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Mowers & Lawn Care Tools

Updated 24th September 2008

Best Electric Rotary Mowers

Best Cordless Mower ?

Breakthrough in battery technology!

The Bosch Rotak Li was new in 2007 and is the best battery powered mower I have ever seen.

Over the years I have tested many cordless mowers and although I love the concept of "no cable -no petrol" none of the mowers are machines I would want as my main machine.

The Bosch Rotak Li is the exception due to its lightweight but very powerful 36v Lithium Ion rechargeable battery.

The Rotak Li uses the tried and tested Bosch mower chassis that is light and durable.

The Bosch Rotak range of mowers has been around 3 or 4 years and are the mowers I recommend most because they cut so well and have extra durable Bosch motors.

The Rotak Li comes in 2 sizes, 37cm cut and 43cm cut. Both have easy height adjustment and sturdy wheels with a little rear roller for that stripy effect.

The 36v battery is the same as the ones used in Bosch Professional Power tools like Builders drills so it is well tried and tested. The smaller Rotak Li 37 comes with one battery and is available from around £250, the larger 43cm model comes with 2 batteries for cutting up to 600sqm.

click for latest price of the Rotak Li 37cm model

click for latest price on Rotak Li 43cm model

use link below to compare prices from another fredshed recommended supplier

more info on Bosch Rotak Li

The 36v lithium ion battery is state of the art and the charger cools it down before rapidly re-charging it.

This battery can also be used in Bosch Powertools like the hammer drill.

buy mower blades for Bosch lawn mowers

(use same link to buy blades and accessories for Qualcast lawnmowers)

use link below to compare prices on Bosch mower blades and other bosch garden machinery spares

bosch mower blades, and other bosch spare parts

Cordless Cylinder Mowers

Gtech CM 01

There have been a few attempts at making cordless cylinder mowers but none have survived the test of time. This innovative version may break the mould and has been around for about 3 years so far.

It is British designed and has a 12 lead acid rechargeable battery. Another good feature is that it folds down to a very small size for winter storage.

Cylinder mowers give a finer cut but do not cope well with long or wet grass.

Also a 12v battery is relatively small so this machine is best suited to small well kept lawns

My neighbour has had his Gtech for about 3 years and loves it. He has replaced one battery and you will notice he has a very small lawn which he mows regularly.

Gtech are a UK based company who offer good spares back up and fair prices for items like batteries and consumables.

Best Selling Small Electric Cylinder Mower

The Qualcast Concorde has been around for many years and was so well designed that it has not needed to change. Millions have been sold and it is the ideal mower for small well kept lawns. Don't buy it if you let your grass get long or want to cut it when it is wet.

Best Electric Mower For Small lawns

The Qualcast Easi-Trak 320 has been designed to be powerful enough for rough lawns but light enough to be carried in and out of your house or shed.

Ideal for smaller lawns that are not cut too frequently or enthusiastically.

Simple, light, strong and reliable. This mower will not burn out a week out of warranty like some cheaper models.

7.9kg of Awesome Power- (the mower- not me)

1000W motor

Variable cutting heights

Simple blade can be easily re- sharpened or replaced.

GOT A SMALL LAWN?

Modern push mowers are surprisingly easy to use and will reduce your carbon footprint and waistline!

go green with a qualcast push mower

BEST SMALL ELECTRIC Rotary MOWER

Golden Shed Award Winner

check price on Easi-trak 320 from a fredshed recommended supplier

Guide price approx £69

(Bosch Rotak 320 is same machine)

FOR BEST PRICE USE LINK BELOW

Best Electric Rotary Mower For Larger lawns

The Bosch Rotak 34 is a powerful quality mower at a reasonable price. It has all the necessary features and no gimmicks. You can get similar looking mowers for less money but this one will last and is easy to use. It has a 340mm cut and wide well made wheels.

The best feature of these Bosch mowers are the Powerdrive motors which are the most robust available. I have not heard of one failure of these motors from my readers and I get thousands of e-mails every year. The advantage with this type of motor is that it delivers the power instantly so that it is not so easily strained when started up on long grass.

The Bosch Rotak range includes 5 machines with up to a 43mm cut and 1700W motor.

buy mower blades for Bosch lawn mowers

Click here to see more info and find the best prices on the entire Bosch Rotak Electric Mower range

BOSCH ROTAK RANGE

WITH GRASS COMBS

CUT RIGHT TO THE EDGE

BEST ALL ROUND ELECTRIC MOWER

The features I like about the Bosch Rotak range are

Powerful but quiet motors

One lever height adjustment - with cut height written in mm

Solid, easy to empty grass box.

Cut right up to the edge with the grass combs and inset front wheels

Sturdy wheels with small rear roller to help produce the stripes we love to see.

