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After owning this lawn mower for about a month, I can now do a review on it to let the word out on this mower. If it is worth it or not.

First impression
When I first arrived in the store to check the mower out I was very impressed! It seemd very well built and unique. I then took it by the handle bars to stroll it around back and forth and it was smooth and seemed easy to maneuver. Once outside to test it, I mow the front lawn of the shop. I did a few long stripes and I was impressed with the two speed transmission! It had a reasonable pace in first gear and a very fast path in second gear. You have to really walk fast! But, even if it is really going fast in second gear it offers a very nice cut!

The design of the lawn mower
All in all, the lawnmower is ver well designed! It has a wonderfull Kawi 180cc motor that never stalls and it has gobs of power! I am very impressed with its performances in the different areas that I have mowed. The deck is very solid and has a unique design. On one side, it is very thin and on the other side the deck is very hign. This creates a vaccum effect and it works! The mower packs and packs! I am really impressed on how it can pack a bag like a fat kid can fill his pockets with candy. It packs so much that I can't take the grass out. I need my hand to pick it out. As for the handle bar, it is extremely solid! Made with very thick metal and it is not very wide for a handle bar and that gives you good manuverability around trees and such. The wheels are made of very tough plastic and have sealed ball bearings that give a smooth ride and they ware wrapped around semi pneumatic tires that give that comfort on the grass. The motor is protected with a front nerf bar. As for the bag, it is a little fragile I have to say. I am not impressed with the quality of the fabric they used for it. I feel that a condom could be stronger than the bag. What I really like is the light weight if this unit. It weights in at about 105-110 wich gives you a chance to push it around easily as compared to the fat and heavy Toro or Ex-mark commercial 21".

Cut quality
As for the cut quality, it is amazing! It gives me nice consistant cut each time while not leaving any grass blades behind! In wet conditions, it performs pretty well, but I recommend passing a second time, like any other mower. It also mulches really well and you can put the block then the bag and mulch for those of you who want to pull a quick one on your clients.

Verdict
I highly recommend this lawn mower to any lawn mowing company! It is a wonderful unit that is very well built and has a unique design that actually works really well! I feel very professional being the only one owning this unit in the town where I live. I am very confident that it will last me a very long while and that it will keep me and my clients satisfied every time.

If you have any questions about this unit, dont hesitate contacting me! They also sell the 21" with a Honda GCV160 with BBC and a 25" with GCV 160 with BBC.

Good review! I added it to the mower reviews thread here: http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/mower-buying-pricing/19761-lots-mower-reviews-here.html

Update-Ocotober 9 th 2013

The mower has a few kinks to work out. For some reason, the transmission doesn't always disengage when I back up. I e-mailed Ybravo during the evening and they called me in the morning! They have very good service! The person serving me was named Leis and told me that it is probably a small spring that realeases the belt that has broke. Nothing bad really. Also, the mower does not always want to restart. I have no clue why really. I let it cool down and it starts right up again. I temporarly fixed that by cranking the revs on it on the carb screw (seems to be the only one adjustable there. It seems to help with start up. Maybe it makes it run more lean...meaning it needs more air to restart.

Appart from that, the mower is a monster! It mows like if it was gonna die if it didn't and that transmission is out of this world! It gets me out of all sorts of crappy hilly situations.

If anybody wants to know why Ybravo stopped making there leaf blower is because they got it made by a chinesse company named KAAZ. Because of the Yen currency being bad, it was way to expensive for them to get these units at a good price saddly. They seemed really good with there metal bracing and Kawi motor.

great review :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Update

I had to replace the transmission. I have a feeling I had an old one. I know there was a new version that was better, but the internals of the old one tell me that it has the newer style clicker. Anyways, pictures speack for them selves.








I did find a few small cracks around a screw under the deck that holds a big bracket for the side handle bar. I am not pleased with that. I will have to check it out further. It may just be the paint, but I am not sure.

For the rest, the mower is holding up pretty well appart from a broken height adjuster and upper bail that both broke. Got them welded up. The new transmission is very powerful.

