Masport Bunnings 490 4'n1
VerifiedMPN: 57876352 reviews
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Good mower, until it rusted out – The mower has worked well for 8 years. Very reliable starting and no operational issues at all. However although the engine is still excellent the deck has now rusted out.
Purchased in at Bunnings Warehouse for $579.
- Product is used: Weekly
Very happy with this great Mower – There's nothing to complain about this machine, it meets a lot of expectations and it always starts with just one pull. It has a powerful engine in which I just used 80%-90% of its power, the petrol tank is quite huge compared to my older Masport which needed two refills to finished the job, whilst the one I am currently using only needs one round of petrol. The cutting and mulching works great, and I also had tried the chipper which worked fantastically, I was able to feed 10mm up to 20mm sizes of the varying twigs/sticks, but 10mm (personally recommended) was also great. In my opinion, I don't like the sounds of the chipping process with the 20mm. In this model you can also fold the handle in an upright position in just one step with the folding lever, which comes in handy when storing.
With the cleaning, I usually clean the air filter after every use simply just by blowing air from my air compressor and the air filter cover is users friendly, there's need to remove bolts and nuts, it's just the simple actions of snapping the lock with your finger.
- Date Purchased:
Have been using this mower for years. It does the job. In terms of mowing the lawn, its a ripper of a machine - the mulching and catching are great, and there are enough height settings to always have the a choice. My biggest issues are the chipper, it is not well built and branch cut offs fly straight back up at you, and the oil has no drainage,… Read more
so its a huge struggle to replace to oil. Its a 5 star mower, but its 4 stars because it can really only be used as a 3 in 1.
Good but bad – This mower is ok if you just want to cut grass and a good height and the grass isn’t thick. The Briggs and Stratton engine is great, the frame design is poor. I have manicured buffaloe and it’s terrible to use, if you cut at level three the frame sides drag through the lawn even after you’ve cut, you can’t use at any level lower than that which… Read more
still leaves the lawn thick. As your cutting you can’t use feel the disc rubbing on the ground.it could be the flat disc that holds the blades, the blades are at the same height as the disc. Be better if the disc was stepped and the blades stepped as well. Would I buy again. No
In-depth reviews
Hard Grafting Residential Mower with Commercial Grunt – It’s now been 6 months of hard running and the jury on my Masport is in. She’s a ripper!!! Guilty of being awesome. Why is she an awesome ripper you ask? Here’s why. Straight out the box, easy to set up, she felt solid. Padded grip, tight pull chord, weighty and generally well built. At almost $600 she wasn’t the cheapest mower at Bunnings… Read more
but she felt like my money’s worth. Checked the 4 blades were secured first, filled the oil sump and unleaded fuel, (remembering that almost all push mowers have an open sump and shouldn’t be tipped on their side once the oil is in). The first pull was flat. The fourth she kicked in and ran smooth and quiet.
She cuts lawn just fine. The wheels are big so she rolls well. The padded handle is comfortable. I don’t like the mickey mouse catcher. It’s too small for the quality and size of the mower and has to be emptied way too often. The revs run low, which for me coming from an old, loud Rover, takes some getting used to.
On the “wild” side of my block, with the mulching attachment on, she excels and can be put to hard graft. I run her at top extension and she chews up tussock, leaves, sticks and occasional dog bones.
The real surprise is the chipping chute. I thought this would be one of those ‘extras’ that didn’t really function properly. WRONG. That chute has been fed up to 1 inch diameter branches, fronds and slices through them. Truth be told, I think our mower does more chipping than mowing. It’s a MACHINE. So good for making quality mulch.
CONS about the mower. - No choke. So you can’t prime it. But it starts on the 3rd or 4th pull on the bad days. - Catcher. Too small for this mower. PROs about this mower. - Fuel economy. Burns screw all. - Cut of blades on close cut lawn. Excellent. On big tussocky wild yard. Excellent. - Air cleaner well located and easy to remove, clean and reinstall. No screwdrivers required. - Chipping Chute. Excellent. Chops robust branches with ease. - Mulching plug. Works a treat and returns the green goodness to the soil. - Starts readily, even after long spells on inactivity. .
Summary: I recommend this mower. I’ve put it through it’s paces and feel like I got value, quality, and a solid feeling, performing machine.
Not perect but pretty good – Had it a couple of months, paid $599 and it is apparently a Bunnings only model? It started first pull and I have used it only with a catcher to date which is sufficiently large and works well as does the catcher level indicator. It has enough height levels to suit most users and it is easy to adjust. I too also experienced an annoying squeaking… Read more
noise mentioned by someone else and discovered that it was coming from the chipper port where it protrudes above the main base, some dry PTFE lubrication and it's gone (for now).
