persoanally, I don't think anyone makes a good 21. Sadly enough, the best combo of value, cut, and reliability is probably a $159 craftsmen close-out special. I've had tree deeres, between 800-1000 each, awsome cut, but lots of tranny and cable problems, toro, reliable but struggled to cut short, dry grass, lawn boy (three of em) had a good cut but always broke, haven't tried an ex-mark yet but probably more than you want to spend. My vote for your situation would be an elcheapo special. I had one that I started with, if I remember right, it lasted three years. Actually though, if you do want to spend a little more, the new lawnboy, conventional wheel style, 4-strokes look like they've gotten a lot better.