HONDA HRN216 VS HONDA HRX217 - WHICH LAWN MOWER SHOULD YOU BUY?

#garagegear #lawnmower #honda

HONDA HRN216 VS HONDA HRX217 - WHICH LAWN MOWER SHOULD YOU BUY? The Honda HRN216VKA LAWN MOWER comes with a GCV170cc ENGINE, a STEEL DECK, PLASTIC WHEELS and the SMART DRIVE SELF PROPELLED DRIVE SYSTEM. The Honda HRX217VKA comes with a GCV200cc ENGINE, a PLASTIC NEXITE DECK, RUBBER WHEELS with BALL BEARINGS, a CLIP DIRECTOR and a SELECT DRIVE SELF PROPELLED DRIVE SYSTEM. I also go over the FEATURES, CONSTRUCTION, and BUILD QUALITY of each mower. Which MOWER and FEATURES are BEST for YOUR LAWN? LIKE & SUBSCRIBE!!!

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Due to factors beyond the control of Garage Gear, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. Garage Gear assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Garage Gear recommends safe practices when working on machines and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Garage Gear, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Garage Gear.

[GarageGear]

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[MichaelSmith-krqw]

I run both Honda's for my lawn care business. My HRN is now 6 years old and has never had one issue besides tire wear, all I have to do is Oil, Air Filter, Spark Plug Blades changes every couple months, I inspect the drive belts annually along with the wheels. I might look into your trick with the bike tire as I have a couple spare sets laying around. My HRX is 3 years old and it just keeps chugging, just the normal minor maintenance. I do clean the decks on both and the HRX Deck stays far cleaner than the HRN. Only Issues I have run into with both of them is with the mulch slides they tend to get stuck if you do not clean them out regularly. I plan on finally replacing the HRN with another HRX soon but I will keep the HRN for Home Duties. Instead of the 217VYA I am gonna step up to the Hydrostatic Drive of the HYA. or I might jump ship and go with the New Stihl RM 756 YC it has a lot of awesome features like Magnesium Deck with a Polymer liner and a Kohler 200cc Engine with a oil filter. I need to talk to my dealer and see if they have a demo model to test out before making that $2000 purchase.

[smallblock]

I love these side by side comparisons. Can't really go wrong with either of these mowers.

[Patryn]

Just had the HRX217VKA delivered today. I had been eyeing one for a few years now, and with Honda no longer making them it was either now or never. My 18+ year old Craftsman with a 6.5hp Briggs & Stratton engine is still working, but it's showing it's age.
It took me about 15 minutes to get the new mower unboxed and fully set up and I took the time to actually read the manual. Yes, some of us still do that. Mine had the green dot on the box so I knew it was good. It was covered over by the shipping/delivery sticker, but when I peeled that up you could plainly see it was there.
I set it up to about a 60/40 bag/mulch, but to be honest I can't tell if it was working. This mower cut everything up so fine compared to my old one it's hard to see what is being left on the ground from the mulching. My old one would cut one and just puke the grass out when trying to mulch, whereas this one everything is super well cut and left almost nothing on the ground. I only had to empty my bag twice instead of 7-8 times like my old one because it filled up the bag so much more efficiently. The ease of starting was surprising, too. Pull the cord until you feel some tension, then gently pull it back and it came right to life. My old one you had to yank it pretty good, but to be fair it still started up on the 2nd or 3rd pull even after 18+ years.
The self propelled took me by surprise with how fast it was. I only set it to about 30% and it just took off. My old mower was just a straight push with no assist, so this is a new feature to me. Once dialed in it worked just fine. I still need to play with it more though to figure out the best settings. My entire lawn is on a slight grade, so going down is super easy, but going up the grade it's slower. I also have a decent banking and had to turn it up 2 notches to make it up the banking at all. Once on the banking though it cut the length of it with little problem once I put it back to a slower speed.
All in all it was money well spent so far. I'm hoping to get a lot of years out of this mower.

[stevewhisperer]

I've had my HRX 217 for over 12 years now, and it's still going strong.

