Originally Posted By: stephen9666
The OP's criteria open up tons of mower brands made by Husky and other OEMs.
I have an older Craftsman that has worked fine for about 6 years. I bought it used. It was made by Husky, I believe.
I actually had a mower pretty much exactly like the Toro another poster is praising in this thread. I sold it because the handling sucked big time. It was easy to disengage the blade accidentally when trying to disengage the drive for a turn, meaning you had to be constantly re-engaging the blade or ripping holes in the grass as you turned.
I was impressed with the build quality of the Toro, but it wasn't good at mulching and the poor handling made me go back to my old Craftsman.
RWD does have benefits in some scenarios, but in my yard the easier handling of a FWD mower is a huge benefit.
My Craftsman has only needed a couple repairs since I've owned it. I replaced the front wheels because most of the tread was worn off. I also replaced the belt. Other than that, I change the oil every couple years and sharpen the blade every once in a while.
There are lots of the Craftsman around here for about $100. I think I will pick one up and see how it goes. Can always re-sell if I don't like it.