wrote:

Looking for a new self-propelled mower for hopefully less than $300.

You'll probably get better answers at http://opeonthenet.com/ - but I
saw this at Samsclub last week and wondered if it was 1/2 as good as
the 10 [?]yr old Honda that I bought used for $100 5 yrs ago.

Any opinions from Honda owners?

If it is 1/4 as good, it is worth $300. I'm in NY so mine sits idle
from Oct-May. It lives outside and sometimes I forget to throw a
board over it so it becomes entombed in a snowdrift. I don't drain
the gas or take any precautions. It starts on the first or second
pull every time. I change the oil and sparkplug after the first time
I use it in the spring. I've replaced the blades once- and I spent
$35 this year for a new bag. Otherwise, I just run it.

I'll be mostly bagging on a flat lot less than 1/4 acre with lots of
turns around shrubs and trees. While performance is important,
reliability is the most important consideration. Not being
mechanically inclined, I need to know that whatever I get can do the
job it's supposed to do without a lot of messing around or running to
the repair shop with it, warranty or not.

Mowers are not complicated. Buy a manual, hang out in repair
groups, and you can keep any mower going for a real long time.

Jim