I have 2 Utilities which I use in rotation and have done so for the last few years, One a Full crank and the other a PowerTorque.
The Full crank leaves the powertoque for dead.
It starts easier, has more power and is smoother.
I'm not an amateur, I have 20-30 mowers at any one time and have swapped out motors on the same chassis to see the difference and even swapped carby combinations.
All this being equal. A good fullcrank will leave a powertorque for dead.
Torque is what makes a mower engine good so low to mid power, where the older motor shines is paramount. The powertorque has more vibration, particularly at high revs and doesn't have the same throttle response.
After all this the powertorque is incredibly reliable, easy to repair and cheap to maintain. I love my powertorque engines and given a choice only my Honda is a better choice from currently available engines. (though it seems that the 2T motors are no longer available)
My weapon of choice is still my Full crank Utility when it's has to be done.
I do think some of the new Chonddas can work but need to be setup properly and given a few hundred more revs.

Quality is a direct experience, independent of and prior to intellectual abstractions.
R. Pirsig .