While neither machine comes in camo like the Raven, you'll be more pleased when you look back on what you just mowed. You might also like its 6½-mph ground speed. For $800 less, the Craftsman 20442, a CR Best Buy, has a larger deck, mulched more evenly, and can turn more tightly. Of these, top scores and high-quality features make the John Deere X300, $3,000, well worth its price. In our tests, all of our recommended lawn tractors cut more cleanly in all modes than the Raven MPV-7100. And in the machine's bagging mode, we also saw lots of clumping where the chute from the deck makes a 90-degree turn on its way to the bag, with far fewer clippings in the bag than on the ground in the Raven's wake. When side-discharging, the most common mode for riding mowers, it left noticeable windrows in mulching mode, it left clumps (see photo). But the Raven MPV-7100 was the only lawn tractor we tested that we judged mediocre across the board. The single-cylinder, Chinese-made Rato engine, automatic drive system, and electric power takeoff-along with a comfy high-back seat-made mowing easy. Braking, of course, is an action you need to be second-nature, nothing you actually need to think about, so we found this more than a little disturbing. Even if you press the pedal with the ball of your foot, your toes might stop at the front panel. Moreover, the Raven's brake is too close to the front panel for easy stopping. As with the earlier version, it might not budge unless you rock the tractor. Two peculiarities remain: Switching between cruising and mowing speeds requires you to step off the tractor, get on your hands and knees, and grope beneath the machine for a small lever you have to move from one detent to another. Judging from the few negative user reviews, we've seen, also fixed is a flaw in a faulty wire connection that allowed the blade to spin when it wasn't engaged. Problems that plagued the earlier version, such as the surging over bumps seemingly caused by a switch that shuts the ignition off when you leave the seat, are gone. But that's not what it's for it's meant to supply power for remote locations-in fact, anywhere beyond reach of a power cord. The generator is 110-volt instead of 220V, so you can't safely connect it to your home's transfer switch. Whenever you're not actually mowing, though, you can run on electric power at speeds up to 17 mph. The Raven uses gas power for cutting and has a 46-inch deck you can remove if you want to putter around using the machine as an ATV. But while we still can't vouch for the $4,000 Raven MPV-7100's cutting prowess, you might like what else it offers. Denver Global Products' Raven, a combination lawn tractor, ATV, and generator sold at Lowe's, has had a spotty history considering myriad problems with the first version, which led to an eventual recall.
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