simply put,imo,there is no single model/brand that is 'best'. the best for someone might not be the best for someone else.price, acceptable cut quality,brand loyalty,place of purchase,features,ease of handling,type of mower, all have to do with each persons choice of mower.to each his/her own.a person might have bought what they thought was the best for their needs only to find out later that it wasn't.:smile: or to put it this way,if there was a best mower, would the other mower brands go out of business because of lack of sales.:biggrin:just my thoughts.