The Honda HRX217HZA is one of the most fully-featured walk-behind gas-powered mowers you'll find on the market. This one really does have everything, including Hydrostatic Speed Control and Roto-Stop, which is Honda's name for its blade stop system.
To read about the other models we reviewed and to find the best one for you, head to the best gas lawn mowers (opens in new tab) guide.
Under the hood, the Honda HRX217HZA is just as impressive as it is on the outside. At 200cc the reliable Honda engine is super-powerful, meaning you'll find it a breeze to handle and always get a nice smooth cut. The deck itself is guaranteed to stay rust-free and there are twin blades for producing finely cut grass. The Honda HRX217HZA goes beyond the common 3-in-1 system to deliver a 4-in-1 system that bags, mulches, discharges but also shreds leaves.
Honda HRX217HZA: Price
The Honda HRX217HZA at the more expensive end of the market, as befits its extended feature set. Amazon and Home Depot have it on sale for $869 at the time of writing, and Mowersdirect.com also had it at just 99 cents more.
Honda HRX217HZA: Features
Let's start with the stand-out features of this mower, the Hydrostatic Cruise Control and the Roto-Stop technology.
Instead of having a basic 3-speed setting, Hydrostatic Speed Control enables you to gradually increase the speed until it matches your walking pace. There are 9 different presets, but you can effortlessly glide between them. The Cruise Control means you hardly need to push the mower at all - simple fingertip pressure is enough to start it moving.
Honda's Roto-Stop technology enables you to stop the blades turning without turning the engine off, so if you come across a branch or obstacle in your way you don't have to turn the mower off and on again while you remove it. Instead, you can leave the mower running, turn the blades off and clear the obstacle while ensuring your safety throughout.
Dimensions: 65.6(d) x 42.2(h) x 23.1(w)-inches
Weight: 106lb
Blade length: 21-inches
Engine displacement: 200cc
Max cutting height: 4-inches
Min cutting height: 0.75-inches
Mower type: Self-propelled
Start type: Electric start
Warranty: 5 years residential/lifetime deck
We've already mentioned the Honda HRX217HZA's impressive 4-in-1 system. So, it can perform all the usual mower functions like bagging grass, mulching and discharging, but it also has a leaf-cutting mode, which is great for chopping up and bagging dead leaves.
Finally, let's mention the dual blades. This is a really top-of-the-line feature that ensures a superior cust and makes sure that mulching will always be great with this mower, because the grass can be really finely cut.
Honda HRX217HZA: Performance
The engine inside the HRX217HZA has a 200cc discharge, so it's amongst the most powerful lawnmowers on the market, ensuring great torque. It's easy to start too, thanks to an electric start system you just turn a key and it roars into life.
Performance is one of the key things people mention in reviews when it comes to the Honda HRX217HZA. It seems that no matter what height your grass is, it eats it up without a problem and cuts it finely thanks to its twin 21-inch blades. The 9 different adjustable cutting heights come in very useful, too, when getting the cut you want.
Honda HRX217HZA: User reviews
The Honda HRX217HZA scored a 4.6 rating out of 5 on the Home Depot website, with 89% of customers recommending it. The number of 5-star reviews was particularly high, too. (80 out of 102 reviews were 5 stars).
Customers talk about what a great performer the Honda HRX217HZA is. For example, one customer writes: "This is a beast of a lawn mower! It cuts through tall Florida St. Augustine grass and pulls up hills with lots of power to spare." said BigTony. While John says, "Mower is super easy to use and does a great job both mulching or bagging. Mower is fairly quiet for such a big engine. I have been using an EGO and I liked the quietness but the Honda is honestly not much louder."
Should you buy the Honda HRX217HZA?
There are lots of good reasons to get the Honda HRX217HZA, including the great feature-set and electric start in particular, but it is expensive, so you've got to factor that into the equation too. Apart from the price, the only real disadvantage is that it's quite heavy. The fact that it's self-propelled goes a long way to mitigate heaviness issues, but this is a lot of mower for a smaller person to manage.
The Honda HRX217HZA is best suited to a half to one acre back yard, so if you've got less than that then the Honda HRX217HZA could be overkill for you. For options more suited to your lawn size, check out our Troy-Bilt TB100 review (opens in new tab) and our Craftsman M105 mower reivew (opens in new tab).
However, if you've got a back yard big enough then this is one of the best gas-powered, walk-behind mowers you can buy.
