Thanks for the reply. The Toro is actually a little higher in price, but still in the ball park. If you buy the Honda before May 31st, Honda will give you four years of warranty coverage. The Toro still has Honda beat by one year, which is nice. The only negative thing that I have read in the different reviews is that Toro has not been standing behind their warranty coverage. Of course, these negative comments may have come from operators who did not follow normal maintenance procedures,etc.
By chance, do you know if Toro has replaced mental parts with plastic ones? I say this as a past Craftsman person. I noticed the newer Craftsman's mowers have more plastic on their mowers, especially the gears in the drive wheels. Certainly, a high wear area.