The Pros and Cons of the Hover Lawnmower

This is the Flymo vision, one of Britain's best selling lawnmowers. The idea is that it floats effortlessly on a cushion of air, and the plastic window allows you to see when the grassbox is full. Great.. However...

Whilst cutting it may float on air but you might give yourself a hernia carrying it from the shed.

As you start it and before it floats, the strain on the motor hitting the grass can be substantial and Flymo recommend that you tip it on its side.

If your lawn is bumpy the machine will not float as well but may scalp your lawn leaving ugly patches.

I am a big fan of my original petrol Flymo. It was ideal on rough grass and did not collect the cuttings. I think electric grass collecting hover mowers are relatively inefficient machines but take my hat off to Electrolux for superb marketing and innovation.

The new vision compact also has a superb cable rewind facility that I would like to see on other mowers.

A surprising fact about Flymo is that most of the mowers are actually made in the UK! so spares are easy to get hold of as long as your machine is not too old. To be realistic expect budget price electric mowers to last about 4-5 years, anymore that that is a bonus.

You can make any mower last longer by cleaning the underside, keeping the blade sharp and mowing the lawn more often and not stressing the machine by cutting long grass.

The Flymo vision is a well made machine and will cut most lawns reasonably well. If you like the style get one, otherwise I would recommend a rotary mower with wheels, which is likely to last much longer as there will be less strain on the motor.

Flymo also make wheeled rotary mowers, including a clever compact folding model to save on storage space.

click links below to buy spare blades for Flymo Lawnmowers

click here for largest range of Flymo spares online

compare prices of Flymo spares with the suppliers below

Flymo Plastic Blade for HoverVac, Micro Lite, Minimo, Mow n Vac - Pack of 6

Flymo 33cm Metal Blade for Hover Compact 330

Flymo 34cm Metal Blade for Roller Compact 340

Robot Lawnmowers Tested and compared

There are 2 sorts of Robot Lawnmower.

Fully Robotic Lawmowers - Charge themselves and can be programmed to come out and cut the lawn whenever you like and on their own.

Then the poor cousin!

Automatic Lawnmowers - work alone - but need help re-charging and must be activated for each cut.

The first robot lawmower was made by Electrolux of Sweden, other models have followed from Israel and Italy.
The latest developments are large commercial size robotic mowers made in Belgium.
I have extensively studied and tested some of these models and can offer advice on various models that start at £600.
Robot Mowers really do work, but like any machine have some negative aspects. Replacement batteries are expensive and if the perimeter wire gets cut it can be a pain to find it underground to repair it.
Apart from these little drawbacks the machines are amazing and are reliable and timesaving machines that will one day be as common as washing machines.

I have tipped up 2 fully automatic mowers to show you the different blade types. Both are mulching mowers and the one on the left has 3 blades and a wider cut.

My original Friendly Robotics RL500 Robomow
(lasted 5 years of extensive use before needing replacement battery)

Be a real clever dick, Cut your lawn at night!

I have extensively tested both makes including the basic friendly robotics mower and the Mobow 200 which has it's own charging base and comes out on it's own to cut your lawn. This little mower even has a rain sensor and an optional remote control for use outside it's perimeter wire.
Electrolux also make a Robot lawnmower but I have not tested it and considered it a bit too expensive to be a significant market player. I may be wrong and if Electrolux want to correct me then here is the opportunity.
Please mail me for more info or to let me know about your experiences with Robot Lawnmowers.

Testing a Mowbot in 2007

This one also has a remote control for areas outside the wired perimeter

The best Robot Mowers have their own "recharging kennel" where the live and return to after cutting your lawn. An example I have tried is the Mowbot from Italy.
The latest mowbots come in a range of sizes and can cut the largest lawns. They use the same method as the Friendly Robotcs Robomow of cutting everything within a perimeter wire which you can easily install.

Unlike the more simple Robomowers this product uses mains (not battery) power for the wire which is great but requires a socket for the transformer. I would recommend that the transformer be positioned in an outbuilding as it is slightly noisy. I installed one in my house and the buzzing drove me INSANE!!!!! (that's my excuse)

The Mowbot and its "charging Kennel"

The Mowbot only has one motor and one blade (unlike the double bladed, triple motored Robomow) so it is considerably lighter and can be carried easily even with the batteries connected.
The latest Mowbots have incredibly powerful but lightweight lithium ion batteries which enable these little machines to cut large areas of grass efficiently and with ease.

All Robotic lawnmowers are mulching rotary mowers so dont collect grass. The "clippings" are cut so fine they disappear into your lawn and actually improve its quality by adding nutrients.

I did not believe this at first but can confirm after over 5 years of using robotic lawnmowers that all the lawns I have cut with them have significantly improved and in some cases no longer required fertilisers or weedkillers.

The Mowbot is light weight and has powerful batteries and clever electronics to maximise efficiency.

