Honda Harmony HRB215SXA
by Adam
(Portland, Oregon)
I mow my lawn, which consists of three fairly small patches of grass and a parking strip out front, with a Honda Harmony HRB215SXA lawnmower. It is an older model lawn mower, and at the very least it has definitely got a few years of wear and tear going for it. And I did not buy the mower, but got it when my grandfather passed away. All that being said, I think that it may be the best lawn mower I have ever had to push.
I am not one of those people who really enjoys mowing the lawn, or takes any kind of special pride in their grass, but even I can appreciate the benefits of this well-built machine. There are a couple of problems, but I'll talk about those later. The upsides of this mower far outweigh any of the downsides. It is a well-made, durable, and dependable piece of machinery. You can tell that Honda takes every bit of pride in their lawnmowers that they do in their cars, which is probably why they are such a successful company.
As far as performance goes, this Honda mower has a few things going for it. It is very easy to start, it is a fuel efficient mower, and it handles very easily. Another benefit, at least for me, is that even after I've been lazy for a couple of weeks, and I go out to mow my overgrown lawn, the Honda mower chops right through the thick grass and I've got a beautiful lawn again.
The cons are pretty simple and straight forward, the mulching kit on this mower does not work on wet grass. So if you're going to be mowing a lot in wet conditions (like me) I recommend a bag. It is also a fairly expensive mower, but the price is small when you consider the life expectancy on this thing. I have had it for almost five years now, in addition to however long my grandfather had it, and aside from an occasional blade sharpening or loose bolt (from the vibration, it happens to all of them) this mower has given me zero maintenance problems.
The bottom line? Buy this mower. The mulching kit issue is a simple fix, and I believe it is a cheaper mower in the long run, since it absolutely never breaks down.