I like the two cycle Mantis. I have a 7225, made in 2010, and just bought my daughter a 7924, easy start, two cycle Mantis for her B-day. I pick my Mantis up used and it had been run hard and put up wet but I went through it and fixed it. It is now as good as my daughters $400 new Mantis.
Keep the 4 stroke Honda. I have the Honda version and Love it. The lightness is fantastic. You are better off pulling it, otherwise you are climb digging.. It tries to pull itself forward......... My Honda Mantis starts so easily, runs smoothly, and digs great. I have 360 sqft of raised beds and it does a great job. These are not meant for virgin packed soil.. too light... Nice review !
You generally cant beat a Honda engine reliability. I bought an old Honda gx620 v-twin 20 horse engine a few years ago for an ATV project not knowing exactly how old the engine is and once I got it home discovered its so old theres NO internal parts available anymore everything but the carb and tune up parts are obsolete. Its the first gen v-twin commercial/industrial honda engine from the early 90`s. Luckily it has very good compression and runs very well and 40-50 psi oil pressure. I beat on it almost every weekend and fires right up at -30c and after using it for 20+ hours over the last 2 years i`m confident it has a few more years left in it. If it does let go I have a newer version of that engine in 24 horse to replace it.
