I owned both. The electric start still has a pull cord back up.

 

I owned both. The electric start still has a pull cord back up.

Yeah, but if the electric start is known to be problematic I could just save the $120 and go with the pull cord only. That's IF they are known to be problematic. If most users have no trouble with them then I'd be inclined go spend the extra $120.

 

I don't have one, though I almost pulled the trigger before I found my reel mower. Cold aside, I pull the batteries out of my stored equipment to keep them on a tender over winter. I would do the same with this if you can't hook the float charger to it in storage. I was vacillating on whether getting an HRX with blade stop was worth the extra $100. Having the same functionality now with the reel mower, yeah I suppose it is a feature I enjoy. Being that the HYC and HZC are both equipped the same, I think I would save the money from an electric start and pick up a striping kit to attach to it. I did the Checkmate on my 21" mower.

 

The electric start is self-charging, which is nice, but on a small lawn, I doubt it would run long enough to recharge. Which begs the question, how many times are we starting this thing on an 1,800 sq ft lawn.

 

The electric start is self-charging, which is nice, but on a small lawn, I doubt it would run long enough to recharge. Which begs the question, how many times are we starting this thing on an 1,800 sq ft lawn.

That's right. The manual stated it takes almost an hour of use to recharge it.

 

The electric start is self-charging, which is nice, but on a small lawn, I doubt it would run long enough to recharge. Which begs the question, how many times are we starting this thing on an 1,800 sq ft lawn.

I talked to my local Honda dealer rep and he told me it would take 8-10 minutes to recharge. I probably take at least that long to mow my front and back lawn just because I don't rush through it and I have some weird areas that require me to slow down and do a few passes. I would probably only start it once if I leave it running for the whole mow or maybe 2x if I stop when I move from front to back or vice versa. I did this with my old mower because I had to cross some obstacles and didn't want the blade hitting anything but with a blade stop, I may not need to do this anymore.

 

I have the Pull cord and it's fine. Barely takes any effort to start. Don't see a need for electric start at my age. If you are older or have a bad shoulder then maybe, for me it's not worth the hassle of having to fix an electric start if it goes bad.

 

That's right. The manual stated it takes almost an hour of use to recharge it.

Oh wow, good to know. The local Honda rep told me 8-10 minutes.

 

I have an 8 year old manual start HRX and it has never needed more than 2 pulls to start. Unless you physically can't pull the cord, I wouldn't bother spending the extra for the electric start.

 

The electric start is self-charging, which is nice, but on a small lawn, I doubt it would run long enough to recharge. Which begs the question, how many times are we starting this thing on an 1,800 sq ft lawn.

I talked to my local Honda dealer rep and he told me it would take 8-10 minutes to recharge. I probably take at least that long to mow my front and back lawn just because I don't rush through it and I have some weird areas that require me to slow down and do a few passes. I would probably only start it once if I leave it running for the whole mow or maybe 2x if I stop when I move from front to back or vice versa. I did this with my old mower because I had to cross some obstacles and didn't want the blade hitting anything but with a blade stop, I may not need to do this anymore.

Exactly. With a blade stop, you start the mower once, and no need to shutdown for minor interruptions.

Man, 10 minutes to mow the lawn. :lol: (I'm mowing 10x the lawn area with a 21" rotary at the moment. I'll switch to the greensmower soon but that's not going to speed things up any!)

 

I have an 8 year old manual start HRX and it has never needed more than 2 pulls to start. Unless you physically can't pull the cord, I wouldn't bother spending the extra for the electric start.

Yeah I have no problems pulling the cord, just thought I'd splurge and get the lazy button

 

Man, 10 minutes to mow the lawn. :lol: (I'm mowing 10x the lawn area with a 21" rotary at the moment. I'll switch to the greensmower soon but that's not going to speed things up any!)

Yeah lol our lawns are small in my area. Wish I had more grass but then again I'd complain about my water bill as we don't get enough rain here.

 

I have an 8 year old manual start HRX and it has never needed more than 2 pulls to start. Unless you physically can't pull the cord, I wouldn't bother spending the extra for the electric start.

This is my 11th season with my HRX and as Bern said it never takes more than two pulls to start..I would save the money unless there is a reason that you can't use the pull start.

 

Have had the key start version for about 8 years. No problems with it at all. Only time I use the pull cord is the first mow of the year each spring. After that it's charged and ready to go.

 

You won't have any problems with the key start on the honda and if you do it's very simple to service as the battery is right under the ignition. If you can afford it then it's nice to have.

A tip for making pull starts easier. Before you start up the mower for the first time each cut. Pull the cord slowly enough to not start the mower first. This will get fuel and oil into the engine and when you make a second pull it will take less effort and start-up more smoothly. It's much easier on your arm this way

 

My Honda HRX is easy to start with just one pull. Don`t spend the extra money.

 

For me I wouldn't spend the money, but thought it worth mentioning that if in the future you foresee kids or wife helping out, it might be nice then.
Occasionally my kids want to help, but pulling the cord on the push mower is a problem for them.

 

I have had my HRX for 10+ years and it never fails to start on the first pull. Kind of amazing considering I don't believe I have ever even changed the spark plug. I DO use only ethanol-free gasoline though. Best of luck whatever your decision is.