Love love love the HRX 217.. I have two, one for business, one for home. Never have had one problem with either and have had them 4-6 years with hundreds of hours
I have one for my business too and I'm not satisified at all. Don't get me wrong, the quality is top notch and everything works and it starts on a first pull but here's my problem... The damn thing clogs if I want to cut anything that's a bit taller then a well weekly cut grass. It stalls, clogs and can't push the grass through that back shute into the bag. If I want to mulch then it's even worse. God forbid that a grass is damp. It automatically clogs. I have sharpened the blade, the engine is fairly new and powerful.. I don't know what else to do.. I see all these people satisfied with their Hondas and I'm cursing it every minute.. I'm close to ordering AS Motor professional mower from Germany and pay my ass off for the mower which is around 3000$ plus shipping. You should see what those beasts do.
My grandmother had a Honda push mower for what seems like 20 years. It was probably less, but she only had two push mowers my whole life that I can remember and I'm 45. A lawn boy that she ran forever, and then the Honda. That thing was a frikken CHAMPION! She had it serviced every season, but I don't remember it ever breaking down, failing, or causing trouble. I suspect it was top of the line at the time. She always bought quality and never lived to regret it. I share those values. I'm going for the top of the line, electric start, self propelled, wash the dishes, tuck the kids in at night model. Only the best for me.
Heinzkitz Velvet Wow nice, I'm not surprised it gave her no issues then! Anything can last a long time if properly taken care of but there really is something to be said about spending the extra money on a good quality product. They often last longer, have less issues, more power and features, and are just overall much nicer to use. This mower actually makes handmowing my parents' large yard enjoyable, a task I hated doing before.
mhtube01 I've had a $20 yard sale special for the past 3 seasons. This last season I could barely bring myself to mow the lawn it was SUCH a drudgery and chore. Left me completely exhausted. But this year, I'm biting the bullet and investing in the best so I can enjoy my lawn again. I have a Worx GT battery powered trimmer/edger. That thing is a joy to use. Makes wonderful clean, straight edges along my side walk. Plus, it's light weight and easy to handle. Doesn't stress my body at all. But the mower is the most important thing. Can't wait till spring to get started again. My grams used to have us mowing twice a week. I'd love to get back to that and be able to enjoy and take pride in it again.
Great review! I just ordered the HRX217VLA which is a couple levels down from yours. It does not have the 'roto stop' but has the electric start. I would not have even gone with the electric start model, and was going to get the lowest level HRX, but the price was the same for lowest model and the VLA. I believe because the end of the year is close, so it was a good time to buy. I did pay $599 - no tax, free shipping. Honda MSRP is $779 for the VLA I am a Honda fanboy. I have had 5 Honda cars, all accords, still have two in my garage. My 2012 V6 Accord coupe was affordable (bought used) and pretty quick. I glad you love your mower, and I can't wait to cut my grass in 3 months...
+Austin Butler Hahaha I hear ya, I'm going to be winterizing my mower this weekend after Thanksgiving. I just pulled out the snowblower, started it up and changed the oil this past weekend! I uploaded a video of it if you want to check it out (it's not a Honda, it's a John Deere) but I can't believe it's already that time of year. You're the second person I've heard from who's gotten a steal on an electric start model! I'm sure you'll love the mower, I do love mine. Honda does make a good product and I really like their power equipment. My grandpa has a Honda trac drive snowblower and that thing is a BEAST!! It's a nicer model with an 8 hp engine and a 28" clearing path, plus his has the snow cab on it and I believe a headlight. It's so heavy, it takes two people to struggle to lift on it's side when changing the oil. It could CRUSH my John Deere snowblower if it had the chance.
I mulch with mine, and like others have said, my deck loads up with grass so bad it stalls the motor when a huge clump of grass decides to fall off. I'm not cutting crazy high grass either. Grass builds up to where it's rubbing against the blades and I clean the deck after each mowing, so it's not months of stuff building up under there. Other than that it's a great mower, but the grass build up is enough of a problem I'm considering switching to a different brand.
I bought my for around $450 new at Home Depot in 2008 and still running smooth ( added MotorKote to oil ) just ordered air filter cover which will crack after 3rd year.
HI I HAD ONE -now i don,t took it back . it has problems .1 leaves long stalks of grass somtimes ? 2. tends to be BACK heavy (feel as if u have to lift up all the time.).. lifting the front when part/full ,this gives u an up and down cut.3.if on uneven ground u move to fast it BOUNCES ALL OVER THE PLACE making again an uneven cut.4. does not mulch damp even short grass.?LEAVES CLUMPS OF GRASS BEHIND sometimes having to go over 2 -3 times to pick up.5 very heavy- i like to pull back wards on the edge of the lawn -it will rip up !-6 no wash hose con. 6. grass does stick to the under body if damp.7 small rear wheels. 8 mulch door blocks up. 8. handle spring are to hard to keep depressed for long periods. Great mower for home use on flat ground, 3xs! weekly cut short and dry will mulch. bud who,s got the time .And this is very a very expensive mower.well there u go . mike.
You gentlemen that have shared information about this mower are helpful beyond description!! You helped me make a decision on which mower to buy. I bought this mower on Thursday. I LOVE IT!!! It is wonderful. My husband and I took it out of the box, and I bet it was only about 30 minutes and I was mowing the yard. My husband has severe COPD, and we are in our 70's, so I needed something that was easy on my body and particularly my hands (because of arthritis). This is the mower for me!!! I think I'll start mowing the neighbors yards. LOL! It is so much fun and operates with ease. I decided against the electric start because it was another $120 --- and I'm not sorry. No problem. It started on the first pull. Thanks SO much for your help!
One thing you didn’t mention: one drop of gas on that lovely, dark gray mower deck will permanently stain it light gray. You WILL drip gas on it eventually, as the deck is directly below the gas cap. It was a terrible decision to use an easily stainable plastic for the deck.
I FINALLY got it. My beloved HRX217HZA. It cost BOTH tits. But I now own THEE finest, 21", residential, rotary mower available to the general public. And I spent two weeks just setting it up EXACTLY the way I wanted it. Professional looking installation of a digital tach/hour meter to keep precise maintenance schedules. Replaced the OEM dipstick and oil filler tube with a Gold Plug 3023, magnetic oil dipstick. Since it doesn't have an oil filtering system, a magnetic dipstick is the next best thing. ESPECIALLY for the break-in period. Royal Purple break-in oil. I trust ONLY Royal Purple in ALL my engines. I'll switch to full synthetic RP once the break-in oil has been changed twice. Once at 5 hours, again at 10 hours. I plast-dip'd the wheels. Graphite Pearl Metallizer colour to better match the colour of the Nexite deck. I HATED the colour of the wheel out of the box, so I watched a guy plasti-dip the wheels on his Time Master and realized I had found my solution. Plasti-dip is much more durable than paint on plastic is. And if I want to change the colour, it just peels right off by hand. It's awesome and looks FANTASTIC. Also, the Plasti-dip will prevent the wheels getting grass stained. Installed a Honda HRX217 specific, Big League Lawns, Checkmate 20" striping kit. It does a PHENOMENAL job. Of ALL the push mower striping kits I've searched for, it is the highest quality, best built of them all. Spray waxed the top and underside of the deck in an effort to make it as easy as possible to clean. I figure if the grass can't stick to it, it should clean up in a jiffy. Filled it with fresh, non-ethanol gasoline. Took it outside Tuesday, April 17th and hit the starter. She fired up and did a beautiful job on my over grown weed farm I keep in the from yard. LOL. But that mower is the CADILLAC of mowers. I can't wait to use it again. Never been so enthusiastic to mow my lawn. Quality equipment DOES make a difference.
I had the HRR216 model for 3 years, with mostly satisfactory results. Blade hit a stump, bent the shaft and the deck housing. That mower had some poor design that gave me grief.: the drive belt clogging, trail of clippings on left side, fair mulching quality, speed adjustment with "thumb drive" was unfriendly. The HRX217 is much improved. The deck housing of HRX217 has better swirl design to keep the grass in the blades for fine mulching, does not building up on one side and leave a trail of clippings. More coverage of the belt drive to avoid clogging when heavy mowing or small twigs are encountered. Speed control is easiest to use of all brands. I never bag, so I cannot comment on that. Still skeptical about the synthetic deck material, time will tell. Note this mower is longer than the HRR216 and somewhat ungainly. Overall, very satisfied.
Gav Jones Thanks, it better be it's not even a year old! Haha I expect it will last me for many years, it's a Honda. I never thought I'd enjoy using a walk behind mower after using a lawn tractor, but I love using this one!
I have only about .30 of an acre of ground. I’m so on the fence regarding this model or a riding John Deere. Since I purchased new house in July, I cut the rest of the year with a craftsman push mower. I liked dropping 10 pounds walking, but some days it was a chore pushing. Now we get to this self propelled Honda. Question I have is will the quality of the cut, the fact it’s self propelled, and the savings of almost $1500 be worth the extra time it will take to cut on this 21 in deck vs 48 in. deck
spomante IMO, do not waste your money on a riding mower because that's a small yard. If you must get one, get a small one with a 42 inch deck or so and save yourself some money. I will say the Honda makes it far less off a chore since the self propel works great and the cut quality is pretty much unsurpassed. I love this mower, it's so worth the money.
I can't really speak for it since I'm not a truck owner, if you have a decent amount of strength I wouldn't think it would be an issue. Also it depends if you're talking about a heavy duty truck which has a higher ground clearance compared a lighter truck. This would definitely be a great mower to use for a business I can tell you that.
Hollowalone1 It's weird you're one of several people who have said that! I honestly don't have that problem.....yet. I hope it doesn't happen. I sprayed it with a good coating of silicone spray before the first use like I do to all mowers and that seems to really help them. My 1991 Toro Recycler has a steel deck and that gets caked with clippings in now time, drives me crazy.
Do you notice that if the bag is completely filled the front tires come up due to bag weight and the fact the deck is nexite vs the heavier metal deck?
That happens on any mower I've used including this one but that's usually the cue to empty the bag soon. I just push down a bit on the handle bar and it keeps the front end down.
