I am Interested in a mower that is.
21″ (53 cm) Rear Wheel Drive Variable Speed Self-Propel (50-State)
DRIVE SYSTEM
21″ (53 cm) Rear Wheel Drive Self-Propelled with Electric Start (50-State)
DRIVE SYSTEM
21″ (53 cm) Rear Wheel Drive Self-Propelled with Electric Start (50-State)
DRIVE SYSTEM
21″ (53 cm) Variable Speed All-Wheel Drive Self-Propel (50-State)
DRIVE SYSTEM
21″ (53 cm) High Wheel Push with Honda Engine (50-State)
DRIVE SYSTEM
21″ (53 cm) High Wheel Push with Kohler Engine (50-State)
DRIVE SYSTEM
Very easy to set up out of the box. in minutes was mowing yard. I would buy this again for my city yard.
chuck49I really like this mower!
Very easy to assemble. Love the fact that with a turn of the key, it starts every time. Very efficient. A must buy.
gigiWonderful product
I’m in my 5th year with my 20″, self-propelled. I am already looking forward to my next new Lawn-Boy! I can handle it. and it doesn’t handle me. I LOVE this mower.
SteveBest handling mower i have ever used.
I bought this to replace one I had trouble starting. This one is so easy. I assembled it myself (a 57 year old independent woman). Love my new mower!
Only once in 50 years of grass cutting did I use another brand then Lawn-Boy. I will always use Lawn-Boy. I have even had one Lawn-Boy that ran well for over 20 years! That is one tough, durable, long lasting machine.
CRS35TOP OF THE LINE MOWER
Lawn-Boy in Action
21″ Lawn-Boy Line-up
The 21″ steel deep dome deck is lightweight yet durable, and it provides excellent mulching capabilities and a superior quality of cut.
High Wheel Push (10730/17730)
The 11″ high rear wheels assist you in tackling uneven or rough terrain with the powerful, reliable and easy to start Kohler engine.
Rear Wheel Drive Self-Propel (10732/17732)
Electric Start (10734/17734)
High Wheel Push (10736)
The 11″ high rear wheels assist you in tackling uneven or rough terrain with the quiet, lightweight and reliable power of the Honda GCV160 OHC engine.
AWD Lawn-Boy Mower (10739/17739)
Lawn-Boy’s all wheel drive lawn mower makes mowing slopes and hills easy. All 4 wheels are engaged and giving you great traction in tough mowing conditions.
Honda Lawn Mowers
By admin Published Mar. 27, 2019
Let the sunshine and the grass grow! When you’re equipped with the power and smooth maneuvering of a Honda lawn mower, summer is no longer a season of endless yard work. Honda has superior lawn mowing solutions, so you can keep your yard looking great in less time and with minimized effort. Honda has a reputation for unsurpassed quality, performance, and reliability. A reputation worth considering the next time you’re in the market for a lawnmower.
As an authorized Honda Dealer, Owenhouse has access to all of Honda’s products and can special order items as needed. If you don’t see what you’re looking for just ask! Click on the images below to learn more about the Honda lawn mower models routinely stocked at Owenhouse.
Owenhouse Power Equipment Services
All power equipment sold at Owenhouse Ace Hardware is serviced before it ever leaves the building. After you check out one of our knowledgeable staff members will fill your new piece of equipment with gas and oil, start it, fill out a warranty card, go over important usage and safety features, and answer any questions you may have before sending it out the door. Have questions after the sale? We’re here to help! Our full-service Parts Department Repair Shop is available for all warranty claims and service needs, or just that little bit of advice when you need it.
Need your new lawnmower delivered? Owenhouse offers free delivery in the Bozeman area.
HRR Series
Great features and great performance meet great value. Easy-starting, fuel-efficient, and powerful, Honda’s premium residential GCV160 engines are legendary for providing years of reliable service.
The Best Lawn Mower for Small Yards Is a Honda
Now that spring has sprung, you may be considering getting a head start on your lawn, ensuring you have the best-looking yard on the block. Whether you need to replace an old lawn mower or are a new property owner and purchasing your first lawn mower, there are plenty of options ranging from electric, gas-powered, riding mowers, and more.
