Victa Tornado

Bloody awesome – I have had the lawnmower for 9 years and it has copped a thrashing. Living on a 2000sqm block, there is lots of grass to cut and this baby has been an absolute beast. Keep her regularly serviced and she will look after you. Can cut at half throttle quite comfortably and very fuel efficient.  Show details

Found it, love it! – When I get new blades, it will be awesome. Found whilst kerbside collection was on, and didn't realise it was a working model... LOL. Decided to give it a pull to see if it worked when my old girl was having a bad day, and she started on the first pull!!! Love using it. She's a beauty, and haven't spent a cent on her yet!  Show details

Very disappointed - may not return to Victor brand – Purchased new from mower shop mid 2016 with a big recommendation from the Mower man and us having had a Victor model previously. Despite attention to clean fresh fuel, regular oil checks, new spark plugs being utilised every 2nd usage and quarterly servicing by the 'mower man'; it spends too much time having to be 're-serviced'. When it does… Read more

operate satisfactorily, it can handle the work very well. No rust or corrosion in evidence... I'm happy to spend serious money replacing this product as it has wasted too much of my time getting it re-serviced. Looks 'as good as new...'

Rust bucket – Had a Victa that was 34 years old, what a beauty. Wanted to upgrade so continued with the Victa name believing I would be buying quality. What a mistake. Paid a lot for the catch or Mulch Tornado 500. Engine is great. The rest of the mower is rubbish. Petrol tank leaked from new. Three trips to the well known mower store before it was… Read more

fixed. Wheels are made from rubbish plastic that breaks if they hit a rock. Replaced four wheels on warranty. Unfortunately they replaced them with the original type so again they broke. Outlaid $100 from another store to buy non genuine wheels. No problems since. Catcher is two piece held together by clips. These don't hold so catcher falls apart. Fix done by drilling holes and using cable ties to keep together. Baseplate has now rusted out. This is a mower kept clean and dry and in a shed. Check with the store to be told as it is 9 years old, if I was to able to buy a baseplate then it would be worth almost as much as a new mower.

So I have a good engine that has to thrown away or placed on Gumtree for nothing all because of the poor quality of the Victa brand. What a shame considering how this Australian icon of a name first started.

great mower! – I bought a tmd484 new 8 years ago to cope with our sloping block,its been and still is a great mower. with the air filter down low in dusty climates it should be blown out every two or three mows,easy if you have an air compressor,after cutting wet grass hose it off underneath before storing it,use lithium spray grease on the height adjustment… Read more

mechanism from time to time,the briggs 190cc motor is powerfull and yearly or sooner oil changes are a must if you want anything to last,the drive wheel axle hubs need grease every few years,its a simple little one way ratchet affair,do the fronts aswell while your at it,ive only just replaced the drive belt as I heard a squealing last mow,the tread has worn off the drive wheels so it slips on very steep and wet areas but thats fair wear and tear,weve been at a new place not steep anymore for 12 months so this mower only gets used for the areas the ride on wont fit or go,sometimes ill use the catcher on a large area for the nice finish,it always starts easy first or second pull,still dosent blow smoke or use oil!if you can do your own maintainance theyll last for years,some people just kill mowers and any garden tools?

4yrs & still going strong – I've had my 190cc B&S Tornado for 4 years. It's not once missed a beat, starts first go & it's done some serious mowing. I did start getting some rust, which I treated & keep an eye on. Overall, I'm still happy with this mower for the price I paid ($569 from bunnings)  Show details

This steel. Rusted out just after warranty – I paid a fair bit of money for this from Bunnings about $650. But it rusted out. It was so thin the steel I was told that it was unweldable. I embed up upgrading the chasis/base by buying an alloy base. This cost me an additional $400. The 2 stroke motor itself is still going okay. Only problem there is you should never dry out the… Read more

cabby when you turn it off. Simply stop the engine and then the fuel valve to the stop positron.

It can also be a crap to restart when it is warm or semi warm. This usually requires about 10 pulls or more but it does start.

Glad they no longer make this rust bucket.

Very disappointed – Mower was great but after a couple of years then the deck rusted out where handles join the deck and within a short time many rust holes appeared all over the deck. Would not buy a Victa product again. Victa do not want to know you when there is a problem. Mower always stored in a shed.

