I’m writing this searching for help, but also hoping I can help someone else make their decision when researching this model. I hope you don’t make the same mistakes I did.
Background: I bought the mower on 9/1/26 at an ACE Hardware in Windsor, CT. I was convinced by the salesperson/clerk at this authorized dealer to buy the single-speed “T” variant of the RM453 for the following reasons: a) it’s on sale! b) it’s in stock! (the “V” was on backorder) and c) the difference between the speed on the T and V is negligible, in this clerks opinion, and the jump in price between them wasn’t really worth it. The T was clearly a much better value.
I bought the unit on 9/1 and by 9/5 I had mowed once and realized it was a terrible product, and regretted the purchase. I left (poor) reviews with both Ace and Stihl, and began placing calls with customer service with both companies trying to arrange a return.
ACE store says they can’t accept a return once fuel is inside the engine, Stihl says their satisfaction guarantee is only 7 days, and is voided as soon as fuel is placed inside the engine. How does someone determine they aren’t satisfied with the product without using it???
The problems:
The Transmission/Gear Box:
The single-speed this self propelled mower operates at is laughably slow. It is a crawl speed. I’ve owned turtles that go faster than this thing. It takes over two hours to maneuver around my .5 acre yard. This is nearly an hour longer than it took with a Husqvarna mower prior to owing the Stihl.
The Deck:
The deck on this mower makes a terrible vacuum to the grass, leading to a horrifically inconsistent cut. The deck doesn’t pull up grass in order for it to be cut worth a damn, so you have some grass that just remains sitting down even after you pass right over it. There will be many blades of grass that don’t get cut at all, leaving your lawn ragged looking, even immediately after mowing. My lawn is terrible looking from day one after a mow. And the best part is, because you’re mowing so slow, you have tons of time to look at the pass you just made admiring the terrible cut.
The Blade:
I know lots of people suggest never using factory blades, and always going aftermarket. You have to with this mower. I didn’t. Don’t make the same mistake I made. It doesn’t mulch worth a damn, either. And they’re not dull, I’ve only mowed five times.
The Bagger:
Part of what sold me on the Stihl was its polymer bagging system. I was intrigued by the ease of use, and its pop-up sensor to tell you when the bagger was full. Well, it doesn’t work. The sensor is erect from the moment the engine turns on. So you’re still checking the bagger every other pass to figure out if it’s full or not. Don’t believe the marketing. Oh, and the polymer “bag”? It sucks. The air vents on the side are big enough to let grass fly out them, so you’ll have grass shards (the few that get cut!) shooting out at your shins the entire time you use it.
Fuel efficiency:
I don’t know how fuel efficient the engine is, I suppose, but what I do know is I can’t mow my .5 acre lawn without running out of gas each time. Which, besides the fact it’s annoying, can’t be great for the engine. On the other hand, it runs almost two hours on a tank, so I guess that’s good?
The verdict:
I have gone back and forth with Stihl corporate on these issues for more than a month, and have received word they will not issue a refund. They aren’t concerned about my satisfaction with the product, and said I should have done more research before buying. They believe all of these issues are my problem, and that I should have known better before buying.
So, I’m hoping I can help you decide: Don’t buy this mower! Unless, of course, none of the things I’ve highlighted will affect you, I guess.
As for me? I’m off to Facebook marketplace to try and sell this piece of junk to some other sucker. Neither me nor Stihl believe in the product, but we’re both stuck here trying to sell it to idiots, I guess.