The only issues I had with this model initially, was starting. I opted for the electric/key start feature.

This turned out to be a no-go. After experiencing failures of the electric start and/or the pull start to work and exchanging the mower for another one, ( several times through the Home Depot I purchased the first mower at, plus having the starter worked on by a local Honda outdoor shop, ) I resigned myself to the fact that at least electric start was not in the cards for me. I had a mower with everything else working great on it, so I stuck with that.

I eventually discovered another local shop that specialized in lawn equipment and was an authorized Honda service center. They've been really great all these years for servicing my Honda.

Despite the initial headaches I had with my Honda mower, I wouldn't choose any other brand.

[AEAC]

Hey JB, turn RPM up to 3, 350 on those two mowers and transform your cutting experience and end result. I own both of those lawn mowers and was amazed at the difference. My previous HRXs ran happily for a decade at that speed until I finally sold them to buy the new ones. Steve

[ancjr]

I bought my HRX in 2008 and it starts and mows just as good as it did when new.

[BobbyS]

I just purchased the HRX217HYA at my local Honda Powersports dealer. They matched the Home Depot sale price of $799 mentioned in another comment. I based my decision off of many reviews including yours and also the fact that it is the only decent mower left with a blade brake clutch.

I used it for the first time today in a 50/50 mulch/bag configuration. Nice clean cut and the hydrostatic is smooth. Loved being able to empty the bag and not have to restart the mower yet still do it safely as the blade is stopped.

The only issue I have is that the valve cover has a small oil leak. It might not have been sealed properly when the cam issue was fixed. I also think the blade doesn’t stop fast enough, but not having used one before, I have no point of reference.

I will now be cleaning up my John Deere JS40 that has served me well for 18 years and will be selling it. It’s time for someone else to enjoy it.

[StlPike]

Just got the HRX217. Really nice mower. Feels solid. Love how the self propelled is so fast if needed. Nice engine too. I don't like that the deck is so long/wide and sticks out to/past the wheels. Also, it shoots out mulch out of the back when I don't have the bag on, and I can see that the lever is all the way to the right but the chute isn't fully blocked when I pull up the flap.. Seems like a manufacturer defect. My 10 year old toro doesn't leave grass out the back, but this does. I might try sharpening the blades, as I just got it, or I might make something to block grass from entering the chute when mulching and maybe tape off the areas I can see light coming through. For such a nice/expensive mower, it shouldn't have this issue. I've read about this a lot online too, after purchasing of course.

[josephberkeley]

Thanks for all of the great videos. I own an 11-year old Husqvarna HU800 AWD (with Honda motor). Been going through it replacing parts. Got new wheels, dust covers, need a new blade adaptor as nipple star ring shattered when I went to sharpen the blade. It needs a new belt which is a job I am not looking forward to as the mower is at the age such that when you take things apart they do not want to go back together. Watched your video about the last of the Honda mowers. Thought about it a lot and headed off to Home Depot early this morning to snap up a Honda HRN for less than $600 on sale. Just put it together based on your specs. It's a nice mower. It could be more heavy duty but I can't complain at the price. And it's the last of the Honda mowers so get 'em while you can. I checked for the green dot based on your video. Much appreciated. Celebrated by buying a Garage Gear tee shirt. I enjoy your content as it is educational, on point and isn't pandering to the algorithm with a bikini clad sidekick. I like my lawn. neat and tidy. Not as fancy as yours but it's ship shape. I do struggle with when to let go of an older piece of lawn equipment. I may be guilty of putting money into them at the end of its life but after 11 years the Husqvarna doesn't owe me anything and there is a lot to be learned from a veteran mower.

[ajv]

Both have exactly the same blade systems so both cut grass awesomely.

Only important features HRX has over the HRN is incrementally adjustable bag/mulch lever rather than only one or other and better quality wheels. It does have a bigger engine, but both engines are great for normal yards so I don’t think its a massively noticeable difference unless your mowing long lawns all the time.


