I just got the HRX217 and it is insanely impressive. How tough do you think the nexite deck is in terms to long-term abuse? Should I return it and get the hrn216 and sacrifice 30cc to get a steel deck?

I service around 150 residential lawns. I use push mowers a lot. In honesty I get 1 good year out of the 217 before I start having problems. I've bout about 4 of them. I just bought my second 216. I look for it to last much longer

So, strange the 217 Res. Sounded ok, nut than you fired up the 216 Com. And boy was that a solid sounding motor, which surprised me compaired to a 200.

From my experience the HRC 216 is built like a tank compared to the HRX 217. I prefer the HRC 216.

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Great breakdown between these two Mowers. I'd say if you want a Mulching mower the HRX might be your choice. For Bagging and everything else like longevity the Commercial HRC is the only choice.

I like the HRC mainly because you can raise the RPM as your cutting to demand more power out of the machine. Also, I prefer the sound of the OHV engine. Sounds industrial. I personally own the HRR216 series, and even that has been a great mower.

I like the Nexite deck! It's so easy to clean the dirt comes right off with my air compressor or spray from a hose. As dirty as this mower can get I like hosing it off to a brand new finish. And the cut is probably the best thing about it leaving a velvety smooth line cut that leaves my yard so handsome.

My hrx217 bogs down sometimes cutting my thick zoysia lawn at 1.5" - i just have to slow down a little. Makes my grass look like a golf course though. Awesome cut.

And here we are at the end of the film. No more new honda mowers after this year. End of an era for sure. I think in ten years no one will even make a new gas mower at all.

Cutting heights are not the same. I own both of these mowers. The 217 s plenty for most yards, also it is much more nimble. Thank you.

Commercial guys would use the HRX I know I will cause you can half mulch & half bag you don't empty the bag as much a big time saver , time is everything when your a contractor...

If I may say something,. kindly. When engaging the blade, care to do so s-l-o-w-l-y, giving the blade time to speed up to avoid bogging the engine down. If not, over time, I believe it will damage the engine. (I have the early model, '84, with blade stop). Although my engine is smaller, care still applies. Just adding my 2 cents' worth.

I just purchased the Honda HRX217HYA. Thanks

Nice mowers. I’ll keep my toro 21 Briggs 6.75hp with side discharge. It can do the same as those Hondas. For 400 bucks new 10 or so years ago and still going strong. Might not mulch as good but that’s about it

MY 216 leaves a lot of grass behind the mulch plug.

The biggest downside for me about the HRC 216 is that you cannot adjust the handle bars which is a big problem for me because I’m very tall and because of that I love the higher handle bars on the hrx217

When your doing leaf clean ups the hrx because i mulch then turn around and suck em (pause) right up at the same time!

Great review between HRC vs HRX. I bought a used HRC back in 2000, still using it. Replaced all 4 tires, change oil once a year, on third bag. Live in Florida so I mow every week in the spring and summer and every 2 or 3 weeks in the winter. Lots of sand so the blades need to be replaced every 5 years or so. I have gone through about 4 carburetors because I was using gas with ethanol which will leave a varnish coating inside the carburetor. So now I use Non-ethanol based gas and at the end of each mowing I empty the gas from the tank and run it dry.

I'm surprised Honda is installing a smaller and weaker engine on their commercial grade mower than on the semi commercial HRX217. I know it's a commercial grade engine with better air filtration, with an oil filter and multiple other things that make it commercial, but it's still 1 HP weaker and around 2 fp of torque less than the GCV 200 on the HRX. Anybody who's ever mowed a lawn, whether professionally or his own property, knows that you can't have too much power on a walk behind mower. Tall, thick and wet grass will bog down a mower sooner or later, but more power gives you less bogging down and better airflow if you're bagging.

I simply love the HRX217 model and I've been using them exclusively for my small lawn business. I love the plastic deck which makes it considerably lighter and the clippings don't stick to the deck as much as they do to aluminum or steel decks. The 200cc engine is more powerful than the one on HRC216, and although not commercial grade I never had any problems with it. Next the HRX217 has a brilliant Versamow system that allows you to mulch, bag or discharge with a pull of a lever. No mulch plugs. That being said there are 2 things I don't like on this mower. First is the height adjustment system that has a separate lever for each wheel. Come on Honda, you can improve that, one lever for each axle would be just fine. The other con comes from the fact that the HRX217 isn't a commercial grade mower and therefore it's much less sturdy and sometimes feels flimsy or wobbly. But if you take good care of her, especially during the transport, HRX217 should serve you many years as a commercial mower and probably a lifetime if you're a residential user who mows his lawn once a week.

I own a 2009 HRC-216 as well,………. She spanks that grass like it’s nobody’s business!!!!👀😏😎👍🤘👋✌️🇨🇦🌟 #Justkeepingitreal #Hondarulesnuffsaid

i personally think honda should put gcv190/200 onto that HRC216 body to make it less heavyer, "commercial grade" gxv160 engine does last longer but it's under powered and oddly heavy.

