The last Vortex I had seemed a lot quieter than a normal Victa ,my Vortex had a good standard muffler and the original Vortex carby with the black poppet valve that stops the mower revving past 2500rpm.
The Vortex was so quiet it reminded me of a Briggs quantum compared to the Briggs 3.75 sprint motor , I have wondered how much quieter the alloy heat shield makes the motor . The enclosed covering is meant to quieten the motor down further.
The Vortex at 2500 rpm when compared to other mowers running at 3500 rpm was about 11 dB quieter.
Is 10 decibels a lot?
On the decibel scale, the quietest audible sound (perceived near total silence) is 0 dB. A sound 10 times more powerful is 10 dB. A sound 100 times more powerful than near total silence is 20 dB. A sound 1,000 times more powerful than near total silence is 30 dB, 40 dB and so on.
Safe listening levels
90 dB - lawn mower - two hours 30 minutes. 95 dB - an average motorcycle - 47 minutes
The 94 dB rating of the Vortex does seem high .
I could be going deaf but a lot of mowers seem less annoying for noise levels at 2500 rpm than 3500 rpm.
If your Vortex has a non Vortex carby then I would say it's probably going to be as loud as any other Victa also old worn out mufflers can be louder.
