Choosing the ideal lawn mower can be a tricky business. With so many different types and varieties out there it can be difficult to know which one to go for. In this guide we aim to make the job of choosing a lawn mower a little bit easier. We have various reviews that tell you all you need to know before you buy your next lawn mower so that you can make an informed decision and buy the perfect make and model that fits your needs.

Firstly we are going to talk about the different power sources available to you when considering a lawn mower: Corded electric, cordless electric and petrol powered.

Corded Electric

Corded Electric lawn mowers are suitable for people with small to medium sized lawns. What’s great about corded electric lawn mowers is that they are light weight and easier to manoeuvre. They are virtually silent while in operation, in contrast to their petrol powered cousins. Corded lawn mowers tend to be much more affordable in comparison to cordless or petrol power lawn mowers.

Cordless Electric

Cordless electric lawn mowers give you all the advantages of a corded electric lawn mower plus the freedom of a gas powered mower. They are very quiet while in operation and you are not restricted by the length of the cord as you would be with a electric corded. There are disadvantages however and this includes being limited to run for a limited period of time, usually between 30 to 60 minutes. Cordless mowers tend to be more expensive compared with corded versions.

Petrol Powered

Petrol powered lawn mowers give you the freedom of movement around your lawn so they are more suited to people who have a large lawn where access to a power source may be a problem and might take longer to mow. Petrol powered mowers are generally more powerful than electric powered lawn mowers, allowing you to mow long grass with ease. Disadvantages include their weight: relatively heavy compared to electric versions, and more expensive in comparison with electric mowers. Another disadvantage is that they make a lot of noise while in operation so this might be one to consider if you have neighbours who live in close proximity to you.

Manual/Push

Manual or reel mowers are for people who have a small lawn and for those who do not wish to spend a lot of money on a lawn mower, as they are considerably cheaper than electric powered ones.

Which Brand to go for?

In the UK market there are many reputable brands for you to choose from. We have chosen to focus on a handful of brands because of their reputation and superior build quality and reliability, which is important when choosing a lawn mower.

Hayter

Hayter is a British manufacturer of petrol powered lawn mowers. Their machines are very high quality and reliable. We really like their machines and should be one for the shortlist if you are after a petrol powered. We highly recommend the Hayter Spirit 41 619 Self-propelled petrol mower. You can find our review of it here.

Honda

If you are in the market for a petrol powered lawn mower then you have to seriously consider a Honda. Their machines are built to last and their engines are some of the best in the world. You can’t really go wrong with a Honda lawn mower. Our pick is the Honda Izy HRG415PD, check out our Review Here.

Bosch

Bosch are renown for producing lawn mowers of the highest quality. If you are in the market for an electric lawn mower, whether corded or cordless, we highly recommend you to check out Bosch’s range of electric powered lawn mowers. Our pick of the Bosch corded lawn mowers is the Bosch Rotak 40 Ergoflex, you can read our review here.  Of the cordless electric variety from Bosch we recommend the Bosch  43 li Ergoflex Cordless Mower,  the review for this mower can be found here.

Flymo

Flymo are famous for their hover mowers and for their distinct orange colour styling. Flymo produce very good electric lawn mowers and are an excellent alternative to Bosch. Out of their corded electric range we recommend the Flymo Multimo 420XC, our review of it can be found here.

Qualcast

Qualcast manufacture electric and manual hand powered lawn mowers. We particularly like their manual lawn mowers and recommend you check out their range if you are in the market for a manual machine. Our review of one of their manual mowers is coming very shortly.

There are several types of lawn mowers that are used to maintain the lawns on a property, however not all of them have the functionality and versatility of this mower. Not only can it be used to mow the lawn and give it a well-kept and beautiful appearance, it can also be used for landscaping purposes, to till the ground and move stones and other heavy objects from one part of the garden to the other.

With property prices going downhill, one which has been properly landscaped can attract a higher value than a neighboring property that has not undergone such beautification. Even if you do not choose to create an elaborate garden, regularly mowing the lawn and trimming the edges can make the grass greener and looking healthier. This automatically translates to a beautiful exterior.

A garden tractor is a machine that can serve a variety of functions and if you are concerned about making the exterior of your house look fabulous, this is the tool to invest in. It is suitable for lawn maintenance throughout the year regardless of the season; all you need to do is swap the tractor attachments to suit the job that needs to be done.

For instance, when the leaves begin to fall and liter the whole place, a rake or shovel can be attached for efficient clearing. In the same way, when a snow blower is attached in the winter months, it makes it easier and more convenient to clear the snow.

In order to achieve a beautiful looking lawn and save up on time and energy at the same time, the best option would be garden tractor.

