Avoid it. As easy as the new machines are to start, it's not needed. Plus, it makes the mower heavier and probably won't last very long.

Agree with saxman. Unless you have some severe physical problem that prevents you from pulling the rope, it's just more expense, weight and battery replacements.
Now I LOVE my BBC! No restarts when I dump the bag.

Agreed. Spend the extra $$$ for a mower with a blade clutch, you will not be disappointed. The only times I shut down my mower is when I talk to a neighbor.

I'm not in agreement with the rest. Many people do have issues pull starting mowers. It doesn't do you any good if you can't start it. Also, you can not add the electric start as an afterthought. If you are on the fence , maybe thinking ahead a few years- I'd say buy an electric start. If strength is not an issue- no worries. You would have to compare weights between models as BBCs do add weight as well -if you feel that is a factor. Both will likely have extra maintenance in the long run.

Thanks to all for the comments.

Strength is not an issue, but I do have one complaint against BBC's.

When I owned a Toro with BBC, the mechanism clogged up at least once per year when I was mostly mulching. Apparently that is par for the course. After the one BBC, I went back to the basic flywheel brake zone start system.

My question really was how well do electric starters and their systems hold up after 14 or so years to develop them. I am specifically interested in the electric starter on the Tecumseh LV 195 on the Toro and Lawn Boy mowers.

Any experience with them, and thanks again.

From what I hear, there is no improvement. The notion that manufacturers naturally improve things over time is an illusion today. The only thing they're interested in improving is their profit margin. This is the very reason there is such incredible interest in anything 'vintage' - because 'they don't make 'em like they used to'. Electric start on a lawn mower is a gadget offered to catch a few more sales from the fringe market consisting of those who look at it as a luxury and those who think they really need it, or will soon. The batteries always fail. The starter motor is probably the last thing to go but the engaging gear won't last long. Search here for 'electric' and read the problems - there's a new one today. Of course, if you need/want it, you're going to get it, but be advised of one more thing - they don't recharge like a car - you have to put it on a charger after use. Do you have electricity in your shed or wherever you keep the mower? Just make sure the mower you get has a working manual starter.

Whew! A lot of electric start haters. You don't have to charge the battery after each mow -even if the engine has no alternator. If you buy the S/R Toro it does have an alternator. Personally, I would buy a Briggs engine over a Tecumseh -electric start or not. 1 note on the new Toro BBC systems, they seem to be a bit more compact under the housing and the engagement bail is simpler than the older ones.

"Whew! A lot of electric start haters."
Or people that just consider them unneeded.
Not worth the effort to "hate".

"they don't recharge like a car - you have to put it on a charger after use"
Not necessarily true. I've used a Honda that recharged the battery during use. I can't speak for other brands.

I just got a new L-B 10796: Honda motor w/ electric start. (It does not have an on-board alternator.) I've only had the opporunity to cut my lawn once this season so far. So take that into consideration as you read this.

I spoke with a couple dealers prior to my purchase, and as far as the battery goes they simply recommend charging it once a month during the mowing season (and at least 24 hours straight prior to the first run). At the end of the season, one dealer told me to charge the battery for 72 hours straight, and then bring the battery inside for the winter.

As far as the electric start feature goes, I think it ROCKS! We'll see how long the system lasts, but as mentioned, if the battery dies during a mowing, I can always just start it normally.

The Platinum series Lawn-Boys (models 107XX) do come with a 5-year warranty, so that does give me some peace of mind.

Thank you Saxman1.

Thank you Tomplum.

Certified geniuses.

Thanks to everyone for the comments.

My electric start Lawn-Boys have all had charging coils built in. Starting is an issue with many older people, younger people, and many females. Guys in their prime can rope start anything so lets not forget the rest of the population.

'I suppose no one here believes in electric start on tractors either'

A ridiculous generalization - why didn't you throw in automobiles? I don't think anyone would recommend trying to start a twin or big single on a tractor with a recoil starter. A modern lawn mower with compression release and oversized starting pulley is easy to start. For those that want or need the electric start, go for it. All we're saying is that its usually a needless extra gadget that is going to cause trouble later.