If your property is less than a half-acre, we recommend a lightweight gas-powered lawn mower that provides versatility and affordability. Honda offers some of the best lawn mowers for small yards, and their outdoor equipment product line delivers brand recognition, along with the utmost quality and dependability.
The Honda 3-in-1 variable-speed lawn mower is the best for small yards
The gas-powered 170cc engine has an automatic choke, making it easier to start up when compared to other lawn mowers. The four-stroke gas-powered engine does not require a gas and oil mixture, operating efficiently on gasoline alone. Additionally, a longer oil line simplifies changing and filling the oil, and a larger gas cap lets operators fuel up without spilling or overflowing, making it easier to monitor gas levels.
This Honda mower receives a five-star rating on the Home Depot website, with over 6,000 consumers raving about their success with the quality Honda machine. One user said, “The GCV170 is quiet, smooth, has 8.2 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm, given the lighter weight and size of the deck, this mower moves, cutting green, fast-growing, wet, thick, heavy grass like a buzz saw, never slowing, no matter the height or thickness of the grass.”
The downside of the Honda GCV170 lawn mower
Despite the great reviews for this lawn mower, a few downsides are worth noting. While the Honda HRN216VKA lawn mower offers superior speed control capabilities, some consumers report the system is difficult to handle. Other consumers experienced difficulty with the self-propelling function, saying it “chewed up the belt,” while other users said the drive control is bulky. Yet another user complained of “thumb fatigue,” explaining you need to hold the “huge gray plastic piece down” to keep the mower running on high.
Still, in many regards, the Honda product line of self-propelled lawn mowers is unsurpassed by other brands, offering reliability and dependability second to none. Most consumers are pleasantly surprised by the low noise level, smooth operation, and easy handling.
The best-selling Honda 3-in-1 variable speed self-propelled gas lawn mower retails for 549 at Home Depot and similar at other outlets, with a three-year manufacturer’s warranty. Property owners that need to maintain a yard between one-quarter and one-half acre will be well served with the Honda GCV170 gas lawn mower.
Honda Power Commercial Residential Lawn Mowers
For a Professional-Grade Cut at Home On the Job.
Whether you’re managing your backyard or commercial properties, Honda lawn mowers offer the same superior, dependable cut on every terrain. Every Honda mower saves you time and money and is designed to make your mowing job easier. When you choose Honda, you choose Smart design:
Sumner Lawn is your Honda Power Equipment headquarters, located just outside Tacoma. Stop into Sumner Lawn. our team is here to help you determine the right Honda mower for your outdoor chore list! Contact us online or call us (253) 435-9284 with any questions, for service on your outdoor power equipment, or for Honda Parts Engines.
Meet our Popular Honda Models:
HRC216HXA Commercial Mower
The HRC216HXA is a great option for tough commercial work. Precision speed control lets you move from 2.1 to 4 mph effortlessly to adjust to changing mowing conditions. Roto-Stop blades allow you to step away from the mower without having to start and restop the engine and Honda MicroCut twin blades keeps 30% more clippings in the bag while offering better mulching.
HRX217HYA Residential Mower
Get a commercial cut at home. Honda’s hydrostatic cruise control lets you smoothly move from 0 to 4 mph. The NeXite mowing deck is rust-free and high-impact resistant to avoid corrosion over time and last years. Mulch, bag, discharge, and shred leaves with no tools or attachments with the 4-in-1 Versamow System with Clip Director. This model offers ultimate convenience and versatility!
The Best Honda Lawn Mowers of 2023
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Nothing says summer like the sound of lawn mowers powering up. The long-standing ritual of keeping lawns neatly trimmed and manicured is easier with a quality mower, and the ability to impart a sharp, clean cut on the grass is the secret to a lawn’s overall health. To that end, Honda lawn mowers top the wish lists of many home landscapers.
Honda Power Equipment manufactures a variety of top-notch walk-behind lawn mowers—all designed to minimize mowing time and leave the lawn looking great. Ahead, learn what to keep in mind when shopping for the best Honda lawn mower and find out why the following models are well suited for various turf-trimming needs.
