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General Product Question last edited February 10, 2012 by michael weintraub in Husqvarna: Ask & Answer > Walk Behind Lawn Mowers publicQuestion:Not really a question, but some design comments about the XT721F mower. I can't find a way to share comments directly to Husqvarna customer service about the mower based on my experience using it for the past three months. I'm in product development and appreciate user input. So I'm trying to offer my reactions in that spirit.
I bought it new. The first issue is a safety issue related to a bad design.Details:First, the chute cover in the back does not close tightly against the bag. There's a 1/4-3/8 inch gap that remains. This is a safety complaint and an annoyance as mainly grass, but the odd hard flying object comes flying out the gap. I tried putting some weather stripping but the wind force popped the cover up. So, I'm using a handy dandy bungee cord to hold the lid down. It's a fine solution, but it's disappointing to be using bungee cords on a mower that I got brand new in May.
Second, this mower is self-propelled. If you use the propulsion, sometimes when you release the handle (as in you stop walking), the front wheels lock up. They roll forward fine, but if you try to roll the mower backward, they won't move. If you use the propulsion again and then stop, the locked wheels release and you can roll the mower backward. Haven't figured out a kludge work-around there.
Finally, the mower has poor vaccuum capabilities. My 12 year old MTW mower that I retired did a much better job of picking up leaves, pine needles and small twigs than this mower. The height setting has been in the middle range.
Overall, I'm disappointed as Husqvarna enjoys such a strong reputation. I paid slightly more for the mower than the other choices at the hardware store - e.g. Craftsman, Toro, or one other I forget.