Victa Tornado Classic

Had for years and still running strong – Extremely happy with this lawn mower. Always cuts to the right length and easy to push as well. Will need to trim down long grass if you haven't mowed the lawn in a while or else it'll stall, otherwise, shouldn't have any issues at all. Easy to maintain. Just ensure sufficient engine oil and fuel up as necessary.  Show details

Brought in 2007 – Brought from a MSAA dealer when my Rover broke down (19 years). The only difference was that a lower bar was added to the handle. It has never failed to start, I just picked it up after I loaned it out for three year. I found that it had been left out for three months.Checked the fuel, pumped the primer, it immediately started. I took it home,… Read more

stripped it down, serviced it and put it back to work. The only slight "pain" is the oil change, as the sump needs to be pumped out. I also replaced the handle wheels with quick release types.

Never again Victa – As per other reviews it lasted 9 years before the deck rusted through - that $100 per year - a sad reflection on Victa quality. I could buy 3 cheap mowers for the $ 900 I paid for the so called great-quality-Australian-made. There is no such thing as quality anymore. It's all an ilusion. If I had to buy another steel deck (that should have been… Read more

alloy right from the start) and have it fitted (huge labour cost) then I would just be prolonging the pain.

Never again Victa - never again.

Old faithful – Had my victa 9 years and finally the body rusted out , she has never let me down , still got the original blades too.just pull them out square them up and away we go .always started first pull always cut grass and everything else that was hidden in the grass.bought a new body/chassis ...an hour later my mower looks like new.here's to the next 9 years .  Show details

The base rusted away – It no longer cuts as the blades are on the ground. It is hard to maneuver as the blades are on the ground. The base rusted away within 2 years and the mower is unusable. I would not recommend a Victa from Bunnings. This mower was treated the same as all other mowers I have owned and is the first to have the base rust away. Do not buy a Victa from… Read more

Bunnings. The throttle control also broke as it was cheap plastic. DO NOT PURCHASE ONE OF THESE MOWERS.

Reliable and still going first time every time – This is a great mower for small to medium lawns, Ive had mine for 12 years and its still going, no rust. The only aspect that has annoyed me all these years was the position of the petrol cap, and the small petrol tank. Easy to use, starts virtually first time every time. Only serviced twice in all that time Briggs and Stratton great motor.

15 years and still going – Quick review on this mower, my old Victa Covette 400 has kick the bucket, so I borrowed this Victa Tornado classic, eco torque VE50 2 stroke from my father. Can't believe it's still going and he has a pretty steep front yard. The top plastic cover I had to re-screw for him as the old screws had fallen out. Other than that it's ok. No smoke like my… Read more

other mower and starts 2-3 pulls. I remember he got it back in 2001 or 2002. Boggs down in long grass 6inchs or so, but I suppose that's normal with that height of grass. Only two blades, very little rust if any.

Kerbside cleanup model – Found a discarded electric start model minus battery,starter etc. Had to replace the start cord. Starts good on hot /cold days, good on petrol consumption, strong cutting in long grass. Like a lot of Aussie stuff ...it...RUSTS . The Victa rusts in the base, my last car the mighty Ford Falcon rusted in the door sills, my old Commodore in the… Read more

floor and doors, and the older Torana the windscreen area, floor,and boot area. As for my first Ford, the xa hardtop it rusted everywhere...Is there a common thread here? However parts are cheap its easy to fix, and i wont worry about theft or it being lent out. A $800 Honda would have me getting upset.

Got my moneys worth! – A lot of comments about rust on here..... In my experience, I've only had rust in the base when clippings get caught in areas of the base and trap moisture there. My last mower suffered from this, so I was specially careful with my current "Tornado Classic" to clean it really well after EACH use. Mine is about 12 years old. When I got mine it… Read more

had two blades fitted but there were holes for four swing blades. I added another two.

I have had to change the wheels a while back, and the axles are now pretty worn too. I am about to replace the muffler 'cos its getting pretty noisy, and its starting to use oil......but its 12 years old!