Lol.... I guess all of my past lawn mowers have really been garbage then because I've never had a mower that filled the bag up past 60%--75% so they never got overly heavy on the backend. My current mower is a $300 Home Depot Lawn Boy and it friggin sucks at picking up grass. Constantly clogs the rear discharge area. If the grass has any kind of moisture on it I'm lucky to hit the 50% mark. This is what's prompting me to spend a bit more on a mower.
I asked a lot of landscapers before buying this mower and everyone recommended Honda. They all said they really pack the bags full, cut better, and are just much nicer to use in general. I can confirm that all of that is true, it mulches great but it actually packs the bag completely full when using it! It's worth every penny man, trust me! The blade clutch feature is awesome too if you like bagging clippings!
+mhtube01 .... Well, I hope it's good because I just bought one yesterday. It was $950 Canadian but I need to wait until my lawn is long enough again to use it. I could not find too many negative reviews about it either.
Nice congratulations on the purchase! Wow that's a lot up in Canada! You won't regret it though, if you take care of it, you'll have it for many years! These Honda engines are bullet proof.
JaArRyi FleshBlood Not necessarily, it all depends on the manufacturer. Honda likes the OHC design on their small engines and it certain works for them because they're very smooth and powerful.
The only thing that happened is the auto choke stopped working last year and on top of that it was cold outside so I couldn't get the mower started. I hate auto choke on any mower, it's always problematic at some point. My local shop fixed it easily though and it hasn't had any trouble since. It's a great mower to use.
GXV160 on the hydrostatic drive unit, GSV160 (semi-commercial OHC engine) one in the US without drive, the PDA version which is zone start, release the handle, the engine stops. There's no such Honda overhead valve industrial engine as the GXV190.
its not so much the mower its the blade 5 horse power is 5 horse power $300 mower can work same as 600 mower. Would been better if you bot larger wheels in the rear to most will last three years with out a oil change.
Alienagent I do agree that the blade is what really makes the cut (literally) but a $300 mower definitely will not work the same as this mower. I'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for in most cases. Granted you can get a good mower for a fair price, but I never understood the point of those bigger rear wheels. The design of the deck really does make a difference along with the blade. Toro proved that with their Super Recycler vs the Recycler that they've made for years. This Honda will last way longer than 3 years, heck it already has.
Don't understand why you would need blade on and off or the high and low power switch. If the mower is on you should be cutting grass. I guess it's for people who don't like grass and wind from the blade blowing in their face when empting the bag. Yet it's a mulcher and 90% of the time you would expect to being mulching. Money wasted.
dvdfrnzwbr It's not money wasted, anyone with common sense would shut the mower off before emptying the bag. You need two hands to empty the bag so I don't know how you're going to leave a normal mower going, not to mention that's dangerous. The blade clutch is a convenience feature that eliminates having to restart the mower every time you need to empty the bag or move a branch or something out of the way. Or you can move the mower from place to place with the engine running but without having to have the blade running and end up mowing whatever's in your path. If you listen to what I said, this mower can do it all, it can half bag and mulch or anywhere in between. It's not just a "mulcher." Not everyone mulches you know, my yard gets way too thick for the first half of the season to mulch because we get a good amount of rain so mulching grass that's wet or damp results in clumping, so I bag it. All older mowers used to have throttle controls, you want to mow at full throttle but it's a good way to quiet the engine down for a second if you need to. I don't understand why you're saying this mower is a waste of money because it most certainly isn't. Why do you think so many people own them over cheap push mowers? Because they're much nicer to use. If you ever use one, you'll understand but until then, stop hating on my video and my purchase. Thanks.
You're obviously jealous that you don't have a nice mower to make mowing your lawn more enjoyable. I don't see any videos on your channel that indicate you're a lawn mower expert. So who are you to criticize and tell me I've wasted my money when I'm the one who owns the mower? Plus with 18,000 views on this video and numerous people telling me I've helped them with purchasing a new mower, your comments don't even matter to me. Stop being so immature and go troll on someone else's channel because I'm done responding.
I was trying to decide which of these models to buy this HRX217 or the HRU216. So, I went to have a look at them at my local lawnmower shop. I found a couple of HRU216 in the repair and service area and was surprised to see both HRU216 with rust holes on the deck, the guy at the shop told me that both lawnmower belongs to a contractor who's had them for years and he said that these mowers were only here for service and additional repairs. So guess which one I bought? The HRX217 of course lol it was the Nexite deck that did it for me and it was also $500 plus cheaper
LiveHardOne Lol I was wondering when I'd get a comment like yours. Last summer was very dry in Northeastern Pennsylvania so the grass growth slowed down earlier in the year and when it does, it thins out pretty quickly. It's weird it's very consistent like that year after year. We have very short summers up here and long winters. The lawn is much thicker in the Spring/early summer. The good news is the mower handles the tall, thick grass like a champ! I'll have to make a shorter video of it mowing.
In Australia the HRX217 is what they call a premium residential mower. I know quite a few of my fellow commercial operators use the HRX217 and are very happy with them. I run the HRU216M2 which is the top of the range but next replacement will be a HRX217. You should get 10 or more years out of your machine if you service it regularly. I run hour meters on all my equipment. They cost A$8 on ebay (most likely $5 in the US) and are very simple to install. Makes it easier to schedule servicing. Oh wow I just looked at your publishing date. lol Cheers man.
Lawn Care Evolution. Yeah it's considered a premium residential mower in the US as well, I'm assuming Honda calls it that anywhere it's sold. I did have a problem with the auto choke this past fall to the point where the mower wouldn't start so I had to get that fixed. I hear that is a very common problem on any engine that uses it which is a reason I miss manual chokes. But other than that the engine is powerful and smooth and the mower works great. I'll probably sharpen the blades up in the spring and the oil will get changed. Basic maintenance goes a long way towards making something last.
Hey mate, I’m from aus too. I have a fairly substantial bush block with about an acre of grass to mow over varying grades of slopes, some flat, some 10-15 degree slopes. Tossing up between the hrx217 and the hru216m2. The thing I like about the 216m2 is the snorkel for air intake as some spots of my mowing area can kick up a fair bit of dust at times. Which would you recommend?
I have used Honda mowers for years. best push mowers I have ever used. Must correct you on one thing. The HRX217 is belt drive to the hydrostatic transmission. The HRC commercial mower is a shaft drive. But the HRX217 is a belt drive but I will say Mine was made the year before they went to the auto choke and I have never replaced the belt and mine is used daily in my landscaping business.
I just bought an HRX217HYA yesterday to replace my still working HRS216 I bought 15+ years ago. Gave it to my Bro-in-Law. Can't wait to use this thing but having to wait on the rain.
Shut up and review the machine we don’t care about eBay.and you have to clean under the deck all the time.the quadra cut system is a mulching system.if you run the single blade hi lift it bags a lot better.if you are trying to mulch thick high grass it doesn’t mulch good at all.I have two of them and with maintenance they have been running for almost 8 years with only simple things to maintain.never had a break down and my mowers work everyday .the auto choke system doesn’t fail.
It's a great mower. I have had mine since 2012 (6 years) and never had any problems with it. I used to cut grass during the summer in my college days so I have used a wide variety of commercial and high end mowers. The HRX has a great cut. I would put it's cut up against any mower on the market whether it's bagging, mulching, or discharging. I have the model one step down from yours so it has the smart drive instead of the select drive and I do not have the blade clutch. I never had any issues with the transmission or the auto-choke system. I am actually buying a new one this weekend. I will be buying this model with the blade clutch and will use my older one as a backup mower as well as using it to mow my elderly neighbors lawn for free. Between the two mowers, I do not plan on buying a new mower for at least another 10+ years.
1:36 - HOGWASH. Nothing compares? That is a lie. I just returned mine. The engine is super weak, stalls out. Plus THREE handles... super complicated operation. It doesn’t bag well compared to my toro. And it’s slow. It actually sucks compared to the toro i just replaced it with for almost half the cost.
Bob Marley I know the majority of people would disagree with you. It sounds like you didn't even take the time to learn the mower. It's not hard to use. If you wanted a simple mower, you should have gotten one. This thing bags better than any other mower I've used and has plenty of power. In fact, Honda is one of the most desired engines on a push mower. As for the speed, it goes plenty fast enough. You're not even supposed to now at too fast of a speed or your yard will look like crap.
I wish I disagreed with me too. I was really excited about getting a new Honda. I watched your video and then bought it new from Home Depot. When I got it, I put in fresh gas. My grass wasn't even long and it would bog down unless I tilted it up when restarting the blades. The little bit of grass left over is enough to choke it out. Toro also makes a RWD model with start/stop blade, a more powerful engine, you can mow faster, packs more grass in the bag. Plus the Honda's blades doesn't go as close to front of the mower, so when you push the power up against a fence (for instance) the Honda leaves a much larger swath of uncut grass. So more trimming with the Honda as well. The only thing that I thought was better about the Honda is that it is quite.
honda mowers are the best on the market i own a 2k6 hrc216. for reference please do not hit any rocks with this machine, they can crack or put holes in the plastic deck.
Hondas work great, but always keep a sharp blade (s) on it, it makes all the difference, dull blades don't cut, and bog down the engine if grass is tall enough, I always keep a spare blade set, they are cheap, on line amazon or other Parts suppliers..cuts great after all these years
+cengeb Good idea, I always keep my blades sharp.I have a lawn tractor I use for the main parts of the yard and that had dull blades on it early this season before I replaced them and wow did the clippings clump up like crazy in the thicker grass! They were mulching blades which aren't nearly as durable as the standard blades which also have a lot more airflow and are therefore better for bagging. I can get away with mulching clippings at the beginning and end of the season but once the grass starts really growing, it gets so thick I have to bag it. Gives a cleaner look to the yard anyway so I don't mind.
Haha a lot of people have joked about that on here. It was a very dry summer that year and this is what my parents' lawn usually looks like in July and August. This year has been different though and it looks a lot healthier thanks to more rain and cooler temps.
I bought the same mower minus the throttle control. I agree with the OP, that this is a great mower. Historically, I replace my mowers when the deck starts to rust. Then nexite deck prompted me to buy this machine.
My thoughts are you have the worst grass I've ever seen, even worse than mine, which is the poorest in my neighborhood. You should have borrowed a neighbor's yard for this video.
How is your HRX217HYA doing 5 years later? I have a 10 year old HRC that is perfect except heavy and I thought about this model to leave at my mom's house.