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Honda Lawn Mower
Among today’s more popular mower brands, Honda lawn mowers can be found in many home improvement stores, DIY centers, and garden or landscaping supply outlets. Honda’s walk-behind mowers are built to last, and while all its models are relatively straightforward machines, users do have a few factors to consider.
Push vs. Self-Propelled
Most but not all of Honda’s lawn mowers are self-propelled, meaning their rear wheels turn in a forward direction, which helps push the mower along. This feature is a boon for mowing on inclines and through deep or thick grass—situations that are truly challenging with models that are not self-propelled. But don’t mistake Honda push mowers with the old-fashioned push models that featured reel-type blades and were 100 percent powered by the user. All Honda mowers have engines that power the blades.
The self-propulsion feature on Honda mowers primarily engages in two different ways: via a thin metal bar the user pulls and then holds alongside the mower’s handle or by pushing a lever located in the center of the handle. The latter method is found on Honda mowers that come with Smart Drive capability, and the nice thing about Smart Drive is that users can easily adjust the propulsion speed to match their needs.
The best Honda push mower still has its place, however. A good deal of engine power goes toward propelling rear wheels; push-only mowers can use all the energy to power the cutting blades. Plus, some users prefer a push-only mower because there are fewer mechanical parts that might have issues.
Gas vs. Battery
Although some modern mowers are battery operated, Honda currently makes gas-powered lawn mowers only. As lithium-ion batteries become more powerful, that could change, but as of now, those who want the oomph of a Honda model must put up with smelly gas fumes as well as the need to store gasoline in a garage or shed.
Speaking of gas-powered engines, it’s worth noting that while all Honda mowers feature Honda engines, other brands sometimes use Honda gas engines in their mowers as well. Shoppers in the market for a true Honda lawn mower should carefully research the machine’s details. Other manufacturers may include the name “Honda” in their mower’s title, yet the only Honda part on the model may be its gas engine.
Cutting Height and Width
Honda makes walk-behind lawn mowers that cut 21-inch swaths through a lawn. Some manufacturers offer broader cuts and some offer narrower ones, but Honda sticks to that single cut width of 21 inches. This is about average for a walk-behind mower, and it’s suitable for most residential lawns. While a wider cut removes more grass in a single pass, it also takes more engine power and—if it’s not a self-propelled mower—more physical strength.
Like other walk-behind mowers, Honda models allow users to adjust the cutting height to suit the grass type. Users can choose to cut the lawn as low as 0.75 inches or as high as 4 inches. Most cool-season grasses, such as tall fescue or bluegrass, are maintained at 2.5 to 4 inches high. Warm-season grasses, including Bermuda and zoysia grass, do well when maintained at 1 to 3 inches high. If there’s any doubt, a quick call to a local county extension office will usually resolve the best height for different grass types and regions.
Mulching, Bagging, and Side Discharge
Honda makes mowers that discharge clippings to either the side or the back, and some models also come with a mulching feature. The different options can impact the way users mow and the health of the lawn.
Our Verdict
Honda lawn mowers are built to last, and any of the picks in this lineup are top options for cutting grass. However, our Best Overall selection, the Honda NeXite Variable Speed 4-in-1 Gas Walk Behind, ticks all the boxes: it’s self-propelled, comes with an adjustable height deck, and features a nonstick deck underside. Our best bang for the buck pick, the Honda 21-in. 3-in-1 Variable Speed Gas Walk Behind, has many standard Honda features at an attractive price point.
Buying a lawn mower is an investment in the care and maintenance of your lawn, so it’s worthwhile to take some time and consider which mower best suits your needs.
Honda mowers are among the top options on the market today—with good reason. They have powerful engines and feature a range of user-friendly features. In choosing the models in this lineup, we focused on featuring a variety of models from different Honda mower series. We chose only one push-type model since many folks appreciate the self-propulsion function on a mower. Still, professional landscapers may prefer the simplicity of a push-type model, believing that these basic workhorses are less likely to have functional frailties.
We ended up with more models from the HRZ series since they offer more user-friendly options. Still, Honda employs the same care and reliable engine in all its models, so users should choose based on their individual needs.
