Bearf: I am having the exact same problem that you described above. Bought my mower new in April 2013, and it has left the mohawk of grass on the right side since it came out of the box. I have played around with the deck and sharpened the blades but nothing improves the situation. I called Honda figuring that this must be a recall issue but they claimed to be unaware of any problems. Were you able to get any resolution or do you have any advice on what is causing this? I'm tired of double cutting, wish I would've just taken it back the day I bought it. The model is HRR216VKA. Thanks, you can email me at djg642@gmail.com

Any chance you took the blades off and reinstalled them improperly/backwards. A honda mulcher should only leave that slime cut grass trail if the blades on wrong or it's cutting in 1' tall sopping wet conditions. The latter isn't Hondas could either.

You could try using only the lower blade. I had to do that on my HRB216TDA because it 'pureed' the grass, leaving slime trails in the wheel tracks that would kill the grass if not raked out immediately. Not the same problem but perhaps worth a try since its free and easy. The LH blade is the lower one and the 'scissor-cut' blade on the right is the upper one. You might also check to make sure they are installed correctly.

{{gwi:135478}}

Bad news fella's. I just bought a Honda HRR216VKA mower to day 6-9-2015. It came from the store, fully assembled. I mow at a 3 inch height. It leaves the exact same strip. Has anyone come up with a solution to the problem?

What happens if you use the bag mode and remove the mulch plug?

Update, I used it again today and this time did not use the mulch setting, set it on the bag setting and removed the bag so it would rear discharge. It worked just fine.

I think you have to forget the mulching and either bag or use the rear discharge.

I have had a Honda HRR2169VKA for a few years now and am having the same issues of uncut strip of grass! I just had the blades sharpened so we will eliminate that possibility. I am wondering if this only happens when the grass is pretty high? I do not cut my grass really short but there is usually a week between cuttings so the grass really needs cutting when I get to it?

With any mulching mower, if you go over 3" height, it will blow the grass down and leave strips. It's just the nature of the beast. The deck is closed. The blade is acting as a fan but the air has nowhere to go except out around the edges of the deck. Because of the clockwise blade rotation, most of the air is on the RH side of the deck which is why a side discharge chute would be on the RH side. If you change to bag or discharge, the blade will then suck the grass up to be cut like its supposed to and you won't leave any strips. The Honda Quadracut dual blades actually make this effect more pronounced which is why I suggested you try just the lower blade.

Thanks for the comment. I did get the blades sharpened and also took it off "mulch" and discharged it in the back and it seemed to cut a lot better? I will try your suggestion of using just the main blade next if needed. Thanks again

I've had mine for a year now and have used it extensively. The mulch setting will leave the strip. I only mulch occasionally. I've been mowing at 3.5 inches and 3.0 inches. It does best in thick green grass. Less effective in dry thin grass. But overall I am satisfied with cut - it's fine. The mower has started every time by the second pull. It's a miser on gas. My drive is starting to squeal slightly and the tires have become quite polished. so it does a fair bit of sliding on hills. I'd recommend the mower for ease of starting and great fuel economy.

I also had problems with the strip. I called Honda , they asked me a bunch of stupid questions . I said if they did not have a fix for the problem the mower was going back. They sent me new blades that were totally different than what came from the factory. It has improved but still not what you would expect from a Honda mower. I should of taken it back.

Yep , Buy Toro , Twin Blades are just a manufacturing gimmick !

Have had mine a couple of years and same issue. Only a problem with my tall fescue, especially when it thins out. I think the only solution is to take it off much and try to lower the blade. Does fine on my bermuda for mulching.

The principal design of a mulching blade is to lift the grass for the secondary cut . The airfoil on the back of the blade produces this lifting action . With the twin blade design this action may be negated to a degree which may contribute to this Mohawk cut effect . Also all Hondas must have their high dome decks cleaned thoroughly underneath for optimum efficiency . I have never been a fan of twin blade systems for this reason , have witnessed this poor mulch quality on numerous Honda mowers ! Bagging was the solution !

I have posted about Pop's Honda Regurgitating mulching mower in the past. It cannot handle higher grass the way my Toro PP 13 year old model or my new one can. Now that he's gone, my daughter goes over everything twice.

1. Hondas never have been a great mulching mower ! Hondas are much better at bagging . Toro,s and Snappers have and are the Best Mulchers Period !

I have been mulching for well over a decade...I do not understand why folks continue to go thru the aggravation of bagging. I am further surprised local waste management still take clippings away.

Clipping should be recycled by the homeowner , same with leaves composting is very effective & environmentally sound . I agree mulching is preferred , helps reseed the Lawn and adds natural nutrients to a healthy lawn . I only bag my rear 1.5 acre back yard . However Toro,s have a very quick one hand bagging system . My New Commercial Toro bags and mulchs effortlessly . However I did upgrade my blade to a Premium Oregon Gator , cuts the grass even finer than the standard oem blade and really mulchs and bags better . The Air foil Design on the Gator blade seems to provide more turbulence and lift .

