Both Toro and Husqvarna are popular brands for outdoor equipment. Toro is a lawn mower veteran and Husqvarna has been busting out quality chainsaws for a long time. Now that Husqvarna has made the jump to lawn mowers, which brand comes out on top in our Toro vs. Husqvarna showdown?
It may seem like lawn mowers and riding lawn mowers today are a dime a dozen. Any hardware store that you walk into will sell several models, and they all tend to look similar and provide the same essential functions.
If you are in the market for a new mower, you have to contend with zero-turn mowers, self-propelled lawn mowers, riding mowers, walk behind mowers, and even lawn tractors. However, regardless of brand, a common frustration with lawn mowers is their awkward size. They are typically huge and bulky and they never seem to fit well into your garage or shed.
Toro and Husqvarna both aim to change that though. Each of these companies has created an innovative folding lawn mower that combines the power that you want with the ability to store it in an easy way.
In this piece, we analyze these foldable lawn mowers to highlight the pros and cons of each brand.
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Toro vs. Husqvarna: Brief company histories
Toro is an American company that’s based out of Bloomington, Minnesota. It is one of the leading providers of landscaping and construction equipment in the world. It’s been around for a while—it was originally established as a tractor engine company in 1914 and adopted lawn mowers as their main corporate focus just a few years later in 1919.
Since then, Toro has been constantly innovating and growing. Today, their equipment can be found in over 90 countries and the company is shattering sales records.
Husqvarna is another globally-recognized tool company and today you can buy one of their tools in over 100 different countries. Based out of Husqvarna, Sweden, this European manufacturer was originally founded in 1689 as a weapons foundry. However, it has focused primarily on lawn mowers and other outdoor power tools since 1919, as well, the same year that Toro got its start in Minnesota.
Husqvarna’s long history of building consumer goods for the home has given it a serious reputation and the company has established itself as one of the industry leaders in many ways. It has many loyal users who wouldn’t dream of buying anything else.
Both Toro and Husqvarna have been manufacturing lawn mowers for almost 100 years. And their innovative foldable mowers provide a solution to a major mower pain point: the fact that traditional lawn mowers are awkwardly sized and take up a lot of space.
Toro estimates that the foldability reduces the overall size of the mower by about 70%, a figure that’s safe to apply to the Husqvarna model as well. Both of these can be tucked into a corner easily, and you’ll no longer have to worry about hitting the handle with your car door.
This folding feature makes both of these mowers stand out and is something that we would highly encourage an investment in. But while the Toro SMARTSTOW and the Husqvarna HU800AWDH look similar and provide similar functions, but there are a few key differences between the two.
Toro 22” SMARTSTOW® Variable Speed High Wheel Mower
Last update on 2022-01-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Toro SMARTSTOW has a 163 cc Briggs & Stratton engine. It’s designed with the average user in mind. As a result, it is uses front wheel drive, which is perfect for flat yards. It also has a 3-in-1 system that allows you to bag, mulch, and discharge clippings.
Husqvarna HU800AWDH Walk Behind Mower
The Husqvarna is slightly more powerful than the Toro, so it’s advised for larger-than-average lawns or ones with hills. Its 190 cc engine uses all wheel drive to easily drive it over steeper slopes and rougher terrains. Husqvarna is one of the most trusted companies in the world, and many users would buy this mower based on brand name alone.
Head to Head
There are several things that you should be looking for when you buy a mower, and there are differences across all of the major points of interest between these two models. However, we focus on three major ones: the engine, the drive, and the functions.
Engine
When it comes to the engine, part of the choice will come down to your personal preference and the needs of your home.
If you are looking for a large engine that will require fewer refills, then you might want to go with the Husqvarna model.
The Husqvarna mower comes with a 190cc Honda engine, which means that it not only holds more fuel but might also be a little more powerful than the Toro.
So, if you’re going to be working on large, hilly terrain, this extra power boost might be exactly what you need.
The Toro has a 163cc Briggs & Stratton engine, which is a little bit smaller and less powerful than the Husqvarna.
While this size will be more than fine for most yards, if you’ve got a big property it might mean that you need to refill more often than you would like.
Drive
The machines also differ in terms of drive, something that is important to consider depending on the property you’ll be mowing.
The Toro is a front-wheel drive model, meaning that the engine only powers the front wheels while the back two simply roll along.
This is an awesome option for flat and even pieces of land and offers more maneuverability.
But if there are some hills on your property or awkward corners, you will probably want to consider the Husqvarna because of its all-wheel-drive system.
This gives you extra power and traction on uneven and slippery surfaces and is the best for going up and down hills.
Something else to consider when it comes to drive is the height of the back wheels.
Again, this ultimately comes down to the type of properties you will be mowing, but the Toro’s 11” rear wheels will be better suited for more flat locations while the Husqvarna’s 12” back wheels will perform slightly better on rougher terrain.
The Husqvarna also has an adjustable cutting level height, making it more adaptable to different kinds of situations.
Functions
Both the Toro and the Husqvarna have a 3-in-1 function that allows you to bag, mulch, or discharge clippings on the side. However, the Toro’s unique Recycler® design is worth noting.
This mulching system cuts grass pieces into tiny particles and evenly distributes them back into your lawn, giving your grass a much healthier appearance.
The Toro system is unique because it is designed specifically to keep the clippings airborne for as long as possible.
The unique shape of the chamber, combined with deflectors that push the clippings back through the blades, helps ensure that the particles can be thoroughly chopped up—a necessary step if you’re going to redistribute the grass back into your lawn.
Then when it’s finally ready to be put back in the earth, a fan-like accelerator forces the shredded grass back down into the lawn in an even pattern.
To learn more about this system, check out Toro’s video here:
Final thoughts
While both of these mowers are great options, their usefulness will vary depending on the type of terrain that you are cutting.
If you have a flat, even yard the Toro will be a fantastic picture, but if you have slopes or a larger yard you might want to go with the Husqvarna.