Bought my HRX217 new in 2005 and still runs like a champ; starts on one pull every time! Just got it back from the shop (first time ever) to replace the cables and drive belt as it would no longer self propel. Now it’s like a new mower again. The hydrostatic drive and roto-stop blade system are phenomenal. Why people waste time and money with $200 shitbox mowers I’ll never understand.
What an awesome video! My old Mountfield purchased in 1998 has suddenly started misbehaving, revving high then low also a very smokey. I think the choke is stuck on but I've got no idea how to repair it. Always wanted a Honda Lawnmower and so I think now is the time to invest. I'd got my eye on a HRX series, but your video was so informative it helped me tremendously with my decision. I'm very grateful, thank you. Best regards.
WoW!..If you have given that much I want at least 300.00 for mine..Come and get it anyone in wake forest N.C.. This one I have is a HRX217 Will sale pretty quick Im guessing.
When you set the “Awesom-O System” to mulch some clipping while you bag other clippings, how does it know which clippings are bagged and which are mulched back into the lawn? It’s great that you can mulch your clippings onto the lawn and bag the weeds and dandy lions seeds for the compost pile! Honda thought of everything!
The way the cover inside the deck is designed will just naturally keep some clippings inside the deck to be mulched while others will pass through the opening into the bag. How much you want bagged or mulched will depend on how open or closed the flap is, in other words wherever you have the adjustment handle set to. It's a very cool idea and works very well.
Nice review. My Honda lasted a very long time except for the deck.. You actually said it correctly limited lifetime warranty on the deck. If something damages the deck honda will not cover this. Honda told me the limited lifetime warranty only covered factory defects (cosmetic).
Shaft drive: nice. (I have an '84 HRA214SXA with shaft drive. But the drive shaft goes to a gearbox. Nevertheless, it's easy to push with the drive disengaged: unlike the belt drive models). Nice mower you've purchased, and at a very nice price. (I'm glad for you). (My '84's well worn).
Mine have help up really well. I moved 2 years ago and my backyard has a ton of roots that this mower has to run over and it's taken a beating from it. The front wheels are a little out of line now but I'm pretty sure it's the piece they ride on and not the wheels themselves. I'm going to buy some new parts for this mower this year so I can renew it a bit. Other than that, it's been a great mower.
@@mhtube01 the new ones are looking at $879. Im debating on buying the hrx217vka for $699 which has everything or the HRX217HYA like you have for $879 with the hydrostatic tranny and blade control. Decisions lol
I'm thinking of buying this mower. Question: If I need to pull it backwards, do the rear wheels disengage when you let go of the controls and go free-wheeling? Is it hard to pull backwards? Thank you.
Lynn Bram-Jones yes they disengage, and I don't think its hard to pull backwards. Awesome machine, you won't regret it. Brother in law just bought this, and its the cadillac of lawnmowers. I have a older hr215 model, still runs brand new. you'll never have to buy another as long as you maintain it.
Lynn Bram-Jones They do disengage when you let go of control lever. It's not hard to pull or push but it is a little heavier than your average mower so it takes a little more effort to push it up hills if you're not using the self propel. It's fine on flatter surfaces though. The self propel system is excellent, it has so many speeds that you can choose whatever is comfortable for you and adjust depending on mowing conditions. Or if you want you cant just push it freely. Great mower though, lots of power and the blade clutch is the best feature ever aside from that Versamow control. It's a MUST for bagging grass, makes it so much easier since you don't have to shut it off and restart it every time you dump the back.
honda is number 1 # i have 3 honda lawn mowers one that is old one Hra 215 and 2 hrr 216 now i am getting the honda Hrx 217 with the eletric start and recoil
Very nice review you definitely did your homework. I just purchased my first Honda Mower today 5/6/2019 for $ 699.00 at a local dealership, MSRP $ 829.00. I am looking forward to cut my 1/4 acre tomorrow. Model HRX217HYA..
JUST BOUGHT A BRAND NEW ONE TODAY AT HOME DEPOT HRX217K5HYAA I HAVE MY ON MOWING BUSINESS. THIS IS MY 3RD ONE CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THE HONDA. LIKE YOUR VIDEO MAN.
@mhtube01 i just saw one of those when i saw the new cub cadet lawn tractors from the xt1 to the xt3's. i do prefer either a 54inch or 48inch deck being that they get mowing done alot faster.
I dont want one, I was just saying they're available. I would never spend another $100 just for that, total rip off if you ask me. These motors take such little effort to pull over too.
Quick question. I'm trying to move the clip director knob. It's currently in the mulch position. I tried to move it all the way left, but it seems locked. Is there a locking mechanism for that knob? I also looked through the manual. It's not my mower. It's my girlfriend's dad's, and I'm going to mow his lawn for him because of his bad back issues. Thanks.
After a while, grass clippings tend to clog up underneath the cover which makes it hard to move. I usually turn the mower on it's side and try to clean out what I can. Then just wiggle the cover back and forth and it will begin to free up and move again.
@@mhtube01 Hey, thanks for the reply. Just about twenty minutes ago, I turned it on the side and realized how clumped the clippings were. I used a screwdriver and chipped away most of the debris. Checked the knob and it's working good as new. Thanks!
Great review!! I went out today to buy the same model here in Australia , cost me $1299 , on order !! Didn't want to spend that much but I suppose cutting my lawn should be more enjoyable
Great review on this model,one of the main reasons that I traded in my old HHR model that still ran pretty well after 5 seasons on one of these.The new one is in the box still,waiting for Spring!! Seems to be a significant upgrade,and a nice piece of equipment.Worth the investment to me.
Thanks! I've wanted one of these for a long time now but they were too out of my price range at my local mowershop and Home Depot. Finally had some money saved up and couldn't pass this one up on Ebay. I never thought I'd say this but I actually ENJOY using a handmower now! It's weird.
My next door neighbor's 2004 Honda is 1 model lesser than this TH-cam Channel lawn mower. She doesn't have blade-stop. It's still a great lawn mower, that still run just like a brand new, during late 2015. Con: Honda RPM setting at 2800 RPM. I did upped it to 3200 RPM with adjustment. I'm a believer, with even better cutting job than a stock RPM setting. Never go over 36 RPM, it's not good for your engine. One problem with 3200 RPM, self repelled will do 5 MPH instead 4 MPH. If you use AMS-OIL small engine oil, you'll notice of more easily pull start do to more slippery oil than regular motor oil. You will ended up to get easy 20 years out of it.
+Stan McBeth (STANTHEMAN770) Thanks for the tips! I can imagine if I raised the RPMs that full speed on the self propel would mean jogging with the mower lol. Right now I don't really see the need to mess with it, I've never had an issue with it bogging or cutting poorly. I'm looking forward to getting years of reliable service out of this machine.
I am enjoying my new HRX going on 3 weeks now. My Toro Super Recycler is in semi retirement after 15 years. Still runs great I might add, but wanted the Honda reading all the great reviews. Honest opinion: The Toro has user friendly features I much prefer over the HRX. Backing this Honda up is a load compared to the Toro. Grass sticks more to the Nextite than the Aluminum deck. I see no mulching improvements on the Honda. They are the same. The Personal Pace on the Toro is Light Years over the cumbersome HRX. The 200 CC Honda engine is extremely powerful, a plus for Honda. Bottom line. The Honda excels on cutting thick, long grass over the Toro. Not a regular occurrence in my yard, just sometimes. The Toro is much easier to use, just my opinion. For everyday use, I would endorse the Toro.
I have the Honda 216 and it is by far the best mower I ever used so if the 217 is better I don't know how I would react to it. Honda is smart to just keep building 21 inch mower instead of trying to build a 22 inch. you can cut more with a Honda 21 and get a better looking cut than any Toro out their including the Timemaster 30 inch. Also for the buy America folks Honda mowers are assembled in the USA with both America made and off shore parts. I am a big fan now that I got one I can not see my self buying anything but a Honda from now on.
+ogbobbye I agree I can't see myself buying any other mower either! This one has just set the bar so high and I'm looking forward using it for a long time before I have to even think about buying a new one. There's people I've talked to that have 30 year old Hondas that they still use weekly and they work like new. That's awesome, not sure if any mower can top that. I've always liked the 21 inch cut myself, I think it's a good sized deck. I don't like the 19 inch ones that Cub Cadet makes, that's too small. My Toro Super Recycler is a 21 inch cut but my old Recycler from 1991 is a 22 just like the new ones. I should really pull out the Super Recycler and make a start up video of it, I haven't started it in over a year now. The Recycler I started up back in the spring but the blade on it is bent so I can't mow with it. Of course due to my own laziness I didn't buy a new blade for it or sell either of the machines this season like I meant to so they're going to sit in my garage for another winter. I just get my lawn tractor and the Honda out and use them.
Great video nice mower. Did that one come with the Self-propelled, hydrostatic Cruise Control transmission? Mine is coming today. I am replacing a 8 year old Honda HRX that was still working. I just wanted a new one..LOL Itthe HRX217HYA.
Fed Guy It had only been used a few times prior to making this video so that's why it still looks about brand new. I keep my mowers clean though because they perform better with better airflow. That was also the time of year where the growth of the lawn slows down a lot. This will be my first full season with the mower.
Great review . I was looking for a new mover for a while and Home Depot just had a sale for $400 with electric starter. Thanks for helping me with decision to buy Honda.
+Mike Mokrzycki Holy crap!! For an electric start HRX!?!?! You pretty much stole that mower!! I knew Home Depot sold Hondas but I didn't think they'd let one go for THAT cheap! Congrats on the new mower, glad I could help out!
Great video. This spring will be my second season with my new lawn service and last season I was using a Toro. I'll definitely be getting one of these asap.
Xavier Sepeda Nice, I like Toro mowers but I hear the engines on the new ones aren't that great. After using the Honda though, there really isn't another mower that compares to it, worth the higher price if you ask me.
LiveHardOne Wow cool! Glad I could help out! Be sure to change the oil after the first 5 hours or so of use once the engine's had a chance to break in. There will be tiny metal shavings in the oil that you don't want to leave in there for too long, perfectly normal for a break in though. I think it mentions that in the owners manual but I always remind people. Hope you get many years out of it!
I have had a number of Honda mowers and they're great. This one is the top-of-the-line, but the first one with problems with the self-propel function. It works fantastic--for about 10 minutes! After that, it becomes progressively less powerful until about 20 minutes into mowing, it becomes essentially a manual hand mower. I've had it in the shop twice, but its not fixed. Without the self propel, it is a heavy, piece of reliable crap.
