The swardman is nice being multiple units in one. Personally for me, they have not been around long enough as a company here in the US. If I am not mistaken(not 100%) they have not been around long as a company over all not just in the US. What if their venture does not work out? Only time will tell. They have an amazing product but plenty of amazing products have failed. If they fail, there goes being able to get parts for it. That for me was too much of a risk. Also to be able to get all cartridges, put it in a price point way over what I was willing to go.
A used greens mower will provide years of service for the homeowner whether you go toro, John Deere, orJacobsen. I believe from the reviews they are harder to drive until you get use to it. Price depends on the region where you live but can be had for as little as a few hundred all the way to a few thousand. I believe usually you can find John Deeres for a little less then the toros. Not sure on the Jacobsen. Just do not see many of them. Parts for repair or maintenance are plentiful for all.
I went with a toro instead of a John Deere because it seemed several on here switched from JD to toro maybe because it was a little easier to control. Not sure if that is true or not for me because I have never been behind a JD. I have only had mine for a few days and am just getting use to it.
If you decide to go greens mower, make sure you do your research on the different specific models. Specs can change. Even between years. Especially the night of cut which is probably the most important spec people need to pay attention too. Just based off your night of cut range, if you went toro, you would want to look for a gm1000. On my unit, a 2013, it has a hoc range of .063"-1.25". A flex will not get you above an inch even with a hoc kit. Maybe someone else can speak about the JD's and Jacobsens. Any questions you have ask because there is a wealth of knowledge from people on this forum that are willing to help. They definitely helped me when I was going through the process.
