I bought this Honda Commercial mower about 6 months ago as I wanted a quality mower that would last and get the job done. The mower has been great. It starts first time and gets through most tough grass, however the catcher (hard plastic Australian model) now will just fall off when you are in the middle of mowing and you almost fall over it when it drops off as there are only two small plastic bits that hold the catcher on. This is very very very frustrating when you are in the middle of mowing the lawn and have to stop continuously as the cat...

OK worst part of this mower is $1300 price tag but its worth it!

Excellent mower that starts with little effort and gives a great result!

not had any issues with out honda gear (Mower, whipper snipper, fire pump and generator) all start first go!
Without a doubt people have issues but doubt they would be huge!!!

Only thing is the mower is much much louder than my old Victa Sport with the Fiat engine (Tecumseh motor).
Suggest Hearing protection or deafen yourself with the iPod.
...

Absolute rubbish. Bought this one online and had it delivered. Too heavy!
Automatic choke sticks and it won’t start after using for a while. Have to remove the filter and use a screwdriver to poke in it to open it and get it going again.
Can’t adjust the throttle.

I find it harder to start than our last lawnmower, l can start it but need to position it so l don’t need to hold and pull at the same time.
I’m a small female don’t think men would have my problems.
But still needs more than one pull to start, l find it temperamental.

Very happy with its ability to catch the grass.
I made a thingy magigy to hold the bar up so it doesn’t turn the motor off every time l can’t hold it down.
Might be a safety feature but very annoying.
The large nut thing to stop the handle folding keeps coming undone.

Not sure if l would buy it again, it came recommend by the lawn mowing man an l trusted his judgment.

I purchased a new Honda Buffalo Pro push lawnmower with the Blade Brake Clutch system and the commercial GXV160 engine.It’s an amazing lawnmower and the commercial engine is rock solid, extremely well built for longevity and so quiet and powerful enough to do my lawns at home with ease.And it has a safety guard bolted over the carby linkages for extra protection and a lot of great features such as the larger surface area air filter and it’s a well built lawnmower!My main concerns are it’s enormous weight and I have to empty the plastic catcher...

Following my purchase 2 years ago I was initially disappointed with the small chute and associated clogging when mowing damp grass. I opted for the Honda as I wanted power to do just that. After working with the agent we fitted the Honda with the two standard mulch blades and two additional high lift blades which made a world of difference. We made a slight rpm increase also. Overall I'm very happy with how it performs and am enjoying my mowing. The weight creating significant tracks when mowing damp ground would be my only negative feedback. Largely a great engine and the blade break system does work well for me having to regularly negotiate obstacles.

I've been mowing commercially for the past 5 years with a HRU19 buck I bought new, it always started first pull and was a good piece of kit. Upgraded to the 196 and just got home from my first day's work with it out in the field across 4 different jobs. So how is it? Good, but heavy!

This thing's a little harder to push around, weighing in at 44kgs it's 10kgs up from my old buck. The mower is solid as all hell. I bought it for it's everlasting reputation

It's tough, trustworthy, looks cool and cuts well (thankful I don't have the small chute...

This mower was purchased as an additional mower as we needed to try and transport our original mower to to in-laws house every week and this was getting to be a problem. We have had it over 18 months now and it has not missed a beat. Starts most times first pull if not on the second. The blade brake is a great safety feature. servicing has not been a problem. We change the Air Filter regularly as the area mowed is usually quit dusty. We only fill it up at the start of the day as It seems to run forever on a tank of fuel.. The only down side is the catcher is a bit difficult to empty when it is full to the max. Saying that it picks up every blade of grass. In the wet it it probably picks up 95% of what is cut.

The catcher is bad enough to put you into a fit of rage. Won't throw all the way to the back, only ever half fills, even after cleaning the screen.
Love the mower, hate the catcher. My advice would be to spend the extra for the next model, or look at another brand.

