So. After 14 years of running a GMC mower with a Briggs and Stratton mower I decided it was time to purchase a new one. This old GMC has been trashed to hell, left out in the rain for years, only serviced once and it is still going.
I wanted quality as I do some part time mowing as a side gig.
I was initially going for the Honda HRU19M2 Buffalo Premium Lawn Mower but then decided to pay an extra couple of hundred bucks for the Honda HRU196 Buffalo Pro Engine Brake as the warranty is better for a contractor.
I find the 196 too heavy and underpow...Read more

I purchased a new Honda mower about 18 months ago , thinking it would be a great product - which is often used by professional tradesmen. Boy was I wrong ! It turned out to be the worst mower I have ever owned. With the narrow Shute it was constantly getting blocked , then not picking up the grass. I agree I let my lawns grow a little long at times and some times the lawn is damp - but this is no excuse for the mower getting blocked at the rear chute every 2 minutes.

I was so sick of this problem , I recently traded it after only 18 mo...Read more

I bought a Honda Mower thinking I was getting a top quality product that professionals used.
For a couple of years I have mowed my lawn, the catcher rarely has grass in it as the chute clogs and the mower just spays cut grass all over the lawn.
Extremely angry that I have paid double what other mowers cost to buy something has a major fault in design, I didn't know this until I read reviews that others have left to say they too were having the same issues.
Avoid buying when mowers half the price would do a better job.
The one good feature o...Read more

I had an old Honda commercial mower I'm a mowing contractor the guys affectionately called her Ronda this thing was unbreakable it had 2 decks replaced as the guys were so rough with it they kept snapping its base it was thrown onto the back of a ute 4 days a week and did no less than 3 lagans of 200 mill + a day TOP machine then I bought the new one well were do I start
1) So heavy we cant lift it onto the back of the ute regularly
2) it mulches like a champ once you work out how to get the plug in
3) throw away the catcher tho it...Read more

This mower is truly terrible. At the very slightest hint of moisture in the lawn, it simply blocks up and you need to stop mowing and clear the blockage. This gives you another 5 seconds of mowing before it happens again.

The little amount of cut lawn that does make it into the bag simply falls out onto the ground once the bag is separated from the mower because of the bag design.

I have seen the responses on other reviews from Honda celebrating the introduction of the Heritage mower that apparently doesn't have these faults. The only pro...Read more

On looking at mowers I first saw a Honda advertised for 599 or 699. I thought wow a Honda thats not too expensive. However I discovered the GC engines on the cheaper Hondas have a plastic cam shaft! (look it up on Youtube) Yep you get what you pay for in this instance. I had 2 Honda powered generators, both powered by GX engines and never missed a beat. So upon learning about the plastic inside the GC engines I chose this one because its got the old school GX engine in the Long Rang version. My lawn was 2 feet high in some parts when it arrived...Read more

I gave up using my 196 - having to stop so frequently to unclog the chute meant I was taking longer to mow each yard than I should, therefore losing valuable work time. I bought a $300 Makita that does as good a job cutting, without the clogging issue. I can buy and throw out 4 of these before I spend what I have on the 196.
The repeated comment from Marketing Dept about wet or long grass doesn't make sense to me. A commercial grade mower should be able to withstand whatever is thrown at it - not just lawns that lie within a 'regular mainten...Read more

Reading the responses from [name removed] at Honda makes one wonder if they really give a hoot. Words such as "May clog when cutting wet or long grass, not may [name removed] --- does. That's why contractors are not happy."

Maintaining lawns regularly should solve the clogging problem. We do, fortnightly and weekly if fertilized. Slightest amount of due on lawn and clogging problem occurs. No response to increased weight of machine or blade brake.
[name removed] these machines are sold as Commercial Lawnmowers for contractors and if anybod...Read more

Dylan from Honda
Brilliant motors, Stay away from Black motors(from China i have been told)

One star for the Motor, which is brilliant.

Now for the bad: Widen the Chute to full. Which means move the gearbox up and forward-so than all decks are wide chutes. The little Honda's are absolutely useless. We need mowers to pick up grass, that is what they are for. Do not get fancy and turn these into front wheel drive(4x4 yes) but not front wheel only, because when we turn at the end, we lift the front wheels.
Increase the size of the Disk s...Read more

The Honda HRU21 Self Propelled Mower was sold to me as the "Must Have Mower" for the commercial operator. I have had the mower for 3 months and used it 6 times. As a commercial lawn contractor I mow lawns most days. This mower is the worst I have ever used!!!!!! It is the most heavy, cumbersome and back breaking piece of equipment I have ever used. Please....do not buy one. The mower is impractical and extremely overpriced. The drive engagement for far too "abrupt" and the drive wheels leave divots and marks. This is mainly due to the excessive...Read more

When i purchased a top of the market product i expected it to do a top job, it hardly does. why have honda put that stupid shoot on it?. it clogs up with the shortest of grass. the catcher is hopeless because it gets 1/4 full and the chute clogs up. any moisture just adds to the pain, the enguine is spectacular though, always easy to start and never stops. so why honda do u put a great engine on a poor base???.

i have given up so many times and pulled out the old kmart gardeners choice mower so many times because it doesnt clog up every 10 ...Read more