bigbubba, yes there are an awful lot of things to look for when picking the "right" mower. I would like to have something to cut "larger" trees, but you do lose quality of cut on weeds and grass, so I went with the one I am getting as a good compromise after looking at several brands and models.
I know what you mean about the size, but I am replacing a Woods 121 and already have paths and such configured for that size. Around here, mine is considered small as most use the 15' batwing mowers.
I do have a 48" Land Pride on a BX2660 for "backup". You should see the rigs side by side.