Rank 1: Hayter 619 Spirit 41 Self-Propelled Rear Roller

We like Hayter a lot. Whats not to like? They are British and are synonymous with quality and reliability. Looking for a top self propelled petrol lawn mower? You can’t go wrong with a Hayter machine. Our pick of the bunch is the Hayter 619 Spirit 41 Self-Propelled Rear Roller.

Check out our full review here.

Rank 2: Honda Izy HRG415PD Petrol Lawn Mower

We just loved how well made this thing is. The Honda Izy HRG415PD doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. It’s exactly what it says on the tin: Quality, Reliability. What you come to expect from a Honda machine. That is why we have awarded it our best petrol push model for 2012.

Read our full review here.

Rank 3: Bosch Rotak 43 LI Ergoflex Cordless Electric

If you like the Bosch Rotak Electric range but want the freedom of a cordless mower then look no further than the Rotak 43 LI Ergoflex. We’ve raved about how good the Rotak 40 Ergoflex is and the Rotak 43 LI is just as good and it’s cordless. Find out why we have awarded this the third best mower of 2012.

Read our full review here.

Rank 4: Bosch Rotak 40 Ergoflex Electric Lawn Mower

It was very difficult to look past the Bosch Rotak 40 Ergoflex to be our top Electric corded lawn mower of the year 2012. We really loved the professional cutting finish that Rotak 40 gives and the absolute gem of an engine in the form of the 1700 watt PowerDrive engine. If you are looking for a corded electric mower look no further than the Rotak 40.

Read our full review here.

Rank 5: Flymo Turbo 400 Electric Lawn Mower

We are a fan of the Flymo brand and the Turbo 400 ticks all the boxes. It was a difficult choice for 5th spot in our line up for best lawn mower 2012 but the Turbo 400 just pipped the rest to 5th place. On a budget and need something simple and reliable that gets the job done? Look no further than the Flymo Turbo 400.

Read our full review of the Turbo 400 here

Gas powered trimmers are best picked because of their fast powered mobility. If you have a thick hedge to tackle, the gas-powered trimmer will more efficiently take care of it, but using it on smaller shrubs and hedges can be damaging to them. It is the most powerful trimmer out there, and you can move around a lot easier, unlike electric trimmers which have cords attached to them. But the gas-powered trimmer is also a burden because of its weight, weighing ten to twelve pounds, and it makes as much noise as a gas-powered chainsaw. This can disturb the public if you work for a landscaping company.

The electric trimmer is picked not only for its convenience but also for its quietness. There are two types of electric hedge trimmers you can choose from, a corded or cordless one. The corded trimmers are the cheapest ones on the market, but can cause clumsiness because of the cord. They are lightweight and powerful, but there is a possibility of cutting the cord. The power cord allows you to go 200 feet away, and so you are restricted to certain areas. The cordless hedge trimmer gives you the mobility with no cord attached, but also has a restricted limit to it, because it is battery powered and you have to recharge it. The cordless trimmer is not as powerful as the corded one, but is convenient for working in public places, and is heavier than the corded trimmer.

So which one to choose? Both have their good and bad traits, and the decision mainly depends on the buyer. Both the gas and electric hedge trimmers bring benefits to the table, and you really can’t go wrong in your choice. If you work in public places, the electric trimmer is good because it doesn’t cause a racket, but if you have hedges that are thick and hard to trim, the gas-powered one would work best. So, either way, you get good quality with whatever one you choose.

Although a hand-aerating toolis available, still the majority of aerating activities is performed with equipment possessing empty tines aeration is done mechanically with a machine having empty tines. The hand aeratoris known as coring that extracts a large portion of cores of soil and deposits them on the turf. Aeration holes are usually 1-6 inches deep and 2-6 inches apart. Another type of aerator that pushes solid spikes or tines into the soil without removing a plug is called spiking. However, this is less effective because it can contribute to soil compaction. Instead, a core aerator is a recommended device in aerating compacted, heavily used lawn and in controlling thatch development.

Knowing the best time when to perform lawn aeration is the wisest move one can do to make their turf healthy and useful. Target the months of April and September, which are identified as the perfect time to aerate a lawn and may change according to location. Ground that is too soft may not be a good time and ground that is too hard, may need to be watered for around 60 minutes before getting the best results with lawn equipment. Those that are aerated on a regular basis may produce better cores.

Core aeration makes your lawn greener and will reduce the cost of watering by improving drainage. Further benefits are reducing water runoff; dropped rates of soil compaction, controlled thatch expansion, reduced harmful effects of drought conditions, and improved direct access to the root system for water, air, and nutrients.

