What does "Zero Turn" mean? I have read that before but never looked into it.
I agree that there MUST be a better option than buying at a Home Depot or Lowes. Commercial grade? Maybe that is a viable option at this point...
Being well equipped to explain this being I work at Home Depot...
Zero turn basically means you can turn from stand still without having to make a huge arc. Think how a tank turns, think how a car turns. It's more like a tank. You know the saying "turn on a dime"? it's kind of like that. You could probably do a 360 in a parking space almost. The point of this is for very complex landscapes that require high maneuverability.
There's no point in buying one unless you have a really HUGE yard with lots of trees. You could easily turn around a tree and cut a ring around it with the wheels almost touching the trunk, hope it helps clear things up.