@ bluemower - Thanks very much for reply! Absolutely would be easier to decide on this, if I had better knowledge of the old mower's "ailments" :). The challenge is finding a person/shop local to me who knows Hondas and is willing to honestly assess the condition of my mower for the problems you listed above. Some big shops in my area don't have the best reputation with customers. They tend to push sales of the equipment they carry, rather than stand behind decent repair service. Contacted a few smaller places I found via Internet searches today, which say they can service any mower make/model. I'm asking directly whether they can repair/rebuild older Hondas. Hope #1 is for the HRM215 to be repaired at affordable cost - and before the front yard becomes a meadow. :-) I do agree with what you said, that the old mower is several notches in quality above most of the basic push mowers available. Decision-making is tough since I really want to avoid being "penny-wise and pound-foolish" and end up with a new mower which turns out to be a throw-away in a few years' time. However, we've only had two mowers since 1987 (a Craftsman and then the Honda), so I don't have any experience on how quality's changed among the different brands. Labor outsourcing, materials used, all those things have been impacted while the companies chase profit margins... If a new TB130 or 7021P would run me $250-$300 before tax, what's the prudent "break point" on repair costs for the Honda to where you'd say, go buy a newer mower? If the repair expense tipped the decision, what push mower would you steer me toward? Is there a middle price range that significantly pops up the quality, or is there a lot of hype in the mix? I know residential-grade mowers lack the sturdiness of their commercial "big brothers", but perhaps there's a brand or two which has more consistency throughout its product lines? I'd be grateful hearing whether there are particular features that you'd swear by paying more $$ for, which help performance or life-span of the equipment, vs. optional stuff that creates more maintenance hassles than it's worth.

Cool GH Duke!! Your tomato plants look so healthy and it looks like you will be enjoying the fruits of your labor very soon.....LOL...I LOVE fried green tomatoes, so that little baby that you posted a pick of would be such a temptation for me!!! Thanks so much for sharing your photos. I just ordered the GH from Harbor Freight also!! I'm really excited, this will be our first GH. I've got my fingers crossed that it will work out for us. Can't wait to get it although I will be using it more this fall and winter for next Spring.

Here is a follow up to my June 28, 09 post: It has been two years since the purchase of my HS724WA. Powerful, quite, smooth, maneuverable, fuel efficient - but not reliable. Back in December I took out the Honda to prep for the coming snow. Filled the tank with fresh gas newly treated with stabilizer. Couldn't start the machine with the choke on. It would start with the choke off after many pulls, but wouldn't run for more than about 30 seconds. The local repair shop suggested it was a dirty carburetor. I doubted that since it is only 2 years old, I use stabilizer, and drain the tank at the end of each season. After forking over the $50 pickup-delivery charge, the shop tried cleaning the carburetor three times to no avail. They offered to tear apart the carburetor to determine the cause, but suggested a new carburetor ($47) plus labor ($50) would be a cheaper and safer route. Furthermore I was infomed that I overfilled the tires, causing the back end to ride high, causing the auger to scrape. Apparently the Honda tires "don't have memory", so once overfilled, they remain enlarged even after letting air out. $200 to replace the tires. So 2 years after spending $2000 on an HS724WA, I have to drop an additional $350 in repairs. Obviously I am a little disillusioned by the whole experience. I'll take the blame for the tires, though I wish Honda was a little more vocal on how finicky they are. I am aware they require 8psi and religiously check the pressure throughout the season, using my bicycle pump to make adjustments. I have an analog VDO pressure gauge that works well for my automobile (32psi) and will register 8-60psi. Apparently it is not accurate at 8psi. I recently purchased a low pressure (0-15psi) gauge for $28. Ironically the Honda receives better care than I ever gave my Yard Machines/MTD blower, which ran reliably without problems for 10 years. I like the machine otherwise, but will no longer be able to speak enthusiastically about "Honda reliability".

FWIW. A very pertinent article from The Car Connection's Daily Edition: "Detroit Needs More Than Healthcare Cuts? General Motors, Ford and even the Chrysler Group need to look beyond cuts in healthcare benefits as they restructure if they plan to regain strength in the automotive industry, says one of the industry's top observers. Laurie Harbour-Felax, a consultant and analyst who studies the domestic industry extensively, said that domestic carmakers still have a long way to go to catch their top Japanese competitors. During the first part of the 2005, Nissan made $1,826 per vehicle sold while GM lost $1,227, a gap of $3,300. Even the profitable Chrysler Group made only a fraction of Nissan's per-vehicle profit, at $186 per vehicle, said Harbour-Felax, who was a principal in Harbour & Associates for many year before setting up her own firm this year. To keep pace with Asian competitors, domestic carmakers must figure out ways to use more common parts and vehicle architectures and limit warranty expenses and recall costs, which are still too high now despite the substantial improvements in quality. American companies score much better in initial quality surveys but the longer-term quality that shapes public perception of a vehicle and a company still seems to lag behind. Domestic carmakers spend between $200 to $300 more per vehicle on recalls and that has to be eliminated, she said. Harbour-Felax suggested domestic automakers have to learn to work more closely with their suppliers and treat them as part of the solution, not the problem." TJ Here is a link that might be useful: TheCarConnection.com / Daily Edition Dec 19 2005