This forum is like any forum that has a specific theme. I am on guitar, knife, car, Jeep & even shaving forums & we all like the best we can get. A $50 knife might be just fine, but someone has that $500 knife that is much better. This forum discusses mowers and while having an industrial mower for a 3 acre lawn is nice, it is likely overkill. Doesn't mean it's a bad thing at all and I enjoy the very best of a lot of things. As far as mowers go, I see a bit of "oversell" and sometime to the point of making a buyer nervous. Hydrogear makes good equipment and even the lowly 2200s are in a million mowers that keep ticking. The fact that they are sealed does not instantly make them junk. 30-60hrs a year will likely have them lasting longer than a person wants to look at that mower. Keep the fans clear and don't abuse them with 4 hours of continuous mowing of 10" grass! A person wouldn't buy a 12" electric chainsaw to cut down a Sequoia tree, but the guy who trims bushes and prunes 1" branches does fine. I had Murray & Cub Cadet riders for a combined 17 years and didn't even replace a belt let alone a transmission.
I just recently switched from a Cub LT1042 to the Raptor and I am tickled pink at how easy it mows the thickest grass. I averaged 31 hours a year on my 9 year old Cub and with the time I am saving on the Hustler it might be down to 25 or so. If the EZTs can't handle that kind of load then they wouldn't be in the machines. Good reputation & warranty gives me a warm & fuzzy.