so you do not have to premix anything to get it started properly. One lesson learned be sure to push the primer button as specified and make sure you don't overfill the oil or you will experience a smokey start! The 21-inch base cuts a fair size path, which reduces my cutting time. The high wheels on the back make it easier to push the mower since this model is not self-propelled. The height is adjustable too, if you are like me and let the grass grow for a while between cuttings! I've not had any problems trimming three to four inch heights but anything higher seems to stall the engine. The Briggs and Stratton engine is a little loud and vibrates but maintenance is a breeze. To change the oil simply tip the unit to the side and let it empty in a pan. This is a great feature, no messing with an oil drain plug. The spark plug was easy to change if you buy one pre-gapped like I did. The air filter is conveniently located on the side and should be changed or cleaned every year or if you use it frequently the replacement parts are not very costly. I've had my mower for over a year and on a scale from 1 to 10, I give it an 8.

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Apr 12, 2009
Rating

NO SUPPORT
by: Anonymous

I picked up the same mower. It has been used twice (lightly in a very small yard) and now it won't start. Sears won't take care of me because it has been over 90 days. I won't purchase another product from Sears.

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Craftsman 625 Series Briggs & Stratton 21” multi-cut

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Craftsman 625 Series Briggs & Stratton 21” multi-cut