Petrol or Electricity?

If you have a small lawn that can be cut by a petrol or electric mower, the choice is a personal one. Electric mowers are quieter than petrol ones and are more environmentally friendly. The need to have electric mowers serviced is less important and the prices are generally cheaper.

Petrol mowers are generally more powerful and are free from trailing cables which can get caught up in garden obstacles. Larger lawns generally need the extra power afforded by petrol mowers and electric mowers are limited by the length of cables.

An alternative that achieves the freedom from cables but retains electrical benefits is the rechargeable battery mower. The amount of time that a rechargeable mower can run when fully charged varies.  If you are looking for a rechargeable mower, please make sure that the model you choose is appropriate for the time it will take to cut your grass.

Lawn Size

Small = Up to 300 sq. m.
Medium= 300 to 600 sq. m.
Large = 600 to 1000 sq. m.
Over 1000 (ride-on mowers).

Generally speaking, the size of your lawn dictates the size of mower. However, other considerations will include the intricacy of cutting and the ability of the user to control the mower. If you have a larger lawn with lots of intricate corners and borders it may be appropriate to have a smaller mower which is less tiring to manoeuvre. Similarly, some operators will find it more comfortable to operate a smaller mower on a large lawn.

If you have intricate areas to your lawn, or you feel that you would prefer to operate a smaller mower, we suggest you select a size smaller than your lawn.

Rotary or Cylinder?

The cutting action of a cylinder mower is rather like that of a pair of scissors. The cylinder rotates against a fixed blade and as the grass is trapped between the two blades it is sliced off cleanly. A rotary mower has a blade that rotates on a horizontal plane. The blade has sharp edges at each end and acts like a scythe to mow the grass.

Because of the different cutting action, cylinder mowers achieve a better quality of cut, although a good rotary mower will still achieve a good finish.

Cylinder Mowers

Give a better quality cut on a formal well maintained lawn.

Will cut shorter than a rotary mower without damaging the lawn.

The forward speed of self propelled cylinder mowers tends to be faster than that of rotary mowers.

Some cylinder mowers allow the cylinder to be removed and replaced by a lawn rake.

Rotary Mowers

Give a good cut but not as fine as a cylinder mower.

Cheaper to maintain than a cylinder mower.

The grass collector is at the rear of the mower allowing easier cutting into corners.

Better on long grass as there is no front roller.

Blades are less susceptible to damage.

Can be used to clear leaves from your lawn in autumn.

Hover mowers

Hover mowers are rotary mowers that hover on a cushion of air which gives them high manoeuvrability. Hover mowers can be useful for mowing grass banks.

Push or Self Propelled?

Push mowers rely on the operator to push them forwards to achieve their forward movement and will generally have an electric motor or engine to turn the blade.

Self propelled mowers utilise the motor or engine to propel the mower forwards so that all the operator need do is guide the mower around the lawn.

Although more costly, self propelled mowers take the effort out of mowing, particularly on large or sloping lawns.

Rear Roller or Four Wheels?

Some mowers have a wheel at each corner and others have two wheels at the front and a roller at the back. Cylinder mowers have rollers at the front and back.

A mower with a rear roller will achieve two aims. Firstly it will allow you to give your lawn a pleasing striped finish and secondly it will allow you to cut right up to your lawn edges without the mower slipping off the lawn edge.

If your lawn is uneven, a four wheel mower may well be more suitable. Having less surface area of the mower in contact with the ground means that the mower will travel over the surface of your lawn more easily.

Auto Engine Stop or Blade Clutch?

Since January 1995 the regulations governing mower safety stipulate that the blades on a mower must stop when the operator ceases to have control of the machine (i.e. lets go of the handles). Mowers fitted with an Engine Brake comply by stopping the engine when the user lets go of the machine. Mowers fitted with a Blade Brake Clutch (sometimes known as Roto Stop) comply by disengaging the blade, while allowing the engine to keep running, when the user lets go of the machine.

Mowers fitted with a Blade Brake Clutch have the advantage of not needing to be restarted every time the machine is left unattended, for example to empty the grass bag. Choose "no" if you would prefer to have the engine remain running.

Recoil or Key Start?

The traditional and most common method of starting a mower is the recoil start. At its simplest, a recoil start is a rope which is pulled to start the engine and when the rope is released it recoils back into its housing.

However, not everybody wants to start a mower manually and this can be catered for by the Key Start mowers on offer, often known as Electric Start mowers. Simply turn a key and the engine starts, as with a car.