Toro 60V Flex-Force 22" Recycler Self-Propelled Mower review

Short verdict: Toro sent me the first version of its 60V 22-inch Recycler in 2020, and I liked how it cut so much that I kept it over the electric mower I’d been using. After a full season it still felt almost new, with no noticeable battery loss. In 2022 Toro sent the redesigned version, which has Vortex airflow, a bigger bag opening and a smoother Personal Pace handle. I replaced the old one with it. Both versions have a heavy steel deck, excellent cut quality and a self-propel that only works while the blade spins. The current model, 21466, lists at $649 as of October 26, 2026. It’s the pick if you want a steel deck and a dealer network. If you want a lighter mower, a longer warranty or a self-propel that works with the blade off, look elsewhere.

Disclosure: Toro sent me both mowers to review. Nobody paid me for my opinions, and I don’t take money for reviews.

Quick specs: Toro 60V Max 22” Recycler with Personal Pace (21466, current model)

First cut, 2020: why I kept it

The first mower Toro sent was part of the then-new Flex-Force 60V line. It’s modeled on Toro’s long-running gas 22-inch Recycler, the company’s standard push mower for years. In place of an engine there’s a battery compartment on top, and the steel Recycler deck is the same one the gas models get.

I unboxed it, dropped the battery in and mowed my whole yard. The cut quality blew me away. I’d been using an EGO and was happy with it, but the Toro clearly did a better job, and that’s the main reason I kept it in my weekly rotation. You can tell Toro has been building mowers for a long time.

A few other things stood out on that first cut:

Better load sensing. Like most mowers in this class, the Toro runs below its 60V maximum (about 54V typical, per Toro) to save battery and speeds the blade up when it senses thick grass. Other mowers I’d used sometimes missed the long grass, and I wished they had a manual boost button. With the Toro I never wanted one, because it reliably noticed the heavy patches and spun up.

Built-in mulching. You don’t insert a plug or attachment to mulch. A lever on top of the deck moves an internal flap between recycling (mulching) and bagging.

Folding. The handle folds and the mower stands on end, which makes it easy to fit in a garage or small shed. That’s common on electric mowers now, but it’s well done here.

Build quality. Between the steel deck, the self-propel, the fold and the wheels, I rated the build 10 out of 10. It’s a high-quality mower, and the price reflects it. If you want to buy a mower once, this is what I’d buy.

The Personal Pace learning curve

Personal Pace has no drive lever. The handlebar moves forward and back depending on how hard you push, and the mower matches your speed. Push harder and it goes faster.

I’d never used a self-propel like that. My earlier mowers had a bar that engaged or disengaged the drive. It took some getting used to and felt a little awkward in corners. Out in the open yard, though, it was great and made mowing feel effortless.

The weight is why the self-propel matters. A 22-inch steel deck is much heavier than the plastic-deck electric mowers. As a straight push mower it would be heavy. Today’s model is listed at 85 lb. The tradeoff is that a steel deck should outlast plastic, as long as it doesn’t rust.

The two things I didn’t like

The self-propel only works while the blade is spinning. The EGO I’d tested before let me drive the mower with the blade off. That’s handy when the bag is full and you want to roll the mower across the yard to empty it without carrying a full bag or running the blade. The Toro can’t do that. It isn’t a dealbreaker for me, but I don’t like it.

It uses Toro’s batteries only. The mower comes with a 6Ah battery, which was smaller than the 7.5Ah battery my EGO came with. If your trimmer and blower are from another brand, those batteries won’t fit, and switching to Toro means a new set. If you’re moving from gas, that problem doesn’t exist, and Toro’s 60V line now covers a lot of tools.

Battery: what a quarter acre actually takes

On the first cut, I mowed my roughly quarter-acre yard, with the grass a bit longer than usual and the self-propel on almost the whole time. I finished with one bar left on the 6Ah battery.

After a full season I measured it more carefully. My lot is a little under a quarter acre, house included, and I could mow it twice easily on one charge, probably about two and a half times. The difference from the first cut makes sense, since grass length and self-propel use both change how much battery you use.

After one season (2021)

I went back to the mower after a full season. Everything held up the way I expected, and it felt almost brand new. Nothing had gone wrong and the battery hadn’t noticeably degraded.

In my first review I’d called the battery hatch a little flimsy. A season later I’d had no problems with it at all.

The redesign, 2022: old versus new side by side

In early 2022 Toro sent the updated model, the one you’d get today from Home Depot, Amazon or a dealer. I put it next to my old one to see what had changed.

What’s the same:

• The bag/recycle lever on top
• The battery hatch and the 60V batteries, which work across all of Toro’s 60V tools
• The fold, with the same blue clips and twist pins, and it still stands on end. I store mine that way every week
• The belt-driven Personal Pace self-propel motors under the deck
• The overall footprint and look

What changed:

• No side discharge on the new deck. If you need side discharge built in, you’d have to find an older model. Toro’s current spec sheet does list an optional side discharge chute you can request free when you register, which I haven’t tried.
• Longer handlebars. The new one is a bit longer folded.
• Higher top cutting height. At the highest setting, the new deck sat noticeably higher than the old one. In the video I estimated about six inches, judged by eye.
• A black bag instead of white. Same bag quality. The old white bag was a terrible choice for something that collects grass, and I’m glad Toro changed it.
• A much bigger bag opening. Together with the new Vortex vent on the deck, it should mean fewer clogs when bagging. If you bag, I’d strongly recommend the newer model.
• Vortex Technology. A small black piece on the deck hides an opening that lets air into the deck. The old one doesn’t have it. Toro says it pushes airflow to cut finer clippings. I think it’s mostly what keeps the bag from clogging.
• Slightly different tires, about the same quality.