FAQs
Buying a new lawn mower is an investment. A few questions are likely for those looking for the best Honda self-propelled mower or even a push-type model.
Q. Are Honda lawn mowers good?
Yes, we consider them to be good-quality mowers—and we’re not alone. In a Consumer Report’s head-to-head test between Honda and Toro, Honda took the top spot.
Q. How long do Honda lawn mowers last?
It all depends on how often they’re used and how well they’re maintained. A Honda mower that’s regularly serviced (check the owner’s manual for instructions) and properly stored can last 10 to 20 years or longer.
Q. Can a Honda lawn mower mulch grass cuttings?
Most Honda mowers come with a mulching feature, meaning the clippings can be left on the lawn to biodegrade.
Q. What’s the difference between a Honda push and self-propelled lawn mower?
A push mower must be physically pushed by hand. The rear wheels on a self-propelled mower turn to propel the mower forward.
Q. How do I stop a walk-behind mower?
To stop most Honda lawn mowers, simply release the secondary handlebar that you hold against the primary handle when mowing, and the mower will shut off.
Q. Does it matter in which direction I mow?
For the best-looking lawn and the most uniform results, try alternating directions each time you mow.
The research
Over the past nine mowing seasons, we’ve spent more than 120 hours researching nearly 250 mowers, interviewing experts, and extensively testing some of our top picks.
An invaluable source has been Roy Berendsohn, a Popular Mechanics lawn mower guru who has more than 20 years of experience testing and writing about mowers. If Berendsohn isn’t writing about mowers, he’s often being interviewed about them (see here and here).
We’ve interviewed landscapers, including Chad Crosby of West Michigan Lawn Services and Paul Koehler of Koehler Landscape Construction Services. We’ve called people at lawn mower retail/service outlets, like Nick Ortiz at Kellam Lawn Mower in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, and Boston Lawnmower Company’s David (who asked that his last name be withheld). We’ve talked to product managers at Honda, Toro, Troy-Bilt, Ego, Cub Cadet, and other manufacturers.
Personally, I maintain a rural property in New Hampshire that is far too large for a push mower to cover but that does provide ample room to test our recommendations. This guide’s editor, Harry Sawyers, assists with testing mowers on his LA property and draws from his previous experience as a professional landscaper.
Who this is for
If you want to be able to stand the sight of your yard this summer, you’re going to need a lawn mower. Anything larger than a half-acre gets into riding-mower territory, but a self-propelled push mower is perfect for a half-acre or less. Going at a pace of about 3 mph (roughly average walking speed), it will take about an hour to cut this amount of grass. (If you have a particularly small lawn, a reel mower is an option—but it’s quite hard work.)
If you already own a gas mower that’s less than a decade old, you will probably not notice a tremendous difference by upgrading to a newer gas mower. Upgrading to a cordless model is a more noticeable change you could immediately appreciate.
The Best Reel Mower for Your (Small) Lawn
After 30 hours researching and testing reel mowers, we think the Scotts 2000-20 20-Inch Classic Push Reel Lawn Mower is the best pick for manual lawncare.
How we picked and tested
As a result of our years of lawn mower evaluation, we’re sure that most people will be happiest with a self-propelled, electric cordless option. Honestly, it all comes down to convenience. Every single element of a gas mower that is considered a nuisance—from the fiddly start-up to the annual maintenance schedule—is gone. Cordless mowers start with the push of a button, are easier to maneuver, and don’t need oil changes, gas, spark plugs, or air filters. They’re much quieter, they don’t smell, they don’t produce emissions, and they’re easier to store in the off-season. The run time has limitations, and charge times can be slow, but the latest models close the performance gaps between cordless and gas.
All that said, there are many capable—and several excellent—gas mowers available. Whatever type of mower you need, here are the criteria we feel matter most in making a selection:
Rear-Wheel Self-propulsion: Self-propelled mowers make life easier. With the mower moving itself across the lawn, all you have to do is throttle and steer, rather than forcing the mower’s full weight up every incline and over every bump. Self-propelled cordless mowers are all rear-wheel drive (RWD), which is preferred over front-wheel drive (FWD), because the mower’s traction improves as the grass bag fills and adds weight over the rear wheels. A self-propulsion feature adds to a mower’s price, but it’s a feature we feel is well worth it, and this requirement doesn’t narrow the field by a whole lot. It does, however, weed out the most bare-bones machines.
