Snapper (21") Honda GX160 Commercial HI-VAC® Self-Propelled Lawn Mower

Did not work out of the box took 15 to 20 pulls too get started had to take it in too be serviced when I called customer service at power direct was very disappointing they did not want to help at all terrible customer experience.

Once fixed it runs great but was without mower for over 2 weeks. Local dealer was angry I did not purchase from him but he was charging $125.00 more and another $85.00 in taxes.

I will never buy a lawn mower that does not have a Honda Engine the absolute best engine on the market bar none.

Did not work out of the box took 15 to 20 pulls too get started had to take it in too be serviced when I called customer service at power direct was very disappointing they did not want to help at all terrible customer experience.

Once fixed it runs great but was without mower for over 2 weeks. Local dealer was angry I did not purchase from him but he was charging $125.00 more and another $85.00 in taxes.

I will never buy a lawn mower that does not have a Honda Engine the absolute best... more

I own a landscaping and Lawn service. I have 6 crews of 4 men per crew. Each crew mows about 59 yards per week. Last year I decided to go all snapper hi vac commercial units. So I bought 12 of these mowers. Big mistake. This mower is not designed for the commercial, hi use industry. We have to do repair work on several of the mowers every week. Not one of the mowers has the original handle that engages the propel.

We have had to fabricate our own handle on every one of the units. Not to mention the handle is positioned right in the area of the operators ribs, so if there is a sudden stop, the operator gets bruised ribs or bends the handle. The bag on this unit to replace cost around $150. It's nothing special, just a bag.

The bearings on the wheels wear out quickly. The line that engages the mower and the transmission rub on the handles that don't last so they must be replaced once per month. The oil spout leaks on over half of my units. The tires have all been replaced. All this since march. I understand that we use our mowers more than residential people do.

A commercial unit should last at least one season before having to replace so many parts. Very disappointed. Not one item above was covered under warranty by the way. Not one. The 2 year warranty is basically useless unless your engine explodes. And being that it is a Honda engine, as long as you change the oil once a week, which is reasonable for the use we incur, the engine will last forever.

I own a landscaping and Lawn service. I have 6 crews of 4 men per crew. Each crew mows about 59 yards per week. Last year I decided to go all snapper hi vac commercial units. So I bought 12 of these mowers. Big mistake. This mower is not designed for the commercial, hi use industry. We have to do repair work on several of the mowers every week. Not one of the mowers has the original handle that engages the propel.

We have had to fabricate our own handle on every one of the units. Not to... more

Looks nice, that's about It! For the price just spend a few more hundreds and get the Honda Commercial. Hard to start, but once it's on Its great.

Nice mower over-all. Pros: Powerful, Hi Vac is no joke, Infinite speed adjustments, large fuel supply, large air filter element.
Cons: With the mulching blade (sold separately) you can expect good mulching with dry grass but clumping will occur with any moisture on your grass, With all four wheels adjusted on identical height detents... one wheel doesn't make contact on a level surface. It's off by 3/8". So is it that wheel or it's same side partner the culprit? I can't seem to tell. Frustrating no less. And the engine oil issue...It is shipped without engine oil and nowhere is this indicated when you unpack the mower (stupid). But because I read other reviews I was ready with a quart of SAE 30 ready to go.

Because you won't find any reference in the manual to the capacity of the oil sump, trust me.. it's .75 qt. 3 qts will change your oil 4 times... you get the picture. Make sure you pull the engine through 3 or 4 times with the oil cap on before your oil level check or you'll wish you did. I also think the drive engage lever is awkward in both location and throw. When you release the lever the mower continues to drive forward regardless while the belt releases from the driven pulley. My 2 cents.

Nice mower over-all. Pros: Powerful, Hi Vac is no joke, Infinite speed adjustments, large fuel supply, large air filter element.
Cons: With the mulching blade (sold separately) you can expect good mulching with dry grass but clumping will occur with any moisture on your grass, With all four wheels adjusted on identical height detents... one wheel doesn't make contact on a level surface. It's off by 3/8". So is it that wheel or it's same side partner the culprit? I can't seem to tell. ... more

I was looking for a quality $400 mower, then ran across the Snapper name brand. This brought back memories of the quality mowers Snapper use to make some 25 years ago. So, what the heck, I bought a new one and paid $1,000. Extremely disappointed - the quality of a once great product is no longer there. This is truly junk. The tin they use for the wheel height adjustments is so thin, it flexes before it releases from the indexed grooves, you can not adjust the rear wheels! The hardware used to hold the bag on the handle falls off every time you go to empty grass clippings. The cheap plastic clamp that holds the bag shut during mowing routinely falls off while you are mowing! The Honda engine will not start without using starting fluid - and good luck in taking off the air cleaner cover while using the starting fluid because you have to hold onto a lever release at the end of the mowers handle. I can go on - but I'm running out of space here. The newer Snappers maximize profit for Snapper management who probably never mowed a lawn in their life. Too bad they sacrificed quality. Really a dumb move.

