Spec me a lawnmower!

Associate
Joined
23 May 2009
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Hants/Berks Border
Hi all

We have a small lawn at the front of the house, so a petrol one isn’t worth it
We did have a battery flymo last year but going to use it post-winter it was dead.

So we’re looking at corded electric ones again
Looking at Bosch ones but open to recommendations
Budget of around £80

Thanks!
 
Soldato
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17 Nov 2003
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St Breward Cornwall
It's not that I didn't read, just that my cordless 40 volt spear and jackson (whoops put qualcast first) is one of my best ever purchases, of anything really, weight of a toy but really does the job, must be 5yrs old.
Was around £180 iirc

Screenshot-20210523-081139-com-android-gallery3d.jpg
 
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Soldato
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A replacement battery for your flymo as budforce says.

If that's not an option our cordless Bosch Rotak is great. Ours is fairly old now but not showing signs of giving up.
 
Soldato
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Hertfordshire
I don't understand why people want to go cordless for lawn mowers, It's not a tool that is worth being cordless IMO. Corded really doesn't hinder you at all, so you have to spend 2 minutes with an extension lead? With a battery one you still have to make sure you keep it charged and replace it when it inevitably degrades, which is pretty wasteful, assuming you still can get a replacement battery.
 
Man of Honour
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Wiltshire
I don't understand why people want to go cordless for lawn mowers, It's not a tool that is worth being cordless IMO. Corded really doesn't hinder you at all, so you have to spend 2 minutes with an extension lead? With a battery one you still have to make sure you keep it charged and replace it when it inevitably degrades, which is pretty wasteful, assuming you still can get a replacement battery.
Had no issues with my Qualcast which is over 6 years old now. I don't see why you'd want to be messing around with a cable still, you can just mow any direction and not worry you're about to run over the cable. Whenever it does expire I'll replace it with a Ryobi which uses the same batteries I have already for their other tools :)
 
Soldato
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I don't understand why people want to go cordless for lawn mowers, It's not a tool that is worth being cordless IMO. Corded really doesn't hinder you at all, so you have to spend 2 minutes with an extension lead? With a battery one you still have to make sure you keep it charged and replace it when it inevitably degrades, which is pretty wasteful, assuming you still can get a replacement battery.

7 years on our Bosch Rotak and it does our garden within one charge. No cables to contend with. Don't need to waste 2 minutes with an extension lead either :p
 
Soldato
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25 May 2008
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North Wales
I don't understand why people want to go cordless for lawn mowers, It's not a tool that is worth being cordless IMO. Corded really doesn't hinder you at all, so you have to spend 2 minutes with an extension lead? With a battery one you still have to make sure you keep it charged and replace it when it inevitably degrades, which is pretty wasteful, assuming you still can get a replacement battery.

I couldn't disagree more! I went from a corded flymo to a petrol mower about 6 years ago when we moved house and jesus it was night and day. I guess you don't notice how *$&%* annoying a cable is until you don't have to deal with one, no matter the size of my lawn i could never go to a corded one again, it'd be like going back to a Nokia 3210 or walking to the next town instead of taking the car.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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Sandwich, Kent
I don't understand why people want to go cordless for lawn mowers, It's not a tool that is worth being cordless IMO. Corded really doesn't hinder you at all, so you have to spend 2 minutes with an extension lead? With a battery one you still have to make sure you keep it charged and replace it when it inevitably degrades, which is pretty wasteful, assuming you still can get a replacement battery.
Depends on the layout of your garden.

I've got a Parkside 20v lawnmower for doing the my front garden and around the edges at the back. It's absolutely fantastic - I've even picked up a spare incase it ever goes wrong. Helps that I've got a number of Parkside tools, and numerous compatible batteries for it.

Using a corded would be an absolute nightmare.

Agreed a new battery sounds like the most logical thing here. Getting a higher capacity helps with longevity as well.
 
Soldato
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Earth
I've got a qualcast petrol after initially purchasing a cordless one but first one battery wouldn't charge after first use and the second was dead straight away. This was six years ago and I am eyeing up a makita one as I'm tied into their LXT range.
Regards corded ones it's night and day difference especially if you have poor access front to rear or a large area.
 
Soldato
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Sandwich, Kent
I've got a qualcast petrol after initially purchasing a cordless one but first one battery wouldn't charge after first use and the second was dead straight away. This was six years ago and I am eyeing up a makita one as I'm tied into their LXT range.
Regards corded ones it's night and day difference especially if you have poor access front to rear or a large area.
Battery tech has moved on quite a way in that time.
I have a petrol. But if I was buying now I'd get a robot I think.

But garden might be too big
I like the idea of a robot one - but none of the ones I've seen pickup. Cut wise, it must be pretty awful.
 
Soldato
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Battery tech has moved on quite a way in that time.

I like the idea of a robot one - but none of the ones I've seen pickup. Cut wise, it must be pretty awful.

Yeah non of them will collect, it's in the design as they cut every day so the clippings are so small they just fall through and compost down to feed the grass. The cut they give is superb. No matter how frequently i cut my lawn with my push along petrol it never looked nearly as good as now with the robot doing it.
 
Associate
Joined
6 Jan 2006
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474
I don't understand why people want to go cordless for lawn mowers, It's not a tool that is worth being cordless IMO. Corded really doesn't hinder you at all, so you have to spend 2 minutes with an extension lead? With a battery one you still have to make sure you keep it charged and replace it when it inevitably degrades, which is pretty wasteful, assuming you still can get a replacement battery.

Have you got a perfectly square garden without any objects to get in the way? I'm sick of fighting with the cord on my 10 year old Bosch - it catches on EVERYTHING. Raised oval patio 'edges', twisted around ornamental troughs in the middle of the garden, branches from bushes, twists around small trees. Before I turned my front lawn into the driveway and a large flowerbed....front and rear lawns also meant faffing about moving the cable past the fence. The amount of time lost is way more than the 2 minutes to get the extension lead out.

My garden isn't huge but when I next buy a lawnmower it will definitely be cordless.
 
Caporegime
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13 Jan 2010
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Llaneirwg
Have you got a perfectly square garden without any objects to get in the way? I'm sick of fighting with the cord on my 10 year old Bosch - it catches on EVERYTHING. Raised oval patio 'edges', twisted around ornamental troughs in the middle of the garden, branches from bushes, twists around small trees. Before I turned my front lawn into the driveway and a large flowerbed....front and rear lawns also meant faffing about moving the cable past the fence. The amount of time lost is way more than the 2 minutes to get the extension lead out.

My garden isn't huge but when I next buy a lawnmower it will definitely be cordless.

Agreed. I'd never ever have a corded mower.
It would drive me mad. Going round trees. Having to unplug and plug in. Worry about cutting the cord or tripping.
I have a petrol but I'd get a robot too.


Back when I lived at my parents (before battery tech was any good) had a corded hedge trimmer. What a pain. Always the risk of slicing the cord. Having to move extension leads.
 
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