I too looked at the White (made by MTD). Also Cub Cadet (another MTD product); MTD; Deere; and Toro Wheel Horse. Never looked closely at the Simplicity. I already own a JD 4100 HST with backhoe & FEL. I priced out a finish mower for the 4100 at approx. $2500. Since the backhoe is sub-framed mounted, I looked into getting a riding mower (plus the wife did not feel comfortable driving the compact tractor). The White was Consumer Reports 'Best Buy' for last year. The MTD (type sold at Wal-Mart) was several hundred dollars cheaper than the White...NOTE: White priced out at $2250 (not including tax) for an automatic/hydrostatic tranny; twin baggers; 42" deck; B&S 17 hp motor. With the exception of not so many "bells and whistles" (i.e. No hour meter; no cup holder; No cruise control; only an automatic tranny) the MTD at Wally-World priced out at $1550. The MTD had a bigger B&S engine at 18.5 hp and a 48" mower. These two machines were pretty much identical. I bought the MTD and brought it home. Mowed with it for about an hour and a spring broke on the PTO lever. I looked closer at this machine and felt that it was rather poorly built. You get what you pay for. Not that I am tough on my toys, but, I use my equipment quite frequently. I returned the MTD the next morning. Went and looked at the Cub Cadet. I thought these units were way over priced for a MTD on steroids. The JD was nice, but, I could not swing the extra $$$ for a Hydro. I ended up with the Toro 1638. Its a Hydro and came with a twin bagger. Another nice feature was a 'mowing in reverse' mode. All said and done it cost me under $2400 including tax. Plus a two year warranty. IMHO the Toro was the way to go for me. I have a few rocks to drive around, but, my 1.5 acres of lawn is open. The smaller deck size (38") does not seem to slow me down. Good luck in you selection....Steve H.