Bradley 36" 36WT-BS23 T-Bar Walk Behind Mower 23HP Briggs

This mower is good for a guy getting started, if you want to start with a new machine. This company produces quality machines at about half the price as the big names. If it were possible though, I would recommend stepping up to the 36" Stand On with the floating deck. The reason why is that design of the 36" walk behind seems to be an old design that does not provide a great quality of cut. As a result, I find myself double cutting very frequently. Perhaps this could be overcome with the right blade and airflow combination, but I have not found what that is in 2+ years of ownership. Personally, I would probably never buy a fixed deck mower again.
The forward speed for this machine also makes it worth stepping up to the stand on mower if you have the extra 1k to do so. The speed is fine for a walk behind, but very slow compared to most standers, even when paired with a sulkey. The controls are good though and very responsive.
This mower has treated me very well overall. I have been cutting about 20 lawns a week with it for 2 years and I have had no breakdowns. I have also taken this mower through some very gnarly stuff and it is a beast when it comes to that. I currently plan to purchase the 48" Stand On as my next machine and keep my 36" Bradley walk behind for gated backyards I can't get the 48" into. Overall, this is a great mower for a guy that is just getting started. It will make you money and get you to the next step.

Quality appears rigid at assembly. However, I was delivered a mower that would not start and was dead off the crate. The flip-side to that is Havener stepped up immediately and overnighted new switches to me at no cost. After some minor diagnostics, we learned the main power feed to the key switch was connected to the wrong side of the starter solenoid from the factory, one wire switch around and she fired right up. Running well and cutting well thus-far.