Electric Lawn Mowers: These have been designed to use either the electrical current in your home or the battery they have on board, instead of the fossil fuels such as petrol, to power them. The battery operated ones do not have cords to get in the way and they both have a distinct benefit for the neighborhood that the gas mower does not: They are not as loud as a gas mower and they do not give off the same gas fumes and smoke. There are quite a few sizes and the selection will make it easy to pick just the right size for your yard.

Petrol Lawn Mowers: These have been the staple in the yard maintenance field as they are less expensive than many of the others and there is a relatively large supply of fuel, prices of a gallon notwithstanding. They do have the torque necessary for cutting some of the toughest or highest grass and weeds, yet they still have a low cutting deck. The simple controls will allow anyone to master their operation very quickly. The gasoline engine is loud and it does generate gas fumes and it can be bothersome early in the morning or late at night, yet, it is still the most popular type of mower anywhere!

Push Type Lawn Mowers: Actually called something like a Reel or cylinder (horizontal axis) mower, these have been on the market since before any of the powered mowers. These ‘people’ powered mowers are useful for a small lawn, not a large one! They have the advantage of not needing any electrical or gasoline fuels and they will cut the grass just as well as any of the other ones listed. This is accomplished by a set of gears designed to divert the forward motion you give it into the blades that cut the grass in an action that resembles a pair of scissors.

Design and Features
The 520BR is a really great looking machine. The outer shell looks fresh and modern, in keeping with the rest of AL-KO’s lawn mower range. The silver grey body with subtle red detailing compliment each other nicely. AL-KO really go that little bit further to make their machines look appealing.

The Mower uses a Briggs & Stratton 625 Series engine which is a common engine used in a number of mowers of a similar class. It does a very good job and has top marks for reliability and more than enough power. It handles all types of grass very well, even long grass. The mower has a 4in1 functionality which means it has the ability to collect, mulch and discharge from the side and rear.

What is it like to use

The mower did take a while to put together but it wasn’t overly complicated. Once the machine is all put together it has a real presence about it. You get a sense that it is a quality machine and the thing looks even better in real than it does in the brochures. Using AL-KO’s ReadyStart system the mower is a dream to start and takes very little effort.

The 520BR is by no means a light weight mower at 38kg. It is one of the heavier mowers but compensates for that with AL-KO’s wheel set up. The larger wheels at the back make it easy to turn and very manoeuvrable.

The handle can be adjusted to suit the height of the user and has 2 height settings. The cutting height is very easy to adjust and has 7 stage adjustment. You can choose from a 30mm cutting height to 80mm. We found that the mower gives a really nice and consistent finish. It handles the grass well whatever mode you are in, whether collection, mulching or discharge. The 520BR even performs well in damp grass which is definitely a plus and the 70 litre grass box is excellent.

Verdict

With AL-KO’s 520BR Premium mower you are getting the best in German engineering. It looks and feels like a quality machine and it makes you want to use it over and over. Not the cheapest but for all the features you get what you pay for. The 520BR Premium mower is one we really like and ticks all the boxes for looks, performance and quality. Got a large lawn? Look no further.

Click here for the Latest Price

Design and Performance

When you take the mower out of its packaging for the first time you will notice just how well made it is. It is a really good looking mower and is up there with the best for overall aesthetics.

Hayter have gone to extra lengths to make the mower rust-proof.  The cutter-deck is rust resistant aluminium with a polymer under-body which is really nice. This all ensures that this mower is built to last.

This is a rotary mower that uses a 158cc Briggs & Stratton 500-Series engine, which produces 5hp. The engine is a common engine used in a number of lawn mowers and it is known for being a very reliable engine that has the power to deal with most situations. The engine is relatively economical with fuel.

What is it like to use?

This is a very nice machine to use. When you use it for for the first time you can feel the quality of the design and build which you would come to expect with a machine from Hayter. There is very little assembly required and out of the box you are ready to go in minutes.
The self propelled system can take a little getting used to at first but is excellent and takes very little effort to operate once you are up to speed. For a petrol mower it is lightweight and is easy to manoeuvre.

The mower comes with a large 55 litre fabric grass collection box.  What is really impressive is how tightly the mower manages to compact the grass in.  Meaning the more grass that can be fitted into the box and saving you time in having to empty the grass box less.

What we really like about this mower is the finish of cut. The resulting finish is comparable to a more superior cylinder mower which would set you back a lot more than this mower. The Hayter will cut as low as 13mm and the height is easily adjustable to give you the cutting height you desire. We really like the stripe effect that the rear roller produces and it is one of the stand out features of this mower. If you are after a mower that gives a striped finish then this mower does a great job.  A similarly spec’d self propelled Honda mower is considerable more expensive so the Hayter is really fantastic value for money.

