Buying a mower these days does not necessary have to be a compromise between price and quality. The Lawn Boy 10640 20-Inch 6.75-Gross-Torque Briggs & Stratton Gas-Powered Push Lawn Mower is the perfect example. Affordably priced at $239.00, the Lawn Boy 10640 is ranked and recommended by Consumer Reports as the best lawn mower in its gas-powered push mower category. (see also: Consumer Reports Recommended Lawn Mowers).
When buying an used lawn mower, the things you need to consider are: What type of mower do I need (gas vs. electric, push vs. self-propelled, corded vs. cordless lawn mower, standing vs. riding)? Is it easy to handle? Does it cut evenly? Is the bag sufficiently large for your needs? How well does the lawn mower mulch the grass clippings? Does the deck size and cutting height options meet your requirement? How well does it perform when cutting thick, long or wet grass?
Lawn Boy 10640 20-Inch Push Mower
If you’ve already decided that you want a gas push mower, Lawn Boy mowers would be a good choice to start.
Fast to Assemble & Easy to Start
Out of the box, it only takes 10-15 minutes to put the mower together and no tools are needed. Just fill it up with engine oil (included) and gas, pull the cord, and you’re off and running. Lawn-Boy’s Ready Start engine does not require priming or choke. They even have a two-pull start guarantee: engine starts with 1 or 2 pulls for three years or they will fix it for free. Having had mowers that required constant pulling and coaxing (and a bit of cursing), the ability to start a mower right up on the first pull is very refreshing.
Discharge Chute & Mulching
The side discharge chute is not included, but you may request it free-of-charge from the manufacturer using the provided request card. You can also request it online on at the Lawn-Boy website. The mulching bag is a bit small, but since this is a push mower, it helps with the maneuverability.
Lawn Mower Performance
The Lawn-Boy 10640 cuts evenly and cleanly. The Briggs and Stratton engine is packed with 6.5 horsepower that doesn’t get bogged down in thick grass. It does a good job of mulching the grass, and the noise level is relatively low.
Lawn Mower Features & Specifications
With the Lawn-Boy 10640, you can easily adjust the cutting height with 7 different settings from 1 inch up to 4 inches. This mower has a one-piece handle (instead of the two-piece kind screwed in together about mid-way down). Some have complained that the one-piece design makes the vibrations that cause your hand to go numb and the tingling sensation worse. If you have a large lawn or mow for an extended period of time, you can solve this problem by using something like the Good Vibrations Lawn Mower Comfort Grip which, when attached to the handle, gets rid of those irritating vibrations from your hands.
Also, since the handle is in one long piece, you’ll need a slightly larger space to store this lawn mower. I’m used to the 2-piece kind that I can unscrew slightly and just let the top portion fold down. It takes up less room to store that way. But what you lose in space, it’s made up for in easier maneuverability of the one-piece.
Fat Wheels for Better Control
The Lawn Boy mower has wide and fat wheels ( 7″ Front / 8″ Rear) that make the mowing less bumpy on uneven terrain and give you more control. It would’ve been even better had it been the rubber kind instead of the hard plastic kind, but then again, the plastic kind will outlast the rubber. And who wants to deal with flat tires? Not me.
Steel Deck
Now, some people have complained about extra holes in the deck. These are holes used for upgraded features on the higher end models. Apparently, they use the same steel deck on their less expensive models as their upgraded models. It’s not a big deal. Heck, it’s a steel deck (vs. the cheap plastic stuff), thus it’s more durable. So what if it has a few unsightly holes. For the money, you are getting a good deal on quality construction as opposed to many of the budget lawn mowers out there that are made with plastic components. By the way, it’s also got a safety cover over the exhaust which is a good safety feature so you don’t get your hand burned.
Lawn-Boy Mowers Warranty
The Lawn-Boy 10640 Walk-Behind Mower has a 2-year full warranty covering materials, components, and workmanship. The engine is covered by a 3-year Power Train Warranty.
Complaints About the Lawn-Boy 10640 Push Lawn Mower
A common complaint about the Lawn Boy 10640 is its packaging. Some have complained about damage to the rear height adjusters from the package being dropped or mishandled during shipment. Nothing a pair of pliers can’t fix, but it’s still an annoyance. Lawn-Boy needs to come up with a better-designed packaging allowing it to handle the abuse involved during shipment. For a product that’s over $200, it should be better protected.
Weighing in at 66 lbs., it can be a workout pushing the Lawn Boy around. For some that’s the attraction of the push mower. It’s a form of exercise. Hey, whatever helps, right?! And for those of you who are not inclined to see mowing as a form of exercise, the Lawn-Boy 10640’s strong engine and wide wheels makes mowing a breeze. But if you don’t see a push mower for its health benefits, however minuscule, and just want a mower that makes the chore of mowing your lawn faster, more easily, and with less effort, especially for lawns with a lot of slopes and dips, you should look into the self-propelled models. Otherwise, you really can’t go wrong with this Consumer Reports recommended push lawn mower.
The Good: Consumer Reports’ #1 recommended gas-powered push mower, it’s easy to start, assembles quickly, and affordable.
The Bad: Has no side discharge, small mulching bag and the packaging needs improvement.
The Bottom Line: Good value for the price, sturdy steel deck construction, nice Briggs & Stratton engine.
