# Cub Cadet 33 in. 382cc Wide-Cut vs used Craftsman Powerbuilt 33"



## steensn (Jun 25, 2018)

Been eyeing this but can't seem to find any good reviews. Most I have seen online are guys cutting overgrown backyards that are not kept very pretty... I was hoping to find someone with a beautiful lawn that uses this.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Cub-Cadet-33-in-382cc-Wide-Cut-Gas-Self-Propelled-Walk-Behind-Lawn-Mower-with-Electric-Start-CC800/303523247

or

Craftsman 33" used (2012), 1/8 acre residential per owner

https://columbus.craigslist.org/grd/d/33-105hp-craftsman-walk/6647530453.html

I'd love to cut mow time down and have a wider cut. Even has a nice black guard in the back for my hillbilly stripper kit upgrade


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Why not a Toro TimeCutter? Cheaper new. And your 75% of your way to a TimeCutter if you pick up that Craftsman.

Those 33" mowers are an evolution of the old Troy-Bilt Wide-Cut which has been around since the early 90s.


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## steensn (Jun 25, 2018)

After posting, I wandered my way into the toro realm and haven't looked back. For the $200 price difference it makes sense.

I have the money though, it the cub cadet better?


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

steensn said:


> After posting, I wandered my way into the toro realm and haven't looked back. For the $200 price difference it makes sense.
> 
> I have the money though, it the cub cadet better?


I would be surprised if it was. It's a little bit of a different animal however. The Cub will have a more powerful engine, bigger fuel tank, and powered reverse.

But for your 8k, I don't think any of that would be a game changer.

The old Wide-Cuts were ok mowers, especially the actual Troy-Bilt units. But they were mulch-only with a timed, counter-rotating mower deck (superior mulching, lousy discharge, forget about bagging - hence it was only offered as a mulch-only machine until Garden Way and later, MTD, bought the company and redesigned the machine) that could get $$$ to fix.


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## steensn (Jun 25, 2018)

Good feedback, so the old one is off the table unless I can lowball.

That leaves a $1300 cub cadet or $950 toro timemaster... but all the reviews of the timemaster seem good for what I need it for.


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## Chuck S (Nov 5, 2018)

I'm nearing the end of my first season mowing with this mower. CC800 is the model. My wife and daughter forbid a riding mower and this is the biggest walk behind I can get thru my gates. I prefer a mower with front caster wheels. Only minor disappointment is the max cutting height is 3.75", not 4" but my frankenlawn doesn't mind. Currently fitted with a pair of Gator blades and mulches well. Going to mulch leaves again this afternoon. My goal is to not rake any leaves this year.

Mover is heavy and can rut wet lawn. Easy to handle once used to the non-hydro gearbox. 4 forward gears of which the high 2 are only good if jogging and mowing at the same time is your goal. Clunky gearbox but it's been around for a long time and hopefully has the bugs worked out. Electric start is instant. Hour meter with maintenance reminder a nice feature.

No side by side testing as my other mower is a self propelled 21" Ariens front caster mower that must be 20 years old and still doing its job albeit much slower than this 33" mower. My next door neighbor has the same old Ariens.

-- Chuck


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

@steensn I recently looked into the timemaster. I was pretty much sold on the machine until I became aware of possible minor issues with cut quality.
Check out reviews of the machine by the greener lawn and by Ryan Knorr on YouTube.


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## PA Lawn Guy (Jul 2, 2018)

If money isn't an issue, I've read good things about the Sarlo BigMo mowers. They have a 34 that looks nice.

For that much dough, I'd just get a little two-blade riding mower, but that's just me.


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## Chuck S (Nov 5, 2018)

Leaf mulching with my 2018 33" Cub Cadet CC800 has been great. Dropped the cutting height toward 2" since it's the end of the season. Same pair of Gator blades I've mulched the grass clippings with for 6 months are cutting the large oak leafs into small bits. Not sure if the success is the mower or the blades or both. The mower has plenty of power.

My goal is to not rake a single leaf this season and let the mower do it all. Working well so far doing it every few days. Big oak in my front yard retains about half its leaves so will be leaf mulching for a while.

-- Chck


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