Toro Recycler Review

Recycler review

Toro Recycler basics

The Toro Recycler is the company’s classic gas walk-behind with a steel deck and a mulching-first cutting system. It is the plain version of the Recycler family, below the aluminum-deck Super Recycler and the battery 60V models. If you want a simple mower for a yard under about half an acre, this is the line to read about first.

We checked two 21-inch versions on Toro’s site: the 21352 self-propel and the 21332 High Wheel push mower. The 22-inch Recycler with Personal Pace has its own page on this site.

Engine and drive

Both 21-inch models use a Briggs & Stratton 140 cc engine. Toro prints torque instead of horsepower, with figures of 5.50 or 6.75 ft-lb gross depending on which page of the 21352 you read. The 21352 is rear-wheel self-propel with variable speed, while the 21332 is a push mower on its spec sheet.

Start is by pull cord. Toro backs the engine with a 3-year guaranteed-to-start promise and a 2-year limited warranty on the mower.

Deck and mulching

The deck is 14-gauge steel on the 21352 and 15-gauge on the 21332. Cutting height is 1.25 to 3.75 inches with two-point adjustment. The Recycler system mulches by default, with a bag and a side discharge chute that you request free on registration. Bags hold 2.0 bushels.

Weight and size

The 21352 weighs 67 lb with 8-inch wheels all round, and the 21332 weighs 62 lb with 7-inch front and 11-inch rear wheels. Those rear wheels make the High Wheel easier on bumpy lawns. Toro rates both for up to a half acre.

These mowers are not CARB compliant, so they cannot ship to California, Alaska or Hawaii. Toro’s pages also disagree on whether the 21332 is self-propel, so check the model at the shop.

Who should buy a Recycler

Buy the basic Recycler if you want a no-frills mulching mower from a brand with wide dealer support. Step up to the Personal Pace or Super Recycler if you want a faster self-propel system or a rust-proof deck, and go battery if you want to skip gas.