I bought one of these/similar (HRX) yesterday for about $650. Like you, I had/have a Toro recycler, it cost me $350, I bought the Toro 5 years ago, but only used it for 2-3 seasons regularly, and paid a kid to mow my yard the rest of the time. The Toro was the Consumer Reports best buy the year it came out. The Toro was not a good mower. On the HIGHEST setting, the Toro would choke/clog and not cut parts of my yard with 5-7 days of growth (I have a small suburban yard). WHat tore it for me was a few weeks ago, when I had to mow 2 weeks of growth (we had two straight weeks of rain here). It was horrible. I had to shuffle behind it at a literal few inches a second to cut the grass or else it would matt it down and stall. Typical time for me to mow my yard is 45 minutes, It took 2.5 hrs that day. Clumps of grass all over the place, awful. I cut it again 5 days later, again same results on the highest setting. I resisted buying Honda mowers, not because they weren't good, but I couldn't believe they were that much better. I bought my mother (I live far from her) one because she wanted to exercise and cut the yard with a mower instead of with the tractor. So I dropped $700 and bought her the best. She told me she couldn't believe how great of a mower it was, and stopped using the tractor. My brother bought one too. He's cheaper than I am, and he told me there was no comparison. (Some background, my brother and I mowed yards in the 80's for money, our family owned two Snapper mowers and a Craftsman mower; the Snappers were great but they were 70's era and would kill you if you wernt careful (no deadman's switch), the Craftsman was crappy but worked. We still have the Craftsman, its 30 yrs old). So I took the plunge and bought one. Night and day. The HRX (any model in this series will work) started out of the box with a turn of the key, and cut my 2-week old growth at its highest setting like it was butter. I had to slow only to a slow walk at the thickest portions, but just a tad, and it was all mulched and perfect. The cut was great, that dual blade tech is no joke. The HRX series mower is fantastic, and in retrospect I wish I had bought one 5 years ago. They are expensive, almost 2x as much as a "name" brand competitor. But in complete honesty, I think they are twice as good as the competition. The composite deck means it will never rust; I bet you will see these mowers around in 50-60 years still cutting.
usmelly Wow I'm surprised you had that poor of an experience with your Toro. I know the standard Recycler doesn't have as good of a cutting system as the Super Recycler does though, which I have. Even though they're the same company, they're quite different in design and there's a reason the Super Recycler is more expensive and is called "super," because it works better. Having said that, it can't hold a candle to the Honda. Now that I've been going through a full mowing season with the Honda, I've really been able to put it to the test and see what it can do and I am ASTOUNDED at it's capability. Like you, we've gotten our share of rain so the grass has been overgrown and the Honda has mulched it better than anything else out there. Normally I'll bag wet grass but I wanted to see how it would do. It did clump up in the heavier areas but not too bad and I kept the cutting height where I normally cut it which is lower. That twin blade Micro Cut system really does work. The GCV 190 engine is a little beast too, it doesn't even bog down! I've used Craftsman mowers before and found them to be pretty good but I always preferred the cut of Toros to them and the useability. I will never go back now after owning this mower. In fact, I haven't started my Toro in a year now so I should probably pull it out and let it run! Truthfully I should just sell it (along with the old Toro Recycler I have from 1991). I'm never going to use them so I might as well sell them to someone who will.
Just a note, you stated that "the mower has shaft drive and not belt drive" only on the commercial series do they have shaft drive anymore, if you roll her over on her side you can look up in past the blades and see the belt, there is nothing wrong with the belt drive on these as it has a fixed tension and is not used as a clutch which would wear it out faster.
@D35 Well, I had a Toro with a Suzuki engine and the blade clutch even used a belt, not just the three speed transaxle but the blade clutch had one too.
Most of them are hard to start when new. After a season, they take many pulls to start. After two seasons you have to remove the air filter and spray starter fluid to start them. After three seasons you can junk them, as they won't start.
+Fred Montelatici Are you serious? I have never heard ANYONE put down a Honda mower nor have I had any trouble with mine starting. I also have a Troy Bilt power washer with the same Honda GCV 190 engine as this mower and it never gives me trouble. You provide no proof to what you say.
@@mhtube01 I love to demonstrate how easily my HR214 starts after 30 years. I say it takes two fingers and a slow steady pull and then demonstrate it, and it then it starts. Some say I paid too much and the letters "H-O-N-D-A" are the reason. I like the longevity of these machines and the engineering put into the design. That's why I would buy Kubota over John Deere. That and price.
The Honda is just an all around better mower. Better performance and build quality. Not saying the Toro is bad, the Super Recyclers are very good mowers and do an excellent job mulching with a sharp blade. That said, the Honda twin blade system really makes a huge difference when you're dealing with thick or tall grass. The engine doesn't bog down and the cut quality is just excellent. If you bag clippings, you will LOVE having that since the clippings are smaller and they just seem to really pack the bag full.
I have both the Honda & Toro Super Recycler. Much prefer the Toro. The Personal Pace is soooo much better than the Honda drive unit. The Carb on the Honda requires much cleaning with the ethanol gas. Toro engine, not at all. I have to replace the cheap wheels on the Honda every other year. Toro, not at all. The twin blades on the Honda seem to mulch slightly better than the Toro. But now you have two blades to buy and maintain. Pain in the ass. Plus the Honda is three hundred more.
mhtube01 yes, it's well made and designed, AL deck, no rust, and it was made in the U.S. I think they still are. If you bought the cheap store brand with Briggs and Straton junk motors, in 28 years you would have to have bought so many junks to replace one well made Honda..and my 28 year old STILL starts on one pull! Actually cheaper to buy the good stuff over the years...
cengeb I completely agree with you about buying cheap store brand machines, they are never worth it. They always have the crapiest engines and they usually don't preform that well. Some people are just too cheap to see that spending the extra money on the more expensive machines will actually SAVE them money in the long wrong. There's a reason they're more expensive. I bought a Troy Bilt power washer a few years ago (which is an ok brand but definitely not top of the line) only because it had a Honda engine. In fact it's the same GVC 190 that my mower has. It starts first pull all the time as does the mower.
ONE PROBLEM WITH SOME MOWERS IS ITS HARD TO PULL IN REVERSE BECAUSE THE RUBBER DEFLECTOR WINDS UP GETTING FOLDED BACK UP UNDER THE MACHINE. DOES THIS HAPPEN WITH THE HONDA ? THANKS !
No it's not hard to pull back, it is a heavier mower though so without the self propel it might take a little more effort to maneuver in tight spaces than you're used to. This thing is awesome though, I love using it.
+mhtube01 THANKS. HEY ONE LAST QUESTION. I HEARD THE FRONT END FLOATS OFF THE GROUND A LITTLE ONCE THE BAG STARTS TO FILL UP. THIS IS DUE TO THE PLASTIC COMPOSITE DECK BEING SO LIGHT. YOUR THOUGHTS.
+TRICK-OR TREAT I can't say I've really experienced that actually. Maybe slightly going up a steep hill when the bag is full but just push down on the handle bar a bit and it will stay down.
+TRICK-OR TREAT I have a 10 year old HRR216VKA and you are right about the deflector causing problems on pulling it backwards. I upgraded this year to an HRX217-HZA and I can say that these do not have the issue like the 10 year old HRR does. It wouldn't surprise me if Honda fixed this problem on the new HRR's too but I cannot say for certain.
Love love love the HRX 217.. I have two, one for business, one for home. Never have had one problem with either and have had them 4-6 years with hundreds of hours
WilsonEatsASMR ;
I have one for my business too and I'm not satisified at all. Don't get me wrong, the quality is top notch and everything works and it starts on a first pull but here's my problem... The damn thing clogs if I want to cut anything that's a bit taller then a well weekly cut grass. It stalls, clogs and can't push the grass through that back shute into the bag. If I want to mulch then it's even worse. God forbid that a grass is damp. It automatically clogs. I have sharpened the blade, the engine is fairly new and powerful.. I don't know what else to do.. I see all these people satisfied with their Hondas and I'm cursing it every minute.. I'm close to ordering AS Motor professional mower from Germany and pay my ass off for the mower which is around 3000$ plus shipping. You should see what those beasts do.
My grandmother had a Honda push mower for what seems like 20 years. It was probably less, but she only had two push mowers my whole life that I can remember and I'm 45. A lawn boy that she ran forever, and then the Honda. That thing was a frikken CHAMPION! She had it serviced every season, but I don't remember it ever breaking down, failing, or causing trouble. I suspect it was top of the line at the time. She always bought quality and never lived to regret it. I share those values. I'm going for the top of the line, electric start, self propelled, wash the dishes, tuck the kids in at night model. Only the best for me.
Heinzkitz Velvet Wow nice, I'm not surprised it gave her no issues then! Anything can last a long time if properly taken care of but there really is something to be said about spending the extra money on a good quality product. They often last longer, have less issues, more power and features, and are just overall much nicer to use. This mower actually makes handmowing my parents' large yard enjoyable, a task I hated doing before.
mhtube01 I've had a $20 yard sale special for the past 3 seasons. This last season I could barely bring myself to mow the lawn it was SUCH a drudgery and chore. Left me completely exhausted. But this year, I'm biting the bullet and investing in the best so I can enjoy my lawn again. I have a Worx GT battery powered trimmer/edger. That thing is a joy to use. Makes wonderful clean, straight edges along my side walk. Plus, it's light weight and easy to handle. Doesn't stress my body at all. But the mower is the most important thing. Can't wait till spring to get started again. My grams used to have us mowing twice a week. I'd love to get back to that and be able to enjoy and take pride in it again.
Hands down the best mower. Even years later it start's first pull even on lazy pulls!
Col, not so sure about Briggs being just as reliable as a Honda motor.
Great review! I just ordered the HRX217VLA which is a couple levels down from yours. It does not have the 'roto stop' but has the electric start. I would not have even gone with the electric start model, and was going to get the lowest level HRX, but the price was the same for lowest model and the VLA. I believe because the end of the year is close, so it was a good time to buy. I did pay $599 - no tax, free shipping. Honda MSRP is $779 for the VLA
I am a Honda fanboy. I have had 5 Honda cars, all accords, still have two in my garage. My 2012 V6 Accord coupe was affordable (bought used) and pretty quick. I glad you love your mower, and I can't wait to cut my grass in 3 months...
