if you have hills -you dont want any snapper-they only drive one rear wheel at a time and wont provide the traction you will need. besides there drive sys is a joke. just look at it! too many moving parts to wear out and trust me-they do!

The rear engine rider Snappers don't have many parts to wear out in the rear end. In my opinion the drive system is great, it is very simple. My Grandpa has had the same one since before I was even born and Im 18. I would say the hills in his yard are moderate and it easily climbs them. Im not real up to date on all the new Snappers, but I have 3 old rear engine riders and they are great machines.

I think the second dealer is correct: the mulcher will bag pretty well, but the Hi-Vac is a superb bagger and still mulches well. I now use a Hi-Vac with a Gator blade for mulching, and the high-lift blade for Fall and Spring bagging (the Gator blade can bag fairly well when needed during the Summer).

"The drive system is a joke."??????? Snapper's disc drive system is fantastic! It is very durable and simple to fix. The only possible disadvantages to the disc drive might be that (1) it makes the handle harder to fold (you have to fold the two piece rod that controls the speed the disc turns) and (2) the easy turn differential can spin a wheel when going up hill if the wheel is a little in the air or not firmly on the ground. The other wheel does not grab hold either. That can be aggravating. A third potential disadvantage the Snapper has on hills is that it is big and heavy compared to my Lawnboy. I have a Snapper mulching mower, not the HiVac. I bought the bagging kit and it does ok. Snapper has introduced a cheaper line of walk behinds that does not use the disc drive. I don't know anything about the new system. With all of its advantages and disadvantages considered, a Snapper with the original disc drive system is still my favorite mower. It is reminiscent of a piece of farm equipment.

"I worry about the Toro Super Recyclers only from the Personal Pace sysem and the hills in my yard." I am a devoted hater of Personal Pace. It is just personal preference. Years ago someone on the forum summed it up the best, "If you like the feeling of the mower pulling you, you probably will be disappointed with the Personal Pace system." The PP system is a fine system mechanically (or at least I haven't heard of any mechanical short comings of the set up.) I use my Snapper on hills and it is fine except on the really steep ones. On really steep hills it loses traction more often and it is heavy. My little Lawnboy with the variable speed set up and Tecumseh engine is easier to use in these situations. I think that the Insight line is what replaced the model I have. I suspect that it may be very similar to what I have. My mulching Snapper does bag ok and I use it on hills, just not the really steep ones. I hope this has helped with your decision making. Much of choosing a mower is so subjective and personal. I would never get a Toro Super Recycler, but it is a great mower and I am sure it would leave my lawn looking beautiful.

For $30 you can get a traction assist handle for Personal Pace. I worried about Personal Pace because of some comments here but I don't have any issues.

You might also want to check out the Lawn-Boy Insights, they have the similar Sensa Speed but have a cruise control option. As of yet nobody has given a hands-on review of that feature so I don't know if it works as advertised.