Is Poulan Pro A Good Brand Mower? Here's What The Reviews Say

Many well-known landscaping equipment brands are trusted by the masses. The likes of Black and Decker and John Deere have won over customers with their wide assortment of products, strong quality, and solid warranties and customer service. Making things even better, stores like Harbor Freight have tools and equipment at budget-friendly rates from such brands, too. But other brands have entered the marketplace recently, seeking to earn some of the goodwill their more tenured contemporaries have accumulated.

One such example is Poulan Pro, a brand that many casual users of landscaping tools might not be familiar with. Poulan Pro specializes in several types of appliances, with the website putting a lot of focus on its blowers, chainsaws, and hedge trimmers specifically. However, that's not all it has to offer: As it turns out, Poulan Pro has tried dipping its toe into the lawn mower pool. Some of its items are available on the Home Depot website, including the Poulan Pro PM22Y625RH push lawn mower for $399 and Poulan Pro 42 in. Riding Mower for $1,199.

Several folks have given these Poulan Pro lawn mowers a try and shared their thoughts with the rest of the internet. Unfortunately, based on the company's 1 out of 5 star rating on Consumer Affairs and the mixed reviews on its products, the consensus seems to be that Poulan Pro is far from the perfect brand to buy from.

Let's start with the push mower, which has a 2.5 out of 5 star rating on the Home Depot website. Worse yet, half of all reviews give it a single star for one reason or another. "I went through two units within 24 hours. Constant belt problems for the FWD and constant bogging," shared user Handyman_Soldier, part of a theme of sudden breakdowns faced by owners. Home Depot customer Carol also had two units break down, while Mark commented, "Wish I could give it a -5 stars. Very cheaply made and poorly assembled. Broke after [one and a half] lawns." The latter received a quick and easy refund, at least.

Even folks who have ended up with working units have faced other quality control issues. "1st, delivered in a busted-up box held together by clear tape and missing accessories. 2nd, delivered with a busted wheel and [the] wrong size leaf bag. 3rd only starts occasional[ly] or not at all," explained unhappyspartan of their disappointing experience. Meanwhile, Dennis only got a handful of uses out of it across a single summer before it just gave out for no discernible reason. User Bee tried to get replacement parts to fix theirs up, but they couldn't even get hold of Poulan Pro to receive them.

Clearly, push lawn mowers aren't Poulan Pro's strong suit. However, the company seems to have fared much better with its riding mower — which, it's worth noting, is different from a lawn tractor.

Even a quick look at Poulan Pro's 42-inch riding mower makes it immediately clear that it's the brand's superior offering. The 42-inch riding mower has a 3.9 out of 5 star rating based on 74 reviews, with only 10 of them being one-star. The majority of reviews are five-star reviews, many detailing all that the tractor does right. "It rides well, very easy to handle, and with a 42-inch cut, it's very efficient and a great time saver," commented Del, noting that it helped them get their lawn done in about an hour. Reviewer Smile2017 said that it managed to chop through their roughly knee-high grass with little to no trouble.

Among other compliments, Greenthumb883 praised the Poulan Pro riding tractor for its maneuverability: "The reverse cutting feature was easy to learn and makes cutting in tight spots a breeze. I have a few slopes and a lot of trees, gardens, and other obstacles, but the mower negotiated all of them with ease." In their review, billyearl commented on the exceptional value the tractor presents, as it comes packed with a Briggs and Stratton engine and heavy-duty tires that they feel are worth the price.

Maybe Poulan Pro will cement its place among the best lawn mower brands on the market eventually, but it still has a ways to go. As decent as its riding mower seems, its push mower has a lot to improve on.