This was a replacement for my 32 year old Suzuki Two Stroke. Another legendary mower but the Honda starts first time everytime. I use the mulching plug so that I dont need the catcher. Its so good that I almost enjoy mowing which I never did with the old mower. A fantastic product

I have had this mower 4 years, its been good to use. It starts fast time its never let me down and its always been easy to start. Its never run out of fuel because it takes a lot of fuel I can mow a big lawn with it easy.

The Honda 196P Push Petrol Lawn Mower is one of the best heavy duty lawn mowers in the market. Built to mow in the toughest of conditions, features the 4 stroke OHV GXV160 engine and guarantees to start the first time. Ideal for medium and large lawns as well as for serious contractors.

Weighing in at 34 kg, this Honda Lawn Mower offers a 19-inch cutting width and 163cc.

Worst decision in a long time. Thought I'd buy a premium mower at more than $1100. Only thing good is that it starts easy. I upgraded to 4 blades from 2 and still does not pick up the grass, just blocks the tiny shut for anything more than the smallest cut..... even in the dry! Very heavy for a push mower. I am so frustrated with the mower that I now mow/mulch and then hand rake up the grass!!!! I was told the motor is commercial grade, maybe it will last, however, it is not powerful and when the grass is thick the safety blade brake starts to slip!!! Once it has started to slip it generates heat from the friction and slips even more!

Good mower to be honest.
Mines been back under warranty a few times for the governor shaft leaking oil out around the shaft. Know out of warranty and it's still leaking and they don't want to know about it. Disappointed to be honest.
Other than that hasn't let me down..

Upgraded from an old Rover, this thing is amazing, starts so easy, makes light work of my tough buffalo, only con is the arm folding feature, very difficult to Fold for storage. I highly recommend this product, great safety features too. I like the simplicity, no choke, no primer, just pull the chord and away you go, well done Honda!

I've used a lot of mowers in my time. From the trusty HRU194, the HRU195 and now for the last 18 months, the ever brilliant HRU196M1 with the handy as heck blade brake.

There are two types of folks in this world. Folks who use and love Honda mowers and folks who don't know how to use one.

So many people I've seen complain about these mowers have either left the mulch plug in before mowing, not adjusted the height of the mower relative to the grass height, mowed when soaking wet or simply not taken care of the mower appropriately. There's ...

The mower cuts well - handles wet grass ok. I use this commercially, and bought as I still own the original version since 1986 ( which I also used commercially and now continues to do home duty-still starts 1st time).
The original is still going, and still cuts the grass at home, the new one I use commercially in paddocks and out in the bush around public infrastructure when growth is too heavy for a brushcutter (35cc 4 stroke honda - which can really smash!).
Pros - Reliable robust frame material clears the chute ok - same frame as the orig...

This Honda mower is the best mower I have ever owned, heaps of power and so quite, the mower cuts very clean and fills the catcher full as a googe even wet grass packs in tight, the Honda is so easy to clean by putting the hose in the deck hole, starts first time every time, well done Honda.

"Honda HRU196 Buffalo Classic" with GXV160 Easy Start engine, PURCHASED 13 May 2004. The lawnmower as worked as a grasscutting contractors lawnmower in Darwin N.T. in extremely hot and dusty & tough conditions. It as NEVER let me down, it as a "STRONG cast iron bore engine" which as always started 1st time every time. With a change of oil and changing the air filter, the HRU 196 as gone on and on. I have just sold the mower today, as in the heat here in Darwin, it is myself that as been retired rather than the Honda HRU 196 lawnmower. PLEASE NO...

The 19 inch special edition heritage is a very good mower, I've reviewed my five year old previous modal with the fabric catcher and half shute in product review. This newer modal that I've had a year has the old style plastic catcher, full shute width, engine braking, you can mow the lawn a notch shorter with the same ease and its lighter, same reliability, it makes a difference in effort required compared to the other honda, you'll be lucky to find the heritage as it's a special edition, but it's a good improvement.