Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum here. I've been researching both of these machines for a few months now, and can't seem to decide which one to buy. I just built a new house that has a much larger yard than my old one, and I want to upgrade to a self propelled unit. I had an old Honda mower that was at least 26 years old, and that thing was bullet proof! Even after all those years, it started first or second pull, every year. I'm no mechanic, but apparently, one of the internal bits finally wore out, and it would have cost more than the mower was worth the fix, so we finally retired her (she had a good long life *sniffle*sniffle*). My wife and I decided we wanted another Honda, but we couldn't afford to buy a genuine Honda at the time, so we went for a Craftsman with a Honda motor. Good compromise yes? Yaaa NO! What a P.O.S compared to the REAL Honda we had. It looks good, but it takes at least 4 pulls to start, doesn't cut worth a s#!t and eats fuel like crazy. I have to fill the tank up every use, where the last real Honda would cut the old lawn easily 4 times before needing re fueling. Anyhow, I've had enough of it....time for a change. I now realize (foolishly) that I should have just paid the extra to get something good the first time, cause now I'm $400 bucks down already! Now that I can afford a good mower, I want the best, and I don't mind paying for it. So, to make a long story longer (?), I'm choosing between the Honda hrx2173hyc and the Toro Timemaster 30. Both have features I really like. Obviously the 30" cutting swath of the Toro is awesome (anyone who hasn't yet seen one of these badboys in person is in for a pleasant surprise). But I'm still drawn to the Honda as long as it is as reliable and quality built like my old one. I like the Nextite deck on the Honda which won't rust out vs. the steel deck of the Toro (which has an aluminum frame). Both are self propelled, but I think I prefer the Toro set up better. The hose clean out feature is a great idea too if it really works.
As you can see, I'm on the fence bigtime......If anyone has any experience with either of these units, I'd love to hear your take on things. I have 2 local small equipment dealers here in town that have both mowers in stock, I just need to choose! Thanks everyone :smile:
As you can see, I'm on the fence bigtime......If anyone has any experience with either of these units, I'd love to hear your take on things. I have 2 local small equipment dealers here in town that have both mowers in stock, I just need to choose! Thanks everyone :smile:
