which lawn mower to buy?

[lawnmowingdude]

Hey guys,

I'm a new member here. Can you guys recommend me which mower to buy. I really don't know much about lawn mower. My last one was a honda harmony. I forgot the exact number. it cost around $500 including tax when I got it. I bought it around 2003 when I bought my house. I have about 1/2 acre. It has took a lot of beating. It is still running, but the deck is rusting and one of the wires came off. It lasted about 13 years, pretty good I say. My family has always use Honda. I'm having a hard decision on which one to pick the HRX217HYA or HRX217K5VKA. Should I stick with Honda or try husqvarna or toro?

If you have $500 budget, I would recommend Green Works 25302 Twin Force G-MAX, Black & Decker CM1936ZA and WORX WG782 14-Inch 24-Volt Cordless Lawn Mower with Intelli-Cut. All these mowers are cordless electric mower and really good for small to mid sized lawn.

Information Source:Best Cordless Lawn Mower Reviews of 2016

 

[Ric]

The Honda powered Toro is cheaper, but there's a reason for that. It's a LOT less mower than the Honda, mostly because we are comparing a $650 Toro to an $830 Honda. (Prices are MSRP.) To be fair to the Toro, let's compare it to a $579 Honda. The Honda still wins, even though it's $70 cheaper. The Honda has BBC and Clip Director, both of which the Toro does not. And on top of that, the Honda has a superior drive system.

Which mower is a better deal?



If you want a review from a satisfied owner of 3 Hondas to match the negative one posted earlier, read this thread: http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/showthread.php/16238-Review-of-my-Honda-HRX217HYA

I think Rivets already corrected you about your statements on what mowers have what and he is correct. As far as Honda having a superior drive system, that you will never prove to me because I've owned three Hondas and every one I've had and used the drive system stop working soon after I purchased them. The drives just locked up and I was unable to move the mowers and after three years with the Toro Turf-Master I never had an issue with there drive system.
As far as the review your talking about, you have to remember your talking about LMF and yes he is a fanatic on Honda but what has he had to compare to, what other brands has he used besides Honda, I really don't know?
I would suggest if your looking into a Honda and want to know what your getting to go to the Honda Forum here and see all the problems people are having. There are eleven pages of threads there and they can form there own opinion.
I don't disagree with the Honda engine and there higher end mowers being a reasonable mower, that was the reason I suggested buying the Toro with the Honda engine. I do however believe there are better mowers out there than a Honda.

 

[retfr8flyr]

If you are interested in electric, check out the new EGO cordless mower. The new version is self propelled and is quite nice.

 

[primerbulb120]

Primer, before your make statements about Toro mowers, please get your facts straight. Toro model 20383 and 20373 are the BBC models which have been around longer than Honda's. Model 20372, 20373 and 20374 all have a type of chip director system. So don't say Toro's don't have them. On top of that the drive systems on both mowers are good, only the owners say theirs is better. I can tell you from experience the the Toro system is much easier to work on. I believe Toro is better, you believe in Honda, just don't make statements which are not true, because this will make the rest of your comments unreliable and questionable. Oh by the way, Toro model 20382 has a Honda engine, which is the same as the one on many of the higher end Honda mowers. Let the OP make his choice based on facts, not on others individual likes. That's why I just suggested that he take a close look at Toro, which makes a quality unit at a far less price tag, plus in some cases better warranty.

I know Toro makes models with BBC that are cheaper than the Honda, but none of them have Honda engines. I was comparing the Honda powered Toros to the Honda. The Loncin powered Toros were not part of my comparison.

The Toro system may be easier to work on, but it can't pull you up a hill. When I have a RWD self propelled mower, I don't want to push on it to make it go up a hill. I expect it to pull me up a hill instead. I have owned several RWD mowers that were capable of doing this, including an older Husqvarna, an older Toro (before Personal Pace) a newer Craftsman and most notably my 1970s Snappers.

It's not just Personal Pace that I don't like. John Deere's MowMentum system and Troy-Bilt's InStep system are knockoffs of Personal Pace and none of them meet my expectations as far as performance is concerned. Not to mention that the belts wear out if you try to use the drive system at anything less than full speed.

Call me picky, but I expect a self propelled mower to be self propelled, not self propelled with help from the operator.

 

[primerbulb120]

I think Rivets already corrected you about your statements on what mowers have what and he is correct. As far as Honda having a superior drive system, that you will never prove to me because I've owned three Hondas and every one I've had and used the drive system stop working soon after I purchased them. The drives just locked up and I was unable to move the mowers and after three years with the Toro Turf-Master I never had an issue with there drive system.
As far as the review your talking about, you have to remember your talking about LMF and yes he is a fanatic on Honda but what has he had to compare to, what other brands has he used besides Honda, I really don't know?
I would suggest if your looking into a Honda and want to know what your getting to go to the Honda Forum here and see all the problems people are having. There are eleven pages of threads there and they can form there own opinion.
I don't disagree with the Honda engine and there higher end mowers being a reasonable mower, that was the reason I suggested buying the Toro with the Honda engine. I do however believe there are better mowers out there than a Honda.

