Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hi All , I am about to buy a new Lawnmower.  I live in Canada and narrowed it down to 2 Sears Craftsmen models.  They are the same push type mowers with only one difference....the engines!  I have my choice of a 5.5HP Honda Engine for a price of $349  ($80 off this week!) or a 6.75HP Briggs and Stratton engine for a price of $299 ( this is the Sears value price so it is always on special)

Not that there is much difference and I am sure both are good machines, but I am wondering what you guys think is the better machine/deal/value?  Which engine is better?  The Briggs has more HP...is that key? 

Also, very important to me is which machine/engine is more reliable and requires less maintenance and will last the longest?

Is it a coin toss or is one clearly the better choice?.....All opinions are welcomed and thxs!

Scotiaman

I think it's a toss up, both engines will outlast the mower with proper care. Don't worry about power differences between the two, they both have plenty. The Honda may be more quiet if that means anything? Oh, that Honda is not the infamous GX series Honda has, it's the GC series, a less expensive version geared toward consumer use instead of commercial. Still a nice engine, just don't be thinking it's the same as some you may have seen or heard about.

I'd have to say Briggs as maintence might be a little more on the Honda. 

Why would the Honda need more maintenance?     Is it less reliable?

Maybe he means cost per repair.....parts more expensive?

Marshall wrote:

Well from I have been seeing lately of the Briggs and Honda pricing (after all I do see a lot of it), I'd say that the Briggs prices are tending to be a bit higher then the Honda.  Which is seeming really strange, just a couple of years ago you'd have to ask the person to sit down before you gave then a repair cost on their Honda.  I'll compare a Briggs paper cartridge filter to a Honda paper cartridge filter - the only difference between them is one is blue, one is white.  They are identical but the Honda one retails at the dealer cost of the Briggs one.  Does that make any sense?

So the way I look at it - there's going to be pricing issues for parts on both - but they should probably equal out in the end.  I do tend to lean towards the Honda GX series.  The consumer GC series is a good Honda motor, but it's just that a consumer model, haven't seen any troubles with them yet, but they don't have the life expectancy of the GX series.

Hope that helps instead of confusing.

Sherri

http://www.jackssmallengines.com/briggs_main_kits.cfm
BRIGGS

http://www.jackssmallengines.com/air_honda.cfm
HONDA

http://www.jackssmallengines.com/snapperparts2.cfm
Snapper Transmission stuff and misc

http://www.jackssmallengines.com/honda_trans.cfm
Grab you boots. Honda transmission stuff.

I know this is a little off topic. But Honda stuff ain't cheap. It's worth it sometimes, but it's not cheap. Sorry to hear Briggs is getting more expensive though.

So, you say you want a hydro?      LOL 

I've only heard from Termy that Honda engines have more problems than the Briggs.  I'm thinking it's probably more carb related.   Who agrees with this?

My vote is with the Briggs and Stratton. I purchased the top of the line Honda self propelled mower with the cruise control last year and it ran great all season. This spring it needed a simple carb adjustment and guess what...the manual says take it to a dealer!!!

When you take the air cleaner off to get to the carb, the whole carb drops off the engine. I found a screw with a spring under it and assumed it was the one I wanted and gave it a slight turn. Put the carb back on and lucked out. The engine stopped searching at idle.

If this keeps happening every year the Honda is going in the classifieds and I'll get something with a Briggs. At least Briggs tells you how to adjust their carbs and RPMs so you can save money by keeping it out of the shop.

I'll take a little more noise and an extra pull or two to start a Briggs any day after my experience with a Honda.

                                                                                                            Dan 

I'll take a GX series over a Briggs. The GC or Briggs Intek OHV? Probably Briggs.

It's a Honda GC engine vs a Briggs Quantum engine....which would you choose between those two?

If it's the same mower with two engine choices, the GC Honda.

If it's not the same mower, I may very well take the Quantum if I like the mower itself better.

Does that help any?

Thxs for your opinion...yes they are the exact same mower with the same frame , blade and features....just the different engines.  Any other opinions out there? Do others agree?

My vote is for the Briggs. Only thing I like about the Honda's is how quiet they are. If Briggs came up with a killer muffler, Honda would be in trouble. However the commercial Honda engine is GREAT! Just $$$$

I vote for briggs because I never have problems with them till they get old. Honda engines I have had major problems with just after one year of use!

Save the 100 bucks...get the Briggs and use the C-note to take the ol' lady out to a nice dinner. You got a new mower...She got a night out...and after it's all said and done maybe you'll get lucky

                                                                                                           Dan

My opinion: Start them both up (do it outside) and see which one is quieter. One thing I still don't do is mow when I WANT TO. I'm always worried about waking up the neighbors children (someone is always having another baby). If I had a quieter lawnmower (and that's relative - they're all loud), but one that was more tolerable, I wouldn't feel bad on a summer's night mowing the lawn at 8pm.

--SnowRemover