The Toro Recycler 21 Inch SmartStow 60-Volt Cordless Mower does a lot more than just cut grass, as you'd expect from a brand behind some of the world's best electric lawn mowers. It's easy to maneuver, has a wide cutting width and comes with different cutting heights so you can manicure your grass to perfection.
Along with being cordless thanks to its rechargeable battery, the Toro Recycler Self-Propel 60 Volt Lawn Mower, which has an MSRP of $419, is also self-propelled. This means you simply steer the machine in the right direction, rather than using your weight to push it along.
Outdoor power tool brand Toro launched in 1914 and specializes in making some of the best gas lawn mowers too. Its Recycler model is powerful and can last for around 45 minutes, making it ideal for small lawns of no more than 1/3 acres. It also comes with three different options for discharging grass clippings.
Toro Recycler 21 Inch SmartStow 60-Volt Cordless Mower review: Spec
- MSRP: $419
- Type: Cordless self-propelled design
- Battery: 60-volt lithium-ion
- Cutting width: 21-inches
- Minimum Cutting Height: 1.25 inches
- Maximum Cutting Height: 3.75 inches
- Weight: 61lbs
- Battery: 45 minutes per charge
- Warranty: Two-year full mower warranty mower, three-year full battery warranty
Toro Recycler 21 Inch SmartStow 60-Volt Cordless Mower review: Design
Cutting widths are important, as the wider the width, the more grass you can cover in a shorter space of time. The standard cutting width for most mowers is between 20-24 inches. The Toro Recycler 21 Inch SmartStow 60-Volt Cordless Mower has a cutting width of 21-inches and a total cutting height of 1.25 to 3.75 inches, which is decent. If you have a very big garden to tackle, we'd recommend looking at our guide to the best rider lawn mowers instead.
Despite its large dimension, you don’t have to worry about storing the mower - the handle folds down and collapses, as it’s made to be stored upright. According to Toro, this handy design feature reduces the mower’s storage footprint by up to 70%.
The Toro Recycler is powered by a 60-volt lithium-Ion battery and is part of the brand’s Flex-Force line. This makes it Toro’s most ‘powerful battery’, which is interchangeable with its garden tools in the same collection. That means you can use the battery with other Toro Flex-Force tools.
The Toro Recycler is self-propelled. This means you don’t need to push it, but just steer it in the right direction.For another self-propelled option, read our Snapper XD 82V Max StepSense review. The mower is also quite lightweight, weighing in at 61lbs. Couple that with its self-propelled design and this mower makes cutting your lawn light work. The Toro Recycler 21 Inch SmartStow 60-Volt Cordless Mower is also designed to be durable, thanks to its steel deck and blade, which will give you years of cutting service.
You can enjoy all of these qualities and get peace of mind with a two-year warranty on the mower, plus a three-year warranty on the battery.
Toro Recycler 21 Inch SmartStow 60-Volt Cordless Mower review: Features
- Brushless DC motor
- 9 cutting positions
- 3 waste options
- Quiet design
The Toro Recycler comes with a push-to-start button. It really doesn’t get any easier than that. Plus, this model is fitted with a brushless DC motor. Brushless motors are praised for being highly efficient, powerful and low maintenance. When you are cutting the grass, it also means you’ll have less friction when gliding over your lawn.
The cordless mower comes with three different options for how you can dispose of your clippings. This includes the option to bag it, mulch it, or dispense the cut grass back onto your lawn to help encourage grass growth. If you haven't heard of mulch, read our feature on what is mulching.
The Toro Recycler 21 Inch SmartStow 60-Volt Cordless Mower is also pretty quiet. According to one user, they described it as reaching around 80 decibels, which is just slightly louder than a vacuum. So you won't have to worry about annoying your neighbors while cutting your lawn on the weekend. Designed with nine different cutting positions, Toro's mower makes cutting your grass as comfortable as can be.
Toro Recycler 21 Inch SmartStow 60-Volt Cordless Mower review: Performance
- Powerful
- Long charge time
- Lightweight
According to users, the Toro Recycler has a run time of around 40-45 minutes. But of course, this fluctuates depending on how thick your grass is, whether the mower has to climb any slopes, and the height of the grass you're cutting. This cut time is suitable if you have a small garden, up to around 1/3 of an acre. But if your lawn is a little bit bigger, investing in a spare battery or a corded mower could be a good idea.
Whilst on the subject of battery, the Toro Recycler 21 Inch SmartStow 60-Volt Cordless Mower's detachable battery takes around 150 minutes to charge. This can be a bit of a hassle if you run out of power and then have to wait the two and a half hours it takes to recharge. For a mower with longer battery life, read our EGO Power+ 21-inch LM2102 review.
While its self-propelled design takes all the hard work out of cutting your lawn, it does mean it puts more pressure on the battery to propel it forward. Which can of course can once again eat into your overall cutting time.
Toro Recycler 21 Inch SmartStow 60-Volt Cordless Mower review: Support and user reviews
As mentioned earlier in our review, the Toro Recycler 21 Inch SmartStow 60-Volt Cordless Mower comes with a two-year warranty for the mower, plus a three-year warranty for the battery. So you're covered if anything should go wrong within that time. It’s also returnable within a 90-day period if unused. There are two ways to contact the Toro team: call their customer service desk, or email them.
In terms of user reviews, the Toro Recycler scores a very high 4.9 stars out of 5. According to reviews left on Home Depot, 98% of users would recommend this product. One user said it "exceeded expectations" thanks to its powerful design, quietness and foldability.
Whilst another user even went so far as to say they were "in love" with the handy garden gadget. They said it was easy to use, turning on at the push of a button, they loved its cordless design and the fact it requires little to no maintenance.
However, one user marked the Toro Recycler down because of its ‘plastic hook’ design that you use to change the cutting size. The user said they were ‘afraid’ it might break. Another user of this machine said the mower would ‘high center’ on uneven areas. But did mention they had a pretty sloped garden.
Should you buy the Toro Recycler 21 Inch SmartStow 60-Volt Cordless Mower?
Overall, there aren't many things this Toro mower can’t do. The cordless design means it’s easy to use, and its 21-inch cutting width enables you to mow in no time. You also have various options on how you would like to dispose of the waste.
This is something that not all mowers come with. It’s self-propelled design really does seem to be great – especially if you’re trying to make cutting your grass even easier than before. Although with a short battery time, we think it makes this mower ideal for small flat lawns.
For further gardening content, we'd also recommend our guides to the best lawn edgers, as well as the best hedge trimmers.
