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My mower went to the Great Lawn in the Sky yesterday evening in a cloud of smoke from the motor, so I need to replace it.
There's not actually much to mow at our place and it's reasonably awkwardly shaped, so I don't want anything massive, but I do need something that's fairly tough as the grass can get pretty long pretty quickly, and it's moorland/pasture type grass so pretty dense and thick (especially when long, see above).
Ideally cordless leccy, failing that corded leccy, can't really be bothered with petrol unless someone can persuade me differently.
If corded, then one of the Bosch Rotak series. I have a 34 which I has been remarkably capable and reliable considering the rough grass I cut regularly ( well, actually not as regularly as I should, hence the rough part)
I have an einhell cordless from toolstation. It's fine, and about as good as the bosch corded I had before. No compliants. If I needed megapower then something like an Ego cordless would be good, but they are ££s more than the einhell. Maybe it depends on what batteries you already have and see if you can buy a bare mower to suit to save on buying more batteries.
Fwiw, the einhell is only 2 years old so no idea about longevity. The bosch lasted 16years before the motor burnt out.
I (well, my tenant has) have a 30 year old Bosch Rotak 34 that lives outside and has been underwater in two floods and still runs like new. Trouble with these recommendations is knowing if the new ones are built to the same spec as the old ones.
What about a robot one if you don’t get round to cutting very often
+1 for rotak, ours is well over 10y old, cheap and keeps going (only a small lawn though, wouldn't say it's had really heavy use). I've considered moving to cordless but don't have much excuse to bin the rotak while it keeps going. I finally got round to sharpening the blade last year.
v light is good for manouevring around tight places.
Rotak 34 here as well. Hardly used this year though as with the we've went full No-Mow May (barring trimming the well worn paths once they were established) and have only cut half the lawn once in Let It Bloom June.
borrow a sheep
Sheep are expert at running away or killing themselves
Makita cordless - DLM460Z - has enough grunt to cut through marsh grass and rough pasture as I use mine to clear the path up to the back of my property. Not the lightest but would probably survive the apocalypse.
I have a Bosch Rotak and when it dies will buy another. I might go cordless next time but think that trebles the cost and running an extension lead out once every couple of weeks is not a chore.
borrow a sheep
I have genuinely considered this, there is no shortage of them around here.
Looks like I'll go Bosch then, just seen a decent deal on an ex-display Rotak. Cheers all.
B&Q own brand (Macallister).
Cheap as chips. 5 years without any issue other than a wheel falling off, which took about 5 minutes to fix.
Lasted longer than any Flymo that I've had and way cheaper.
Goat, it will be on the roof and other entertaining places as well as eating the washing.
So, key question here. For around £200-£300, do you go for an excellent corded or slightly rubbish battery mower (small to medium sized lawn)
My petrol mower is in the brink of death but every time I think it is gone, it splutters back into life. Currently bodged using a bit of inner tube and zip ties rather than replace diaphragm.
Straightforward, easy to access lawn - corded. If you have lots of bits and pieces of lawn and your extension cord logistics will take longer than the cutting, then cordless.
My corded Bosch Rotak died this year after 17 years of pretty heavy abuse... so no complaints there.
I've bought a new one, and I think the largets size, but it's not as big as the old one. Quality seems OK for the motor part so far, but the collection box seems a bit flimier.
Another one waiting for a corded Bosch Rotak to die. Think im going full on Ego but looks like it might still be awhile. My Rotak must be at least 10 years old but apart from the rubbish grass box and the fact its corded cant fault it.
Battery cordless, electrical this that and t'other.
GO RETRO.
How about a super green, manual mower(the type you push) Can't get much more environmentally friendly. No coal power stations needed, and it is satisfying to slowly walk up and down . Very little to go wrong.
Creates stripes too.
Facebook market place
Pick something up for £20
When it dies, this year? next?? 5 years time??? Do the same thing again.
Ransomes Ajax. Always a few on eBay.
Fine on a short parched lawn but the OP talked about dense and thick and a push mower is shit when things get rough. Source: me pushing one round my parents' lawn when younger.
2nd for the manually operated type. I used to enjoy using it.
Mow it once a fortnight and it's fine. Leave it for a month and you may need to strim it first. Source: me mowing my 10m x 5m lawn for the last 20 years.
one of the Bosch Rotak series
Rotak owner here too. Had mine since we bought our first house over 20 years ago. Changed the blade once. As someone else posted above though, no idea if new versions are built to same standard.
Fine on a short parched lawn but the OP talked about dense and thick and a push mower is shit when things get rough. Source: me pushing one round my parents’ lawn when younger.
Seconded, we had a Qualcast Panther with a large dent in the back where we used to boot it to get it moving. Gives a LOVELY lawn if you're on top of things though
I haven't even opened it so definitely can't recommend it, but I did just pick up a Bosch Rotak dirt cheap in Homebase: https://www.homebase.co.uk/bosch-rotak-36-r-electric-lawn-mower-36cm/13927666.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=shopping&affil=thggps&switchcurrency=GBP&shippingcountry=GB&affil=thgppc&gclid=CjwKCAjwq4imBhBQEiwA9Nx1BqmcwTO3OsuVmOWjjjB3BcepT_fhOT7UfkNU2IhAecAQ2GOSoYLdIBoClsYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Given the feedback above it might be worth seeing if you can still find stock in your nearest.
Source: me pushing one round my parents’ lawn when younger.
Likewise. And my fathers answer to that. PUT MORE EFFORT IN. 😆 😆
+1 for Rotak. Mine makes short work (haha) of the longest grass. Which it has to as I can't be arsed to mow very often.
yeah my rotak is 8 years old and good as new, except for the blade which I sharpened once then replaced (but I imagine that'd be the case regardless). That said, my parents are still using a black and decker mower from the mid-80s, there's not much to go wrong.
A flymo is better if the space is awkward, but picks up less of the grass.
onewheelgoodFull Member
Ransomes Ajax. Always a few on eBay.
These old push roller mowers are excellent although only really suited to frequently mown lawns due to their short cutting heights
my ‘65 JP Maxees