Fuel tank is ample, the air cleaner is easily accessed for cleaning and the cam lock handles make compact storage much more convenient if you have a small shed. Reading up about the engine on the B&S site, this engine apparently lends itself to vertical storage (mow and stow) and requires no oil changes (just regular top ups) That to me suggests that unlike my old B&S powered Victa which I rarely ever checked the oil level as it hardly went down (let alone change it), this one will require regular checks and therefore if like me you are upgrading after such a long time between mowers, don't forget to check it regularly.
It's reasonably quiet and is not really that heavy and compared to my 22 year old Victa, it feels lighter. Overall I see no reason not to recommend it as lets be honest, it's just a mower for which it does the job well.
Very good impressions after first use. Starts first pull – So I have been struggling with a borrowed cordless mower and finally had enough. After a bit of research I bought this one over some other highly reviewed mowers based on affordability and the built in chipper. On unboxing I was pleasantly surprised to see the Briggs and Stratton '625EXi' logo on the side when it was only advertised to have the… Read more
625EX, which means a 'starts in 2 pulls' guarantee from the motor manufacturer.
After filling with oil and fuel the mower started on the first, half hearted pull.
My grass had gotten to about knee hight, with some weeds getting up to about hip level. The mower didn't bog down once, and I was surprised that the 'full catcher' indicator actually worked, I had assumed it was just a gimmick.
One of the main reasons I purchased this mower was because there is a youtube video showing the built in chipper being fed palm fronds. It works exactly as advertised, although I wouldn't recommend doing it on a paved surface like I did. Made too much of a mess, I will be doing my chipping on the lawn in future.
The only real gripes I have with the machine is that the manual wasn't very helpful. The manufacturer has some helpful videos on youtube which helped explain how to tip it to clean and use the chipper correctly.
Also many other modern mowers have a self cleaning hose attachment, for $600 it would have been nice to have, but with the handle being able to stand straight up it was easy enough to tip back and use the hose.
EDIT: I soon realised you can just spray the hose into the chipper chute while the mower is running, and that worked a treat.
I cannot speak for the catcher size as my lawn was untypically long and I did some chipping with it also. I would say that it would be fine for a more typical mow of a medium sized yard with only one catcher empty.
Positive reviews
Does a good job – bought a Masport lawn mower from Bunnings. It is really simple to operate and the catcher has great storage. I use my lawn mower on quite tall and healthy grass and the lawn mower shows no struggle Show details
Amazing Lawn Mower – We bought a Masport lawn mower from Bunnings. It is really simple to operate and the catcher has great storage. I use my lawn mower on quite tall and healthy grass and the lawn mower shows no struggle. Show details
Does a great job – This mower was easy to set up straight away getting it out of the box. I didn’t bother reading the instructions. Pretty straight forward. Started after a few pulls. So quiet compared to my old mower so that’s a plus. I haven’t yet used the chipper but I love the idea of it as we always have dropped branches on the ground. Definitely recommend! Show details
Negative reviews
Rubbish – I bought this mower in September and it started to get harder to start. I changed filter spark plug and fuel. I took it back to who sent me to a repaired, apparently dust got into the engine and its not covered under warranty. The guy told me he had a couple of other mowers with the same issue. There's obviously an issue that Masport our… Read more
briggs and stratton are keeping to themselves. Can't believe i spent over $600 on this. I should have kept my rover that had been going strong for 10 years.
Very disappointed – Purchased from Bunnings Oct 2019 and have replaced the air filter 5 times. Upon reading other reviews of similar engines, it’s located in a very bad spot just behind the front left wheel which seems like a design fault. Once every 12-18 months I completely understand but not that often. This mower also struggles to collect the clippings on finer… Read more
grass so obviously it’s takes a lot longer to mow. The mower does start first time and runs really well but that’s about it. I do not recommend this product.
