I think when NH selected the "Boomer" name, they wanted to strongly suggest that these were not the monster Ag tractors they were famous for, but a world apart which were easier to use and with more convenience features. Considering the market they were trying to enter, it was a pretty good choice. They're doing a better job of marketing them nowadays; they've come out with a magazine ("Acres") with articles aimed directly at yuppie country folk.
I assure you they the are as robust as Kubota or any of the other compacts, and, from all the reports I've read, perhaps the most comfortable. Certainly, they're on the cutting edge in design.
In my experience, the dealer is important in "shades of gray" warranty issues and responsiveness if you have problems. I haven't had any serious problems, but my dealer replaced a power steering hydraulic cylinder under warranty when it was prety obviously bent, probably by a tree branch. Since then, they were efficient in taking care of a minor recall (FEL fittings that might have rubbed). After the intial 50 hour service I do my own service every 100 hours, and after the initial 300 hour service, I did the next one myself and intend to continue. Many of the folks here do their own service, I haven't needed any repairs. I have almost 700 hours on my TC18 in about 27 months. I use it (and abuse it) as if it was a much larger machine; It reminds me of the Chihuahua that thinks it's a German Shepherd.