Honda HRX217VKA

Bottom Line

The Honda HRX217VKA is a solid all-around mower. Easy-start features and excellent mulching and bagging capabilities make maintaining a beautiful lawn easier than ever. The strong, four-stroke engine powers through tall, wet grass, and the durable NeXite deck carries a lifetime warranty.

Performance

Best in class mowing and mulching. According to professional comparisons the Honda HRX217VKA has some of the best mulching and bagging abilities among popular lawn mowers. After testing eight walk-behind models, Popular Mechanics gives it 5 stars, saying it "leaves a velvet finish, thanks to a unique dual blade and a domed plastic deck that keeps the clippings suspended as they are cut and recut." At HomeDepot.com, owners say it mulches so well it's hard to see the discarded clippings.

The Versamow System -- a reviewer favorite -- lets you decide how much grass you want to bag, mulching the rest into fine pieces. The Honda isn't the best at side-discharging grass, but expert tests show it still handles the task very well.

Users attest the four-stroke GCV190 engine is tough enough to power through thick or wet grass without bogging down. Owners also love how effortless it is to start with the automatic choke. The HRX217VKA meets emission requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

Ease Of Use

Reliable and well-built. Though the HRX217VKA is heavy -- about 90 pounds -- most users don't have a problem maneuvering it around the yard.

Owners like the Smart Drive automatic transmission, with five settings to drive from 0 to 4 mph, though some say it can be difficult to control. "It's hard to keep it going at a constant speed," says a HomeDepot.com reviewer; others add the controls are too jerky for smooth acceleration. Testers at Popular Mechanics say the paddle levers to control speed can wear out your thumbs but solve this by using the heel of their hand.

According to J.D. Power and Associates, owners rank Honda as one of the best lawn care machinery brands. Another large survey from a leading consumer organization also shows Honda is one of the most reliable brands of self-propelled mowers to own; J.D. Power and Associates concurs. The HRX217VKA comes with a five-year mower warranty (the longest in our report). The 21-inch-wide deck also has a limited lifetime warranty for residential users.

Safety

Safety levers. To operate the mower, Honda requires users to hold down a lever against the handle to engage the blades. When released, a flywheel brake stops the blades from spinning. This also turns the engine off and a few owners find it inconvenient to restart the mower each time they need to empty the bag. Otherwise, owners and experts don't comment on any of the HRX217VKA's safety equipment, though one owner at HomeDepot.com mentions it's stable enough to "handle hills with ease."

Noise

Relatively quiet. In their review of eight lawn mowers, Popular Mechanics measures the comparable RAX2172VKA noise output at 89 decibels adjusted, making it one of the quietest mowers they test, but experts still recommend wearing hearing protection for any lawn mower over 85 decibels.