Hi all...
Since I got some very good information from this forum, I thought I would give you my first impression after my first use. Granted this is just an average guy who just wants/needs to mow his lawn.
I am 65 years old, and this is my 4th lawnmower. The first two were the cheapest I could find and were side discharge. To be honest both were fine though you always had that line of grass clippings from the side discharge. Both lasted about 10 years.
My 3rd mower, I bought a mulching type. I wanted to get rid of that line of grass. It was a Weed Eater with a Briggs & Stratton engine. It wasn't the cheapest but was below 150$. I have to say I loved that mower. No more lines of grass. The best thing as far as the mulching part....when fall came and all the leaves, I just mowed them....no more raking. Why anyone still rakes leaves is beyond me. Even with a big pile just raise the front and do a little at a time.
This Weed Eater lasted a good 15 years. It may have well lasted longer but I was vary lax when it came to proper fuel management. In other words, I used no stabilizer, even used fuel from the prior year. This thing started first pull even at sitting over the winter months. Up until the last year or two did I start to have problems.
As I am 65. While the Weed Eater is still working, I was finding it was about all I could handle to mow my yard, especially when its really hot.. It was time to get a self propelled.
I have owned 4 Honda automobiles. I never had to take one back to the dealership. So obviously I'm high on the Honda name. That's why I sprung for the extra bucks for a Honda self propelled mower that by the very nature has more moving parts that can go wrong. I sure there may be other brands of mowers that are just as good, maybe even better, but I knew Honda.
OK....Wow I kind of rambled on there...
I have to say after the first mowing. I'm very pleased. It started on first pull. I first played with the smart drive on my drive way. The speed control was very intuitive and easy to learn. This thing will go much faster than I would care to go. But as said, its very easy to control so no problem there. Since my grass got a little taller than usual....was waiting for replies to say it was ok.....LoL... I thought it was good test. It did well. I will say part of my yard has Zoysia grass. This grass gets so thick, it feels like plush carpet after a fresh mow. While the grass was not wet, it was full of moisture since we have had a lot of rain lately. The grass was about 6" high, was cutting at about 3" and mulching. So it did bog down a bit. I just slowed down and it went right through it.
If this mower last as long as my other mowers...( and I promise I will treat it better than my others..) this is a keeper.
Sorry this was longer than intended, but maybe a few might find it interesting....cheers..
