Recommended lawn mower?

[Bloodrayne]

Depends on the weather, but typically weekly during spring/summer when it grows at an unreasonable rate - and reasonably short (I do not have a defined length... or need for a defined length) as I have a dog and it's much easier to find her offerings when there's shorter grass.

 

[Kaka]

A petrol mower is unrivaled in terms of power and you may be disappointed in going back to a cordless, particularly coming from a Honda Izy. But if you really need to go cordless then I think you would be looking at a minimum of 56v to even get close to an entry level petrol mower.

 

[Bloodrayne]

I understand that - but I have managed with a (corded) electric previously, I think the petrol is great, just over-kill - and as much as the electric can do the job, I yearn to be free from cable management when mowing...

 

[peige]

I understand that - but I have managed with a (corded) electric previously, I think the petrol is great, just over-kill - and as much as the electric can do the job, I yearn to be free from cable management when mowing...

I'd like to go battery this year if possible too. I've got a leaf blower and strimmer both on rechargeable (and the same battery pack) and its a pleasure to use them, I'd love to do the same with the lawn mower if the tech is ready. I've had various petrol garden tools and keeping them working well was just a pain. I can electric mow my lawn in 10minutes so not massive, maybe its time

A brief search shows Screwfix do an Oregon 36v that looks pretty decent for £250. Obviously much more than a corded one and around £75 more than a budget Petrol one so I can't pretend that any money will be saved but still drawn to the idea!

 

[Kaka]

One of the downsides of cordless unfortunately, a balance between power output and operational times. I'm sure I saw somewhere that a typical 40v cordless mower is rated at around 500W. An electric mower will be around 1,300W and a petrol mower will be 2,000+W. For a small size lawn it might be ideal, but I wouldn't expect the same performance and cut quality to that of an electric or petrol equivalent. Having said that, I'll shortly be purchasing a cordless mower myself for testing.

In general, for a rotary mower the faster and more powerful engine the better the cut. A better and cleaner cut will ultimately give you a nicer looking and healthier lawn.

 

[Bloodrayne]

Yeah, they are not cheap - the GTECH I saw was £500...

As for cut, as I have both a dog and a child my garden needs to be functional rather than perfect - another reason the lumbering Izy is overkill (that and others claim it's 'too heavy' meaning that I always have to do the mowing...)

Anyway, I am still waiting for the update on the manual mowers from Vern...

 

[Vern1961]

@Vern1961 It's a couple of years later - how did you get on with the manual mower?

Not good - for a German made piece of kit, it fell apart very quickly. Blades out of alignment and/or damaged after inevitable contact with loose stones so banging against the fixed cutting piece. Cut quality was quite poor too, so it was retired to the tip a few months ago. Now back on the Bosch electric.

 

[Kaka]

Opposite experience I've had with my Webb manual.

Fantastic cut, good build quality and reliable.

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

For petrol
Always used a victa
Found it really reliable and could take a good beating
That was for commercial use
So did an awful lot more work than just a garden

 

[Bloodrayne]

Opposite experience I've had with my Webb manual.

Fantastic cut, good build quality and reliable.

So, what is the rule of thumb on manuals? A need to mow more than once a week? Something to have to maintain the lawn, but you still need something powered for the first cut of the season?

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

So, what is the rule of thumb on manuals? A need to mow more than once a week? Something to have to maintain the lawn, but you still need something powered for the first cut of the season?

Manual
Is usually a cylinder mower
So meant for a nice lawn~the more blades in the cylinder the finer the cut
Rather than just an area of grass
So to speak
Rotary is usually used by most people as can be used on longer grass
And more uneven ground

 

[Kaka]

So, what is the rule of thumb on manuals? A need to mow more than once a week? Something to have to maintain the lawn, but you still need something powered for the first cut of the season?

A reel mower (whether manual or powered) is more suited to a lawn that is low in height. The main reasons being is the design of the blades and also how it relies on the grass blades to be upright on its own accord. Grass that is low in height will naturally stand tall.

A rotary mower however has that suction effect to pull it upwards before it cuts, hence why it great at cutting grass that are tall and leggy or tend to flop over.

Reel mowers will typically cut from 10mm - 35mm.
Rotary mowers will typically cut from 25mm - 70mm.

Because the blades of a reel mower is so close to the ground, you ideally want your lawn to be as flat and level as possible.

Most of the people I have spoken to who owns a reel mower (all manuals will be a reel mower) will also own a powered rotary mower. Unless you really keep on top of your mowing and are out there cutting your lawn 2-3 times a week in the growing season.

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

Thanks
Basically same as I said
But with more details
Roughly speaking
If you want a tidy area of grass for kids to play ~or yourself to play lol
A rotary mower
If you want a nice lawn ~think bowling green or golf green sort of thing
Though might not be quite that high standard I know
Then a cylinder mower powered or manual
Depending on weather, type of grass etc
But cylinder you cut 2+ times a week usually
Good golf courses can cut greens
Twice a day though obviously the greens are watered so grow quicker
And are a standard above most people's lawns

 

[Bloodrayne]

Ah - thanks both, very educational. A manual is not for me then (I don't have time to mow twice a week - and quite often the weather isn't good enough to do that for most of the growing season).

Looks like I may just keep the Izy ticking over currently then if there's no real battery powered alternatives, it has years left in it yet - just means that everyone else will continue to leave the lawnmowing to me.

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Nevermind, photo hosting didn’t work out.

 

[moon man]

This is my cordless 40 volts cordless from argos paid about £180 quid and its brilliant ,it has the weight of a toy and cuts like a dream
I just got sick of buying the cheap petrol mowers ,had so many problems plus the noise and smell and mess.
it will do my bottom garden easily (180 ft maybe) on a charge and its maybe 3 years old ,over 2 anyway
i went to spain for 6 weeks and when i came back managed to get through some very long grass ,obviously in stages and may have took 2 or 3 charges rather than the usual 1 but the battery charges in about 45mins .

 

[Blackjack Davy]

So, what is the rule of thumb on manuals? A need to mow more than once a week? Something to have to maintain the lawn, but you still need something powered for the first cut of the season?

If by "manual" you mean cylinder mower it really depends whether you want a bowling green or something else. Once a week is necessary if you don't want it getting out of hand its not good on long grass. Also really needs a flat lawn with preferably fine turf rough grass will give you real workout.

Petrol driven versions with are way easier to work than manual though, webb or atco.

 

[Bloodrayne]

Back again (sorry) - given that my manual mower idea is out, my cordless is looking doubtful as they lack the power, I have taken another look at my Izy and yes, I could probably use it for another year and it'd be fine.

But I'm none to happy about it because of the added maintenance and the weight of the thing (trying to be inclusive and allowing others to earn their keep and mow my lawn...)

So, are there any decent electric mowers (corded!) that actually have a good way of managing the trailing cable (I accept that there will probably be an extension lead involved) and deliver a decent enough cut?