Husqvarna 7021P (21") 160cc Honda 3-in-1 Push Lawn Mower

The mower lived up to all of my expectations. Delivered on time. Limited out of the box assembly and instructions. Easy one pull start (it started the first time I pulled the cord).

Cuts very efficiently and the Honda 160cc engine is dependable and powerful. If I could add a feature it would be a hose access port on top for cleaning.

I'm very happy. A quality mower at a quality price.

It's too flimsy. Arrived with wheels kinked and misaligned due to various parts bending, including the too-flimsy chassis. I bought it based on weight. It was too light. Returned it and bought a Honda. 13 pounds heavier, but worth the weight. To their eternal credit, Power Equipment Direct was EXCELLENT to deal with and returning was EASY. I was pleased enough with the service that I bought my Honda from them.

I live in the Southwest so my lawn is not perfectly covered. We get more rainfall in August. The mower is so powerful that when I mow it picks up tons of DIRT. So I empty 50% dirt and 50% grass clippings. I do better if the lawn is wet, then I have less dirt so I have to drench my yard before mowing. Next time I will shop around for mowers.

Love it. This replaced my 16-year-old Honda Powered Craftsman 3-in-1 mower. It handled the leaves in my yard with ease. Starts easily, really nice machine for the price.

Easy to push and to trim with. Does a lot of work you can not do easy any other way. Example, chop a big pile of leaves down to the ground so you do not see them, trim around trees and the house where you push and pull a lot and mow out ditches and wet spots. A self-propell is just too heavy.

My wife...I mean kids, got me this Husqvarna 7021P model for Father's Day. I was gifted it early so they wouldn't have to deal with the massive amounts of grass clippings my old mower left strewn about the lawn any longer. I decided to record a video to give people a good picture of what to expect.

Key Takeaways (if you don't want to sit through the video)
1. Use new fuel. I had trouble getting this mower start with some older gasoline that I had laying around the garage.
2. Make sure the bagger is fully attached or clippings will get out the side.
3. Add ALL the oil provided.
4. Enjoy! Mower worked great after I got it started and is a vast improvement over my old one.

My wife...I mean kids, got me this Husqvarna 7021P model for Father's Day. I was gifted it early so they wouldn't have to deal with the massive amounts of grass clippings my old mower left strewn about the lawn any longer. I decided to record a video to give people a good picture of what to expect.

Key Takeaways (if you don't want to sit through the video)
1. Use new fuel. I had trouble getting this mower start with some older gasoline that I had laying around the garage.
2. Make sure the... more

Husqvarna 7021P Review and Introduction to Direct-Bag-It

7021P Review

As far as I can tell, this is the best value 3-in-1 push mower available. Think "simple quality." It was the only mower I could find that met my standards for my product Direct-Bag-It (described further below). If you are looking into the 7021P for your basic mowing needs, below are some items to consider:

Pros:

--Sturdy, light weight, stamped steel deck provides a solid foundation.
--The ball-bearing, large diameter wheels provide low rolling resistance.
--The features above make the system very maneuverable.
--Honda GCV 160 motor provides high quality, long life performance.
--Very good value.

Cons: (items to note, but do they do not outweigh the pros)

--The strength of this year's handle assembly took a step back. What was a single U-bar in the lower portion of the assembly is now two individual pieces, which is much more flimsy. This has been mitigated by supplying two nuts and two bolts to fasten the handle arms to the deck bracket. I saw no instructions supplied for this, but had to put 2 and 2 together.
--The grass catcher is undersized for bagging leaves and grass, relative to Direct-Bag-It.


Introduction to Direct-Bag-It: the smart way to bag your yard!

Every fall, I spent countless hours in our leaf-filled yard raking and filling clumsy paper yard bags. I knew there had to be a better way. Although seemingly impossible to create, I wanted my mower to fill directly into paper yard bags! After several prototypes, I am on the path to developing and commercializing "Direct-Bag-It: the smart way to bag your yard.” It saves tons of time, effort, and yard bags…I love using it!

A major obstacle to making multiple Direct-Bag-It systems was finding a quality, light weight, cost effective base mower. Enter the Husqvarna 7021P. Once I found it, I knew I could move ahead developing this significantly more efficient solution for bagging leaves and grass clippings. Visit www.direct-bag-it.com to find videos, "like" on Facebook for updates, place an order, and learn why Direct-Bag-It is a superior year-round leaf bagging, grass bagging, mulching machine!

Pros:

--All of the pros of the Husqvarna 7021P.
--Cut bagging time at least in half relative to raking and bagging. (preliminary testing)
--Reduce bag usage at least in half relative to raking and tamping. (preliminary testing)
--A significantly decreased overall effort relative to raking and bagging.
--A yard with the leaves removed and the grass mowed simultaneously.
--A super efficient leaf bagging system that is also adaptable for efficient use during other seasons using the grass bagging and mulching modes.
--The satisfaction of buying a multi-season, efficiency enhancing system that costs significantly less than a yard vacuum (that does not fill directly into yard bags, takes up extra space in your garage, and will only be used a few months out of the year).

Cons:

--I can't get you one immediately. I need to gain sufficient pre-orders to launch a low-volume production run of the fabricated steel parts, fund manufacturing tool improvements, and operate the business.

Thank you for reading this review of the Husqvarna 7021P 3-in-1 Push Mower and introduction to Direct-Bag-It: the smart way to bag your yard!