An electric starter could be helpful to someone who does not have the strength to operate a pull starter. Most people find modern lawn mowers are relatively easy to start on the first or second pull.

My thinking is that if you can use a rope start then why add the complexity (and potential for failure) of an electric starter. For most of us an electric starter is a limited value gadget waiting to cause problems like a blade-brake-clutch. Just be sure you really need the feature.

Hey, Saxman, speaking of automobiles, I am so old that I remember thinking that it was a very bad idea when, just before World War II they quite putting the receptacle for hand cranks on cars.

With the arthritis I am beginning to have in my shoulders and wrists, my next lawnmower, if I ever get another one, will probably be an electric start. With the electric start feature, you would not necessarily need a blade brake clutch feature, which I have never had on a mower anyway.

My present lawnmower, which is equipped with one of those Honda 160 GCV engines, was purchased in 2000, and has been used between 55 and 65 hours a year. I use it year round, cleaning up leaves, etc. during the winter months. I just changed the oil last month, at the 55 hour mark on the hour meter. It has never used any oil in a one year oil change interval, using Mobil 1 5W30 oil, for the last six and a half years. It is a Sears Craftsman mower, with front wheel drive, and other things besides the engine have required some maintenance. I have replaced all four wheels; the two rear wheels split apart, and the two front wheels wore off smooth and lost traction. About the same time I was replacing the wheels, the transmission wore out. I replaced it, $75, with the current replacement design which looked different, but the attachment points were the same and it works just fine. While I had it apart, I also replaced the drive belt.

In the past, I would have thrown out a mower that required these repairs, but I am retired now, and have plenty of time to work on my OPE. I want to see just how long this consumer grade Honda engine will last, given once a year oil changes.

A different twist: I've been wishing I could put headlights on my walkbehind, but of course that requires Electricity -
anyone done this retrofit?

'I've been wishing I could put headlights on my walkbehind, but of course that requires Electricity -
anyone done this retrofit?'

Before I retired, I thought of doing the same thing. It would require a mower with electric start and a generator, like one of the models mentioned above that recharge the battery in use. Now, I have the luxury of daylight to do my outside work so I don't think about it anymore, but probably a six-volt (I'm guessing mower batteries are six volt) non-halogen fog light (for good spread) mounted on the cross bar of the handle would work. It would be wired in right off the battery with a convenient switch. Another reason I never did it is even with a good light, I think it's still not adequate for safe mowing at night. You really need daylight to be able to see things you might run over in the grass.

I've been out of snow country for a while now- so I'm unsure if this is done anymore or not. The Tecumseh Snowking engines used to have an add on alternator that bolted to the recoil housing and was driven via a small shaft from the flywheel nut. Would be quite the modification- and of course one would need to find the parts cheap. . .

Or maybe like a nightrider type bike light. The neighbors would talk for sure.

I salvaged a 7271AE LB from the trash about 8 years ago. After replacing the module and replacing the batteries(which still worked but were weak), I put it into my Lawn Boy fleet. When my 10323 module went this summer, I pulled out the 7271 and have been using it regularly. This fall I thought about installing lights on it because I have been trying to keep up with the leaves after work and it's kinda dark. These new LED lights they use on bicycles should work great. The LB battery is a 12 volt and the motor uses a secondary coil tho provide a 160 milliamp charge and thats enough to keep the battery up to charge. I have to say I like the electric start feature but the mower is on the heavy side.

0.160 amps @ 12V is about 2 Watts. Not a lot!

"These new LED lights they use on bicycles should work great"
My bike headlight (Halogen) is 6V. I assume that at least in the same brand, the LED version is also 6V, since they use the same case?
It'd probably be easier to buy a bicycle tail light and remove the red lens and put it on "steady" mode.
2 AAA batteries and something like a 200 hr. battery life, for about $6-7.

the starter gear wont enter fly wheel spins and wears the bottom of fly wheel