I was in the mower industry 15 years ago, the locally produced Rover Rancher, Greenfield & Cox were always good.
Of course Honda, Kubota and Cub Cadet were the best but more expensive. Stay away from the cheap US imports, they are rubbish. EG MTD, White, Yardman, Husqvarna and some of the low end John deer. You will know when you look at them, they all look the same with a different paint job.