Well, I took the plunge and bought a Honda, got the 216 with the
caster front wheels because I really liked that feature when I tried
out my friend's John Deere.

Mowed the first time yesterday. Took me about 1 hour and my property
is a half acre with house and shrub beds. The Honda is quieter than a
B&S I think, but I could be wrong. Thank God I got the 3-speed
because the single speeder is way too fast (same as 3rd I was told).
Bag empties reasonably quick, it's easy to start, no priming at all.

I almost bought a floor sample Deere, the one with casters, because
the salesperson at HD marked it down to $399 during our discussion to
see if I'd bite. But then I figured the extra $100 would be worth it
to get the Honda, fresh out of the box.

Just one cut, but I like it and the lawn looks better than when my
_former_ landscaper cut it with his Scags. I fired him last week
after yearly price increases and sloppier work drove me to it. I
don't mind price increases, but I had to call him back several times
to cut spots that they had entirely missed, and the detail work (like
picking up clippings on walk, others) were no longer being done.

Last time I cut his lawn I had my BobCat Commercial walk behind, and
it always looked good. Now that I have more time on my hands, the
lawn will get more attention again.

Mike