PowerSmart 21 Inch Self-Propelled Review
Two Owners Report Blue Smoke
The PowerSmart 21 inch 170cc is a rear wheel drive self-propelled gas mower with an automatic choke and a foldable handle, priced at $339.99 with 3.8 stars from 162 ratings. Owners with slopes rate the drive highly, and the catch is that two separate owners report a cloud of blue smoke on every start from the first day.
The verdict
Blue smoke, and two owners who rule out the obvious cause
Blue smoke from a 4-cycle engine means oil is burning in the combustion chamber. The usual cause is an overfilled crankcase, which is also the most common mistake a new owner makes, so a single report would prove nothing.
Two owners of this mower report it within a day of each other, and both close off that explanation.
DC left 1 star on 11 Sep 2026 under a headline begging people not to waste their money. He says he usually only reviews things he loves or really hates, and that he has never regretted a purchase more. His one compliment is that it starts easily. Then he reports that it blows a huge cloud of blue smoke every time it starts, and has from day one, and that the rubber covering on the handle began breaking and falling off on day one as well.
Chris left 1 star on 10 Sep 2026. He reports the mower smokes, and adds, unprompted, that he added the right oil to the level the manual told him to fill to.
Two owners, the same symptom, both raising and dismissing the oil level themselves. The pattern points at the engine.
The rating is at least honest
At 3.8 stars this is the second lowest rated mower in our ten. The number is also one of only three in the category that describes a single product, because the listing carries no size or engine variants.
Set against SENIX listings that average four or five different mowers into one score, 3.8 stars from 162 owners of this exact machine tells you more than 4.0 stars from 1,349 owners of five machines.
The drive divides people
Jojo Li, 5 stars on 23 Aug 2026 with 3 helpful votes, is the clearest voice for the mower. The rear wheel drive handles the slopes in the yard like a champ, so there is no exhaustion after mowing, and it started right up on the first pull with no trouble in thick grass.
Chris puts the opposite case. He says the self propel is slow and mounted in the rear, and that you need long fingers to reach the self propel bar at all.
Both can be true. Rear wheel drive does help on slopes, and a drive bar placed awkwardly is tiring to hold for forty minutes whatever it is driving.
Tall grass is the limit
ToxicTiger, 3 stars on 11 Apr 2026 with 3 helpful votes, gives the most balanced account on the listing. Oil was included. The self-propelled part is strong and works well. Cutting is fine on short grass and only acceptable on tall grass, because it stalls out continuously. His previous mower lasted 15 years and cut tall grass like it was nothing.
A 170cc engine driving a 21 inch deck has less headroom than the 201cc mowers here. Owners of long grass should either buy more engine or raise the deck a notch and take half width passes, which is free.
Where it does well
MIN D, 5 stars on 1 Aug 2026 with 5 helpful votes, says assembly was incredibly easy because only the grass collection bag needed attaching, and that the build quality is better than expected. john s, 5 stars on 2 Aug 2026 with 5 helpful votes, calls it very easy to assemble with easily adjusted height, says it is lighter than other mowers and gets the job done at a decent speed.
PowerSmart lists it at 59 lbs with a foldable handle, which puts it among the lighter self-propelled mowers in our ten and makes it one of the easier ones to store.
Who should buy it
Owners of sloping lawns up to about a quarter acre who keep the grass short and want rear wheel drive for under $350.00.
Whatever you buy here, run it hard in the first month. Two of the worst reports on this listing describe faults visible on day one, and day one is when returning a mower is still easy.
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What stands out
- The 162 ratings describe this mower only, with no variant pooling
- Automatic choke and recoil start, and owners report first pull starts
- Rear wheel drive praised by owners mowing slopes
- 59 lbs listed, among the lighter self-propelled mowers here
- Foldable handle, which saves real space in a shed
What to watch
- Two owners report a cloud of blue smoke on every start
- One owner says the self-propel bar is mounted too far back to reach comfortably
- Another reports the rubber handle covering breaking up on day one
- It stalls in tall grass, per one owner comparing it to a 15 year old mower
- 3.8 stars, the second lowest rating in our ten
Full specification
| Cutting width, inches | 21 |
|---|---|
| Cutting heights | 1.5 to 3.9 inches, 6 positions, dual lever |
| Drive | Self-propelled, rear wheel |
| Grass bag capacity | Yes, rear bagging, capacity not published |
| Mulching | 3-in-1, mulch, side discharge or rear bag |
| Weight, lbs | 59 |
| Suits lawns up to | Up to about a quarter acre |
| Warranty | Not stated on the listing |
Buy it if
You have slopes, you want rear wheel drive under $350.00, and you will run it hard in the first month while a return is still simple.
Skip it if
Your grass gets tall between cuts. One owner reports continuous stalling in tall grass on a mower his previous one cut through without trouble.
Questions people ask
Why does this mower blow blue smoke?
Blue smoke on a 4-cycle engine means oil is reaching the combustion chamber. Two owners report it here. DC, 1 star on 11 Sep 2026, says it blows a huge cloud of blue smoke every time it starts and has done from day one. Chris, 1 star on 10 Sep 2026, also reports smoke and states plainly that he added the right oil to the level the manual specified. Two owners, same symptom, both insisting the oil was correct, points at the engine rather than the operator.
Is the rating pooled across other mowers?
No, and that is a point in its favor. The listing has no size or engine variants, so all 162 ratings describe this mower. Most listings in this category pool their counts across four or five different products.
Is the self-propel any good?
Owners disagree sharply. Jojo Li, 5 stars on 23 Aug 2026, says the rear wheel drive handles the slopes in the yard like a champ so there is no exhaustion after mowing, and that it started on the first pull. Chris, 1 star on 10 Sep 2026, says the self propel is slow and that the bar sits so far back you need long fingers to reach it.
Does it come with oil?
Yes. ToxicTiger, 3 stars on 11 Apr 2026, confirms oil was included, says the self-propelled part is strong and works well, and that it cuts fine on short grass.
Will it cut tall grass?
Not reliably. ToxicTiger reports it stalls out continuously in tall grass, and compares it to the mower he owned for 15 years that cut tall grass like it was nothing. A 170cc engine on a 21 inch deck has less margin than a 201cc engine, so raise the deck a notch and take narrower passes when the grass is long.