+Austin Butler Hahaha I hear ya, I'm going to be winterizing my mower this weekend after Thanksgiving. I just pulled out the snowblower, started it up and changed the oil this past weekend! I uploaded a video of it if you want to check it out (it's not a Honda, it's a John Deere) but I can't believe it's already that time of year. You're the second person I've heard from who's gotten a steal on an electric start model! I'm sure you'll love the mower, I do love mine. Honda does make a good product and I really like their power equipment. My grandpa has a Honda trac drive snowblower and that thing is a BEAST!! It's a nicer model with an 8 hp engine and a 28" clearing path, plus his has the snow cab on it and I believe a headlight. It's so heavy, it takes two people to struggle to lift on it's side when changing the oil. It could CRUSH my John Deere snowblower if it had the chance.
I've had a self propelled Honda for 2 seasons, it's the Best mower I've owned.
I mulch with mine, and like others have said, my deck loads up with grass so bad it stalls the motor when a huge clump of grass decides to fall off. I'm not cutting crazy high grass either. Grass builds up to where it's rubbing against the blades and I clean the deck after each mowing, so it's not months of stuff building up under there. Other than that it's a great mower, but the grass build up is enough of a problem I'm considering switching to a different brand.
I bought my for around $450 new at Home Depot in 2008 and still running smooth ( added MotorKote to oil ) just ordered air filter cover which will crack after 3rd year.
Jose Sevilla I saw one for $408 and wanted to know if I could use regular motor oil in this mower
HI I HAD ONE -now i don,t took it back . it has problems .1 leaves long stalks of grass somtimes ? 2. tends to be BACK heavy (feel as if u have to lift up all the time.).. lifting the front when part/full ,this gives u an up and down cut.3.if on uneven ground u move to fast it BOUNCES ALL OVER THE PLACE making again an uneven cut.4. does not mulch damp even short grass.?LEAVES CLUMPS OF GRASS BEHIND sometimes having to go over 2 -3 times to pick up.5 very heavy- i like to pull back wards on the edge of the lawn -it will rip up !-6 no wash hose con. 6. grass does stick to the under body if damp.7 small rear wheels. 8 mulch door blocks up. 8. handle spring are to hard to keep depressed for long periods. Great mower for home use on flat ground, 3xs! weekly cut short and dry will mulch. bud who,s got the time .And this is very a very expensive mower.well there u go . mike.
If the ground is uneven wouldn't you expect the grass to be cut unevenly, that is, parallel to the ground beneath it.
You gentlemen that have shared information about this mower are helpful beyond description!! You helped me make a decision on which mower to buy. I bought this mower on Thursday. I LOVE IT!!! It is wonderful. My husband and I took it out of the box, and I bet it was only about 30 minutes and I was mowing the yard. My husband has severe COPD, and we are in our 70's, so I needed something that was easy on my body and particularly my hands (because of arthritis). This is the mower for me!!! I think I'll start mowing the neighbors yards. LOL! It is so much fun and operates with ease. I decided against the electric start because it was another $120 --- and I'm not sorry. No problem. It started on the first pull. Thanks SO much for your help!
+lynnajonesy Good choice! I've had one of them for almost 7 years and it still starts on first pull :) just remember to service it (oil, filter etc)
One thing you didn’t mention: one drop of gas on that lovely, dark gray mower deck will permanently stain it light gray. You WILL drip gas on it eventually, as the deck is directly below the gas cap. It was a terrible decision to use an easily stainable plastic for the deck.
I FINALLY got it. My beloved HRX217HZA. It cost BOTH tits. But I now own THEE finest, 21", residential, rotary mower available to the general public. And I spent two weeks just setting it up EXACTLY the way I wanted it.
Professional looking installation of a digital tach/hour meter to keep precise maintenance schedules.
Replaced the OEM dipstick and oil filler tube with a Gold Plug 3023, magnetic oil dipstick. Since it doesn't have an oil filtering system, a magnetic dipstick is the next best thing. ESPECIALLY for the break-in period.
Royal Purple break-in oil. I trust ONLY Royal Purple in ALL my engines. I'll switch to full synthetic RP once the break-in oil has been changed twice. Once at 5 hours, again at 10 hours.
I plast-dip'd the wheels. Graphite Pearl Metallizer colour to better match the colour of the Nexite deck. I HATED the colour of the wheel out of the box, so I watched a guy plasti-dip the wheels on his Time Master and realized I had found my solution. Plasti-dip is much more durable than paint on plastic is. And if I want to change the colour, it just peels right off by hand. It's awesome and looks FANTASTIC. Also, the Plasti-dip will prevent the wheels getting grass stained.
Installed a Honda HRX217 specific, Big League Lawns, Checkmate 20" striping kit. It does a PHENOMENAL job. Of ALL the push mower striping kits I've searched for, it is the highest quality, best built of them all.
Spray waxed the top and underside of the deck in an effort to make it as easy as possible to clean. I figure if the grass can't stick to it, it should clean up in a jiffy.
Filled it with fresh, non-ethanol gasoline. Took it outside Tuesday, April 17th and hit the starter. She fired up and did a beautiful job on my over grown weed farm I keep in the from yard. LOL. But that mower is the CADILLAC of mowers. I can't wait to use it again. Never been so enthusiastic to mow my lawn. Quality equipment DOES make a difference.
I had the HRR216 model for 3 years, with mostly satisfactory results. Blade hit a stump, bent the shaft and the deck housing. That mower had some poor design that gave me grief.: the drive belt clogging, trail of clippings on left side, fair mulching quality, speed adjustment with "thumb drive" was unfriendly. The HRX217 is much improved. The deck housing of HRX217 has better swirl design to keep the grass in the blades for fine mulching, does not building up on one side and leave a trail of clippings. More coverage of the belt drive to avoid clogging when heavy mowing or small twigs are encountered. Speed control is easiest to use of all brands. I never bag, so I cannot comment on that. Still skeptical about the synthetic deck material, time will tell. Note this mower is longer than the HRR216 and somewhat ungainly. Overall, very satisfied.
Top review mate. Hope the mower is still going strong :-)
Gav Jones Thanks, it better be it's not even a year old! Haha I expect it will last me for many years, it's a Honda. I never thought I'd enjoy using a walk behind mower after using a lawn tractor, but I love using this one!
I will be buying one tomorrow
Awesome vindo,
Awesome vídeo,
Bing: www.professionalfirefighterlawnservice.net/contacr
Great review.
I have only about .30 of an acre of ground. I’m so on the fence regarding this model or a riding John Deere. Since I purchased new house in July, I cut the rest of the year with a craftsman push mower. I liked dropping 10 pounds walking, but some days it was a chore pushing. Now we get to this self propelled Honda. Question I have is will the quality of the cut, the fact it’s self propelled, and the savings of almost $1500 be worth the extra time it will take to cut on this 21 in deck vs 48 in. deck
spomante IMO, do not waste your money on a riding mower because that's a small yard. If you must get one, get a small one with a 42 inch deck or so and save yourself some money. I will say the Honda makes it far less off a chore since the self propel works great and the cut quality is pretty much unsurpassed. I love this mower, it's so worth the money.
Odd nobody put air tires on push mowers. Only on large ones.
would lifting this onto a truck bed be a problem? thinking of using this mower to start my mowing business
I can't really speak for it since I'm not a truck owner, if you have a decent amount of strength I wouldn't think it would be an issue. Also it depends if you're talking about a heavy duty truck which has a higher ground clearance compared a lighter truck. This would definitely be a great mower to use for a business I can tell you that.
like a tacoma?
+John Nasr Oh a Tacoma should be even easier since it's a mid size truck.
Enjoyed watching your video but I do have to disagree with the grass clipping build up.
In fact I just spent the last hour cleaning it all out lol
Hollowalone1 It's weird you're one of several people who have said that! I honestly don't have that problem.....yet. I hope it doesn't happen. I sprayed it with a good coating of silicone spray before the first use like I do to all mowers and that seems to really help them. My 1991 Toro Recycler has a steel deck and that gets caked with clippings in now time, drives me crazy.
Is it just the plastic deck that builds up?
I want the Honda hrx 217hya
HR 214 and HR215 are the best mower ever made. Next time get a HRC with a GXV engine
Do you notice that if the bag is completely filled the front tires come up due to bag weight and the fact the deck is nexite vs the heavier metal deck?
That happens on any mower I've used including this one but that's usually the cue to empty the bag soon. I just push down a bit on the handle bar and it keeps the front end down.
Lol.... I guess all of my past lawn mowers have really been garbage then because I've never had a mower that filled the bag up past 60%--75% so they never got overly heavy on the backend. My current mower is a $300 Home Depot Lawn Boy and it friggin sucks at picking up grass. Constantly clogs the rear discharge area. If the grass has any kind of moisture on it I'm lucky to hit the 50% mark. This is what's prompting me to spend a bit more on a mower.
I asked a lot of landscapers before buying this mower and everyone recommended Honda. They all said they really pack the bags full, cut better, and are just much nicer to use in general. I can confirm that all of that is true, it mulches great but it actually packs the bag completely full when using it! It's worth every penny man, trust me! The blade clutch feature is awesome too if you like bagging clippings!
+mhtube01 .... Well, I hope it's good because I just bought one yesterday. It was $950 Canadian but I need to wait until my lawn is long enough again to use it. I could not find too many negative reviews about it either.
Nice congratulations on the purchase! Wow that's a lot up in Canada! You won't regret it though, if you take care of it, you'll have it for many years! These Honda engines are bullet proof.
Is over head cam better?
JaArRyi FleshBlood Not necessarily, it all depends on the manufacturer. Honda likes the OHC design on their small engines and it certain works for them because they're very smooth and powerful.
3 yrs later and you can buy them for 599 all day long....hope it is still working well for you. Anything negative to report?
The only thing that happened is the auto choke stopped working last year and on top of that it was cold outside so I couldn't get the mower started. I hate auto choke on any mower, it's always problematic at some point. My local shop fixed it easily though and it hasn't had any trouble since. It's a great mower to use.
partstree.com has all kinds of OEM Honda parts to keep it going for 28+ years!