Husqvarna 7021P Review and Introduction to Direct-Bag-It

7021P Review

As far as I can tell, this is the best value 3-in-1 push mower available. Think "simple quality." It was the only mower I could find that met my standards for my product Direct-Bag-It (described further below). If you are looking into the 7021P for your basic mowing needs, below are some items to consider:

Pros:

--Sturdy, light weight, stamped steel deck provides a solid foundation.
--The... more

Easy to assemble, easy to use....just don't forget to install the two bolts into the handle near the base to keep the handle locked in place tightly.....no instructions for this in the manual and this is probably why some others have commented on the handle being flimsy...it's not. Great product so far...have used 4 times and it starts easy, cuts great and is easy to push too. Excellent value.

Every other mower I ever bought had to be turned onto it's side, AWAY from the oil filler.
This mower should have BOLD HIGHLIGHTED instructions to NOT attempt to sharpen the blade by doing this.
BOLD info needs to say the mower MUST be turned onto it's side WITH the oil filler.
This is VERY IMPORTANT!
If you turn the mower onto the side AWAY from the oil filler, the OIL will run out through the carburetor, and ruin the air filter!

On the plus side:
The Honda engine is amazing. It is quiet, powerful, but most amazing is "the mower has started on the first pull 100% of the time".
The mower is the easiest pushing mower that I have ever owned. The ball bearing wheels practically roll by themselves.
On the negative side:
The handle is, by far, the weakest aspect of the machine. It is flimsy, wobbly and of very poor quality compared to the rest of the machine. Cutting the lawn with this handle is like pushing the mower with a rope. I had to modify/reinforce the handle before ever using the mower.

On the plus side:
The Honda engine is amazing. It is quiet, powerful, but most amazing is "the mower has started on the first pull 100% of the time".
The mower is the easiest pushing mower that I have ever owned. The ball bearing wheels practically roll by themselves.
On the negative side:
The handle is, by far, the weakest aspect of the machine. It is flimsy, wobbly and of very poor quality compared to the rest of the machine. Cutting the lawn with this handle is like pushing... more

I wanted a straightforward, no-frills push mower with a great engine and easy maneuverability. The Husqvarna 7021P was the best mower that I could find that met my objectives. The Honda engine is easily the best feature of this mower. It starts easily, has more than sufficient power to cut the thick southern St. Augustine grass, and runs reasonably quietly compared to other mowers that I have owned/used over the past four decades. The mower mulches very well and has great vacuuming power. It rained hard yesterday, yet the mower was still able to suck up a mat of wet oak leaves and chop them up. I have not used the mower in side discharge or bagging mode, so I cannot comment on those functions. The engine has a nice heavy-duty gas cap, a welcome change after the cheap, leaky gas caps that I have experienced on Craftsman mowers. The engine also includes a shut-off valve on the gas line to the carb, which enables you to run the carb dry after each use. That should significantly reduce carb fouling from E10 gas, resulting in less maintenance and longer mower life. The oil filler dipstick is also very nice - easy to access and easy to thread back in.

The ball bearing wheels are a very nice feature. I have long wondered why even expensive lawn mowers used cheap wheels. The wheels on the 7021P are plastic like the rest, but the ball bearings make them roll smoothly and should extend their useful life long past the point at which the cheaper ones have ovaled-out hubs.

The handle is very comfortable. The safety lever is padded and the handle is shaped to let the hands rest naturally for reduced fatigue. The handle has two length settings, but no angle/height adjustability. However, I placed the handle at its longer setting and found it to be acceptable even though I am a moderately tall guy (6' 3" in shoes). I wish that I could adjust it four to six inches higher, but the mower rolls so easily that it really doesn't matter. After decades of mowing lawns with a push mower, I believe that this handle is better than most in terms of comfort.

After focusing on the positives, it is time to address a few negatives. The stamped steel deck is not quite as sturdy as I would like, especially for a relatively expensive push mower. The light weight of the unit is great, but I would have preferred that Husqvarna add a few pounds to make the deck a bit thicker and stiffer. Something in Husqvarna design, manufacturing, assembly, or quality control process is also lacking, because the wheels (especially the left front wheel) exhibit excessive toe-out and camber. Others have posted statements online about the wheels being canted out, and they are correct. I noticed it right away and took several photos right out of the box to document the issue. I have not investigated in detail to determine if it is the deck, the wheel mounts, or both. The good news is that the mower still rolls easily and true. I decided to use it for a while before rendering a final judgment. I also want to add that, unlike some other mowers that use plastic components to mount the wheels, the wheel mounts on the 7021P are metal. This is very important to me. I would not have purchased this mower unless this were true.

The handle on the 7021P seems to work fine but, like the deck, is designed more towards the thin and light side than I would prefer. I believe that with reasonable care I should get years of service out of the this handle. But I have had mower handles fatigue and fail in the past, and my gut tells me that the handle on the 7021P will be the first structural item that I will have to repair/replace.

One other minor negative is that the cable running from the carb up the handle is a bit too long, even with the handle at its longer setting. The cable works smoothly, but it was bowing out and rubbing against the left rear wheel. I simply added another loose tie strap (not shown in my photos) to hold it away from the wheel. This is just another little design flaw that mars an otherwise nice package.

In the end, I am pleased with this mower overall. As I said at the beginning, it was the best simple push mower that I could find. The keys to this mower are the Honda engine and the ball bearing wheels. The handle and deck are functional, but not up to the same standards of the engine. Husqvarna has done a pretty good job with this mower - it runs well, handles well, and cuts well. But there is still room for improvement, especially at a price point of over $300.

I wanted a straightforward, no-frills push mower with a great engine and easy maneuverability. The Husqvarna 7021P was the best mower that I could find that met my objectives. The Honda engine is easily the best feature of this mower. It starts easily, has more than sufficient power to cut the thick southern St. Augustine grass, and runs reasonably quietly compared to other mowers that I have owned/used over the past four decades. The mower mulches very well and has great vacuuming power. It... more