Just took delivery of my new Honda HRX217HZC up here in Calgary. Happy, Happy, Happy!
So far I love it. As I mentioned in another forum, I have an (almost) 30 year old Craftsman mower w/ Briggs L-head that I have an unnatural connection to because I know every part, spec and tolerance for, and just recently rebuilt. It was a gift from my parents when I bought my first house. They only knew about Sears, and...in all honesty, could not afford anything else. Sadly, my wife has never been able to start it. So, after the rebuild she started making comments about still being unable to start it, how we are retired now, getting older, and that she wanted to mow the grass herself when I am not around (die, get hit by a beer truck, zombie apocalypse, etc.).
I saw the direction this was going. First she wanted to try a manual reel mower that didn't require starting. Fail. These are great for very small lawns and they do in fact give the best cuts...but for us, with bark chips and sticks that clog, a dog that tries to attack the whirling blades and must be outside when we are, grass that sometimes gets neglected for 3 weeks (:ashamed:) and gets 5" high, hills, etc.,...this was not an option. We did try a 14 inch Scotts model, but yeah, ... thank goodness to Home Depot for returns. Next she wanted electric start.
For the record we have a small yard, with a moderate amount of hills, turns and curves. However, as I am the first person in my area to retire, I find myself doing volunteer snow removal (with Honda equipment) and now lawn care. One single parent I assist has a much larger lawn with straight cutting paths. In all honesty it's taxing me.
So I said if I was going to hang my head in shame and buy an electric start it had to be a Honda. I'll reserve detailed comments until I get to know the machine better and can compare my experience to others here that know it much better than me. But my initial comments are:
On a somewhat unrelated note, I know this HRX217HZC (I think the C is for "Canuck") mower design has been around for a while. However, for whatever reason, I struggled to find one in Calgary. Honda Canada said no more would be available until Spring 2018! Huh?? What??? Seriously?? Apparently with the economy, low oil prices here, etc., dealers were so cautious coming out of 2016 that they under-ordered. Eventually, I found one in Red Deer, Alberta at Truple Bros. (great service BTW), so I drove there to pick it up.
OK, sorry for the initial rambling review. The only thing I see so far I dislike is the key switch for starting that feels poorly made. Also, a second key would be nice.
But I am pretty happy overall and look forward to trying it on thicker grass and longer runs. Cheers.
- Peter
So far I love it. As I mentioned in another forum, I have an (almost) 30 year old Craftsman mower w/ Briggs L-head that I have an unnatural connection to because I know every part, spec and tolerance for, and just recently rebuilt. It was a gift from my parents when I bought my first house. They only knew about Sears, and...in all honesty, could not afford anything else. Sadly, my wife has never been able to start it. So, after the rebuild she started making comments about still being unable to start it, how we are retired now, getting older, and that she wanted to mow the grass herself when I am not around (die, get hit by a beer truck, zombie apocalypse, etc.).
I saw the direction this was going. First she wanted to try a manual reel mower that didn't require starting. Fail. These are great for very small lawns and they do in fact give the best cuts...but for us, with bark chips and sticks that clog, a dog that tries to attack the whirling blades and must be outside when we are, grass that sometimes gets neglected for 3 weeks (:ashamed:) and gets 5" high, hills, etc.,...this was not an option. We did try a 14 inch Scotts model, but yeah, ... thank goodness to Home Depot for returns. Next she wanted electric start.
For the record we have a small yard, with a moderate amount of hills, turns and curves. However, as I am the first person in my area to retire, I find myself doing volunteer snow removal (with Honda equipment) and now lawn care. One single parent I assist has a much larger lawn with straight cutting paths. In all honesty it's taxing me.
So I said if I was going to hang my head in shame and buy an electric start it had to be a Honda. I'll reserve detailed comments until I get to know the machine better and can compare my experience to others here that know it much better than me. But my initial comments are:
- More power than expected; even in 5" wet grass with a full swath cut it did not stall and is a beast
- For such a large machine it pivots surprisingly well
- Amazed at the small size of the clippings -- my old Craftsman with a 21" deck mulched terribly...leaving 1"+ clippings on the lawn; this Honda HRX217HZC mulches to near dust! The largest clipping under the deck I found was 1/2". Most were <1/4", and a lot was just green "happy" dust. Wow. I had to laugh as the salesman described how the twin blade system worked. I understand the technology fine...but it just sounded so much like a razor blade ad I expected him to say, "the next more expensive model has 3 blades AND a lubricating strip!" But now I get it.
- I've seen some comments on the stupidity of Honda of having an unnecessary clutch for the blades AND the drive. But having seen the look on my wife's face when she figured out she could propel the machine across pathways to get to grass and not throw gravel from the blade, I totally get this too.
On a somewhat unrelated note, I know this HRX217HZC (I think the C is for "Canuck") mower design has been around for a while. However, for whatever reason, I struggled to find one in Calgary. Honda Canada said no more would be available until Spring 2018! Huh?? What??? Seriously?? Apparently with the economy, low oil prices here, etc., dealers were so cautious coming out of 2016 that they under-ordered. Eventually, I found one in Red Deer, Alberta at Truple Bros. (great service BTW), so I drove there to pick it up.
OK, sorry for the initial rambling review. The only thing I see so far I dislike is the key switch for starting that feels poorly made. Also, a second key would be nice.
But I am pretty happy overall and look forward to trying it on thicker grass and longer runs. Cheers.
- Peter
Honda HRX217HZC and the Journey Here
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