Sorted problem , runs awsome again – my tornado was awsome to start with then started blowing black smoke couldn't figure problem out , thought there was only one filter . Problem solved found another filter that was completely blocked cleaned it now runs like brand new again .i thought the only filter was at the eccelerator there's also one right on the carburettor if your 4stroke mowers running bad check the filters

Pretty good bit of gardening kit – The mower is fairly well built and found the mulcher was more than adequate for our needs. The engine starts well and the key start operates well so far. I've only used it for the last mowing of the season. But I am quite impressed so far. The only issue I found was assembling the catcher. I needed assistance back at the store to get it to… Read more

come together properly. It requires a fair bit of pushing to get the prefabricated parts to lock together.

In the end I decided I did not need it as the mulcher worked well.

Disappointment – Performed well but only lasted 5 years. Extensive rust holes where handle joins chassis. Raised issue with Victa but Victa not interested. Would need some convincing to buy another Victa product.

Crap – I've had nothing but trouble with my lawnmower since I got it, it always breaking down. It's in the shop more than my house.

A trojan, reliable and efficient – After 8 years in the tropics, Mowing a big yard and for a couple of years a vacant block as well. It fell out of the back of the ute. (someone forgot to latch the tailgate) was pretty busted up but I straightened it with a pinch bar etc. During its 8 years I have replaced the plug only once, the blades 3 times and of course there is no need to… Read more ·  1

mess with oil changes. Using only the Victor 2 stroke oil it runs clean and smoke free. I have a R. as well but it is heavy, less power, 18" cut but 19" wide, less manoeuvrable, more temperamental, it gathers dust.

Its been a tough life but I show it respect. Starts first time every time. Cuts anything. Its light and manoeuvrable. Get the Australian made 2 stroke if you can. Look after it and you will only buy one in your lifetime.

Cheap rubbish – Very disappointed with my victa only 5 years old and the wheels have rottern away!!got that fix and now the frame where the handle joins has split which is unfixable. Extremely thirsty , only good thing I can say is it starts first or second pull.

Victa Self Propell Mower – Be aware this has a steel body and rusts out within 5 yrs. (even keeping out of the weather) where the handles attach to the body rusts thru & you have to replace the whole base.(costs about half the price of new mower) they need to manufacture an alloy base!!!!! The mulcher & self propel are quite good. ( if you have a sloping block or have a bad back)

Solid mower, light weight and engine that always starts – Bought this to replace a previous Victa we'd had for over 10 years. Excellent little motor (the VS160LS), the Victa one as opposed to the Briggs and Stratton one. Very easy to start and if prepped right will start the first time nearly every time. Solid quality, nothing has broken. Motor, ease of use and sturdiness Nadda

190cc powerhouse that you can't kill – I have two of these, you need the four stroke Briggs and Stratton 190cc. This model that I have described is awesome. Starts first pull everytime. Pretty quite and never fails even with long grass it just ploughs through. Best mower I've ever had. It's all down to the 190cc motor. The design is the same for many but this is the motor you want. Power low noise. Make sure you get the 190cc  Show reply

Goes like a Trojan – I have given this mower some serious punishment, and pretty much neglected servicing until it recently refused to start... Air filter almost completely blocked. After a new filter element, and carburettor clean it's back to awesome still using original spark plug. Don't listen to the whiny naysayers above. They clearly don't know one end of a… Read more

mower from a European latte machine. Reliable. Tough. Good cut. It won't service itself... Unlike a European cafe latte machine, right?

Terrible – Noisy, guzzles petrol like a sailor guzzling booze after 6 months at sea. Breaks down frequently. Have to dislocate your arm to start. Leaks like a sieve. The Victa website sucks at getting information out of too. I resent giving it one star. This site just told me I didn't write enough words, so once again - this thing is a piece of steaming excrement. Nothing Everything

Extremely [censored word removed] mower – This mower brakes down every time I use it. Costs $180 to fix it and is not covered under warrnty, I think it has a no coverage warranty, meaning that cover nothing. I have now spent more money on fixing this mower than I payed for it. I also bought a mower for my mother at the same time, it has the same problems and have had the same result.… Read more

Contacted [name removed] on may occasions and have never had a satifactory response, they just don't want to know about it and just tell me to take it back to where I bought it from. Many mower stores have tried to fix this problem with out any luck, it appears to be an under lying problem with the mower. Do not buy this mower!!!!!!!!

