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I grew up using my dad's Honda HRC215 with BBC (rotostop) ever since I was a child, and that thing is now about 20 years old and is still in use by my dad and runs like a champ after being abused and sitting outdoors all these years. I'm looking to purchase 2 new mowers (one for myself and one for my brother) with performance and longevity being a priority for me.

I originally was looking for a new HRC216, but it turns out that they're no longer available (not CARB compliant) here in California; at least not brand new. Thus, this leaves me with the HRX217HYA (priced at $999). Reviews regarding this mower has been a mixed bag as some seem to love it and others are dealing with a faulty camshaft decompression issue. With longevity being a concern, the GCV200 engine although stronger, is not built as durable as the GXV160.

What are my other options for a durable machine? Toro Commercial 21" 22296 (Honda GXV160) and 22298 (Kawasaki FJ180V KAI) are priced at $2,080 and $2,070, respectively. I believe these will outlast the HRX217 in durability, but damn this is quite pricey for a "buy once, cry once" type deal. I would willingly pay $1500 for a brand new HRC216 if I could get my hands on one.

just looking at Consumer Reports ratings, and availability in local big box stores here in CA. Maybe the HRN216VKA might be worth looking at. I personally have a 18 year old Toro personal pace with Briggs engine I just went thru and still love it, but the Toro mowers did not rate quite as high as the Honda ones. I will say that Toro parts are easy to come by if anything fails. I am mechanically minded so small repairs once every couple hundred hours do not bother me. Other than an occasional oil change, belt, blade sharpening etc., my Toro has been flawless. Rear wheel drive is easier for many to push because people have a tendency to push down and on a FWD that lifts the front wheels so the wheel drive doesn't work. I watched my late father struggle with a FWD mower and had to retrain him to push up not down when mowing.

sgkent said:

just looking at Consumer Reports ratings, and availability in local big box stores here in CA. Maybe the HRN216VKA might be worth looking at. I personally have a 18 year old Toro personal pace with Briggs engine I just went thru and still love it, but the Toro mowers did not rate quite as high as the Honda ones. I will say that Toro parts are easy to come by if anything fails. I am mechanically minded so small repairs once every couple hundred hours do not bother me. Other than an occasional oil change, belt, blade sharpening etc., my Toro has been flawless. Rear wheel drive is easier for many to push because people have a tendency to push down and on a FWD that lifts the front wheels so the wheel drive doesn't work. I watched my late father struggle with a FWD mower and had to retrain him to push up not down when mowing.

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Appreciate the input! Yea the HRN216 is definitely the cheaper option, but it runs the GCV160 engine, which is also in the same class as the HRX217 with a GCV200, albeit smaller, I think they may share the same possible issues.

I hear great things about the Toro Personal Pace such as the one you have yourself. From what others are saying, it seems though that the current Toro residential offerings often aren't as good as what they used to be due to many manufacturers moving towards "value" parts to drive down price while still making a margin.

I purchased an HRX217 last August. I love everything about how the mower operates, but did experience the camshaft issue. My understanding is that Honda had an issue with one of their suppliers. They released a TSB that dealers have access to, as well as a redesigned part. They were also working on pulling faulty units off the shelves. According to what I have heard from them, in theory you shouldn’t be at risk of buying a unit with a faulty

It was definitely not an issue that I ever expected to have on a piece of equipment at this price point, let alone Honda. With that said, Honda and my local dealer stepped up and made the situation right. I got the upgraded part installed a few weeks ago and have now mowed 4 or 5 times without any issues.

I think this is probably attributed to the supply chain issues that EVERYONE experienced during COVID. I don’t fault Honda, especially because they fixed the problem.

I would still recommend taking the plunge on the HRX. It’s a fantastic machine. I would also recommend purchasing at a dealer rather than a big box store, so that if you do run into any issues, you have their support.

I also recently purchased an HRN216 with roto stop for my dad for father’s day. I haven’t used it yet, but just on the outside there are some things I really like. The mulch/bag lever selector slides much more smoothly. I also like that there are 2 wheel heigh adjustments, one for the front and one for the back. The jury is still out on whether it has enough power for him.

As far as horsepower and torque go the gcv190 (old model) has 5.1HP and 8.3 ft-lbs torque. The GCV170 (new Model) has 4.8HP and 8.2 ft-lbs torque. I would say the GCV 170 is comparable to the "larger" GCV190 as the torque rating is what you want to look at to keep it from bogging down in tall grass. They also switched back to a pushrod OHV in the newer engines ditching the OHC belt drive