donfunny

I bought a new toro 20093 in july of 08 mainly because of the personal pace feature and the blade stop feature. I paid 629.00 plus tax. The lawnmower runs well and starts on the 1st pull every time. I was almost going to  go with the honda. hrx217 hxa but it was 170.00 more. I just bought the above mentioned honda on craigslist for 450.00. The main problem I have with the toro is that it doesn't bag very well. I bag exclusively and you have to stop and empty every 5 minutes or else the grass will be stuck in the chute at the rear of the deck. It also leaves a blade or 2 of grass uncut when the grass gets stuck in the chute. It mulches really well. It's also a bit hard at times to pull backwards. I'm going with the honda because it has double blades that cut and recut the grass to make it into very fine clippings which helps to fill the bag easier. I don't really like the thumb drive on the honda but I guess I can't have it all. They both have a 190cc engine, blade stop, and variable speed self propel. If somebody could come up with a personal pace with a bagging system like the honda has I'm sure they would sell like hotcakes. Bottom line, if you are going to bag, go with the honda, if you are going to mulch or just have the grass blow out the side go with the toro. NOTE the toro does reasonably well in bagging if the grass is not very tall.