How about a USED Honda? People find them, do minor repairs, hang a “for sale” sign on it in the yard.

You might find exactly what you want, without all the complex safety attachments that go on mowers these days. Good, used for 100 bucks or less?

I'm thinkin' a few folks like Honda...

I agree as well. I sold mine and went to a Ryobi 40V battery power for my small yard. Lighter and quieter than gas. For my big yard I have a Scag 52" zero turn..

 
I bought a Honda from a Honda dealer about 15 years ago. It would mulch or bag, 21" I believe. It performed admirably for 12 years, until I got too old and with bad legs could no longer push it without struggle. At that point, I bought a small riding mower (direct from MTD), and our landscape guy took the Honda (donation) and gave it to an older couple who were his customers and who were struggling with a push reel mower. It was still in A-1 condition.
 

I have a Troy-Bilt, which has a Honda engine, as I recall.

Honda is good, BUT, my favorite of all time is my Toro super recycler. Goes as fast as I do, engine stays running, but can disengage blade. Heavy duty aluminum frame. Runs through thick and wet...
One of my best purchases.
Bought from mower business, not box store.
Easiest starting motor I have used.

My first choice would be a Honda.

But I'd settle for a different brand that uses a Honda engine.

Go on Craigslist and see if there are any old mowers out there.

I have a Craftsman 21" that I've had for over a decade. The previous owner had it for over a decade. The cable for the safety shutoff had snapped, and one of the knobs for the folding handle was missing, and had been replaced with a nut and bolt. The previous owner was shutting off the mower by pulling the spark plug wire off the plug.

I paid $25 for it. I changed the oil/filter, and air filter. Replaced the snapped cable, and put on a new blade.

It's been going strong ever since.

quote:

Originally posted by Dreamerx4:
Honda is good, BUT, my favorite of all time is my Toro super recycler. Goes as fast as I do, engine stays running, but can disengage blade. Heavy duty aluminum frame. Runs through thick and wet...
One of my best purchases.
Bought from mower business, not box store.
Easiest starting motor I have used.

I like the deck on my Honda but in my opinion the Toro adjustability and the Personal Pace features on their deck are executed better than Honda. I think my next mower would be a Toro with a Honda engine. Im not a big fan of the Briggs and Stratton motors.

I have the Cub Cadet with smart walk and independent front turn wheels. My lawn is border line for needing a rider mower but with sidewalks, patio and out buildings you just can't get a pattern going with a small rear engine rider.

The Cub has a 28" cut with dual blades. The 28" cut really shortens the mowing time and the dual blades gives the lawn that professional cut look. Had it for 3 seasons and love it.

The biggest negative for getting a used mower cheap via craigslist or the like (other than dealing with weirdos and cons) is that you stand a good chance of getting a carb that’s been wrecked by ethanol. As long as you can rebuild or replace those though, used would definitely be the way to go.

Why to no self-propelled? Unless your yard is 8' x 8' they are absolutely wonderful to have.

My neighbor RAVES about his Honda mower.

Another vote for Honda. Mine is a RWD one, bought it used at a garage sale and it's been problem free for me for a couple years. She's fast on full throttle, I get a workout keeping up with her.

Honda? Snapper? Others? Honda is probably the best of what's available today, but they're all really cheaply made any more. I have a commercial Snapper walk behind I bought in 2004, and it has almost nothing in common with the retail junk being sold today. I think I'm with the couple posters who suggested visiting Craigslist. People buy and then dispose of couple year old mowers there all the time for a fraction of their original value.

Nothing bad to say about Honda, but I've had extremely good luck with Toro. My 24 year old one was still running fine when I replaced it with a new one to get electric start for my wife.

I'm not sure if it's still true, but there used to be several engines depending on model. Some Honda, some Toro, some B&S. I'm fine with the first two, but would try to avoid the B&S.

The Mrs. just said RWD/AWD is back on the table, in case she ever has to mow...

I'm gonna go with the Honda.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
I'm gonna go with the Honda.

Good.

The HR series Honda mowers are excellent, with a wide variety of models with different features and prices available.

https://powerequipment.honda.com/lawn-mowers

The only thing is, all but the lowest level HRS mowers are dual blade, and those low level HRSs can't bag. So you'll have to decide whether you want to be able to bag and mulch, or whether you want a single blade.

But Honda's dual blade setups aren't really "wonky". They're not any tougher to remove/install than a single blade setup. Try it. You might like it. I think it gives a better cut.

Honda is great! I have a Honda car. But I recently got a Toro having had one years ago that ran well for well over 20 years. I didn't want frills, but got the next to the "bottom of the line". The reason is with that model and up, all the engines are Toro.

ETA, I missed where you'd made your decision. Best of luck with it!

I have a Honda HRX 217 its a little more than what you want and its a little pricy but worth the money and an excellent mower.

Good choice! Definitely get the dual blade Honda. Don’t worry about the maintenance being complicated with them. If you can replace a single blade, then you can replace these. Very easy. The benefits to you with the dual blades are a much cleaner and more even cut with much smaller leftover mulched clippings. However the biggest benefit I have noticed is just how well it cuts wet grass without bogging down. It’s an incredible machine that will last you many many years as mine have. Use non ethanol gas to help avoid the typical issues associated with ethanol gas and small engines.

Put a name on it "The Merrier". Then you have "the mower, the Merrier"!