Performance as a mower: We researched which mowers could perform the best from a lawn-care perspective—which could make cleaner cuts in grass or promote turf health. We’ve measured this performance firsthand over years of long-term testing and in tests of new contenders against our established recommendations.
User interface and features: In years of tests, we’ve found most midrange mowers perform at a comparable level; most can cut the grass just fine. That led us to place an emphasis on user interface features—how difficult is it to adjust the push-bar height, or to raise and lower the mowing deck? Can you intuitively control and adjust the self-propulsion? Is the bag a pain to put on and take off? Are there other design details that make startup smoother, reduce engine maintenance, or make storage easier?
Cost: We looked at cost in terms of long-term value. Gas mowers are cheaper up-front, generally, but they carry long-term costs that cordless mowers avoid. Those include supplies (like gas, oil, stabilizers, air filters, and spark plugs) and the time and labor of caring for one: getting gas, changing the oil, and emptying the tank at the end of the season. With cordless mowers, a large percentage of the price tag is the battery. Most companies offer a series of outdoor tools (leaf blowers, string trimmers, hedge trimmers, etc.), all compatible with the same battery. And they cost less if you buy them without a battery. So for a high cost up-front, a cordless investment may open the door for an affordable expansion into that manufacturer’s other tools.
Charge time and run time: For cordless candidates, we looked at these two primary factors, which determine whether a battery will be adequate or frustrating. Because these two elements are so important, we looked only at mowers that used at least a 40-volt battery.
and reputation: The best mowers out there have proved satisfying for the most number of people for the longest amount of time. That led us to closely consider the differences among a smaller group of about 50 established, well-regarded models from major brands, often covered by comparable warranties of about three to five years.
Best overall lawn mower
The best lawn mower
The self-propelled Ego LM2135SP’s battery runs for an hour and easily mows down overgrown grass—and it spares you the noise, emissions, and maintenance of a typical gas mower.
Buying Options
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For the best in convenience, battery run time, cut quality, and value, we recommend the Ego Power Select Cut Mower LM2135SP. Compared with a gas mower, it’s quieter, doesn’t create exhaust, and requires almost no maintenance. Among other cordless models, the Ego LM2135SP has among the longest run time and shortest charge time. This Ego has a redesigned control interface that allows you to control the propulsion with either hand. It also cuts with two blades, making for a finer cut and better mulching. Rounding out the features are two forward-facing LED lights, an easy-to-use cutting-height adjustment, and a battery port that faces the battery gauge toward the operator. The battery, which is good for a solid hour of mowing, is compatible with Ego’s other lawn tools, such as the company’s leaf blower, chainsaw, and string trimmer.
Most people report getting roughly 60 minutes of run time from a full charge of the Ego’s 56-volt, 7.5 Ah battery, which is included with the purchase. We confirmed the run-time figures in tests of this pick and our runner-up in March 2019 and in 2020. In several hour-long sessions of strenuous cutting on tough grass in Los Angeles, running this mower across hills (some of which were steeper than its recommended 15-degree max), the battery never died before we expected it to. If anything, it exceeded the hour-long window by about 10 to 15 minutes. An added bonus: Once the battery was too low to power the mower blades, it still had enough juice to operate the self-propulsion function, letting us drive the mower back to the charger. Compared to older Ego batteries, this one has a ring of lights that give you an approximate gauge of the remaining charge (the previous generation communicated with a red light only when the battery got critically low). The battery regularly recharges in 60 minutes or less. (Recharge time is another advantage for Ego, as competitors’ charge times range from an hour and a half up to almost five and a half hours.)
In the mowing tests, the two-bladed Ego showed a superior cut-quality compared with our runner-up, and this is the primary reason we’d choose this model over the older version. We’ve put the mowers on some rough tufts of knotty crabgrass, knee-height rye grass, and thick purple stalks of weeds, and although the runner-up never bogged down, the LM2135SP did a better job of lifting overgrown grasses as it cut, mincing up fine mulch and effectively cutting through tall growth without pushing the grass flat. This second blade elevates the Ego into some territory that was formerly exclusive to mowers like the highly regarded Honda HRX series, making the case for cordless that much stronger.
