Honda HRX426CRXE

My Honda HRX426CRXE lawnmower was purchased after much research from a local dealer, who allowed various mowers, including Atco and Hayter, to be tried before the final choice was made. The Honda is incredibly well engineered, and it is ridiculously over-powered for a push mower by its 5.5HP overhead valve 4-stroke engine. In use, long and/or damp grass just doesn't slow the blade! The engine, which has a proper carburetor, starts without problem from cold with the choke engaged. Once the engine is running, the throttle control can be moved to fast or slow speed, and after 5 - 10 seconds the blade can be engaged. Sooner than this, with a cold engine, the engine stalls. Note the blade can be engaged or disengaged so the engine does not need to be stopped when, say, emptying the grass box. The engine seems quiet and very smooth.

There is a rear roller so the grass has stripes, and height adjustment is very simple via a single 5 position lever. The grass box is ample and easy to remove for emptying - and the mower is capable of filling it to capacity. Ergo, grass pick up is better than any rotary mower I have previously used (including a Hayter Harrier). At 42 cm., the cutting width is at the low end of petrol rotaries, and the skirt is made of polycarbonate. What this saves in weight is lost by the weight of the engine, and the mower overall is no lightweight at 35 Kg (but is nevertheless on a par with the equivalent metal skirted Harrier).

If you are looking for a light mower, look elsewhere - remember the 35 Kg is without a full grassbox, which this mower packs to capacity. The end result is a cut which is very accurate and heading into cylinder mower territory.

The mower comes with a 5 year guarantee, but this is subject to maintenance by a Honda dealer - £80 p.a. has been mentioned. You pays your money and takes your chances, but it may be cheaper to put the cost of the service to one side each year and buy a new mower every few years if doing your own servicing doesn't work out.

The Owners Manual (which is laborious to navigate) suggests some items can only be carried out using special tools e.g valve clearances, roller bearing and the blade stop mechanism. I'll find out this winter!

Overall, I'm well pleased with this mower, which knocks the spots off a previous Hayter Harrier, especially in the grass-collection stakes. Great cut, fairly heavy to push (but no more so than its immediate competitors). £399 from Bartram Mowers, Norwich.