Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Although I make most of my purchases on Amazon, I purchased this about a month ago from a local home center. I like it well enough, its pros/cons are thoroughly documented in other people’s reviews. I’ve used it only four or five times to mow approximately 6500 sq. ft. of new Kentucky Bluegrass sod. About half way through the job today I stopped to empty the clippings. After replacing the bag I started it up and it sounded funny, like the throttle was too low or the choke was on, but the choke is automatic. I released the blade control lever to turn the engine off, and just as the engine shut down I saw (and heard) the blade drop right off the machine! I turned the mower over to discover the entire blade bolt fixture had completely sheared off!! What the heck?! I absolutely did not hit any hardscape or a rock or anything. It’s fresh sod, without any debris whatsoever. I inspected the blade and there are no nicks indicating trauma, just some fresh superficial scratches presumably from when it dropped down onto the concrete sidewalk. I was dumbfounded. I immediately transported the mower and blade to a local Honda authorized dealer. They couldn’t believe it. “IF” it can be repaired (bolt drilled out, internal threads unharmed) it’s still possible the crankcase can be damaged, which would mean a total loss a one month old machine. Needless to say, I’m quite upset by this. There is the potential loss of a relatively new $600 machine, but even more concerning is the extremely hazardous safety issue of a factory installed blade coming off for no apparent reason. I will provide an update when I hear back from the service center. Updated 12/17/17: The shop where I brought the mower sat on it for over a week, at which point I discovered they were NOT an authorized Honda service center. I called Honda Power Equipment customer service and was connected to a rep (Wesley) within a couple minutes. He was knowledgeable, eager to help, prompt/efficient, and based in the US. Everything you could hope for in a customer service rep. He directed me to bring the machine to an actual Honda authorized dealer located nearby. He also requested that I email him photos of the mower. The service center dealt directly with Honda and the turnaround on the repair took only one day. The cost to me was $0. The mechanic’s assessment was that the woodruff key was missing from the factory. The dealer rep said he wasn’t surprised, and even though all Honda mowers are manufactured in China, he believes there is variability in quality between manufacturing facilities and that the mowers destined for authorized dealers are assembled in better plants than the ones shipped to big box stores. It’s an interesting theory, but I’ll take it with a grain of salt. While I’m disappointed a new $600 Honda mower would suffer a near catastrophic failure like this, I’m encouraged by their customer service department who hit it out of the park when it came to supporting their product and making me whole. Machines can break and mistakes can happen, but as long as a company is willing to back their product I’ll stay loyal to their brand. Finally, do not trust the reviews on the Home Depot website. I tried several times to leave this review on their site and it was repeatedly rejected with no explanation provided. This leads me to believe that their reviews are biased on the positive side.