A new-for-2020 speed-control system can be operated with your thumbs on either hand—a more versatile setup than the single, oversize, right-handed trigger on the 2019 version. Photo: Rozette Rago
With its onboard indicators displaying battery life and other troubleshooting diagnostics, the Ego is quite intuitive for anyone new to cordless mowers. Photo: Rozette Rago
A new-for-2020 speed-control system can be operated with your thumbs on either hand—a more versatile setup than the single, oversize, right-handed trigger on the 2019 version. Photo: Rozette Rago
Controlling the Ego is easy and intuitive. As with many mowers, the Ego has a metal bar (called a bail) that’s held against the handle to activate the blades. To activate the RWD self-propulsion, you press one of two buttons in the upper corners of the handle, and a central dial controls the mower’s speed. A couple of subtle changes set this mower apart from other models: The speed-control system can be operated with your thumbs on either hand—a more versatile setup than the single, oversize, right-handed trigger on the runner-up. Second, although the mower can move at a brisk pace if you want it to, the slowest speed setting available is unusually slow. This is quite handy if you’re backing in and out under a tree or in another tricky area, if you’re mowing across a hill and taking care not to let the mower slide or roll away, or if you just need to take it slow to make sure you’re not about to mow over an obstruction.
Random aside: Without the stink of gas engine exhaust in your face, the smell of mowing the grass while using Ego is entirely different and much more pleasant; unfortunately, the allergens are exactly the same.
The Ego has a number of other convenience features. The headlight, something not found on gas mowers, gives some illumination as the day starts to end. The single-adjust height control, a rarity on gas mowers, allows you to set the cutting height with a single lever. On most gas mowers, cutting height has to be adjusted at each individual wheel. The Ego has seven cutting heights, between 1½ to 4 inches—a wider range than on most cordless mowers, which top out at around 3½ to 3¾ inches.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Although the two-handed self-propulsion control is a more convenient setup than the one-handed paddle design seen on competitors, it does make accidentally engaging the self-propulsion a little too easy. Usually this isn’t an issue, but often the moments when you’re grasping to get a better grip on the handle are the times you least want to engage the self-propulsion. For example, if you are mowing across a hill, there’s a brief moment during a turnaround when the mower is pointing up or down the hill. When adjusting your grip to make those turns, you may inadvertently tap the throttle, destabilizing your stance or your grip on the mower. If anyone from Ego’s reading this, they’ll probably say we’re mowing on too steep a hill, but hey, sometimes life throws a steep hill at you.
We think that the hour or so of run time is going to be enough for anyone keeping to about a half-acre, but if that’s not enough, additional batteries are available to extend run time infinitely. But batteries are costly. Depending on the Ah, they currently range in price from about 140 (2.5 Ah) to about 250 (5.0 Ah), and up to about 450 for a 7.5 Ah battery. They all fit, and with a second one on the charger while one is on the mower, you can really minimize or eliminate downtime.
Because the Ego is cordless and loaded with electrical components, the company does not recommend using a hose to wash out the underside of the mowing dome. Instead, the mower needs to be put on its side and the dome wiped off or scraped clean, using a plastic scraper. Because there is no gas or oil to leak out, this process is much easier than with a gas mower.
Finally, Wirecutter writer Kit Dillon, who loves his Ego mower, uncovered an issue with an older version of our pick, where the wires for the self-propulsion function run up the handle to the operating switch. “The wiring is super thin and where the arm bends over itself over time this wire breaks,” he explained. “The annoying thing is the wire is so thin it will sometimes break inside the sheath, which makes it difficult to diagnose or even find what section to repair.” Because of the large number of YouTube videos devoted to the problem, it’s clear that this isn’t an isolated incident. We’re not sure if this problem happens with this current version of the mower, but looking through the customer feedback at Lowe’s, we found a number of people saying that their mower won’t start, which makes us think the issue persists in newer models.