On the other hand its heavier, its harder to pull backwards due to its drive system design, has plastic deck, has corner adjusters for height which are more annoying and a weird round knob to adjust speed so no feathering the speed controller when manoeuvring like you can in the cheaper model.

Both are great machines but I dont see the extra cost justified with the HRX and prefer the HRN. Thats just me though.

[lj.]

I needed a mower since my Honda 216 was at the end of its life thanks to me neglecting cleaning the underside of the deck after 15 years or so. Sad to see Honda throwing in the towel here in the states. I debated getting a hrn from HD but I opted to shop small and I got a Toro Recycler MAX. The Toro is certainly no Honda but as long as it lasts for 10 or so years I’ll be happy. I’ll be cleaning the deck every cutting that’s for sure.

[Rebel]

The thing about a lot of plastics is, that over the years they can become very brittle. I don't know about that type of plastic, but case in point...I grabbed an old funnel yesterday to pour some cleaner from a bottle with a bad sprayer to a new bottle and when I grabbed the funnel it split on one side and completely broke off where I had grabbed ahold of it. In the trash it went, lol. On the other hand, I have two more just as old but they're both still flexible and pliable. Steel may rust, but it takes a really long time to rust through a good deck. That old push mower I told ya about that I bought back in 2000 was stored outside under a wood deck its first ten years as at the old place we didn't even have a shed...it did eventually rust through but it took about 20 years before it was even noticeable.

[Josh_GT]

The self propel recently went out in my old mid 1990s Honda HR 215. During my searching I saw Honda push mowers were on sale at the Home Depot during Memorial Day weekend. So I went with the HRX217HYA. Just waiting for it to arrive to the store so I can pick it up. Hoping to get a good few decades of mowing out oof it.

[dewaynegibson]

HRN is the best lawnmower I ever own !!!

[peteremberley]

I have 2 HRX models which I use commercially. The 200 cc engine is unstoppable, no comparison. I have cut grass 4 feet high, that is the truth. I set it at the highest setting and the slowest pace. It is incredible how it chews it up and don't bog out. After the 4" cut, I run over it again to clean it up. My HRX has the same transmission as the snowblower. It is incredible. It can crawl at a snail pace or you can trot to keep up.
The only thing I noticed, that you didn't mention was the valve cover on the HRX. Both of mine started to weep oil in a very short period, the ES model lost the spring that holds the forward motion handle in place. The 3rd thing was the speed cable had to be adjusted as it had slowed down quite a bit.
It is currently June 1, 2024 in Newfoundland Canada. It has been raining for almost 2 months straight. The HRX completely packed the grass bag full and then some. The grass was very heavy.
The forward motion lever is completely different on the models that I have than the one in the video.
The HRX is an absolute beast of a mower. I wouldn't part with it. It is heavy having to haul it backward up a hill.
I purchased these Honda mowers to replace the AWD Toro models. I can honestly say 100%, Toro does not come close to the quality of the Honda HRX. 10 inches of damp grass and you will be lucky to fill the bag 1/3rd, if you can keep it from stalling out.
Love the videos, I always check to see if you have a review or maintenance tips of any lawn products I purchase.

[bobcolts]

I switched from new hrx217 to timemaster after 2 years, only complaint is no side discharge on Honda mowers. Love my timemaster, no problems after 2 years

[MV-dfjl]

I have both mowers and the both leaked oil from the valve cover. I had to pull both out, clean up the old sealant and put new gasket maker on both to stop the leak

[edwingame]

Just bought one, and I'm glad I went this route after watching your video😊

[markd]

I bought the Hrx select drive a few weeks ago. So far I'm happy with it, it starts on the first pull all the time. The drive is pretty smooth no fast starts.The cut is very good, mulches nice. It is a little heavy when pulling back and making turns but nothing major. It's been pretty easy cleaning the deck except of course if the grass is damp and any mower will be messy. So far I've been happy with it and i didn't mention it has a lot of power to pull the grass up and make cuts.👍 I would buy again fot for sure except they stop making them 😢