I've owned the Honda composite deck mowers along with the auto-choke system and personally hated the mower as it did not pick up well and the auto choke was terrible. Switched over to the HRC216 Commercial and LOVE IT. It picks up GREAT and the manual choke lever is perfect. This mower will last forever.

I was somewhat disappointed in my HRX 217 when I brought it home and realized it didn't have the blade brake feature that would still let the engine run after the blade stopped. Then again, I got it from Lowe's. I bet I would have probably gotten the feature I wanted if I went to straight to a Honda dealer.

Good video but why the bag on the 217 if you were mulching.

I have mowed a huge amount of yard on two properties with the previous gen HRR216, 12 years and finally this spring, the height adjust bracket on the right rear wheel broke, the engine keeps purring away. I will buy the current new model, weld the old one up and get 150 for it. Not a bad amortization on a $349 mower 12 years later!

I really like the hrx217 but with less than 20 hours on mine it blew out the valve stem seat and then caused my rocker arm on exhaust side to break. I think I'm gonna stick with Toro on my next purchase.

I bought a cheap $250 Craftsman lawn mower it doesn't buy grass very well and always clogs up after one strip in thick grass ,every 30 seconds i have to pull the bag off and pull grass out there it backs up. Would buying a Honda lawn mower making a difference bagging the grass?

Excellent review mate Thankyou; I’ve made my mind up!

Bro your review was awesome! Better than some “landscapers” review! I appreciate the actual show and tell!

So 12” grass, is the front tire 12”?

That's some lush grass

I own the HRC216. My HRC216 was purchased on July 2, 2001. I use it for home only on 25,000 sq' mow~able area. It has cut in the rain and thru 4" of wet grass with ease. I have had "ZERO," issues what so ever and I mean NADA!. Plug changed 6 times, 4 fuel filters, 8 air cleaners with the blade unit sharpened 3 times each on 2 new blades. I can honestly say that I could have gotten by with less maintenance upkeep, but old habits die hard. If I had to replace my HRC216 I would buy another just like it. IMHO, there is no match for the HRC216 ever made by any company EVER! ~~ "FYI." I offer the simple fact that any major issues that may arise, thanks to KZbin, I will be able to resolve, leaving my HRC216 being the same hard working mower for at least another 20yrs...........

Why didn't you get a toro timemaster?

I have both. The HRC217 is my everyday mower. Cuts better on high grass and when wet... The HRC216 has a better cut and bagging.

Dude u need a zero for that yard anyway

Junk....pure junk is a Honda mower. My last one lasted 3 years until a frozen axle seized up and became no longer functional. Total Junk! A Snapper has replaced it with precision and control. One hand operations is all that is needed. Where is the class action law suit against Honda for building such garbage?

They both mulched extremely well considering how tall that grass was. Didn't see any clumping? Honda rules!

Y cual ed la diferencia de precios y características de las dos??no hablo ingles

No backing up with mover, safety first. Thanks 4 video

I don’t mind spending the extra money for something that’s going to last. I still have my 24 year old troybilt yes before the were bought out by m t d. Back then I think I payed close to 450 the problem is I can’t get parts for it. I guess most people don’t keep there lawnmowers that long. I hope I get just

I have the GCV 200 HRX 217 . I installed a tachometer and it was running from factory at 2,800 rpms. I set it at 3,450 at max throttle. I have been told the blades can handel 3,600 rpm. But man it cuts and bags way better . Ill put my modified mower against that commercial lol

Great comparison vid Brent.

I have a 217, I looked at getting the higher grade commercial mower, but couldn’t justify paying a 3rd more. The 217 has been great! I WOULD recommend paying extra for the Hydrostatic Cruise Control.

Your not really comparing apples to apples, it’s more apples to oranges. The HRC has double clutch, steel deck commercial motor and longevity. The HRX isn’t commercial at all it’s more a upgrade from the homeowner version. Don’t get me wrong Honda mowers are the best in my opinion and owning a lawn service Honda HRC is the only mower I buy.

You failed to mention which Transmission you like better; the belt and pulley on the HRX217 or the shaft drive on the Commercial model?

If you're cutting every day I'd say ya spend the extra money for the heavy duty constructed model. But for a Residence that is only going to use the mower 1 - 2 hours a week the lesser construction will suffice. And the lesser model has the Bag/ Mulch door with settings, and adjustable height and storage handle. The lighter weight is also an advantage when turning the mower around after each pass, less work.

On the HRC did you push the throttle just past the fast detent to gain more RPM when bagging? I just bought an HRC216 and it runs a higher RPM when pushed past fast stop. It seem to cut better that way. Thanks

Put a better mulching blade on the commercial mower for mulching it might help