I wouldn't say its the best mower out there, but at about $450 (or whatever I paid back then) it has done pretty well and it always starts first time.

I think I will retire it next year, but keep it in the shed for mowing the rock infested, nature strip. Just to save the new mower a bit of abuse.

Rusted – I bought this mower from Bunnings 5 years ago and although the motor continues to run well and starts first time most times, it has completely rusted in the base near the handle so it can be used. The mower was regularly cleaned and kept in a shed so very disappointed.

brilliant – Got it for free. It's at least 5 years old. Start first pull, big catcher, plenty of power for long grass. Just had it serviced, I'll get back to you all in 10 years when it's due again. Only complaint is its too heavy for the missus to use it while pregnant.

Victor 5 HP Briggs & Sratton Mower "Tornado" – The Tornado purchased is the best mower I ever had, Starts first time every time. Cuts clean and sharp.  Show reply

Rusting rubbish – First time for me too that the motor outlasted the base. Motor is actually fine, but all the base has rust all through it and wide holes which means it is next to useless. Only five years old, cleaned after use and stored in a shed!! Bought it from Bunnings but have no expectation of them helping. Really should have bought a honda!!

Rusting base unbelievable – This Victa lawn mower sounds like it is pre igniting electric timing is off or such. It is less than five years old has penetrated rust in the base and drops it's mowing height all by itself. I can't recommend these Chinese built mowers to anyone. This might be the first time the engine may outlast the base.

Victa Rubbish – Bought mower several years ago at Bunnings. Assembled mower; read manual cover to cover. Pulled cord for first time, mower kicked and BANG!BANG!BANG! Stopped mower. Blades were hitting the housing as the driveshaft was out of whack. Took mower back. Bunnings bloke had same result. Finally got replacement after much haggling. Today, went to… Read more

change blades. I challenge anybody to find a Phillips head screwdriver that will fit the crosshairs that are supposed to be used to hold the bolt while you unscrew the nut. Cannot be done.

Phoned Victa. Interesting conversation with first operator who ...anyway.... An hour + later I am still waiting for the technical support mob to phone me back. I should have held on.

Victa Tornado Classic isn't even listed in the Victa site's list of models.

Very Objective C.O.B. Similar issues to several of the other comments; eg wheels. Very, Very, Dangerous Faulty assembly. Imagine my reaction if the blades had shattered the alloy housing and hit my feet and legds!

Avoid victor at all costs - – So i spent $500 on a four stroke victor from bunnings anyway long story short the motor blew up the second time i used it and bunnings' or victas mower agent is saying it is not covered under warranty and if i want it fixed i have to spend between 250-500 and the mower cost me 500.. reaaalllly narked off as i believed victor to be a trusted Australian brand.. invalid warranty, saleman had bad lack of product knowledge..

Avoid victa – I bought this piece of useless brand new for over $700 at bunnings, thinking it will last me for ever, now about 5 years on it died again for the last time (half way through mowing) even new spark plug didnt help, ithad so many problems that now that i am finally replacing it I realise just how much trouble it was just to keep it running. loud,… Read more

uses lots of petrol, revs too low to put the grass in the catcher (catcher rarely gets full), throttle cable bends easily making it difflcult to change revs (in fact throttle cable pretty much gets ignored, i cant event stop the mower with it anymore) + fuels leaks + pull cable snaps easily + blades are hard tochange + front is too low to ground (digs in groung regualry) + air filter falls off easily + hard to push

Hopeless product – Have only had this for a short time and the lever that you use to change the height of the mower has snapped off after just a few short years, making the mower unusable (because it now scapes the ground). The engineering of this weak lever is amateurish. Will never buy Victa again. Light and inexpensive. Design fault has made it unusable after just a short time.

