Pick the one that has the features that make the most sense for your mowing situation. Your comments make me think that a bbc would be very useful for you. If so then spend the extra $$ and get the mower that will minimize the number of manual restarts.

Being unable to find any mowers that offer both a non-steel deck and BBC in a push mower config, I decided to buy the Honda. It was a little less than $80 more than the Toro, but I couldn't get past the Chinese built engine on the 20383. It may well be the equal of the Honda engine, but the Honda is a known entity. Considering how long I keep my mowers, it just didn't make sense to risk long term reliability on the unknown engine.

I like the personal pace system and would have preferred it. Had Toro put a Honda engine in that configuration, that may well have altered the outcome in my particular case.

If you were fine with push, you should have considered the Toro 22155 light duty commercial... GSV190 engine, steel wheels, aluminum deck, great mulching and bagging...

But no blade control. That was my criteria, non-steel deck with BBC. The 21255 is close, but still short. What's the price on the 21255, out of curiosity?

Oops. Meant 22155 above.

For me, the BBC is just one more thing to go wrong... when I bag (which is about 4-5 times/year) I usually have to stop 4 times - any engine that can't handle being restarted 4 times has other issues :)

If you only have to stop 4-5 times when you bag, you must have a small lawn.
I love the BBC on my 23 year old Honda. I start the engine once with one pull and shut it off when I'm done or run out of gas.

"when I bag (which is about 4-5 times/year) I usually have to stop 4 times - any engine that can't handle being restarted 4 times has other issues :)"

Heh! It's not the engine having an issue with multiple restarts!

Much as I hate to admit it, I'm not as young as I once was. But I suppose that's the good news.

Bill, my lawn is just shy of 0.25ac... If I had anything bigger, I'd probably get a riding mower :)

I have a HRX217HXA which from what I can tell is the 5-6 year old equivalent to the new HYA. I couldn't be more happy with it. The mower stats first pull every time with a weak baby pull, the BBC is great, the Hydro tranny allows you to mow around even the most precarious of lawn obstacles at .1 mph (I believe) at a light jog if you please and the mower mulches so finely (even when I cut at least 9" off of soaking wet grass!) I couldn't see ANY remnants of the mulched grass.

I cannot speak to the TORO mowers ability but I do know that the GCV190 on my mower was made in Alpharetta GA and is a wonderful engine. Not as fuel efficient as the GCV160 I had in my 12 year old HRT but that's the price of an extra 1.2hp and almost 2 ft-lbs! It will mow through anything you throw in front of it.

Here is a pic of that "at least 9" of sopping wet grass I cut. See how cleanly it mowed yourself.

[IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r288/bsmith782/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_4625.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r288/bsmith782/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_7091.jpg[/IMG]

Just a heads-up, to post pics on the GW, check out the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: posting pics to GW

Thanks speedlever. Ill just post the links to photobucket below.

Before.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r288/bsmith782/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_4075.jpg

After.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r288/bsmith782/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_4625.jpg

[IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r288/bsmith782/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_3995.jpg[/IMG]

This pic shows just how sopping wet it was that morning. It had rained from ~8pm two nights before to 11pm the night prior to cutting, or about 27h! This mowing was done at about 8am or in other words there was not really any good sunlight to dry the ground at all. The only thing I did to create this little muddy spot was turn around at the end of my mow line, this was from my feet!

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r288/bsmith782/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0750.jpg

Okay so that still didnt work. Just copy the link/s, paste in your address bar and check them out.

Let me help you out:

Before:
{{gwi:129282}}

After:
{{gwi:129283}}

Well shucks. They looked great on preview. I have no idea why they disappeared when I posted the msg.

I have the same question as the original post. I am curious if there are any additions to the thread based on user experience. I can purchase either the Toro or Honda at $600. The only two differences I see is that Honda has a lifetime deck warranty. The Toro has a 5 year start gaarantee. The other may be the engine. Toro is self branded but who know where built. Honda is honda.