I was looking for a quality $400 mower, then ran across the Snapper name brand. This brought back memories of the quality mowers Snapper use to make some 25 years ago. So, what the heck, I bought a new one and paid $1,000. Extremely disappointed - the quality of a once great product is no longer there. This is truly junk. The tin they use for the wheel height adjustments is so thin, it flexes before it releases from the indexed grooves, you can not adjust the rear wheels! The hardware... more

For the price of a commercial mower, the bag is a huge disappointment. Every time you have to empty the bag, you must remove a tube, unfold the Z shaped fold , empty the contents and then re fold the bag and slip the tube back on.

It takes more time than it should. I am very unhappy with is design. My previous snapper had a back door that flipped open , you emptied the bag and you resumed.

The mower did not come with a plug for mulching. Again for a commercial mower, $2 of plastic for the plug should be included for the price.

For the price of a commercial mower, the bag is a huge disappointment. Every time you have to empty the bag, you must remove a tube, unfold the Z shaped fold , empty the contents and then re fold the bag and slip the tube back on.

It takes more time than it should. I am very unhappy with is design. My previous snapper had a back door that flipped open , you emptied the bag and you resumed.

The mower did not come with a plug for mulching. Again for a commercial mower, $2 of plastic for... more

The mower was shipped promptly and the service from the carrier was great.

The set up was very easy and straight forward.

The engine fired right up with a couple pulls and fell right in to a smooth idle. Not surprised, it is a Honda.

The mower has a nice cut and the engine has great power. Even the first cut of the year when it was plowing through tall grass and the winters debris it didn't seem to work up a sweat. The bagger has good capacity. Though if allowed to fill completely it is pretty heavy. But if you look closely at the very robust construction and large Honda engine it is clear that you get what you pay for.

The mower was shipped promptly and the service from the carrier was great.

The set up was very easy and straight forward.

The engine fired right up with a couple pulls and fell right in to a smooth idle. Not surprised, it is a Honda.

The mower has a nice cut and the engine has great power. Even the first cut of the year when it was plowing through tall grass and the winters debris it didn't seem to work up a sweat. The bagger has good capacity. Though if allowed to fill completely it... more

I had to finally replace my old Honda HRC215, and looked around quite a while trying to find something old school, heavy duty, mostly plastic free, and non-gimicky -- good luck! After finally deciding on this particular Snapper with the Honda GXV engine. I ordered from mowers Direct -- none of the local dealers had it and didn't really seem interested in ordering one for me. Mowers Direct was great, and the Snapper arrived very quickly. After putting it together and mowing the lawn a few times, I can say it is better in every way than the old Honda. The drive setup works better and with the differential it is easier on the grass (the Honda always tended to tear grass with the back wheels in a turn), the GXV 160 runs better and has quite a bit more power than the old GXV140. The wheels are easier to adjust, the variable speed operation is great, the bag holds more grass, and the wheels are completely made of steel with bearings. Also, the Honda tended to spit stuff out from under the mower, and blow nearby leaves and debris away, but the Snapper actually sucks stuff under! The Snapper is about 10 pounds lighter that the Honda too! This is as close to a well made mower from 20 years ago as you are going to find today, and it is made nearly exactly the same as a Snapper from that period. Highly recommended!!

I had to finally replace my old Honda HRC215, and looked around quite a while trying to find something old school, heavy duty, mostly plastic free, and non-gimicky -- good luck! After finally deciding on this particular Snapper with the Honda GXV engine. I ordered from mowers Direct -- none of the local dealers had it and didn't really seem interested in ordering one for me. Mowers Direct was great, and the Snapper arrived very quickly. After putting it together and mowing the lawn a few... more

Don't buy the B & S engine. Not dependable on starting after being run for a short time. Honda engine very satisfactory with starting. I understand from dealer I purchased the mower from, B&S engine to be discontinued in commercial line. Had two B&S mowers that would not start after short use, before the Honda that the dealer made good. I have owned Snapper mowers for over 25 yrs. and still recommend them.

I have been a gardener for 36 years and I have always used Snapper.
A few weeks ago someone stole my mower from the back of my truck.
Granted it was on it's last legs. Anyway, I saw your site and decided to purchase one from you.
My usual shop doesn't keep them in stock anymore, so they would have had to order it and it would take about a week to get.
Purchasing it from you saved me a little over $200. And it works great.

Ok for the real deal snapper picks up the grass really good while the Honda does a better mulching job. Yes I have them both and I have been in the business for for over 40 years. Someone said they got there snapper and it did not work when really it just had a bad shipping. They should not even mow their yard hire the pro before you cut your foot off. And you should always check the oil after all it is the life of your engine. I really should not need to say all of this but some people have their head up their hummmmmm?

Ok for the real deal snapper picks up the grass really good while the Honda does a better mulching job. Yes I have them both and I have been in the business for for over 40 years. Someone said they got there snapper and it did not work when really it just had a bad shipping. They should not even mow their yard hire the pro before you cut your foot off. And you should always check the oil after all it is the life of your engine. I really should not need to say all of this but some people have... more