Cuts okay – Just bought this lawnmower. It cuts okay not quite as powerful as what I was expecting - cut out on thicker grass. Does a nice mulch cut and works well on your normal grass. Does not work very well when going of grass because it brings up a lot of dust and can cut out. Overall I am satisfied with it, but not sure I would recommend due to lack of power compared to price. Show details
Find out how Masport Bunnings 490 4'n1 compares to other Petrol Lawn Mowers
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Recent reviews
Love Mowing The Lawns! – I love my Masport 490 4’n1 Petrol Lawnmower!! It is so easy to start - every time! And that was the main reason I purchased this mower - my yard has never looked better! It is easy to manoeuvre, has a huge selection of heights, it’s not ear-splitting loud and I love mowing the lawn - I even mow my next door neighbours lawn - and I have the best… Read more
lawn on my street!! It was a bit more expensive then other brands the same size but definitely worth every penny! I would, without any hesitation, recommend Masport lawn mowers to anyone thinking of purchasing a new lawnmower- I cannot fault it!
Good but some poor design features! – This is my second Masport 4 in 1, the first lasted me some 18 years mowing lawns on an 1,820 square metre block. I bought both because of the mulching and chipping capabilities which worked well on both machines. The new one is easy to manipulate and adjust and cuts quite well. My main gripe is that the air-intake is too near the base of the… Read more
machine and any dusty mowing quickly results in a heavily clogged air filter. This really needs a thorough cleaning after every mowing, especially in drier weather when there is more dust. My second gripe is that it leaks petrol whenever you turn it on its side to clean underneath or inspect the blades. I never had this problem with the first machine. I regard both of the above as poor design and wonder why Masport has allowed this to happen in this day and age. Maybe, too many boffins involved who never actually use the mower they design?
Can't really fault it for the price – I've had the 490 for a few years now, never had any problems with it. I haven't treated it very well and its only been serviced once since I bought it. It doesn't love long thick grass, but will handle it ok if you don't use the catcher or mulch plug. It performs well otherwise. The catcher is tiny and I never use it anyway, mulching is the only… Read more
way to go if you have a big yard. On that note, if you have a big-ish yard I'd recommend something with a larger cutting deck.
Overall decent quality and has proven its durability.
Made the right choice! – Being a first time lawn owner I decided to get a professional to do it for the first few months until I realised I couldn't justify the cost in the long run. After much research I decided to go the Masport 4n1 over a battery lawn mower (In main due to the reviews on this site). Purchased it and after 2 weeks of waiting I finally had the chance… Read more
yesterday to try it out. Boy it didn't disappoint! The main thing for me was the quality of cut and seriously I can't tell the difference between the Masport and the professional with the cylinder mower. In fact in some ways because I took my time, it's a better cut. It started first time every time (4-5 times I emptied the catcher and each time I shut it off). Bloody brilliant!!! And the noise...what noise...had it on half power and really surprised how quiet it was.
Great – Purchased for my husband for his birthday. He loves the lawn mower. It cuts great and he actually enjoys cutting the lawns now. Really happy with my purchase. Would highly recommend Show details
Lives up to its claims – The mower works well in wet and dry lawns it catches quite and also pick up other Gardens clippings with ease as well Throttle on the machine is also very responsive doesn’t stick like some mowers all in all very impressed with fuel consumption as well Show details
Easy start. Great work hourse – One tank does my whole lawn the back yard is flat but the front has a steep climb the wide tyres make pushing easy over soft soil and rough edges. The mower is very quite compared to my old mower Show details
Better with age – After first picking this up at the local Bunnings I took it home and couldn't start it. I was loathe to return it as I didn't want to deal with all the hassle of warranty claims and wait times so I persisted. After about an hour watching puffs of white smoke and it not starting I tried some Start Ya, and after a few pulls it roared to life. Had… Read more
it for a few months now and it starts first or second pull every time. Impressed with the high quality and ease of use and it's multiple features.
Worried at first but it's definitely been a good buy.
LEMON mower avoid - failed after 4 uses – Bought from Bunnings 2019. Motor supposed to be good quality Briggs and Stratton 625 EX. After 4 uses on very small lawn motor refused to start, after many attempts started a couple of times, spluttered,coughed out smoke, then died when attempted to push over grass. Yet another example of shoddy manufacturing and rip off products that last a few months if you are lucky. Avoid at all costs. Show details
Find out how Masport Bunnings 490 4'n1 compares to other Petrol Lawn Mowers
Know better, choose better.
Best lawn mower – Love this lawnmower, easy for a woman to use, tells you when it's full, doesn't guzzle petrol, worth every cent! Easy to clean also. My lawn looks great. Thanks bunnings Show details
I stared my business with this mower and it served me well for a year before I sadly had to dis own her – Easy to use and very reliable never had a issue with it until the end only thing was it was a little hard to start but otherwise good mad my money back 10 fold Show details
great multipurpose mower – So I bought this along with a new whipper snipper ready for the rainy season. Our old one still usable but struggled to keep up. This machine does heavy duty works, large and heavy enough to stay on the ground and mow our entire yard evenly in one go. the catcher is roomy so I don't need to keep empty it up unless I mow green branches and weed… Read more
from my veggie garden. The engine is covered properly, made by Briggs&Stratton (625exi). Overall it has a great design with wood chipper although it is a bit lame since we can only put 35mm branches, this is mainly good for palm fronds. Easy to start, so far no problem. Noise wise, it is bearable.
