For what it's worth, my parents (initially) and I (these days) have been using the same Craftsman power mower for about 20 years now. You change the oil and scrape the crud off every so often and it just keeps working.
Before that I was given the task of returning a light-duty electric Craftsman mower to the local Sears. Motor had fried. I found out later that the "power boost" handle had been taped down for 4-5 years, so I'm surprised it took as long as it did to burn out.
I suspect there are a wide range of Craftsman mowers, with different engine vendors and different manufacturers. Some of them seem to be really good, but I imagine that they also have some "lots of features, not much price" versions which aren't as solid. I was taught to always buy "basic and heavy"
