Honda HRX217 Series Premium Residential Lawn Mowers

January 19, 2022

Honda HRX217 Premium Residential Lawn Mower Bridge the Gap Between Entry-Level and Commercial Needs

Looking for a lawn mower that offers more than entry-level without going all the way up to a commercial build and price? The Honda HRX217 lawn mower series positions itself in the gap to offer homeowners a better option.

Honda HRX217 Series Lawn Mower Lineup

The line consists of 5 models: the HRX217VKA, HRX217VLA, HRX217VYA, HRX217HYA, and HRX217HZA. Each of the 21″ mowers offers a variety of features to make maintaining your lawn a breeze.

What They Have in Common

The HRX217 series uses Honda’s GCV200 engine, which is a nice upgrade from the GCV170 engine on Honda’s HRN216 series.

They also all feature the brand’s 4-in-1 Versamow System with Clip Director. The Versamow System can mulch, bag, and side-discharge your clippings, as well as shred leaves. The system can even provide a combination of mulching and bagging. The great thing is that you don’t have to keep track of a plug or other accessories—it’s all built right into the mower.

Each mower has a 21-Inch NeXite rust-free, no-dent cutting deck. Honda has so much faith in their durability that they back them with a lifetime warranty.

As we expect from Honda’s higher-end mower, you get MicroCut stacked blades. These mower blades provide four cutting surfaces that create finer clippings that make for better mulching and easier bagging.

Common Features

Here’s the full list of what every mower in the lineup has:

GCV200 Engine
Automatic Choke
50-State Certified
21-Inch NeXite Deck
MicroCut Twin Blades
10-Position Versamow Clip Deflector
9-Inch Ball Bearing Wheels
3 Handle Positions
Easy Fold Quick Release Handle
Fuel Shut Off Valve
3/4 – 4-inch Cutting Height
0 – 4 MPH Drive Speed
2.5 Bushel Bag

How They’re Different

Here’s a breakdown of the features you can expect on each of the five Honda HRX217 models:

Honda HRX217VKA

Infinitely Variable Select Drive
Recoil Starting
89-Pound Dry Weight

Honda HRX217VLA

Infinitely Variable Select Drive
Electric Starting With Recoil Backup
95-Pound Dry Weight

Honda HRX217VYA

Infinitely Variable Select Drive
Recoil Starting
Roto-Stop (stops the blade without shutting down the engine)
95-Pound Dry Weight

Honda HRX217HYA

Hydrostatic Cruise Control Drive
Recoil Starting
Roto-Stop
97-Pound Dry Weight

Honda HRX217HYA

Hydrostatic Cruise Control Drive
Electric Starting With Recoil Backup
Roto-Stop
106-Pound Dry Weight

From there, you can select the model that sports the features that you need for your lawn. Some of these include:

Roto Stop: This feature stops the blades spinning without shutting down the engine (available on VYA, HYA, and HZA models)
Cruise Control Variable Speed Control: This variable hydrostatic speed control provides precise, easy speed control that you can set and forget (available on HYA and HZA models)
Honda Select Drive Variable Speed Control: Easily adjust the mower’s speed to your stride by rotating the speed adjust dial (available on VLA, VKA, and VYA models)
Quick Release Handle: Easy to adjust to 3 positions for comfortable mowing or compact storage
5-Year Warranty

Honda HRX217 Vs HRN216

What’s the difference between Honda’s HRX217 premium residential mowers and their HRN216 entry-level series? We’re so glad you asked!

Series	HRX217	HRN216
Engine Model	Honda GCV200 OHC Residential Engine	Honda GCV170 OHC Residential Engine
Starting	Recoil/Electric (depending on model)	Recoil/Electric (depending on model)
Choke System	Automatic	Automatic
Emissions	50 state certified	50 state certified
Throttle Control	Fixed or manual	N/A
Versamow System	Mulch, bag, discharge, leaf shred	Mulch, bag, discharge
Clip Director	10 positions	2 positions
Bag Capacity	2.5 bushels	1.9 bushels
Cut Height	0.75 – 4 inches	1 -4 inches
Number of Cutting Positions	7	7
Self-Propel	Infinitely Variable Select Drive or Hydrostatic Cruise Control	N/A or Variable Position Smart Drive
Blades	Twin Blade MicroCut System	Twin Blade MicroCut System
Roto-Stop	VYA, HYA, and HZA models	N/A
Cutting Deck	21-inch NeXite	21-inch 16-gauge steel
Wheels	9-inch with ball bearings on all wheels	8-inch with sintered metal bushing on the rear wheels
Handle	1-inch steel tube with 3 height positions and Easy Fold quick release and ErgoActive design	1-inch steel tube with 2 height positions and Easy Fold quick release
Dry Weight	89 lb – 106 lbs	73 – 87 lbs
Residential Warranty	5 years	3 years
Deck Warranty	Lifetime	3 years
Price Range	$769 – $1079	$509 – $629