I have a the Honda commercial mower the mower has the Honda gxv 190 Honda enigne
GXV160 on the hydrostatic drive unit, GSV160 (semi-commercial OHC engine) one in the US without drive, the PDA version which is zone start, release the handle, the engine stops. There's no such Honda overhead valve industrial engine as the GXV190.
700 dollars and my is brand new it is not 800
its not so much the mower its the blade 5 horse power is 5 horse power $300 mower can work same as 600 mower. Would been better if you bot larger wheels in the rear to most will last three years with out a oil change.
Alienagent I do agree that the blade is what really makes the cut (literally) but a $300 mower definitely will not work the same as this mower. I'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for in most cases. Granted you can get a good mower for a fair price, but I never understood the point of those bigger rear wheels. The design of the deck really does make a difference along with the blade. Toro proved that with their Super Recycler vs the Recycler that they've made for years. This Honda will last way longer than 3 years, heck it already has.
These retail for $729 at Home Depot or Lowes
cost of two mowers
It will last you 15-20 years if maintained properly.
Don't understand why you would need blade on and off or the high and low power switch. If the mower is on you should be cutting grass. I guess it's for people who don't like grass and wind from the blade blowing in their face when empting the bag. Yet it's a mulcher and 90% of the time you would expect to being mulching. Money wasted.
dvdfrnzwbr It's not money wasted, anyone with common sense would shut the mower off before emptying the bag. You need two hands to empty the bag so I don't know how you're going to leave a normal mower going, not to mention that's dangerous. The blade clutch is a convenience feature that eliminates having to restart the mower every time you need to empty the bag or move a branch or something out of the way. Or you can move the mower from place to place with the engine running but without having to have the blade running and end up mowing whatever's in your path. If you listen to what I said, this mower can do it all, it can half bag and mulch or anywhere in between. It's not just a "mulcher." Not everyone mulches you know, my yard gets way too thick for the first half of the season to mulch because we get a good amount of rain so mulching grass that's wet or damp results in clumping, so I bag it. All older mowers used to have throttle controls, you want to mow at full throttle but it's a good way to quiet the engine down for a second if you need to. I don't understand why you're saying this mower is a waste of money because it most certainly isn't. Why do you think so many people own them over cheap push mowers? Because they're much nicer to use. If you ever use one, you'll understand but until then, stop hating on my video and my purchase. Thanks.
mhtube01 I would tie a shoe string around the safety bar handle after starting the mower, that stuff is for sissys. Like I said money wasted.
You're obviously jealous that you don't have a nice mower to make mowing your lawn more enjoyable. I don't see any videos on your channel that indicate you're a lawn mower expert. So who are you to criticize and tell me I've wasted my money when I'm the one who owns the mower? Plus with 18,000 views on this video and numerous people telling me I've helped them with purchasing a new mower, your comments don't even matter to me. Stop being so immature and go troll on someone else's channel because I'm done responding.
mhtube01 You still wasted your money. All the words in the dictionary won't correct that.
+dvdfrnzwbr you are totally wrong on that one...
Theses are $1650.00 In New Zealand
I was trying to decide which of these models to buy this HRX217 or the HRU216. So, I went to have a look at them at my local lawnmower shop. I found a couple of HRU216 in the repair and service area and was surprised to see both HRU216 with rust holes on the deck, the guy at the shop told me that both lawnmower belongs to a contractor who's had them for years and he said that these mowers were only here for service and additional repairs. So guess which one I bought? The HRX217 of course lol it was the Nexite deck that did it for me and it was also $500 plus cheaper
Where is your grass. You don't need a mower. :)
LiveHardOne Lol I was wondering when I'd get a comment like yours. Last summer was very dry in Northeastern Pennsylvania so the grass growth slowed down earlier in the year and when it does, it thins out pretty quickly. It's weird it's very consistent like that year after year. We have very short summers up here and long winters. The lawn is much thicker in the Spring/early summer. The good news is the mower handles the tall, thick grass like a champ! I'll have to make a shorter video of it mowing.
These Honda mowers last forever, we have the top of the line one from 15 years ago and it still works perfectly!
In Australia the HRX217 is what they call a premium residential mower. I know quite a few of my fellow commercial operators use the HRX217 and are very happy with them. I run the HRU216M2 which is the top of the range but next replacement will be a HRX217.
You should get 10 or more years out of your machine if you service it regularly. I run hour meters on all my equipment. They cost A$8 on ebay (most likely $5 in the US) and are very simple to install. Makes it easier to schedule servicing.
Oh wow I just looked at your publishing date. lol
Cheers man.
Lawn Care Evolution. Yeah it's considered a premium residential mower in the US as well, I'm assuming Honda calls it that anywhere it's sold. I did have a problem with the auto choke this past fall to the point where the mower wouldn't start so I had to get that fixed. I hear that is a very common problem on any engine that uses it which is a reason I miss manual chokes. But other than that the engine is powerful and smooth and the mower works great. I'll probably sharpen the blades up in the spring and the oil will get changed. Basic maintenance goes a long way towards making something last.
Hey mate, I’m from aus too. I have a fairly substantial bush block with about an acre of grass to mow over varying grades of slopes, some flat, some 10-15 degree slopes. Tossing up between the hrx217 and the hru216m2. The thing I like about the 216m2 is the snorkel for air intake as some spots of my mowing area can kick up a fair bit of dust at times. Which would you recommend?
I have used Honda mowers for years. best push mowers I have ever used. Must correct you on one thing. The HRX217 is belt drive to the hydrostatic transmission. The HRC commercial mower is a shaft drive. But the HRX217 is a belt drive but I will say Mine was made the year before they went to the auto choke and I have never replaced the belt and mine is used daily in my landscaping business.
I just bought an HRX217HYA yesterday to replace my still working HRS216 I bought 15+ years ago. Gave it to my Bro-in-Law. Can't wait to use this thing but having to wait on the rain.
Shut up and review the machine we don’t care about eBay.and you have to clean under the deck all the time.the quadra cut system is a mulching system.if you run the single blade hi lift it bags a lot better.if you are trying to mulch thick high grass it doesn’t mulch good at all.I have two of them and with maintenance they have been running for almost 8 years with only simple things to maintain.never had a break down and my mowers work everyday .the auto choke system doesn’t fail.
It's a great mower. I have had mine since 2012 (6 years) and never had any problems with it. I used to cut grass during the summer in my college days so I have used a wide variety of commercial and high end mowers. The HRX has a great cut. I would put it's cut up against any mower on the market whether it's bagging, mulching, or discharging. I have the model one step down from yours so it has the smart drive instead of the select drive and I do not have the blade clutch. I never had any issues with the transmission or the auto-choke system. I am actually buying a new one this weekend. I will be buying this model with the blade clutch and will use my older one as a backup mower as well as using it to mow my elderly neighbors lawn for free. Between the two mowers, I do not plan on buying a new mower for at least another 10+ years.
Any updates to the mower? Today I just got the same exact model off craigslist for $40. Thing is mint.
That's a steal! I bought my own house in early 2020 and have been using it as my primary mower since. It's doing great!
1:36 - HOGWASH. Nothing compares? That is a lie. I just returned mine. The engine is super weak, stalls out. Plus THREE handles... super complicated operation. It doesn’t bag well compared to my toro. And it’s slow. It actually sucks compared to the toro i just replaced it with for almost half the cost.
Bob Marley I know the majority of people would disagree with you. It sounds like you didn't even take the time to learn the mower. It's not hard to use. If you wanted a simple mower, you should have gotten one. This thing bags better than any other mower I've used and has plenty of power. In fact, Honda is one of the most desired engines on a push mower. As for the speed, it goes plenty fast enough. You're not even supposed to now at too fast of a speed or your yard will look like crap.
I wish I disagreed with me too. I was really excited about getting a new Honda. I watched your video and then bought it new from Home Depot. When I got it, I put in fresh gas. My grass wasn't even long and it would bog down unless I tilted it up when restarting the blades. The little bit of grass left over is enough to choke it out. Toro also makes a RWD model with start/stop blade, a more powerful engine, you can mow faster, packs more grass in the bag. Plus the Honda's blades doesn't go as close to front of the mower, so when you push the power up against a fence (for instance) the Honda leaves a much larger swath of uncut grass. So more trimming with the Honda as well. The only thing that I thought was better about the Honda is that it is quite.
Much more powerful than gcv160 but abit more noise too
honda mowers are the best on the market i own a 2k6 hrc216. for reference please do not hit any rocks with this machine, they can crack or put holes in the plastic deck.
Buys a nice mower....buy whole yard is dead and looks like shit.
Hondas work great, but always keep a sharp blade (s) on it, it makes all the difference, dull blades don't cut, and bog down the engine if grass is tall enough, I always keep a spare blade set, they are cheap, on line amazon or other Parts suppliers..cuts great after all these years
+cengeb Good idea, I always keep my blades sharp.I have a lawn tractor I use for the main parts of the yard and that had dull blades on it early this season before I replaced them and wow did the clippings clump up like crazy in the thicker grass! They were mulching blades which aren't nearly as durable as the standard blades which also have a lot more airflow and are therefore better for bagging. I can get away with mulching clippings at the beginning and end of the season but once the grass starts really growing, it gets so thick I have to bag it. Gives a cleaner look to the yard anyway so I don't mind.
Now all you need is a good lawn to mow. LOL just kidding.
Haha a lot of people have joked about that on here. It was a very dry summer that year and this is what my parents' lawn usually looks like in July and August. This year has been different though and it looks a lot healthier thanks to more rain and cooler temps.
I bought the same mower minus the throttle control. I agree with the OP, that this is a great mower. Historically, I replace my mowers when the deck starts to rust. Then nexite deck prompted me to buy this machine.
Honda mowers are very nice love mine! Spend the money and take care of your machine should last you a very long time.
My thoughts are you have the worst grass I've ever seen, even worse than mine, which is the poorest in my neighborhood. You should have borrowed a neighbor's yard for this video.
This was in the middle of July during a very dry summer. It wasn't just my yard that looked like this.
How is your HRX217HYA doing 5 years later? I have a 10 year old HRC that is perfect except heavy and I thought about this model to leave at my mom's house.
