Merton, I sure like my 42" stamped end decks, I have several of them. If they are properly setup they do a great job of mowing. This style deck has a bad rap for being easily bent from people using them as a step to mount/dismount the tractor though I have not observed this with mine. They do need to be kept clean on the bottom as the grass clippings seem to build up more so on this model. I just do regular cleanings, it isn't that hard to remove the deck flip it over scrape it clean and reinstall it. I do plan on refurbishing one of them soon and when I do I plan on painting the bottom with graphite paint to help prevent the grass buildup.
<FONT SIZE="-2">IMO, FWIW, YMMV, My $0.02, Yada, Yada, Yada...</FONT>