I bought the John Deere 1565 front deck rotary mower that used to cut the runway in EINC Newcastle. It does a great job, as it has a lastec flexible deck. It cuts the grass before it drives over it. A flail type mower will leave a white kind of finish on the top of the grass.
The rotary mowers for the back of small tractors, like the 5400 John Deere we have at home are good. You would want one mounted on wheels rather than on front and back rollers which tend to wipe the ground.
We had the cylinder mower you speak of, and it was a royal PITA. The grass needed to be both short and dry. The maintenance was close to witchcraft to keep it right.