After that comparison I got rid of the old one and kept the new one.

First cut with the new model

Then I mowed with the new model, and I let one section of grass get longer than I normally would to see how it handled.

Personal Pace is much smoother. The old handle would catch in spots. The new curved handle moves smoothly, and the mower is easier to drive overall.

But the handle is bulkier. The new Personal Pace mechanism sticks out more. It snagged on my fence a few times and gets in the way around trees. In the open it didn’t bother me at all. Toro sells a version without Personal Pace that I think is slimmer at the handle, so if your yard is tight, look at that one. For bigger yards I’d pay for Personal Pace.

The start sequence is reversed. On the old model you push the button and then pull the safety bar. On the new one you pull the bar first and then push the button. If you’re switching from the old model, it’ll catch you once.

Overloads shut it off. In the tall section, with mulching on and the deck set low, the mower clogged twice, beeped and stopped. To restart it, I let go of the safety bar and pulled it again. You can hear it speed up when it senses heavy clippings, and it handled thick grass well, but with tall grass mulching just makes the job harder. Put the bag on, raise the deck or slow down, and it’ll keep going.

Same power as before. I didn’t notice any extra power over the old model. If your old one works fine, don’t upgrade just because there’s a new one.

How it compares

How I’d read that:

• Toro: what you get is the steel deck, the cut quality and Toro’s dealer network. Toro says it has nearly 4,000 service dealers. You give up weight, warranty length and some runtime.
• EGO: the same price, a bigger battery, a much faster charge, a longer warranty and a lighter plastic deck. The Toro beat my EGO on cut quality.
• Greenworks: the budget option. It has a steel deck, two batteries and a four-year warranty for $200 less at October 26, 2026 prices, but I haven’t used it.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Cut quality that impressed me the first time out
• Durable 14-gauge steel deck
• Good load sensing that speeds up in thick grass
• Mulch and bag selector built into the deck, no plug needed
• Folds and stands on end for storage
• After a season it was nearly like new, with no noticeable battery loss
• The 2022 version has a smoother Personal Pace handle, a bigger bag opening and a black bag
• One battery covers a lot of Toro 60V tools

Cons

• Heavy, at 85 lb for the current model
• Self-propel only works with the blade spinning
• The new Personal Pace handle is bulky in tight spots
• No built-in side discharge on the current deck, only an optional chute
• Shorter warranty than EGO or Greenworks (2-year mower)
• 150-minute charge time
• The 6Ah battery is smaller than the competition’s
• Overloads shut it off in tall grass when mulching

Who should buy it, and who should skip it

Buy it if you’re leaving gas and want a mower that feels like a traditional Toro, you want a steel deck, you bag clippings (get the new model), your lot is around a quarter acre or up to Toro’s 1/2-acre rating, or you want a local dealer for service.

Skip it if you already own another brand’s batteries, your yard is full of tight spots around trees and fences (or get the non-Personal Pace version), you want to drive the mower with the blade off, or you want the longest warranty for the money.

FAQ

Did Toro pay for this review? No. Toro sent me both mowers. My opinions are my own, and I don’t take money for reviews.

How much yard can it cut on one battery? My lot is a little under a quarter acre, house included. I could cut it twice easily, about two and a half times, on one 6Ah charge. Toro claims up to 1/3 acre in 40 minutes or less.

Did the battery wear out? Not noticeably after one full season.

Can I use the self-propel with the blade off? Not on the ones I used. It only drives while the blade is spinning.

Does the new one have side discharge? No built-in side discharge. Toro lists an optional chute you can request free when you register the mower.

Should I upgrade from the old model? Only if you bag a lot or want the smoother Personal Pace. Power felt the same.

Why did it shut off in tall grass? It clogged while mulching low in heavy grass. Let go of the safety bar and pull it again to restart. Bagging, raising the deck or slowing down prevents it.

Will my EGO, Ryobi or Greenworks batteries fit? No. Toro 60V tools use Toro 60V batteries.

What does it cost now? $649 from Toro as of October 26, 2026.

Any recalls? I didn’t find any CPSC recalls for Toro 60V mowers as of October 26, 2026.

Why this review stops here

This is built on four videos covering first impressions, a one-season update, an old-versus-new comparison and a first cut with the new model. I haven’t published a multi-year durability update on the 2022 model, so I’m not claiming anything about long-term wear on it.

Sources

• My videos: First review (June 5, 2020), After one season (April 7, 2021), Old vs. new (Feb 12, 2022), First cut with the new model (April 30, 2022)
• Toro 21466 product page, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• Toro recall information and recall archive, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• EGO LM2135SP page, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• EGO LM2135SP at Home Depot, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• Tool Box Buzz LM2135SP review, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• Greenworks 60V 21” self-propelled mower, accessed Oct 26, 2026