# Which of these two mowers are better overall and why?



## theendo (Apr 29, 2020)

Home Depot: Toro SuperRecycler 21387 ($599.00) vs Honda HRX217HYA ($749.00)

[Toro](https://www.homedepot.com/p/311048307)

[Honda](https://www.homedepot.com/p/305114163)

Which one do you think is better and why? I've tried both. The Toro has some nice features that I wished the Honda had and it is cheaper, but the Honda seems like it may have a bit more power.

I am a novice at lawn care and discovered that you can choke either one up if you try to cut with the deck height too low. I am sure my ignorance is fully showing with that statement, lol.

I test drove the Toro for probably 10 hours of mowing and have only used the Honda for like 1.5 hours so far.

I like the Toro's cleaning feature, the vertical storage, the height of the handle bars seems a bit higher (for taller people), the push start, I got used to personal pace too and was starting to like it. Issues seemed to be that it got bogged down easier when trying to mulch the grass if the deck height was on the two lowest settings. I liked the look of the Toro overall too.

Perhaps the side discharge would have eliminated the issue where the engine would stall because it had too much grass underneath the deck. I am not an expert lol, anyone have thoughts on that? What is better between side discharge (Toro) and rear discharge (Honda) Or underneath mulching? How come?

For the Honda, I haven't used it as much yet, but it seems like it might cut leaves better than the Toro. Mulching might be better, but if can leave clumps too if you're not careful. Overall, it seems to have more power. I like that you can keep the engine running without holding anything down. The engine is quieter than the Toro engine. It feels a little easier to maneuver (especially reversing) than the Toro. The Honda doesn't have as many bells and whistles maybe, but the mechanics of the engine and self-propulsion seem like they might be better.

The instruction manual for the Honda is much better; they both come with oil. Set-up takes maybe ten minutes for both. Toro you don't have to remove oil - just add more. Honda, you need to change it. They seem to have about the same warranty length and terms - but I don't know how many people ever use mower warranties, lol!

That's my current summary of observations as a novice.

Those with opinions / experts... what are your thoughts for which one makes the most sense to keep long-term / is the better buy?

I'm going to use the Honda some more over the next few days.

Thanks for the input!


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## Ellford (Apr 19, 2020)

I'll be following this thread for sure, as I have my eye on the Toro, but I'm going with the 21386, not the 21387. Both mowers are great mowers, but for me, the seal of the deal is the storage of the Toro. I've got 2 tool sheds and they're both pretty full, so being able to store that bad boy upright is going to free up 4ft of storage. That's huge, as the wife is already complaining about all my fertilizer bags, playground sand bags, and peat moss. She wants room for her stuff in there!

I was looking at the Honda mowers last year and never pulled the trigger. Glad I didn't, but it has nothing to do with the mower or the company. Essentially the higher-end Honda mowers are not sold at big box stores here and what ended up happening, is the dealer that sold them, sold the business and they no longer sell Honda mowers. When I asked about it, he mentioned something about Honda pulling the card on a number of dealers, but I don't know if that's true or not.

My current mower has a Honda motor and I was told a decade ago that Honda is way better than B&S, but I beg to differ (it could just be my mower though). My previous B&S never had any issues and was super easy to get parts for and I totally abused the thing. My Honda mower has been a non-stop PITA (pain in the a$$) at getting parts for. I'm "literally" limping my mower along right now with string holding the choke on full. It needs a rebuild and parts/dealers are nowhere to be found. If you're the handy type and don't mind finding a source online and shipping the parts to you and you do the work, then great. For me, I don't have that luxury (nor skill), so I need a place I can take it and they need to be able to get parts for it. A big box store can't / won't do that for you, so I'm not sure I'd buy from a big box store. I'd want to know I could get parts for it and have people that were properly trained work on the mower.

Anyways, I look forward to this discussion, as that's definitely the Toro I'm going with (just the other model that doesn't have the push button start).


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

I'm happy with my 21386. No experience with Honda. Just wanted to share a picture in the upright position. I have used the cleanout port. Nice feature.


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## Pamboys09 (Apr 16, 2019)

No experience with toro, but i have the honda. No complains at all.


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## Denali401 (Dec 10, 2019)

I'm going to keep an eye on this thread too. I've been trying to make the same decision.

They seem pretty similar, but I'm leaning towards the toro. I have a lot of trees that drop tons of twigs and branches. I don't clean them totally up, and mow over a bit of them which leaves me sharpening blades pretty often. I'm not sure if I want to be dealing with the double blade Honda that uses its own special blade. Mulching performance for the leafs in the fall is important, and the Honda HRX series mentions leaf mulching specifically so I'm kind of torn.


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## LAG Gamecock (Apr 23, 2019)

I don't think you can go wrong with either. It really comes down to personal preferences between these two. You at least have the opportunity to try both. I personally have a Honda and love it. I think the key for you is mow often.


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## Jelvis (Mar 31, 2019)

I agree, I don't think you can go wrong with either, I have the Honda as well and have been pleased with it. But looking at the 2020 Super Recyler kind of makes me want to get a new mower.


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