I too am a Honda owner. I have a 4 year old HRX model with the plastic deck. Although not the same problem, I also have had a cut quality issue since I got it. Mine leaves random uncut blades of grass about the yard. (I also had a new commercial Honda from 2009 that did the same thing.) Many look as if they’re being blown over. I had a Honda that I bought in 1997 that cut and mulched beautifully. Their “new and improved” dome deck with twin blades just dont cut the same. As some of you have experienced, I was also told by Honda that they’re unaware of any issues.

High Dome great bagging , mulching not so much with the twin blades . Go with a single Gator blade solves the issue !

Purchased a HRR216 about 3 weeks ago. Im blown away that a mower that is sold as a mulching mower can not mulch. Thankfully I didn't get rid of my 20 year old Husqvarna as it does a 1000 times better job that this waste of money.

take it back and get a Toro or try a gator mulching blade. I call my in-laws Honda the Vominator....horrible mulcher unless uulch every 3 days.

Like Andre said ! lol.

My brand new Honda mower (May 2019) also seems to leave a strip of uncut grass. At first I thought it was me, now I know it is the mower. Consumer Reports needs to stop recommending this product! Which Gator blade will fix the problem? And, it is made to fit a Honda mower?

Honda says they will repair it if it is broken, but they will not refund my money. I'm not sure Home Depot will either since I tossed the receipt.

Thanks for the info on the Gator Blade.

Actually I accidentally found a gator type blade made by Oregon at Northern Tool a couple years ago. It had the same profile bends to it and it fit perfectly, however on my mower it left behind more uncut blades of grass than the Honda set that came with the mower. We’re planning on moving within a year, and the mower is going to stay with the house. Its maddening that such a powerhouse of an engine comes on such an inferior deck. It won’t stall in the heaviest grass even in mulch mode. I just saw a new Honda hrx mower at Northern Tool, and they've come up with a new engine - the GCV200. A touch bigger than the 190, but will you notice the difference? It has a “solid” engine cover meaning there is no air intake for the cooling fan on top. I’ve attached a picture I found of it on google. I’m going with a Toro commercial 21 next.

Don,t forget the Kawi engine Bud !

Do you seriously think Honda would build an air cooled engine without an air intake?

No tomplum, I don’t think Honda would make an engine without a cooling air intake, and if you re-read my comment above, you’ll see I said there is no air intake ON TOP. Of course it needs cooling air, but apparently it draws it in from below the engine cover instead of the conventional way on top.

Oh yeah ssewalk1, I remember the Kawi. From all I’ve read, it’s a beast. Do you like it better than the Honda? Still can’t understand why Honda doesn’t make the GX vertical shaft in a 190 or the new 200, although the HP and torque isn’t a lot more on the Kawi over the GXV160

2nd yr with the Commercial Toro , love the extra horsepower 4.5 and torque the Kawi 180 cc provides , especially during damp mulching that often is a unavoidable situation . The 200 GVC was not available when I purchased , it is a strong performer from what I have heard though !

Oh they make a 200 GX now? Interesting!

Just purchased a Honda HRN216VKA and tried the mulcher first at low speed. I mowed a strip and then watched grass blades pop back up. The bagger works fine but really wanted to mulch. Doesn't compare to my old lawn boy with the side discharge except that the mulch is finer. Might mulch quickly with the Honda and then remow with the lawn boy. Don't understand why the engine is so small. This mower has all good reviews which is very surprising. Honda has a video of mowing with this mower which they conveniently created in the rain. Disappointing, but guess they don't make things like they used to.

Recently purchased the new HRN model this summer and I returned it due to it leaving just an unacceptable amount of blades uncut along with the annoying mohawk but the grass left uncut was just too much to bear it's a good mower for me it mulched well and bagged extremely good but the actual cut quality is just horrible too many stragglers left behind in literally every pass, the Toro that I'd use previously left a significantly better cut and was over $100 cheaper.

Just bought a Honda mulching mower and am having the same issue with leaving strips of grass. Read another review that mentioned Honda told them to not cut anymore that an inch at a time. Which is absurd. Previously had a cheap blackmax before this that had a much better cut. Thinking of returning the mower to Home Depot for a Toro.

I've had the Honda HRR for maybe 6 years, and I've struggled with the mohawk or uncut strip of grass ever since I got it. I've been told that I'm not mowing frequently enough, the blades are not sharp enough, the wheels may be out of balance, etc. Basically I'm doing something wrong, not the mower. I've taken it to 2 different shops and both say there is no issue with the mower. After reading this thread and another similar (but older) one, I realize that this is a common issue for Honda. How can it be that the mower I thought was the best in industry does such a crappy job at mowing? (rhetorical) Thanks to all of you who posted such insightful comments. Unfortunately I'm stuck with a bad mower, which I bought to replace my Husqvarna (with Honda engine) because I thought it would do a better job.