LMF hasn't had drive problems like you are talking about. If the Honda mowers have unreliable drive systems, why do they get such glowing reviews?

I know the Honda forum has pages of problems, but so does the Toro forum. After all, this is primarily a place where people come to get help with their problems! :laughing:

I think Honda mowers are about the best on the market today. However, there are quite a few older mowers that are better than today's Hondas.

 

[Rivets]

I guess my mind reading skills need to get an update, along with my reading skills. From your post primer, I was supposed to know exactly which models you were talking about and comparing. Sorry my age is catching up to me, as I missed that. In my first post all I did was tell the OP to take a close look at Toro, so he can make the best decision possible. Never said it was better or worse than the Honda. Honda guys and gals are going to try to push people toward Honda and the same holds true with Toro people, I get that. Until you started blasting Toro, the OP was being given valuable and helpful info, which who allow him to make an informed decision on his own. We can argue all day which mower is better, but that wouldn't help the OP, as that has been done here before. If you want to have a discussion on who makes the best mower, start a thread in site discussion, you'll get plenty of info, which unless it is Honda you'll tell everyone they are wrong. To the OP, Good Luck in your search, as I think if you skip all the crap posted, there is enough info here to help you make an inform choice.

 

[Yanni6]

I just agonized over the decision. I started out with a Honda in mind but did some research and looked extensively at both the Toro Super Recycler and the Honda HRX series. Both are great mowers. But after handling both, the Toro won me over, specifically the 20382 which is the Toro Super Recycler with the Honda engine. After already using it a few times I remain convinced I made the right decision. The Personal Pace is really easy to use and I find it works really well, different than self propel with dedicated speeds but easy nonetheless. It's light and easy to maneuver. Testing in the showroom, the Toro rolls much better and is much easier to pull back and just feels less cumbersome. Even in the showroom, all the Honda's, regardless of how speed is controlled, had a heavier drag pulling backwards. Also look underneath the deck of the HRX series. The blade comes nowhere close to the actual edge of the mower due to structural reinforcements that appear to be designed to keep the deck from hitting the blade should you bump up against something. The Toro blade is just a few millimeters from the aluminum deck. You can probably get by without trimming every time with the Toro if need be, less likely with the Honda which will force you to leave a strip of grass no matter how close you mow to the edge of something. You most likely will get better overall vacuum from the Toro since the blade sits right next to the deck edge, creating more suction. The Toro also comes with other cutting features to improve mulching and having tested both find it does an excellent job on either. Honda has the double blade, while Toro has the kickers and clipping accelerator. Honda engine and Toro features equals win win in my book. Something else for you to to think about. Mine does not have the BBC but the Honda engine pulls really easy and unless I have engine problems I don't see missing it. No other mower I've had has it. Mine retailed for $650 and it's been on sale for $550 which is $50 less than the least expensive HRX also now on sale for $599. You can't go wrong but you should check out the Toro Super Recycler series also. I know it only has the Honda 160 but it seems more than powerful enough for thick grass and my sloping back yard.

The Toro Smartstow feature is a lifesaver, especially if you are low on garage space. Also, there is a hose attachment that allows for easy cleaning.

 

[katy]

Hey guys,

I'm a new member here. Can you guys recommend me which mower to buy. I really don't know much about lawn mower. My last one was a honda harmony. I forgot the exact number. it cost around $500 including tax when I got it. I bought it around 2003 when I bought my house. I have about 1/2 acre. It has took a lot of beating. It is still running, but the deck is rusting and one of the wires came off. It lasted about 13 years, pretty good I say. My family has always use Honda. I'm having a hard decision on which one to pick the HRX217HYA or HRX217K5VKA. Should I stick with Honda or try husqvarna or toro?

Hi, id advise you to check this link http://jonsguide.org/best-4-cycle-weed-eater/ , honestly im not very informed about lawn mowers, but this site helped me to choose a good one when buying a garden staff for my granny, moreover the prices are reasonable.

 

[BlazNT]

Hi, id advise you to check this link http://jonsguide.org/best-4-cycle-weed-eater/ , honestly im not very informed about lawn mowers, but this site helped me to choose a good one when buying a garden staff for my granny, moreover the prices are reasonable.

katy they are not a good place to get info on buying anything. Completely unprofessional and don't compare apples to apples. They even leave out better equipment. That site is a total joke and should quit taking advertising money from the brands they are rating. You can tell it is nothing but a advertisement for the product that is paying them money.
So in closing quit spamming this forum with that junk site.