Lawn Mower Buying Guide
The lawnmower is possibly the most important tool you will have for use in the garden. This buying guide aims to explain the different features and show which type of lawnmower is best for different garden sizes, styles and power requirements.
Types of Lawnmowers
Cylinder Mowers
Cylinder lawnmowers have cylindrical blades that rotate at the front of the mower. They cut against a fixed blade at the bottom of the machine. The cylinder will generally have multiple blades & typically three or more will give better results
Cylinder lawnmowers are best for very flat lawns that you want to keep short and well-manicured. They can be electric, petrol-powered and push mowers.
View our range of cylinder lawnmowers HERE
Rotary Mowers
Rotary lawnmowers have a blade that rotates horizontally underneath the mower,
Rotary lawn mowers are the most common type of mower and very versatile, they cope well with all types of grass and also much longer grass than a cylinder mower will do. They have a great range of features that can make you're mowing a better experience like electric start, roller facility, self-propelled, great range of sizes both in cutting width, powering options and grass collection.
These mowers can be powered via petrol, battery and electric options across many brands.
Take a look at some of our ranger HERE
Hover Mowers
Hover lawnmowers hover above the ground, making them easier to push and good mowing uneven surfaces. They are a good choice for unusual-shaped lawns as they are easy to move around and get in & out of hard to reach spots.
Hover lawnmowers are not a good choice for larger gardens. They are usually electric or petrol powered and have rotary blades.
Take a look at our hover mowers HERE
Lawnmower Power Options
Electric Lawnmowers
Electric lawnmowers are very cost-effective machines that start in price from under £80, these are used more in small to medium-sized gardens. One thing to remember is that you have a lead that plugs it into the power & trails behind the machine, can this lead get from the plug socket to the top of your garden?
See of our range HERE
Cordless Lawnmowers
Cordless battery-powered lawn mowers have come on great guns over the last few years, they offer a very easy to use a machine with low maintenance and easy to store. They are becoming the cleaner greener option for many people these days. No cables when being used just charge the battery and away you go, many of these batteries are cross-compatible with other garden tools also like hedge trimmers, strimmers & a whole range of other garden tools.
Pricing of these units can be seen as expensive but they are very convenient and when buying other machines you save money by not having to buy another battery.
Ready to take a look at the range, click HERE
Petrol Lawnmowers
Petrol-powered lawn mowers are the best choice for large gardens where a mains cable would be unsuitable. They are bit more expensive but much more powerful and faster at cutting. They are also easier to manoeuvre around large objects.
However, bear in mind that petrol lawnmowers will need servicing like car engines, and you will need to check and top-up the oil.
You should expect to pay £150 upwards for a petrol lawnmower, depending on your features yo are looking for.
Want to view the range, click HERE
Push Lawnmowers
These are generally smaller lawnmowers that you simply push along with your muscle power. They come as a cylinder, petrol mowers. They are best for small gardens and don’t use electricity or produce noise and emissions.
However, push lawnmowers are not suitable for larger or sloping gardens or people who have difficulty pushing.
You should expect to pay £40 to £100 for a push lawnmower.
Lawn Mowers & Garden Sizes
Think of your lawn as a tennis court. A full-size court would be a medium lawn, half the court or less would be a small lawn. Anything bigger is a large lawn.
You can use the below as a rough guide:
- Small lawn (up to 100 sq m): electric and cordless lawn mowers.
- Medium lawn (100 – 250 sq m): electric, cordless and petrol lawn mowers.
- Large lawn (250+ sq m): petrol lawn mowers.
Other Lawnmower Factors To Consider
Self-Propelled Lawnmowers
Some electric and petrol lawnmowers are self-propelled. This means that you don’t need to push them – simply steer them in the right direction!
It makes mowing much easier, especially with large lawns and heavy machines. Some models come with adjustable speeds, so you can set it to a comfortable walking pace.
Grass Box
It is generally advised to collect grass clippings rather than leaving them on the lawn. Most lawnmowers collect the clippings in a box at the back. This is better than mowers that leave you to rake them up afterwards!
If you have a medium or large lawn, look for a high-capacity grass box. This will cut down how often you need to stop mowing and empty the box.
Mulching Mowers
You can also get lawnmowers that chop up the grass clippings very finely and push them back into the lawn as mulch. These are sometimes called recycling mowers. The mulch adds nutrients back into the lawn.
The fine shredding helps the clippings break down quickly so they don’t smother the rest of the grass. Mulching mowers are expensive but a good choice if you don’t have anywhere to dispose of grass clippings.
Cutting Width
A lawn mower’s cutting width refers to how wide a stripe the lawnmower can cut. A larger cutting width will reduce how much time you spend mowing the lawn.
Here’s a handy guide using the lawn sizes from above.
- Small lawn: 300mm 12” cutting width.
- Medium lawn: 400mm 16” cutting width.
- Large lawn: 510mm 21” cutting width.
Cutting Height
The cutting height of mowers will vary in how many heights you have, most mowers will have between 5-7 and cut from about 20m-75mm. It is always worth comparing these when looking at your potential new lawnmower.
Rear Roller Mowers
If you are looking the having that traditional striped green lawn, you will see these on golf courses, football pitches & country houses alike that the UK is famous for, then you need to look at the roller mowers.
Robot Lawnmowers
A very fast-growing market as the prices are now coming down a lot, if you want a perfect lawn but don’t want to mow it yourself then these are becoming very popular. It is worth mentioning that there is a fair bit off set-up when they arrive but once done the mowers will take care of your lawn with little maintenance.
Contact us for more info or to help you choose your very own mower for your needs.