Mail me for free advice and the best deals on Robot Lawnmowers from Friendly Robotics

Quality Lawnmowers are cheaper in the long run

This one is an old Wolf Cub mower that I rescued from a skip!

Although it is about 16 years old all I had to do was to scrape some concrete off it, replace the cord, (£3.50) and hey presto! a quality mower rides again.

The moral of the story is to buy a good mower that lasts - but don't throw it in a skip! This excellent mower from Wolf of Germany may well outlive the cheaper mowers being sold today at large DIY outlets.

The 2007 equivalent of this machine is the Wolf 2.32E which costs about £109 whilst the more advanced 34 compact plus has the superb mulch and mow option that lets you leave "dust fine" clippings on your lawn to help replenish nutrients.

click here for more info and best prices on the brilliant Wolf Electric mowers

Great Tip To Save Time!
Use your mower to collect the leavers on the lawn in winter.
Even if the lawn does not need cutting the mower will collect the leaves, beats raking any day!

Guide to Buying Petrol Rotary Mowers

Years ago a petrol mower was a very expensive piece of kit only owned by professionals and people with large houses . Today, thanks to mass production and economies of scale these machines can be had for £100.

However -all is not what it seems and there are pitfalls for the unwary. Some of these cheap machines will be nothing but trouble and will quickly end up at the tip.

Good quality petrol machines still cost hundreds but over time will prove worth paying for. If you buy a cheap brand the chances are that no dealer will service it and you will be left on your own if it goes wrong.

The range available is enormous and I cannot claim to be an expert in this field. I do know that the most highly rated engines for mowers are either Honda or Briggs & Stratton. Many manufactures use these engines and add their own aluminium bodies and parts.

Hayter was a well known British company that supplied many professional groundsmen. It has changed a bit now and even became Chinese for a while!

If you can afford it my advice would be to buy a Honda or Hayter if you have a big lawn and plan on mowing it for more than a couple of years.

I used a Hayter mower like this one for many years.

This mower is used to cut the lawns at the stunning gardens of Le Manoir Aux Quat Saiisons near Oxford.

If it good enough for Raymond Blanc top spend money on its got to be good!

Electric Cylinder Mowers

Self-Propelling Electric Cylinder Mower- No need to push

This quality electric mower can drive itself along and is perfect for large, well kept lawns. It has a heavy steel roller required for the classic striped lawn.

A special feature is the optional moss raking scarifyer that is interchangeable with the cutting blades.

Fitting the scaryfyer is a bit of a pain unless you are a "spanner monkey" However, if you are and have a large lawn it is a superb mower and the scarifying attachment will remove masses of moss and thatch.

Long term test verdict - truly a classic, great quality.

Qualcast Classic 30s Price £269 approx

Classic electric 30s.jpg (6628 bytes)

check price of scaryfying cassette

Electric lawn rakers and scaryfiers tested

If you have a large lawn you will need a more powerful lawn aerator. The budget price 400w electric ones are not up to the job and will take ages to cover the distance.

I am currently testing the new Draper 1300W raker/scarifier which comes with 2 interchangeable cylinders, one with wire blades for raking and the other with fixed metal blades for deeper aerating.

The performance was impressive and I really like this machine. The new one is green so don't get it confused with the old blue one that some people still sell.

Other good makes of heavier duty lawm rakers are

AL-KO

Wolf

See different makes and heavy duty lawn scarifiers

Small size domestic Lawn rakers

To keep your lawn well drained and cleared of "thatch" build up I recommend using a powered lawnraker. Doing this job by hand is for the super-fit, super-skint or totally insane!

The Black and Decker GD200GB has been around for a long time and is a cheap and cheerful workhorse for lawnraking. Bosch make a similar and slightly better built model called the AMR32F lawn raker.

There are better and more expensive machines for larger lawns but at £70 these cheapie lawmakers I tested were adequate for use once a year on small lawns

TOP TIP - don't set blades too deep or use on hard dry lawns - this may burn out your motor!

Another option is the Qualcast Classic range of Cylinder mowers that come in petrol or electric versions and have the innovative QX scarifier cassette system. I have used the system and although it is a bit of a pain to fit it does work well.

see the Bosch,Black&Decker and other low price domestic lawn rakers

Something Wacky

madmower.jpg (6840 bytes)

What on Earth is This ?

Before I had a robot to cut my lawn I used this contraption. A petrol Flymo driven by an electric wheelchair.

If you need advice buying tools because your disabled in anyway, e mail fred@fredshed.com for expert advice.

So you're completely mad as well

WOLF CART - Mowing made FUN!

This German made Go-Kart is also a very efficient and safe Lawnmower with a 6HP, electric start, 3 speed petrol engine. The grass is mulched into fine clippings which can be scattered to feed your lawn or collected in a bag. For around £1000 you get the big boy to mow the lawn, every week!

Update 2007 - Wolf Cart is now discontinued