Thanks! Looking forward to your review of the 25

Lawnboy18 said:

Update

I had to replace the transmission. I have a feeling I had an old one. I know there was a new version that was better, but the internals of the old one tell me that it has the newer style clicker. Anyways, pictures speack for them selves.

<img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/mower-equipment-operation/23594-ybravo-21-lawn-mower-review-transmissions-1-jpg"/>
<img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/mower-equipment-operation/23595-ybravo-21-lawn-mower-review-transmission-neuve-pulley-jpg"/>
<img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/mower-equipment-operation/23596-ybravo-21-lawn-mower-review-vieille-transmission-pulley-jpg"/>
<img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/mower-equipment-operation/23597-ybravo-21-lawn-mower-review-vieille-transmission-casse-e-jpg"/>
<img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/mower-equipment-operation/23598-ybravo-21-lawn-mower-review-nouvelle-courroie-pour-transmission-jpg"/>
<img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/mower-equipment-operation/23599-ybravo-21-lawn-mower-review-vieille-transmission-ouverte-jpg"/>

I did find a few small cracks around a screw under the deck that holds a big bracket for the side handle bar. I am not pleased with that. I will have to check it out further. It may just be the paint, but I am not sure.

For the rest, the mower is holding up pretty well appart from a broken height adjuster and upper bail that both broke. Got them welded up. The new transmission is very powerful.

Click to expand...

Doesn't seem to be built very strong for a commercial mower. You've had this less than a year right?

Mike: I dont know if I really want a 25. I know You want to! Ahaha
Exotion: It has been a year. The parts that broke were revised by the company. It is quite solid, but don't forget that this mower is still rather new on the market and they don't sell as many units as Toro or Exmark. If I remember, the Metro 26 had a huge belt problem and the Toro Turfmaster had a few issues including the trans

Lawnboy18 said:

Mike: I dont know if I really want a 25. I know You want to! Ahaha
Exotion: It has been a year. The parts that broke were revised by the company. It is quite solid, but don't forget that this mower is still rather new on the market and they don't sell as many units as Toro or Exmark. If I remember, the Metro 26 had a huge belt problem and the Toro Turfmaster had a few issues including the trans

Click to expand...

The metro 26 was trash and exmark knew it lol. And yes I agree with the turfmaster has had some issues. However you have quite a list of stuff loose, breaking, and have had a major repair. Just seems like a lot for a year

exotion said:

The metro 26 was trash and exmark knew it lol. And yes I agree with the turfmaster has had some issues. However you have quite a list of stuff loose, breaking, and have had a major repair. Just seems like a lot for a year

Click to expand...

Yes, indeed! It Is a lot! Next on the List would be a Snapper Hi-vac. The commercial one.

I've owned a Metro 26 and a Turfmaster 30. Hated the Metro 26. The turfmaster 30 had its good points but it was too slow and too heavy. Still, if I'd had a bigger trailer I'd have kept it.

Lawnboy18 said:

Yes, indeed! It Is a lot! Next on the List would be a Snapper Hi-vac. The commercial one.

Click to expand...

I've had several high end push mowers before and I find that the ones you can buy at these big box stores are just as good. They might not hold up as long but you can buy three of the cheap mowers to every one commercial mower. I currently use the husqvarna awd mower as my push mower. I rarely use it but it does a good job and stripes fairly well. I've also used the Troy Built 21" mowers and they do a good job as well.

I've used and abused a plethura of cheap mowers they don't work good commercially. The quality of cut is not there(yes I take care of my machines) the walk speed is not there and the durability is not there. My first year I destroyed 2 craftsman mowers yes not the engine but the transmissions were done. Next up was a few cheapy toros same thing the engine was fine the rest of the machines fell apart around it. Then a Honda hrr which was actually not to bad for 400$ still ran and everything was good when I sold it last year. Then came my 30 year old commercial toros those were great machines but 30 years took its toll. I now have a $1600 toro 21" and I wouldn't have it any other way. Guess what I don't have to carry a spare mower with me anymore .

