Call me crazy, but I’m someone who actually enjoys mowing my lawn. It’s actually quite refreshing sometimes to get outside, work up a good sweat, and just do something I know I can’t screw up for a couple hours. So when summertime comes around and I get to mow the lawn twice a week, I get kind of excited.
For me, I really don’t mind pushing a mower around my yard, particularly if it’s one of the best lawn mowers out there. And in all my years of mowing the yard, I’ve never used a mower as powerful or as impressive as the STIHL RM 655 VS Lawn Mower.
It easily handled even some pretty challenging mowing conditions and ran quite long on a single tank of gas. It’s not all roses though; it’s still gas-powered which means you’ve got the fumes and noise to deal with, and the hard plastic bag makes it awkward to empty and store. But is it still worth getting? Read on to find out how it compares to the other gas mowers we’ve tested.
Jason has been mowing his lawn since he was strong enough to push a mower and thoroughly enjoys a good day of yard work. He’s also been tinkering with and reviewing gadgets for more than 10 years. When he’s not doing either of those, he’s chasing his kids around or relaxing with his wife. He tested this mower by using it to cut his lawn about twice a week for about a month.
STIHL RM 655 VS Lawn Mower: Price & availability
For quite a few years now, STIHL has sold its products in the US exclusively through local power equipment dealers, and that’s still the case today. You won’t find them in any of the “big box” stores like Lowe’s, Home Depot, or Amazon.
You can, however, still purchase them online. Acme Tools is an authorized STIHL retailer and you can find the STIHL RM 655 VS on their website now for a cool $1,199. That price is certainly quite a bit higher than many of the gas-powered lawn mowers we’ve tested, but it’s actually not the most expensive. The STIHL website can also direct you to your closest dealer where you can test it out for yourself.
There is a slightly upgraded version with a hydrostatic gearbox, the RM 655 YS for $1,599. The only difference is the YS offers even more speed variability if you want that.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
STIHL RM 655 VS Lawn Mower: First impressions
If you read my review of the STIHL FSA 200 R string trimmer, you’ll remember that I did not get to unbox and assemble any of the STIHL equipment I received. Like the string trimmer, my mower was delivered by a local STIHL representative, and when I asked him about the unboxing and assembly process, he told me this model of mower would need to be unboxed and assembled by the local STIHL dealer — which is likely why Acme Tools currently has both mowers listed as in-store pickup only.
The reason for this, according to the STIHL rep, is that this model is technically part of the professional line of mowers from STIHL. While non-commercial customers can still purchase it, since it’s part of the professional line, STIHL requires them to be assembled by the dealer. Thankfully, there’s no extra charge for this.
I can most certainly talk about the feel and build quality of the RM 655. It is, in a word: outstanding. I’ve used a lot of lawn mowers in my day, and the RM 655 feels better than all of them. Every part of it feels well-built and sturdy and I have no doubt this mower will last for years to come.
STIHL RM 655 VS Lawn Mower: Design
While the STIHL RM 655 VS looks and acts like most other lawn mowers, it does have a few things that stand out about it. The first thing you’ll notice is what they call the “mono-comfort” handle. Instead of two bars coming off of the back to form the handle, there’s just one off of the right side.
The idea is this makes it easier to access the grass bag and the height adjustment and makes for easier storage and honestly I like it. It’s one of those things that you don’t think about how convenient it is until you actually have it. Not having an extra bar there did make it easier to access the bag and adjust the mower when needed. The handle itself is also a bit adjustable so you can set it for different height operators.
Speaking of the height adjustment, adjusting the cutting height is also incredibly easy. Gone are the days of having to fuss with separate levers on each wheel and hoping you got them on the same height. On the RM 655 VS, you simply pull up on the small black bar near the back and the spring loaded deck will raise or lower smoothly.
The second thing that’s a bit different from most other mowers is the 18.5 gallon plastic grass bag. Instead of the softer canvas-style bag you typically get, this one is a hard plastic polymer. Not only does this make it more durable, the idea is that you’ll be able to get more grass in there before needing to empty. There’s even a little flap on top of the bag that closes when it’s full.
It’s also supposed to be easier to empty because the entire top of the bag can open up to dump the grass out. In my experience, this is actually much more difficult if you’re emptying directly into a garbage bag. However, if you have the bag inside a bin, it does end up being a bit easier than the standard bags.
