I have a 1018 which I bought last spring and have been very happy with.
This is the same unit as the 1042, except that mine has a Briggs ELS
engine rather than this year's Kohler. They have added a nice feature this year which enables you to bypass the annoying no-mow-in-reverse
system. In years past this had to be accomplished by disabling the switch. They have also added a deck wash nozzle so you can flush out your deck by attaching a garden hose to it. I question the wisdom of doing this with a steel deck, as it will probably just cause it to rust faster.
The 1000 Cubs are very comfortable, the controls are convenient, and they seem well made, probably the best value for the money. They also do a great job of mowing, cutting the clippings into very fine pieces that disappear into the lawn. Sears/ Husqvarna have some similarly-priced models, but if you look carefully, they are just not as sturdy (step on the floorboard and watch it flex), and they still use the rather inconvenient hand control for the hydro.