LoCo86 said:

I've had several high end push mowers before and I find that the ones you can buy at these big box stores are just as good. They might not hold up as long but you can buy three of the cheap mowers to every one commercial mower. I currently use the husqvarna awd mower as my push mower. I rarely use it but it does a good job and stripes fairly well. I've also used the Troy Built 21" mowers and they do a good job as well.

Click to expand...

exotion said:

I've used and abused a plethura of cheap mowers they don't work good commercially. The quality of cut is not there(yes I take care of my machines) the walk speed is not there and the durability is not there. My first year I destroyed 2 craftsman mowers yes not the engine but the transmissions were done. Next up was a few cheapy toros same thing the engine was fine the rest of the machines fell apart around it. Then a Honda hrr which was actually not to bad for 400$ still ran and everything was good when I sold it last year. Then came my 30 year old commercial toros those were great machines but 30 years took its toll. I now have a $1600 toro 21" and I wouldn't have it any other way. Guess what I don't have to carry a spare mower with me anymore .

Click to expand...

You could probably make a good case for both those views. I'd rather buy one good used commercial 21 than 3 HD 22s. The one mower I regret selling was my exmark 21 with a Honda engine. I bought it used for 200. That mower cut great and cut anything.

Mike88se said:

You could probably make a good case for both those views. I'd rather buy one good used commercial 21 than 3 HD 22s. The one mower I regret selling was my exmark 21 with a Honda engine. I bought it used for 200. That mower cut great and cut anything.

Click to expand...

The exmark 21" is a good mower. And left a nice cut.

I am sometimes torn in between commercial mowers and residential mowers. I've had a residential mower. It did fine, but the mower itself could not last. After a season it had bent wheels, rust, etc. Now, I also have this Lawn-boy. Same as the commercial one, except it is a residential unit. it is a 2006. Very good mower. Cuts well. Only things that broke are handle bar on the right side (need to get it welded) and a bearing in the tranny. All the rest is original (except the blade).

Now I understand why it is worth spending the extra money on a commercial mower. They are built much more solid. Down side is that they can rut up a yard more easily.

Just received my Gen 2 Bravo 25"...and it is a mother...It is very heavy, but you do get what you pay for. I used it Saturday May 6 and I have to say that I don't regret purchasing it...
First Impressions...
Mine came with a Kawasaki FJ180V engine, throws out 173cc's. It is heavy, so you need to have a ramp to bring it down from your vehicle, unless you have a willing friend to give you a hand. It is sturdy, does not wobble even when you are changing the height of the deck. The tires do look flimsy, but rest assured they are not. It does come with the BBC and three choices of speed.

Mowing the yard...
On the first pull the engine purred like a cat...no I mean it. I have a Ariens edger and it is more quiet than the Ariens. Since you have a BBC, you have to understand that the motor sounds interesting when it kicks in and away we goooo. I did not use the variable speed choice, but when pushing the lawn mower it's not so though as long as you are used to pushing heavy objects, other wise you may want to use the speed controls. It does cut the grass very evenly, but then again this is the first go-around with the mower. Compared to the Crafstman (190cc's), I am in love with this Bravo.

Complaints...
The clippings bag sucks. I wish the bag was twice as long, it seems that it gets full real quick, but that's not much to not purchase it.

Verdict....
I hope to update this as I move along and let you know how thins are going. If it's as strong as I would like it to be, I might just buy another one and store it for the future, you never know how long a company will last.

Out looking at Bravo 25" and was hoping for an update on your experiences. Thanks

I sold the Gen I Bravo last year. It was a very fast mower and had a cool design. But, the deck is not made for cutting nor mulching good in my area (north of Canada). When I switched to Exmark 30'' mower, I was amazed at how well they could mulch dry grass and even damp grass. The YBravo was a clogger.

Thanks for the update!

No problem! If you have any questions just pm me or talk to me in this thread.