Bought my HRX217 new in 2005 and still runs like a champ; starts on one pull every time! Just got it back from the shop (first time ever) to replace the cables and drive belt as it would no longer self propel. Now it’s like a new mower again. The hydrostatic drive and roto-stop blade system are phenomenal. Why people waste time and money with $200 shitbox mowers I’ll never understand.
bcing75 “Shitbox Mower”!!! 😹
😥I bought a $200 shitbox mower... It struggles on tall grass and is already showing signs of rust.... so that's awesome
This older model is better than the new ones I think.
What an awesome video! My old Mountfield purchased in 1998 has suddenly started misbehaving, revving high then low also a very smokey. I think the choke is stuck on but I've got no idea how to repair it. Always wanted a Honda Lawnmower and so I think now is the time to invest. I'd got my eye on a HRX series, but your video was so informative it helped me tremendously with my decision. I'm very grateful, thank you. Best regards.
A brilliant video review and quality. Many thanks.
josephine7782 Thanks for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
WoW!..If you have given that much I want at least 300.00 for mine..Come and get it anyone in wake forest N.C..
This one I have is a HRX217 Will sale pretty quick Im guessing.
When you set the “Awesom-O System” to mulch some clipping while you bag other clippings, how does it know which clippings are bagged and which are mulched back into the lawn? It’s great that you can mulch your clippings onto the lawn and bag the weeds and dandy lions seeds for the compost pile! Honda thought of everything!
The way the cover inside the deck is designed will just naturally keep some clippings inside the deck to be mulched while others will pass through the opening into the bag. How much you want bagged or mulched will depend on how open or closed the flap is, in other words wherever you have the adjustment handle set to. It's a very cool idea and works very well.
I just got one used love the honda mowers..
Nice review. My Honda lasted a very long time except for the deck.. You actually said it correctly limited lifetime warranty on the deck. If something damages the deck honda will not cover this. Honda told me the limited lifetime warranty only covered factory defects (cosmetic).
Shaft drive: nice. (I have an '84 HRA214SXA with shaft drive. But the drive shaft goes to a gearbox. Nevertheless, it's easy to push with the drive disengaged: unlike the belt drive models). Nice mower you've purchased, and at a very nice price. (I'm glad for you). (My '84's well worn).
How do the wheels hold up? I’m thinking of upgrading from my hrr216vka
Mine have help up really well. I moved 2 years ago and my backyard has a ton of roots that this mower has to run over and it's taken a beating from it. The front wheels are a little out of line now but I'm pretty sure it's the piece they ride on and not the wheels themselves. I'm going to buy some new parts for this mower this year so I can renew it a bit. Other than that, it's been a great mower.
@@mhtube01 the new ones are looking at $879. Im debating on buying the hrx217vka for $699 which has everything or the HRX217HYA like you have for $879 with the hydrostatic tranny and blade control. Decisions lol
I'm thinking of buying this mower. Question: If I need to pull it backwards, do the rear wheels disengage when you let go of the controls and go free-wheeling? Is it hard to pull backwards? Thank you.
Lynn Bram-Jones yes they disengage, and I don't think its hard to pull backwards. Awesome machine, you won't regret it. Brother in law just bought this, and its the cadillac of lawnmowers. I have a older hr215 model, still runs brand new. you'll never have to buy another as long as you maintain it.
Lynn Bram-Jones They do disengage when you let go of control lever. It's not hard to pull or push but it is a little heavier than your average mower so it takes a little more effort to push it up hills if you're not using the self propel. It's fine on flatter surfaces though. The self propel system is excellent, it has so many speeds that you can choose whatever is comfortable for you and adjust depending on mowing conditions. Or if you want you cant just push it freely. Great mower though, lots of power and the blade clutch is the best feature ever aside from that Versamow control. It's a MUST for bagging grass, makes it so much easier since you don't have to shut it off and restart it every time you dump the back.
honda is number 1 # i have 3 honda lawn mowers one that is old one Hra 215 and 2 hrr 216 now i am getting the honda Hrx 217 with the eletric start and recoil
Very nice review you definitely did your homework. I just purchased my first Honda Mower today 5/6/2019 for $ 699.00 at a local dealership, MSRP $ 829.00. I am looking forward to cut my 1/4 acre tomorrow. Model HRX217HYA..
JUST BOUGHT A BRAND NEW ONE TODAY AT HOME DEPOT HRX217K5HYAA I HAVE MY ON MOWING BUSINESS. THIS IS MY 3RD ONE CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THE HONDA. LIKE YOUR VIDEO MAN.
@mhtube01 i just saw one of those when i saw the new cub cadet lawn tractors from the xt1 to the xt3's. i do prefer either a 54inch or 48inch deck being that they get mowing done alot faster.
Don't need a eletric start
Why do u want a electric start I rather the pullcord, and the pull cord is much cheaper to repair
I dont want one, I was just saying they're available. I would never spend another $100 just for that, total rip off if you ask me. These motors take such little effort to pull over too.
@@mhtube01 I know they best in the market at the moment, nothing will beat honda
Quick question. I'm trying to move the clip director knob. It's currently in the mulch position. I tried to move it all the way left, but it seems locked. Is there a locking mechanism for that knob? I also looked through the manual. It's not my mower. It's my girlfriend's dad's, and I'm going to mow his lawn for him because of his bad back issues. Thanks.
After a while, grass clippings tend to clog up underneath the cover which makes it hard to move. I usually turn the mower on it's side and try to clean out what I can. Then just wiggle the cover back and forth and it will begin to free up and move again.
@@mhtube01 Hey, thanks for the reply. Just about twenty minutes ago, I turned it on the side and realized how clumped the clippings were. I used a screwdriver and chipped away most of the debris. Checked the knob and it's working good as new. Thanks!
@@ethanfink7962No problem! Glad you were able to get it cleaned out easily.
Does Honda sell good self-propelled mowers for around 3-400? Used maybe?
Great review!! I went out today to buy the same model here in Australia , cost me $1299 , on order !! Didn't want to spend that much but I suppose cutting my lawn should be more enjoyable
Turbofg6 are you sure it the HRX same as this mower because here in the US the HRX cost around $600 the CRX a commercial mower cost around $1000
yeah not cheap here in australia $1299 here unlike in the us we get ripped off all the time our dollar sucks
Great review on this model,one of the main reasons that I traded in my old HHR model that still ran pretty well after 5 seasons on one of these.The new one is in the box still,waiting for Spring!! Seems to be a significant upgrade,and a nice piece of equipment.Worth the investment to me.
I paid $75 new at a goodwill
Long story short being a pro customer at home depot with the right Pro service pays off.
That's awesome! You got a great product for sure
Subscribe and stay tuned for the video
Nice mower and good deal!
Thanks! I've wanted one of these for a long time now but they were too out of my price range at my local mowershop and Home Depot. Finally had some money saved up and couldn't pass this one up on Ebay. I never thought I'd say this but I actually ENJOY using a handmower now! It's weird.
I am posting video of my brand new honda for it first cut tonite.
My next door neighbor's 2004 Honda is 1 model lesser than this TH-cam Channel lawn mower. She doesn't have blade-stop. It's still a great lawn mower, that still run just like a brand new, during late 2015. Con: Honda RPM setting at 2800 RPM. I did upped it to 3200 RPM with adjustment. I'm a believer, with even better cutting job than a stock RPM setting. Never go over 36 RPM, it's not good for your engine. One problem with 3200 RPM, self repelled will do 5 MPH instead 4 MPH. If you use AMS-OIL small engine oil, you'll notice of more easily pull start do to more slippery oil than regular motor oil. You will ended up to get easy 20 years out of it.
+Stan McBeth (STANTHEMAN770) Thanks for the tips! I can imagine if I raised the RPMs that full speed on the self propel would mean jogging with the mower lol. Right now I don't really see the need to mess with it, I've never had an issue with it bogging or cutting poorly. I'm looking forward to getting years of reliable service out of this machine.
I'm getting a new honda hrr216vla in summer
I am enjoying my new HRX going on 3 weeks now. My Toro Super Recycler is in semi retirement after 15 years. Still runs great I might add, but wanted the Honda reading all the great reviews. Honest opinion: The Toro has user friendly features I much prefer over the HRX.
Backing this Honda up is a load compared to the Toro.
Grass sticks more to the Nextite than the Aluminum deck.
I see no mulching improvements on the Honda. They are the same.
The Personal Pace on the Toro is Light Years over the cumbersome HRX.
The 200 CC Honda engine is extremely powerful, a plus for Honda.
Bottom line. The Honda excels on cutting thick, long grass over the Toro.
Not a regular occurrence in my yard, just sometimes.
The Toro is much easier to use, just my opinion. For everyday use, I would endorse the Toro.
I have the Honda 216 and it is by far the best mower I ever used so if the 217 is better I don't know how I would react to it. Honda is smart to just keep building 21 inch mower instead of trying to build a 22 inch. you can cut more with a Honda 21 and get a better looking cut than any Toro out their including the Timemaster 30 inch. Also for the buy America folks Honda mowers are assembled in the USA with both America made and off shore parts. I am a big fan now that I got one I can not see my self buying anything but a Honda from now on.
+ogbobbye I agree I can't see myself buying any other mower either! This one has just set the bar so high and I'm looking forward using it for a long time before I have to even think about buying a new one. There's people I've talked to that have 30 year old Hondas that they still use weekly and they work like new. That's awesome, not sure if any mower can top that. I've always liked the 21 inch cut myself, I think it's a good sized deck. I don't like the 19 inch ones that Cub Cadet makes, that's too small. My Toro Super Recycler is a 21 inch cut but my old Recycler from 1991 is a 22 just like the new ones. I should really pull out the Super Recycler and make a start up video of it, I haven't started it in over a year now. The Recycler I started up back in the spring but the blade on it is bent so I can't mow with it. Of course due to my own laziness I didn't buy a new blade for it or sell either of the machines this season like I meant to so they're going to sit in my garage for another winter. I just get my lawn tractor and the Honda out and use them.
6y how the mower doing is still going strong
Yup it's doing great. It's my main mower at my new house and always fires right up each week.
That mower is the best that money can buy fantastic isnt the word
I have one without the electric start... Its a excellent mower!
Great video nice mower. Did that one come with the Self-propelled, hydrostatic Cruise Control transmission? Mine is coming today. I am replacing a 8 year old Honda HRX that was still working. I just wanted a new one..LOL Itthe HRX217HYA.