Things to Note

Something to remember is that the mower does not come supplied with the required 4-stroke engine oil and you will need to buy that separately.  It is important you use the right kind of oil (SAE 30) as this is vital to the longevity of the engine.  Using the wrong type of oil can have a dramatic effect on how long the mower will last.

Verdict

The Hayter 619 Spirit 41 self propelled mower is undoubtedly a very good mower. It ticks all the boxes in terms of quality and build. For the price you will not find much else that offers more for your money. This mower is built to last which is one of the most important things to take note of when you are out to get a new petrol mower. With stand out features such as the excellent Autodrive system is it our top rated self propelled petrol powered mower and our top mower of the year 2012.  Highly Recommended!

Where to Buy?

This mower retails at around £410 but The Green Reaper based in Thame in Oxfordshire are selling The Hayter Spirit 41 Autodrive for under £390. The Green Reaper are one of the better on-line retailers out there and have an excellent delivery service and they make sure the mower is handled professionally.  They are doing a really good deal at the moment and offering free delivery and they also supply the mower with the required 4 stroke oil (SAE 30) for free.  Click here to check out the latest price at their on-line store.

Summary

• Excellent Quality and Build
• Value For Money
• Great Quality of Finish
• Easy to Use

Hedge Trimmer Basics

To tidy up and give your garden clean lines, it is worth investing in a hedge trimmer. Small hedges will only require a trimmer with a blade around 18 inches long, medium hedges need a blade length of between 18 inches and 22 inches and a large hedge will need a blade length of 22 inches and longer. The blade width indicates how big a branch diameter it will cut through. So a one inch blade width should cut through a branch one inch in diameter.

The basic types available include rechargeable, gas powered and electric cable. Rechargeable trimmers keep emissions down but may not be that powerful and could be heavier. Gas powered will probably have a greater staying power and will obviously avoid the risk of cutting through a cable. If you go for an electric cable type, make sure you invest in a circuit breaker just in case of an accident.

Typically, rechargeable hedge trimmers need some five to seven hours charging to get just thirty minutes of use. This means carefully planning ahead to ensure sufficient power is available for the job. They are not much good for waking up and deciding to go and trim the hedge because the sun is shining and yet the battery is dead. Still, the noise level is much lower on a rechargeable than a gas powered version.

Double position hedge trimmers have a handle extension that folds out at right angles to the blade allowing a neat ninety degrees cut to the top of the hedge without the need for a step ladder.

A side box to collect the clippings is a useful addition where the hedge is made up of small leaves and branches. It saves your back from bending down to collect up most of the debris.
Make sure that whichever hedge trimmer you purchase, it has a hand guard and a blade break that will stop the machine the instant you let go of the trigger.

It may be worth renting a trimmer first to test out the weight, handling and performance to find the right one for you and your garden.

The Bosch Isio Shape and Edging Li-Ion Shear is powered by a 3.6V lithium-ion battery, and has laser-cut diamond ground interchangeable blades. The battery charge can last up to 50 minutes when fully charged, and can be re-charged in around 3 ½ hours.

The battery charger itself resembles that of a mobile phone. A green light is displayed when charging. The tool itself tells the user when the battery needs to be recharged – first a green light flashes to warn the user when the battery is down to 20%, then a red light will be displayed when recharging becomes urgent.

The lithium-ion battery used in this tool is special. This type of battery can usually be recharged up to four times more often than other type batteries. In addition, these batteries will not self-discharge and will not suffer what is called “memory loss”.

“Memory loss” is a common phenomenon of many batteries. If a battery-driven device is consistently used with only a portion of the battery charge used up, what can happen is that the battery “remembers” that it was only used for a certain amount of time and interprets that time as the real life of the battery charge. Batteries in all cordless Bosch products do not have that issue.

In addition, the Bosch Isio Shape and Edging Li-Ion Shear has a feature called the “anti-blocking system” or ABS. This system prevents the tool from stalling when thick, tough grass is encountered by adjusting the running direction of the blades. The blades are 110mm/80mm in length and have a tooth spacing of 8mm.

This Bosch tool is smaller than most tools of this type, not only making it easy to use, but it reduces the fatigue factor that often accompanies lawn-edging chores. The soft-grip handle is easy on the hands and fingers.

The Bosch unit comes complete with two easy-to-change blades – one for edging and another for trimming.

A telescoping handle is available as an accessory and is sold separately.

Customer reviews for this tool have been overwhelmingly positive. The ruggedness and ease of use quality is mentioned over and over again in reviews. But some people have maintained that the tool isn’t rugged enough and some complained that the edging blades were cut at an incorrect angle, causing the tool to not work correctly and efficiently.