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Having used both, and having been working for Honda for 20+ years, here's my thoughts:

Hydrostatic (fluid) drive is 25+ years old; the design of the transmission and controls (levers, etc.) has been unchanged. While not flawless, it is a proven design, and is ultra-smooth, reliable and considered by most to be the "best" drive system for mowers available. The drive belt is under constant tension, and the speed in controlled by internal movement of a swash plate / pistons to control pressure from a pump to turn a motor. Sounds complex, but really quite simple and reliable. One control lever (orange) sets the maximum speed, while the other (black) varies the speed from 0-maximum setting. The black control lever moves in the same direction as the blade control lever. This is important to some users. Hydrostatic drive systems are more complex, more expensive, more costly to repair, and parts are more expensive.

SmartDRIVE (until K8 models) was a internal, cone-clutch design. The cones moved to engage and vary the speed as the SmartDRIVE control was moved. The SmartDRIVE control was developed by Honda R&D in cooperation with an ergonomic expert, and the first generation was a fixed position. It was soon updated with 5-position adjuster. Some customers still complained about having to hold the SmartDRIVE control in one direction, and the blade control lever in the other. Starting with the K8 models (HRR), the SmartDRIVE moved from a cone-clutch to a slip-belt design. Now the speed would change by changing the tension on the drive belt. Testing showed this to be as smooth and durable as a transmission-based speed adjustment. However, it has only been out for a short while, and the market will ultimately decide. SmartDRIVE systems are simple, less parts, less costly to produce, made is larger quantities (parts are cheaper).

Warranty for hydrostatic and SmartDRIVE are the same.

As others have said, this is a sizable investment either way, and test drive of each is well worth the time and effort required. You should expect to get years and years of service out of any mower you buy, especially at these price points, and you'd better be happy with your choice. Test each and decide for yourself what you like best.

 

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Hi Robert-

Excellent explanation. I now understand far better about the differences.

One remaining question about hydrostatic.... This will be answered if we can get a test drive of, say, a model HRX217HXA mower, but in the meantime, is the movement of the ground speed bar more or less linear when controlling speed? In other words, that bar seems to have a total range of motion of maybe 3-4", so as you move it toward the main bar to begin moving the mower, does the mower take off immediately just as the bar is pushed slightly, or is there a lot of dead motion in the bar before any result is seen? Sorry about the bad phrasing, but does my meaning make sense? The reason for the question is that my wife has small hands and has asked me whether she'll be able to easily vary the ground speed......

The HRX runs about 4 mph flat-out. You want to set the orange lever to the the maximum speed you want the unit to move on flat open turf. For me, I put it right at mid-point. This is about 2 mph, so when I move the black lever from rest and press it toward the handlebar, the mower starts to move from 0-2 mph. The faster I push the black lever, the quicker the rear wheels spin.

I use my left hand to hold the blade control lever and handlebar together. When mowing flat-out, the black drive clutch lever is fully pressed and held against the handlebar with my right hand. When I need to slow, I'll release the black drive clutch lever slightly, sometimes with just my thumb holding it, others my whole hand, depending on how much speed I need to drop. To coast, I just let it snap back to rest position and continue gripping the handlebar.

With her small hands, using both to operate both the blade control and drive clutch levers might be too much. Hard to say. If she's going to be the primary user of the mower, try and bring her along for any test drives.

 

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Is there any reason Honda, or myself could not adapt the thumb controlled lever from the smart drive mowers to the Hyrdrosatic mowers?

I'd need to speak with the engineers about that; it seems like it would be possible, but not 100% sure. I think the stroke required to engage the hydro might be more that is available with the SmartDrive thumb control...maybe.