rbrewer.. you've made a lot of posts and talked about a bunch of different machines. Take your time. I would advise you to read through the lawn and garden forum and the CC, JD, or whatever else you are looking at. Almost all of these mowers have been talked about at some time. There are tons of posts to read through. Don't jump into anything unless your grass is two foot tall and the county is complaining. Read up, research, found out what you really are interested in and then maybe the good folks on TBN can give some pros and cons.