This Weedeater is also affectionately called the Weedeater One, the Weed Eater We One or the Weedeater We-One
This mower answers the questions.
I’m tired of walking but all the riders are too big.
I’m not allowed to push mow my lawn anymore.
I want a rider, but my lawn is too small.
I wish I could get a mower like my grandpa’s old Big-Mow or Ride King.
UPDATE Mar 2011:
Owners either love this mower or hate it. This is a nice, small mower designed to mow flat, level, smooth lawns. If you are mowing an old, rough lawn with large trees, dips and ruts you will not like this machine. If you are unsure of your lawn, but a small rider is right for you move up to the Craftsman Smart-Rider. Weedeater has a version of the Smartrider with a smaller engine called the Smartcut. Poulan and Lowes also carry a version with the smaller motor. Poulan Pro PB30 30-Inch 11-1/2 HP Briggs and Stratton Rear Engine Riding Lawn Mower
The Craftsman Smart-rider looks to be the “next generation” of the Weedeater We-one. It is larger, heavier built, has an automatic trans and bigger motor. It’s only been in the stores for a week or so and it already is getting a lot of interest.
To see all the 2011 reviews go here: My 2011 Riding Lawn Mower Reviews
Last years review follows.
I wanted to see one of these new mowers before I wrote a review. I thought: The price is too low. It’s too cute. It has to be just a toy.
Weedeater One Riding Mower
The True Value store near me put one on display yesterday and I spent some time going over every inch of the machine. I was primarily looking for weaknesses in the design. As I looked at the mower I compared it to the 28 inch Craftsman 28034 and the 38 inch Yard Machines by MTD
My Review:
What I like:
First, The Weedeater One has electric start and can mow in reverse! Most of the small mowers like the Yard Machines and other cheap mowers don’t have the reverse mow option. This was a welcome surprise.
Second, Everything on the mower was built well. The frame is heavy and all the mounting brackets for the deck are at least 1/8 inch steel. It is built MUCH heavier than the Yard Machines and just as heavy as the Craftsman 28034. It was pleasantly surprised how strong every component on the machine was designed and built.
Third, the mowing deck, spindle, and blade is well designed and heavy duty.
The 190 cc motor is large enough for the size of the deck. You may run out of power going up and down long hills or in really heavy grass but as designed (small yards that you mow every week) it will have plenty of power.
A bagger and mulching blade will be available soon.
What you may not like:
The Weedeater One does not have a hitch. It makes sense not to have a hitch because this is a riding lawn mower not a garden tractor. The Ride-King and Big-Mow never had one and thousands of them were sold. If you need to pull cart or other items you may want to look at a different mower.
The wheels are a little small for me and you may not like this mower if you weigh more than 220 lbs and mow sandy soil. I think it will sink into poor turf on sandy ground. Most of you will not have a problem with this.
See It In Action:
I have included links to four videos Weedeater put together to show you the features and how to use this new mower. Watch all the videos. They will help you decide if this is the right mower for you.
I wish every manufacture put videos like these together for all their powered lawn and garden products.
To buy one:
You can purchase this mower through the links below: If you do I will make a commission on the sale. Most of these stores have it regularly for $699 or less. My local True Value had it regularly priced a $749.
Weedeater 26 inch Riding Mower at Walmart
It is trash. We bought one 6 months ago and it has been in the shop for repairs 4 times. I have only used it 4 times. I don’t reccomend it at all.
great mower well worth the 500 i paid for it i recommend it to all teens and adults:)
Mine started to fall apart by the end of the first season. Reason: too many plastic parts. Plastic parts break! It’s an inexpensive lawn mower alright, but you get what you pay for. I need something stronger for my light/moderate use. Love the name brand, but not this mower!
I bought one during Jul 2010. Great mower for my requirements and no problems with it. HOWEVER!!! When I bought it there was a $50.00 rebate offered with it. After four lengthy calls to the company (which resulted in four promises to send it to me) I am still waiting for the rebate even tho 2011 is upon us. PP performance by the company! Enough to piss me off and vow to never purchase anything from them again!!!!!
@Roger,
This $50 rebate is from the manufacture, not from Sears. The manufacture had this rebate through other retailers as well and I have heard of other problems getting the rebate.
It is not Sears, but the manufacture who is dragging their feet.
I read the review and decided to buy one. It started up right away but after mowing for few minutes the blade housing dropped. I had to walk through the yard and find the washer and clip lock and had to fix the housing which took a few minutes. Started it up again and wow this machine is great. I mowed my yard which had about one foot of grass and it mowed it without a problem as long as you mowed at a slow pace. I will test it again tomorrow, so far so good. I live on Guam and our grass is really thick.
I bouught this mower about a month ago. I was excited, yet a little skepticle. So far, it mows my 1/4 acre like a champ and burns very little gas. I was worried about the 1/3 gallon gas tank, but it mows my entire yard on less than a tank! I have a small incline from the street up to the yard and it does fine climbing it. The only concern I have is the gear box. In high gear, it is extremely noisy…I’m guessing from the design with 3 drive chains and a gearbox that basically hangs on a spring for engaging the transmission. Even though this doesn’t affect me since I only can mow in low or medium speed due to my yard size, I’m hoping it will be reliable. All in all, quite happy!
Very thorough and good write-up! We are grateful for all the positive interest that the Weed Eater One has generated so far. Feedback from consumers has been overwhelming positive.
We wanted to reply to this comment:
“There is no bagger or mulching blade available that I know of. But the Big-Mow and Ride King never had a bagger or mulch blade available and tens of thousands of owners loved those mowers.”
Actually, both a bagger and mulch it will be available at most major retailers very soon. Our website will be updated shortly with details.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks for this write-up. I’ve been looking for reviews on this and have only found one negative remark about not having enough power to do hills but my hill is small and I’ll get the lawnmower back out if necessary. The videos were very helpful. Will be ordering mine very soon from either Home Depot or Sears.