It's brakes down and won't start all the time, I have to pay out of my own pocket to fix a faulty product

7 Years No servicing still going strong ! – Bought my Victa Mulch & Catch with Victa VSX160 2 stroke engine in 2005 for around $499 from BigW I have not spent a single cent on it in the last 7 years. I havnt cleaned it for 6.5 years. It has had the mulch attachment sitting in their the entire time, and gets a hard workout with a frequently overgrown lawn. It starts first go, and still… Read more ·  1

roars up when hitting a thick patch.

The blades are now blunt, the spark plug could possibly be seized for all i know, there might be rust hiding under all those years of caked on lawn mulch... but i dont want to touch anything on it because its the best mower ive ever owned, and if it aint broke, why fix it?

I wonder if Victa use the same quality on their current line... im guessing not? Reliable... and the Victa 2 stroke has more than enough curry for a regular lawn mulching Using mulch attachment on overgrown lawns (15cm+) it bogs down & leaves clumps of grass everywhere.

Easy to start & reliable – The Tornado is a easy to start mower, which is a no fuss model. It has a powerful 4 stroke which doesn't flinch through tough grass patches and a wide 19 inch base. I bought my Tornado at the beginning of 2011 and the only thing that has let me down is the cheap plastic throttle, which broke after about 12 starts. It was repaired under warranty… Read more

.... but only just, as its considered a normal wear & tear item. Other than that, its a good performer. Easy start, powerful motor Some cheap plastic parts & what Victa consider normal wear & tear.

Excellent – Love it! It's my new favourite thing. I've literally gone from dreading doing the mowing because I could never get my old mower started and it would inevitably end in me swearing and cursing and then paying someone to come and mow ... to now, I can't wait to get out there and do the mowing! Key start (and easy pull start) on this Tornado, along… Read more ·  2

with the incredibly effective mulching feature make it a really top notch mower. Five stars and two enthusiastic thumbs up! The key start is fantastic, no more wrestling with the pull start cord! Although I have started it with the cord, and it started first pull - unlike every other mower I have ever owned in the past. It's great, I'm really impressed with this mower. I haven't bothered to put the catcher on it yet, and have mowed my yard and huge footpath areas three times with it now. The mulch feature is probably the best thing i love about this mower. It makes mowing twice as fast because there is no need to stop and empty the catcher - and it works really great. You don't get sprayed with grass as you would with a normal mower using no catcher. And you don't get lines of cut grass because the mulcher must puts it back over the lawn - you really can't see where the cut grass has gone! it's incredible. Haven't found any problems yet, but have only had it two weeks. Will see how things go over time.

Excellent – This mower has never stalled, unlike many 4 stroke mowers I have tried. The 2 stroke engine cuts through long grass like a hot knife through butter. The mower starts very easily on the first or second pull, first pull if already warm. The mower itself is quite light and easy to maneuver. It is also very quiet for a 2 stroke mower. The catcher… Read more ·  2

is very flimsy however, and I don't recommend banging it or treating it rough; It certainly wouldn't last long under such conditions.

Overall, a great unit for a medium yard. Great for cutting through long grass

Light and easy to use Flimsy catcher

Good for small lawns, needs some upgrades – I have owned one of these mowers for 2 years now and whilst it starts firstime everytime and cuts grass like you would believe it is let down buy cheap plastic bits and pieces. I notice the throttle mentioned in another post, I have gone through 3 of these in 2 years so my advice is if you buy one of these mowers go gentle. The wheels are also… Read more

an issue and I have replaced 2 of these, my advice is don't put any pressure on the front wheel when you go to pull start the mower. You will need to buy a snorkel type air filter to as the filter gets dirty pretty quickly otherwise. For the price i don't think you could go wrong, think I picked my up for around $450 - $500. I was going to buy a dearer Honda HRU which in my opinion is a better build quality, but price was the factor for me and the Honda HRU models start at aroung the $800 mark.

But if money isn't an option go the Honda, My father in law has one and I have used it my Victa has broken a wheel and it's a dream. I guess you get what you pay for. Price, Cut Cheap plastic pts

Good – probably the best mower i have ever owned! i previously had a victa corvette series500 stroke mulch and catch black previously to this mower and was also good. this mower is a high quality mower with a good price. i highly reccomend this mower to any one!! powerful, had the mulch and catch feature which was great! had a good quiet reliable 2… Read more ·  1

stroke engine. good blade and always started on first pull. smokes quite alot even when the motor is hot but only because fuel ratio has quite a high percentage of oil ratio is 25:1. 200mls oil 5 lites petrol. fumes do give you a bit of a head ache.