After a few months in, I have to say the Bilt Hard self-propelled mower is a decent mower, especially for the price when compared to the name brand competition. This mower replaced a 13 year old high-end mower no longer manufactured. I initially had my doubts, but purchased it anyways given that most the reviews were positive and I was completely unimpressed by the more expensive options currently out there. Wow, I was shocked after the first use. This mower has the same size engine, but clearly has far more power than my old one. The little things it sucks up and mulches in the yard is insane - - I hear them but sure don't see them. It cuts so nice and even too, putting my old $600 mower to shame. The Bilt Hard is so light weight, I don't even need/use the self-propelled option anymore, which is great as I'm getting a little older. Unlike what others have stated, it has the prefect walking speed, honestly a tad on the slow side as the self-propelled isn't necessary being so light weight. I just use it to pull the mower up the hills and slopes in my yards. This mower is easier to push than a grocery cart. And starting it isn't an issue once you adjust to pulling the cord from the engine instead of the handlebar, which is the way mowers use to be made years ago. Overall quality is good and it feels solid enough. I have only noted one or two cons thus far. The mower is a bit on the messy side. It does such a good job mulching, it tends to spray the fine particles out of the bottom, which blow at you if it's breezy out, but it really is not a big deal given all the other positives I have experienced. Just this week, the Bilt Hard tackled the first of the fall leaves like they were confetti. The powder coating is also a bit on the thin side too as it chipped a little to easily in my opinion when I accidentally banged a post, so a bit of extra attentiveness is needed to keep it in good shape. The mower is delivered to your door in a solid box, well packed and ready to go in 20 minutes. I can't stress enough how pleased I am with this purchase.
I used it for the first time yesterday and it did a pretty good job for the most part. Think, hard stuff chops up a lot better than thin flimsy stuff which mostly just flies around the blade and gets spit out. When I was done I ran my chips back through the top Hopper two times and got most of it to a uniform chop. The only thing I don't like about it are the rubber slots on the front of the feed tube that make it very difficult to push thin stuff or foliage through. I had to push a lot of it through with my fingers and by the end of the session my fingers were raw and sore from the thick rubber grabbing them. I have yet to do any leaves with it so I don't know how it's going to perform for that.
