Honda 1 pull start test TV commerciqal

Ronno6

Ronno6

Lawn Addict
This is a bit of a search for trivia knowledge.
Back in the 80's or 90's, Honda ran a TV commercial in which they showed that each of
their mowers had to pass a 1 pull start test administered by a woman.
Any mower that did not start on 1 pull was sent back to the floor.

Does anyone remember these commercials, and, more specifically, the name of the lady tester?
 
we got the same commercial down here.
the trick is the 10w 30 or 5 w 30 oil used.
Low viscosity oil provides less drag so they start easier.

Two of our local makers took up the challenge doing exhibitions & store displays, showing that their mowers were just as easy to start but there is no substitute for the power of television.
 
According to the old-timers at American Honda, it was the "Clara Test."

I had thought her name was Clara, but I could only think of Clara Barton...........
 
Ronno6 said:
This is a bit of a search for trivia knowledge.
Back in the 80's or 90's, Honda ran a TV commercial in which they showed that each of
their mowers had to pass a 1 pull start test administered by a woman.
Any mower that did not start on 1 pull was sent back to the floor.

Does anyone remember these commercials, and, more specifically, the name of the lady tester?
Click to expand...

Clara Johnson.

One of our more successful efforts, I must say, if nothing else for how memorable it has been.
 
robert@honda said:
Clara Johnson.

One of our more successful efforts, I must say, if nothing else for how memorable it has been.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Good to know that I am not going loco.
Doesn't seem like too many people remember her..............
I see absolutely nothing on the web about that test, but I think of it and her every time I pull the rope on my Honda powered mower....
That is kind of a random memory,but I can still remember radio commercial jingles from Orlando from the 60's.......
 
Before my dad bought a 214 or whatever in the 1980s, he had a Craftsman that would start on the first pull. Just about any mower in decent condition would, of course.

I remember "Clara." That TV spot (or spots, I don't know how many commercials were made) stood out because lawnmowers rarely got expensive TV ad time (still don't), and because hard-start conditions remain likely the #1 reason owners give up and buy a new machine.

You'd think that in the age of the smartphone, that inexpensive/reliable EFI would make it to small gas engines. Not so much, and as a result, lawnmowers as a "simple appliance" remain elusive.

It's not that EFI is without issues, but having to clean them out or adjust them simply isn't part of modern-car ownership worries. We can argue about the seasonality of mower use contributing to the problems of stale gas/Ethanol, but that merely begs the question of why not make mowers more resistant to those effects.

Footnote:
Been researching parts on a couple Deere tractors I picked up. Little carburetors (for 1-CYL Kawasaki's ...) can easily cost more than a used 4-bbl for an old car. "Cheap" is always relative :)
 
deckeda said:
Before my dad bought a 214 or whatever in the 1980s, he had a Craftsman that would start on the first pull. Just about any mower in decent condition would, of course.

I remember "Clara." That TV spot (or spots, I don't know how many commercials were made) stood out because lawnmowers rarely got expensive TV ad time (still don't), and because hard-start conditions remain likely the #1 reason owners give up and buy a new machine.

You'd think that in the age of the smartphone, that inexpensive/reliable EFI would make it to small gas engines. Not so much, and as a result, lawnmowers as a "simple appliance" remain elusive.

It's not that EFI is without issues, but having to clean them out or adjust them simply isn't part of modern-car ownership worries. We can argue about the seasonality of mower use contributing to the problems of stale gas/Ethanol, but that merely begs the question of why not make mowers more resistant to those effects.

Footnote:
Been researching parts on a couple Deere tractors I picked up. Little carburetors (for 1-CYL Kawasaki's ...) can easily cost more than a used 4-bbl for an old car. "Cheap" is always relative :)
Click to expand...

Honda stopped making large mower engines because Americans were too cheap to buy them
Eventually EFI's will be on all engines because we are just about at the emissions limit for a carburettor engine.
Cheap EFI will add around $ 300 to the price of a big mower and $ 200 to the price of a push mower, and every mower will need a battery to power the EFI
Thus you have just added 2 to 5 lbs to push mowers which have doubled in weight from the 50's.
EFI does not like occasional use so they will perpetually be corroding .
The idea is to keep things simple, not make them more complicated for no net benefit to the end user.
If you don't maintian an EFI engine it will cause you just as much grief as a carb engine, if not more.
When I can take a 50 year old engine, put $ 50 worth of parts into it and have it start before the rope hits the stop on the first pull, I find it hard to understand the need to make things more difficult or expensive.

And if you think EFI's are cheap, walk into a parts store and ask the price of an Oxygen sensor, or an air flow sensor, let alone a control module.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top