I just want to say I went through hell trying to find a decent self propelled, mulching mower after my 11-year old Craftsman finally died. It was a very reliable mower, but didn't cut very even and was a mediocre mulcher. It seems the newer mowers are all about bells & whistle features when all I required was an even cut, and good mulching, and a reasonable self-propelled drive. My neighbor has an older John Deere that he loves, but the new ones suck because they sold off the line to some lower quality process, or so I've heard and read. So I started with the Toro Recycler 20334 from HD, and it seemed to mulch ok until I pulled it backwards over the grass to cut (which is a common move while mowing in a confined or irregular shaped area) and saw it clumping when the grass wasn't even very tall. My crap Craftsman out did that, so back to the store and traded it in and upgraded (+$100) for a Honda HRR216VXA. Well that one seemed more solid and the motor had a nice dependable sound to it, BUT 1) engaging the blade killed the motor at least once, and 2) the bagging chamber behind the mulch plug collected way too much grass due to a poorly designed mulch plug that doesn't fit snugly. I even called Honda to see if they knew anything, and of course they acted like it was supposed to be that way. Right. Also it left a small trail of grass behind the right rear wheel when mulching which I wonder if the gaping hole around the mulch plug could somehow be contributing to that, who knows. Either way I wasn't satisfied with that Honda either so I cleaned it up and returned it for a refund and went to Westlake Hardware and for an extra $30 bought a 20092 Toro Super Recycler because I read the Supers have a better mulching system than the regular Recyclers. Well I can finally say it does surpass both of the other mowers I had and I am very satsified with it. I imagine the high-end Honda is just as good but it's $200 more, which seems out of line for a walk-behind mower, also I heard Honda's parts are too high in cost. Also Toro is a U.S. company here in the Midwest which should help with price and availability in theory. Anyway that Super is a mulch monster, I really like it a lot. I don't know if the standard Recycler is some secondary line made just for HD, but it sucks compared to the Super, IMO.

There is no problem making turns or turnarounds with the RWD mower. This comes up from time to time and I cannot understand why. With Personal Pace you just push down on the handle to raise the front wheels, pivot, then push off in the new direction. When approaching the turn or turnaround, you can slow down if you wish, and Personal Pace also slows with you. When pushing the handle down to raise the front wheels to pivot on the rear wheels, be careful not to push the sliding handle down which engages the drive. Basically you simply use the mower like a push mower without trying to 'control' the drive. This is what gets people in trouble with Personal Pace. Plus, there is a general misunderstanding about making turns with a RWD mower. There is no difficulty or problem involved, and no real trick to it, particularly with PP. With a control bail as with 'Variable Speed', you simply let go of the bail at the point of making the turn and pick up the bail to go in the new direction. All mowers pivot the same, whether push, FWD or RWD; you raise the front wheels off the ground as you pivot the mower. I understand that many people seem to have some kind of 'mental block' about using a RWD mower. I've been trying to get my neighbor to switch over for years, but he keeps buying the crummy FWD mowers over and over. I suspect with him it's the same thing - he can't picture how he would make turns pivoting on the drive axle. All I can say is, it's so easy even a cave man could do it. Maybe I need to make a video. I mean, do people really have to be shown how to turn around a mower?

Thjanks for the reply canguy!! The models in question are the Honda HHR2165PDC and the Toro 20334C Recycler The Honda does not have a self drive system or any other bells and whistles other than the "quadracut blade system" I have to wonder if the Hondas are over rated and your paying a premimum for the name? The Toro is fully loaded as I mentioned before. Up until now I have been bagging my clippings but I'm thinking that with new technology that I may be able to mulch now. My concerns are the quality of cut and longevity of the machines. In your opinion which model will give me a better cut and do you think that options like the personal pace and key start are prone to failure.You know what they say "more things to brake" Also is there a big difference in performance to step up to the "Super Recycler" to justify the extra $$ are the kickers and aluminum deck worth it?

Last Summer when first purchased, I removed the battery from my 2014 Toro 20334 mower (walk-behind, self-propelled, electric start) in order to install the fuse. No problem. Only recharged battery once last fall. Just needed to do again & forgot charger plugs on handle so removed battery tray. Quickly realized my mistake and tried to reinstall battery - and it won't fit! There is a youtube video showing Toro battery replacement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAr2D90LA3w) but design is slightly different. My battery sets in a plastic "shell" around the lower half that has a space where the fuse clips on. The shell sets in the battery housing. Because of the space where the fuse clips to the shell, it will only set in the housing one way - with the battery set so the terminals are on the left. The video shows the battery wiring extending through a slot in the housing to the battery set with the terminals on the right. My housing is identical but the wiring does not go through the slot and there is no way the wiring could fit through the slot and extend far enough to clip the fuse into its place in the shell. Advise from anyone who has this model Toro will be hugely appreciated. Until then I will be setting here banging my head on the desk and drinking heavily.