I have always liked any 2 stroke Victa with the thumb latch catcher since I became obsessed with them from seeing that 125 mkIII back in the 80s.
The Powertorque ones perform the best.

That side pull full crank is a good choice for an everyday mower as long as you have some spares on hand. Victa made loads so it pays to keep your eyes peeled for discarded ones. Ugly as sin but tough.

Don't make the silly mistake I made last night and pull on it while running after it didn't fully retract. It wore the teeth quite a bit. I should have shut down machine first, or reached in and manually turned the gear.

Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!