Victa Tonado – The earlier models do seem a bit more robust though the setup is pretty much the same. A bit of maintenance sees these motors last many years, mix smaller amounts of fuel so its always fresh and be sure to turn off the fuel tap after mowing, For the last mow at the end of the season run it dry as this avoids fuel going stale in the carby and… Read more

creating hard starts for the next year, Victa were purchased by Briggs and Stratton and may kill off this trusty 2 stroke engine :( 2 Stroke 7" wheels all round. I prefered larger rear wheels for ease of use

Bad – unrealiable, poor value, poor build quality. expected a brand like victa with a huge history in the mower industry to have higher standards. due to my experiences with this mower i no longer trust this brand. 2 stroke is reasonably fuel efficient after 2 years it is difficult(given up trying on several occasions) to start, something has failed in the carby , i need to pump the carby to keep it running ! rear left wheel has seized

Should have bought a Honda! – Bought this to replace a previous Victa 2 stroke I'd owned for 6 years & thrashed - it was still going with the original spark plug when I disposed of it. The new one appears to have a slightly lesser build quality, however it doesn't always start first time, like the old one did, and sometimes the pull start self retractor mechanism doesn't… Read more

rewind the cord fully.

I've always run the mower using synthetic oil for the 2 stroke mix, doesn't smell as bad (to me at least). It has a nice blue colour! Like the high up air filter. The exhaust vents into the grass catcher, fumes get up my nose when removing the catcher to empty it.

Lasted just over 2 years – I have had this mower before and bought this after my last one was stolen. The engine lasted 2 years and blew. The wheels started to break a year afterwards. Never again. Time to look for a Honda, or cheap mower that is worth replacing at low cost. Cut wet and long grass well. Engine poor quality.

Really have to do my Research – I have had this mower for 4 years and as i was cutting the grass one day, all of a sudden the engine stopped. Never could i get it started again. My father has a 25 year old Victor mower that is in good working condition and i cant believe it out did my Tornado. I wish the brand Victor would focus more on Quality in the modern era Sexy looks and easy to start Breaking down on you and leaving a weird grass design

Worst mower I have ever bought – The last Victa I had lasted about 15 years until it wore out, so I bought this model I took it home used it 3 different times than it wouldn`t start took it back to Bunnings Corio & found it had a bent crankshaft. They replaced the mower with exactly the same type of mower, I have only used it a couple of times & now the ripcord kicksback & I have… Read more

taken it to get it fixed many times. Cut thick wet grass with ease. Bad warranty service,Very hard to fit the grass catcher on, It has a Techumsen engine made in the U.S.A.which they have gone out of buisness.

Bad – When you first get this mower you'll think it's brilliant, then you discover that the grass catcher rarely gets even half full before the grass starts falling out. Within about 12 months you will find your O ring on the carby cap has failed and needs replacing. It's all down hill from here. Avoid this mower if you value your money. Starts… Read more

easily (most of the time) Made of cheap crappy plastic.

You must replace the seal on the carby every 12 months as the carby will begin to leak and the mower will not start.

Needle in the carby sticks causing poor fuel flow and can create problems starting the engine.

Grass never fills catcher properly.

Excellent – this mower is light weight and easy to operate, starts with first pull of the cord comes with high zone air filter as standard this mower will give long service with simple maintanance and care, buy with confidence, good luck graham the new VE 50 eco torque engine is victas best effort yet, it offers more power with improved fuel consumption,it… Read more

is easy to service and maintain and spare parts are readily available and cheap there are no dislikes with this product

Excellent – great mower for an average sized yard, easy to maintain and get serviced at most local dealers,does a great cut on the lawn and my lawn is fairly rough great starting,lightweight a little loud

Terrible – was expensive for what we got.disappointed in aussie brand as this was the reason we bought it.i would think twice about buying this brand again. not much.poorly produced trouble getting petrol cap on.wheels hard to rotate.cheap springs.air filter dirty in 4 hrs mowing.over reeves.weird spark plug. we had to go to repco for one that was like it.

Excellent – What's not to like, worth every cent and I can't believe I would rave about a mower!! Do yourself a favour and get one - just make sure it's a 4 stroke. We have had the TCS484 for maybe 3 years now. Best mower ever and still starts first time every time. Nothing to dislike