The one other difference to note is that the engagement levers and self-propel levers are switched. While typically the engagement lever is on top with the propulsion level below, on the RM 655 VS they are switched; the blade engagement lever is on the bottom with the self-driving lever on top. I’m not sure if this is normal for European models (STIHL is a German company) or if that was an intentional design choice. Either way, once you’re used to it, it’s not an issue.
The one downside of the exceptional build quality is that the RM 655 VS is a bit heavy. The whole thing is a little over 100lbs so you’ll certainly want to use the self-propulsion as often as you can. The gray, orange, and black color scheme looks pretty nice though and the handle does fold down for easier storage. However, the large, inflexible polymer grass bag does not.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
STIHL RM 655 VS Lawn Mower: Key specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
| Model no: | RM 655 VS |
| Engine: | Kohler HD 755 OHV |
| Displacement: | 173 cc |
| Power: | 7.46 lbs. ft. torque |
| Blade speed: | 2,800 rpm |
| Weight | 101.4 lbs. |
| Cutting width: | 21 in. |
| Cutting height: | 1.5 - 4 in. |
| Height adjustment: | 7 positions with one-handed adjustment |
| Storage: | Foldable handle |
| Grass catcher capacity: | 18.5 gal. |
STIHL RM 655 VS Lawn Mower: Performance
STIHL has long been known for its powerful, quality equipment and the RM 655 VS absolutely lives up to that reputation. The very first time I took it out, the grass was damp, the ground was wet from several days of rain, and I was cutting three to four inches off. And in those challenging conditions, the RM 655 VS ran like a champ.
I did have to empty the bag quite often, but never once did the mower get bogged down or overwhelmed and it swam along swimmingly. It did miss a few random blades of grass, but that was to be expected in such harsh conditions.
There was also a spot in our yard where we had let some wildflowers grow during the spring and they had grown to well over four feet. It was time to cut them down so I just cranked up the mower and went after it and it didn’t even make the slightest fuss. It cut them down without a problem and kept right on trucking.
The variable speed settings are nice, but any higher than the third setting didn’t seem to get much faster. The speed adjustment level is also a bit stiff and sometimes it was hard to adjust on the fly. It’s certainly not as smooth as others I’ve used.
The efficiency of the mower impressed me as well. I received it with a full tank, and was able to cut my ~6,800 sq. ft. yard — including that very first difficult cut — about two and a half times without needing to fill the gas tank.The only annoying part was that the funnel would not stay in the tank while trying to fill it so I spilled more gas than I would have liked.
The RM 655 is obviously louder than any battery-powered mower, but it wasn’t as loud as I was expecting. My decibel meter only registered about 80 dB which is about equivalent to a typical indoor vacuum.
Fun fact: I also ran over an apple just to see what happened and it demolished it. I could only find one piece of it left.
Score: 5 out of 5
Should you buy the STIHL RM 655 VS Lawn Mower?
| Attribute | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | It’s pricey, but the performance and build quality are | ★★★½ |
| Design | Innovative design, whose odd quirks are overshadowed by its usefulness. | ★★★★½ |
| Performance | Probably one of the most powerful and efficient residential mowers money can buy | ★★★★★ |
Buy it if...
Don’t buy it if…
How does the STIHL RM 655 VS Lawn Mower compare?
The Troy-Bilt XP 21 is a much more compact lawn mower and weighs about 20 lbs. less than the RM 655 VS. Our reviewer was also impressed with the performance and self-propulsion and it costs less than half the price.
For larger yards, the Toro TimeMaster 30 in. mower has a much larger cutting deck and automatically adjusts the mower's pace to match your walking speed.
On the battery-powered front, the DeWALT 60 V MAX Brushless Self-Propelled Mower is an impressive choice. I appreciated the solid performance and long battery life as well as how compact and lightweight it is. Plus you don’t have to deal with the noise and fumes.
How I tested the STIHL RM 655 VS Lawn Mower
I cut my lawn with the STIHL RM 655 VS twice a week for just over a month during the height of the growing season. I also used it to take out a patch over overgrown flowers in addition to mowing my front and back yard. I alternated between bagging the grass and mulching it to get as good a feel of it as possible.
Learn more about how we test.
- · First reviewed: June-July 2024
