"Vic Smith" wrote in message
...


I think the Craftsman/Honda was about $250. 21".
I heard the Honda small engines were the best, but maybe things have
changed. My last house had a small enough yard I just used a reel
mover, then an electric I got real cheap from a guy driving by seeing
me pushing the reel. Had it in his trunk. Hope it wasn't stolen.
First mower I bought for this place was a Black and Decker battery
mower. It actually worked real good for about 4 years, then the
battery went. Think I paid $189. Biggest deficit is they're heavy.
I'll keep that Briggs and Stratton in mind for my next mower.
No sense in paying extra for a name.

--Vic

My experience with Briggs and Stratton small gas engines is that you either
get a good one that runs forever or a bad one that never starts again after
the first season. The Honda engines seem to be better, but maybe I have
just been lucky.

One thing about John Deere stuff though. You may pay more for a "name",
but their equipment is good and tough.
I've had new Murrays, Craftsman riders and thought they were ok until I
bought a used, 10 year old John Deere to mow a horse pasture. The 10 year
old John Deere felt like riding around on a Cadillac compared to the much
newer Murray or Craftsman.

My John Deere tractor has been abused, worked hard, left out in the snow and
rain all winter and it still runs like a top.
The pins on all the pivot points for the front end loader and the back hoe
are starting to wear, so they are getting a little sloppy, and a couple of
hydraulic cylinders need new seals, but it still does more than what it is
rated for. At some point I'll replace all the pins, rebuild the weeping
cylinders and it will be good for another 8-10 years.

Eisboch