From those experiences stated in this thread I have underestimated the reliability of the Kawasaki. I did a spec comparison of the FR, FS and FX lines of Kawasaki engines last night and was surprised to see that the FX does not make any more torque or show to be superior other than in the filtering of the air. This is obviously important for commercial applications where a lot of dust or debris will be blowing around the engine. I have a Vanguard that I quite impressed with and they are build well, much better than the lower ends Briggs. But all things considered, I would entertain the idea of a Kawasaki on my next mower if I liked how it ran.