I bought a used 7 foot Landpride finish mower off of Craigslist for $600 about ten years ago with four flat tires. I replaced the tires with solid tires, put on new blades and belts. It's a side discharge that gives a great cut and it's easy to pull with my 37hp tractor. I used to use it for mowing my trails and around my pond.
One day I got stupid and used it to mow along the creek, but then I found an old stump that was really close to the ground, but just tall enough to break off one of the blades and the spindle that the blade attaches to it.
Landpride has great diagrams on their website, and everything was in stock to replace what I had broken. I think the prices where more then what I wanted to pay, but not extreme. Shipping was fast and everything fit perfectly. Overall, it wasn't the worse thing I ever did.
I also have a 20 year old Landpride 6 foot rotary cutter that I've replaced just about everything on it at least once. Their diagrams on their website make it easy to figure out what you need, and so far, everything I've ever ordered has been in stock.
I don't know if one brand will cut better then another brand. But having one that you can get parts for is probably the most important thing to consider.
I haven't used my finish mower in awhile. It' might be 7 or 8 years. Two years ago I bought a bigger tractor and a batwing, and I mow everything with that except around the house, which gets mowed with the zero turn. My wife wants to keep it, she liked using it, but I don't see that happening. I should sell it, but then I wont have it, and I hate the idea of wanting it for something in the future and not having it.