The message .com
from "EddSmith" contains these words:

Hello,

Pretty much every mower these days have Briggs & Stratton engines so
are all reliable and parts are very easy to find and quite cheap.
I have recently changed over to using John Deere for the mulching
option they provide, the mulching deck on the mower I have is very
good, in fact the only mower I have used that has a mulching deck that
works.
For using on 1 acre every fortnight or so I would go for a generic ride
on mower, because as I mentioned before all the engines are the same.
I would go as far to say that everything is the same except the colour
of the body panels. I had been using one to mow commercial sites for
3 years without any problems, working it about 25hrs per week, 32 weeks
of the year.

I would be more than happy to advise you of the makes and models to
look out for if you are interested.

I too have recently had a John Deere mulching mower and find it
excellent. You can't see the grass mowings so the effect is the same as
picking up the grass. The time saved is considerable as you don't have
to keep returning to your dumping point to empty the grass. I have a
grass box attachment for the odd time that I might want to collect - say
at the beginning of the season. Seems a good arrangement all round. If
the grass is very long you can, as a third alternative let it eject
sideways.

Janet G