I will say the unladen weight of the thumb latch catcher is noticeably heavier compared to the smaller flap held catchers and may not be for everybody, but the steel decks are flimsy cheap feeling junk compared to the rock solid feel of the alloy deck. They are very sleek looking with the way the top of the engine lines up with the catcher height -something I have always admired about this design. The steel deck with the side pull full crank is made from stronger steel and I have grown to really like them almost as much as my beloved thumb latch catcher alloy deck models. Victa also made an alloy deck based on the steel deck design, after they ceased production of the domestic thumb latch series in 1992. They are a nice compromise as they take the same catcher as the steel decks. The full crank side pull steel decks don't suffer from rust holes anywhere near as badly as the much later powertorque steel deck mowers. You have a keeper Converse.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
