I mowed my vacant 1/2 acre lot today (between rains!). I am really pleased with the mower. The AWS is amazingly effortless when moving. The deck does have a tendency to dig a little when making tight turns so you have to watch your speed. I noticed that with the other mower it would always leave the weeds/tallish grass uneven. Instead of cutting them it would just bend them over in places. This is because I can only mow this place 1-2 times per month so the grass/weeds get tall between mowings. The X304 mowed everything perfectly flat. This place has never been mowed this well since I have owned it 10+ years.
Kyle I noticed that the spindles have grease zerks so I am very pleased about that. I mowed the ditches that were somewhat wet and was very pleased on how it handled and it did a great job. So far I give this mower an A. We'll see how she holds up and how well she cuts once the newness wears off and everything settles in.
One more thing I wanted to mention is that I did not notice any hydro-whine like my other mowers. The engine is really quiet and smooth and my concerens that the 18.5 HP Kawasaki was a little small are unfounded. I think I made a great choice.