By the way your blades need sharpening. The Dermal has a attachment for that.
Sorry I got my answer at the end of your video.
I have the same mower and love mine but dude where is your grass. There are no clippings to stick to the underside.
Fed Guy It had only been used a few times prior to making this video so that's why it still looks about brand new. I keep my mowers clean though because they perform better with better airflow. That was also the time of year where the growth of the lawn slows down a lot. This will be my first full season with the mower.
Great review . I was looking for a new mover for a while and Home Depot just had a sale for $400 with electric starter.
Thanks for helping me with decision to buy Honda.
+Mike Mokrzycki Holy crap!! For an electric start HRX!?!?! You pretty much stole that mower!! I knew Home Depot sold Hondas but I didn't think they'd let one go for THAT cheap! Congrats on the new mower, glad I could help out!
Great video. This spring will be my second season with my new lawn service and last season I was using a Toro. I'll definitely be getting one of these asap.
Xavier Sepeda Nice, I like Toro mowers but I hear the engines on the new ones aren't that great. After using the Honda though, there really isn't another mower that compares to it, worth the higher price if you ask me.
I just bought one for 40 dollars yesterday
I purchased this mower just last week after watching your review. It's just as you describe. Awesome mower. Thanks.
LiveHardOne Wow cool! Glad I could help out! Be sure to change the oil after the first 5 hours or so of use once the engine's had a chance to break in. There will be tiny metal shavings in the oil that you don't want to leave in there for too long, perfectly normal for a break in though. I think it mentions that in the owners manual but I always remind people. Hope you get many years out of it!
I have had a number of Honda mowers and they're great. This one is the top-of-the-line, but the first one with problems with the self-propel function. It works fantastic--for about 10 minutes! After that, it becomes progressively less powerful until about 20 minutes into mowing, it becomes essentially a manual hand mower. I've had it in the shop twice, but its not fixed. Without the self propel, it is a heavy, piece of reliable crap.
I think the op may have some Toro Mowers he might be wanting to sell
Your comment is moronic.
I bought one of these/similar (HRX) yesterday for about $650. Like you, I had/have a Toro recycler, it cost me $350, I bought the Toro 5 years ago, but only used it for 2-3 seasons regularly, and paid a kid to mow my yard the rest of the time.
The Toro was the Consumer Reports best buy the year it came out. The Toro was not a good mower. On the HIGHEST setting, the Toro would choke/clog and not cut parts of my yard with 5-7 days of growth (I have a small suburban yard). WHat tore it for me was a few weeks ago, when I had to mow 2 weeks of growth (we had two straight weeks of rain here). It was horrible. I had to shuffle behind it at a literal few inches a second to cut the grass or else it would matt it down and stall. Typical time for me to mow my yard is 45 minutes, It took 2.5 hrs that day. Clumps of grass all over the place, awful. I cut it again 5 days later, again same results on the highest setting.
I resisted buying Honda mowers, not because they weren't good, but I couldn't believe they were that much better. I bought my mother (I live far from her) one because she wanted to exercise and cut the yard with a mower instead of with the tractor. So I dropped $700 and bought her the best. She told me she couldn't believe how great of a mower it was, and stopped using the tractor. My brother bought one too. He's cheaper than I am, and he told me there was no comparison. (Some background, my brother and I mowed yards in the 80's for money, our family owned two Snapper mowers and a Craftsman mower; the Snappers were great but they were 70's era and would kill you if you wernt careful (no deadman's switch), the Craftsman was crappy but worked. We still have the Craftsman, its 30 yrs old).
So I took the plunge and bought one. Night and day. The HRX (any model in this series will work) started out of the box with a turn of the key, and cut my 2-week old growth at its highest setting like it was butter. I had to slow only to a slow walk at the thickest portions, but just a tad, and it was all mulched and perfect. The cut was great, that dual blade tech is no joke.
The HRX series mower is fantastic, and in retrospect I wish I had bought one 5 years ago. They are expensive, almost 2x as much as a "name" brand competitor. But in complete honesty, I think they are twice as good as the competition. The composite deck means it will never rust; I bet you will see these mowers around in 50-60 years still cutting.
usmelly Wow I'm surprised you had that poor of an experience with your Toro. I know the standard Recycler doesn't have as good of a cutting system as the Super Recycler does though, which I have. Even though they're the same company, they're quite different in design and there's a reason the Super Recycler is more expensive and is called "super," because it works better. Having said that, it can't hold a candle to the Honda. Now that I've been going through a full mowing season with the Honda, I've really been able to put it to the test and see what it can do and I am ASTOUNDED at it's capability. Like you, we've gotten our share of rain so the grass has been overgrown and the Honda has mulched it better than anything else out there. Normally I'll bag wet grass but I wanted to see how it would do. It did clump up in the heavier areas but not too bad and I kept the cutting height where I normally cut it which is lower. That twin blade Micro Cut system really does work. The GCV 190 engine is a little beast too, it doesn't even bog down!
I've used Craftsman mowers before and found them to be pretty good but I always preferred the cut of Toros to them and the useability. I will never go back now after owning this mower. In fact, I haven't started my Toro in a year now so I should probably pull it out and let it run! Truthfully I should just sell it (along with the old Toro Recycler I have from 1991). I'm never going to use them so I might as well sell them to someone who will.
M z
I bought mine for $100 on Craigslist, used, saved $500+.
Must have been stolen or an older and far lesser model than the one reviewed.
Good review
Just a note, you stated that "the mower has shaft drive and not belt drive" only on the commercial series do they have shaft drive anymore, if you roll her over on her side you can look up in past the blades and see the belt, there is nothing wrong with the belt drive on these as it has a fixed tension and is not used as a clutch which would wear it out faster.
vfrkent my HR214 SX is shaft drive, and at the time 1986 DEC! it was NOT the commercial version which had bigger wheels and a much heavier deck...
@D35 Well, I had a Toro with a Suzuki engine and the blade clutch even used a belt, not just the three speed transaxle but the blade clutch had one too.
Most of them are hard to start when new. After a season, they take many pulls to start. After two seasons you have to remove the air filter and spray starter fluid to start them. After three seasons you can junk them, as they won't start.
+Fred Montelatici Are you serious? I have never heard ANYONE put down a Honda mower nor have I had any trouble with mine starting. I also have a Troy Bilt power washer with the same Honda GCV 190 engine as this mower and it never gives me trouble. You provide no proof to what you say.
@@mhtube01 I love to demonstrate how easily my HR214 starts after 30 years. I say it takes two fingers and a slow steady pull and then demonstrate it, and it then it starts. Some say I paid too much and the letters "H-O-N-D-A" are the reason. I like the longevity of these machines and the engineering put into the design. That's why I would buy Kubota over John Deere. That and price.
Sounds like an old gas issue gumming up the carb. I’ve has this mower 4 years. Store with tank employ and carb run dry in off season
Still running?
Yeah, this has been the best mower I've ever owned.
I got lucky today I got one brand new in a box $799 special order for $150.
What?! That's a steal!!! How on earth did you get it for so cheap?!
+mhtube01 IT WAS STOLEN !
+TRICK-OR TREAT lol, I don't doubt that at all.
What does the honda do better than your super recycler? I'm deciding between the two.
The Honda is just an all around better mower. Better performance and build quality. Not saying the Toro is bad, the Super Recyclers are very good mowers and do an excellent job mulching with a sharp blade. That said, the Honda twin blade system really makes a huge difference when you're dealing with thick or tall grass. The engine doesn't bog down and the cut quality is just excellent. If you bag clippings, you will LOVE having that since the clippings are smaller and they just seem to really pack the bag full.
I have both the Honda & Toro Super Recycler. Much prefer the Toro. The Personal Pace is soooo much better than the Honda drive unit. The Carb on the Honda requires much cleaning with the ethanol gas. Toro engine, not at all. I have to replace the cheap wheels
on the Honda every other year. Toro, not at all. The twin blades on the Honda seem to mulch slightly better than the Toro. But now you have two blades to buy and maintain.
Pain in the ass. Plus the Honda is three hundred more.
my HR214 SX is 28 years old, cuts perfectly replace a few parts and it goes and goes
cengeb Wow that's awesome! I can't say I'm THAT surprised though, it's a Honda! I love this mower, I can tell it's built to LAST!
mhtube01 yes, it's well made and designed, AL deck, no rust, and it was made in the U.S. I think they still are. If you bought the cheap store brand with Briggs and Straton junk motors, in 28 years you would have to have bought so many junks to replace one well made Honda..and my 28 year old STILL starts on one pull! Actually cheaper to buy the good stuff over the years...
cengeb I completely agree with you about buying cheap store brand machines, they are never worth it. They always have the crapiest engines and they usually don't preform that well. Some people are just too cheap to see that spending the extra money on the more expensive machines will actually SAVE them money in the long wrong. There's a reason they're more expensive. I bought a Troy Bilt power washer a few years ago (which is an ok brand but definitely not top of the line) only because it had a Honda engine. In fact it's the same GVC 190 that my mower has. It starts first pull all the time as does the mower.
ONE PROBLEM WITH SOME MOWERS IS ITS HARD TO PULL IN REVERSE BECAUSE THE RUBBER DEFLECTOR WINDS UP GETTING FOLDED BACK UP UNDER THE MACHINE. DOES THIS HAPPEN WITH THE HONDA ? THANKS !
No it's not hard to pull back, it is a heavier mower though so without the self propel it might take a little more effort to maneuver in tight spaces than you're used to. This thing is awesome though, I love using it.
+mhtube01 THANKS. HEY ONE LAST QUESTION. I HEARD THE FRONT END FLOATS OFF THE GROUND A LITTLE ONCE THE BAG STARTS TO FILL UP. THIS IS DUE TO THE PLASTIC COMPOSITE DECK BEING SO LIGHT. YOUR THOUGHTS.
+TRICK-OR TREAT I can't say I've really experienced that actually. Maybe slightly going up a steep hill when the bag is full but just push down on the handle bar a bit and it will stay down.
+TRICK-OR TREAT I have a 10 year old HRR216VKA and you are right about the deflector causing problems on pulling it backwards. I upgraded this year to an HRX217-HZA and I can say that these do not have the issue like the 10 year old HRR does. It wouldn't surprise me if Honda fixed this problem on the new HRR's too but I cannot say for certain.
great mower, i own two