Great mower – I recently purchased this mower based primarily on the reviews here. I have used it several times and am really pleased with every aspect of it. The mower has started first time every time with no choke or priming to fiddle about with. As a left hander, I find the pedal to allow the handle to tilt forward when emptying the catcher very useful. As… Read more
the mower is so easy to start I now can switch it off when emptying the catcher. The engine also has a governor which means you set the throttle to maximum and it will automatically rev up or down depending on the height/thickness of the grass. I don't imagine I will have any issues with this mower but will update the review if I do. Update to this review after 10 months use. Mower is still going great! No damage, stills starts easily and mows perfectly.
perfect mower worth it for price – Great mower not much you can say about it but does the job and sarts every time so and for around 500 bucks it great value just one thing with this mower is the blades are crazy high in price all tho you can run just two blades which cheap option Show details
Suprisingly Starts First Pull – This mower is fitted with a Briggs and Stratton petrol engine which surprisingly starts at first pull every time, like they say it should. Briggs and Stratton engines have come a long way operationally over the last few years and this engine is matched well to the mower, giving ample power for a tough mow. I have owned it for two years now… Read more
and have never used the catcher as the mulcher mode works really good.
The mower its self is good quality and the four cutting blade system works really well.
I would recommend this mower to a friend.
I never thought it would be possible to love your lawnmower! – After moving to a house with a very large yard after 14 years of apartment living - add to that the fact I'd NEVER mowed a lawn in my life - It took me a while to choose the right mower. I ended up choosing the Masport 490 and definitely have no regrets. SO easy to setup, and due to our large lawn I love that I don't need to use the catcher & have the choice of mulch / smart chute. Show details
Great – Just bought it and love it not one complaint yet , cuts great only have to have it on half power for normal moeing if using the mulching plug than full,power is needed . Easy to put together . starts easy , I did a lot of research on a variety of moers and this one lives up to its reviews . Show details
Still going great and still starting easily. 3 years later – Bought in 2015 after my old blue Victa retired itself. Starts first pull 95% of the time and does everything it should. Chipper chute has been great as whenever I run into a low hanging branch it's just a matter of clipping it off and throwing it in, and it's mulch! (only up to around pinky finger thickness) Catcher fills very quickly but the… Read more
mower cuts so fine that I just stopped catching.
Really pleased and the box even fitted in my back seat.(just) Holden Statesman.
Great value – Love tjis mower. Always starts stright up and gives a nice cut. Catcher can fill a bit quick, nut not really that bad. Nice and quiet compared to my ols Victa. Would purchase another masport when this one conks out. But that seems lime it will be a fair way off. Show details
Own 2, with 1 return experience – If you get a good one, it works well and is of good value for money. Unfortunately, we had to go through some trouble to finally get a good one. The first we bought wouldn’t start after two months. Initially, bunnings would not refund. We had to take it for repair, and the repairer changed $50 to ‘check’ it but could not fix it. Bunnings took pity… Read more
on us and replaced it with a new one. Then just on the two-year mark, this one let off black smoke. We took it for repair, and luckily the repair worked and has been working fine. We also own another one for my parents’ house. It has been working fine for 2.5 years.
A cut above – Easy to start first time everytime one pull no priming. The foldaway handle is excellent. The mulch plug and blade has seen the old standalone mulcher sit quietly in the corner. For the odd stick the blade works fine but the standout is how the mulchplug pulverises any leaves ect on the ground as you mow over it. Like a NutriBullet for the… Read more
garden.
Side discharge is a welcome addition for catchless mowing.
It’s easy to turn and push and the extra width cutting has worked out to be a few less up and downs the backyard. Not so good for the Fitbit but great for not cutting into too much couch time.
Rock solid Briggs and Stratton motor with a variable speed control that is actually useful not just full speed or nothing.
Great mower, plenty of power – I bought the special edition of this mower, which is essentially the same engine but slightly less features. This thing works brilliantly. Cuts the grass, chips my wood, and catches all the mess. Would recommend it to anyone needing a new one. Throw out your old mower, and get a new one like this. Show details
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