THE UK'S NO. 1 GARDEN MACHINERY WEBSITE
Links
  • Compare ()
  • Sign In
  • Contact Us
  • Create an Account
Basket 0 Shopping Basket Basket
trustpilot
ASK AN EXPERT!
Easy payments with Omni
100% Secure
Fast Delivery
Blog
Honda Logo
Stiga Logo
Mountfield Logo
Stihl Logo
EGO Power+ Logo
Cobra Logo
AL-KO Logo
Weibang Logo

Lawn Mower Buyer's Guide

Helpful Information To Help You Choose The Right Mower

Choosing the right kind of lawnmower for your garden can be a difficult decision, but our handy buyer's guide will help you to pick the right lawn mower so you can enjoy a beautiful lawn all year round. The most important thing to consider is the size of your lawn. "Think of it as a tennis court" – Larger than a tennis court is a large lawn, a full-size tennis court would be a medium sized lawn, half and less is a small lawn. Depending on the size of your garden you may have a choice of power source. Whether it’s petrol, electric or cordless (battery-operated), the power source will also make a big difference to performance and price.

A small garden can be mowed with either a hand push, mains electric or robotic lawn mower. If you have a medium-sized or larger lawn, then you should consider a battery-operated, mains electric or petrol machine. If the power cable is not an issue then make sure it is long enough to extend to the end of the garden.

Cordless Lawn Mowers

Cordless lawn mowers offer quiet, fuss free mowing. These lawnmowers work hard, are easy to handle, offer low maintenance and give great performance rates. No fumes means these mowers are better for the environment. No electric cord means mowing the lawn has never been easier or safer. Just recently cordless mowers have become incredibly popular as the battery can be shared with other machines and thus drastically cut down on your gardening costs. For example, with the Mountfield Freedom ranges, once you have the battery and the charger, then you can add the different machines as and when you need them as they all use the same batteries.

Featured Cordless Lawn Mowers

Shop All Cordless Lawn Mowers

Petrol Lawn Mowers

Petrol powered lawnmowers are ideal for large lawns as they tend to be more powerful than their electric or battery powered couter-parts. They don't need cords, but they can be heavier than electric ones, so it might be an idea to look out for self-propelled models if the product’s weight is a concern. Basically, the more power the better the cut, and the easier the job. Petrol mowers are also ideal for larger gardens where the terrain may be bumpy or sloping. You can choose from self propelled, for those harder to maintain gardens or even opt for a roller for that stately lawn look. A petrol lawn mower produces the most power and is ideal for lawns over a tennis court in size. Please note that if you choose petrol and if you have a steep hill that takes a fair amount of time to cut, you should purchase a mower with an overhead cam or overhead valve engine as this allows oil to be pumped through the engine at all times.

Featured Petrol Lawn Mowers

Shop All Petrol Lawn Mowers

Electric Lawn Mowers

Mains electric lawn mowers are quiet, lightweight, easy to use and are ideal for smaller or medium sized gardens. Electric lawn mowers are powered by a cord, so you will need to check the length of the cord for the size of your lawn - and be aware of the cord while you mow, as it can be a hazard.

Featured Electric Lawn Mowers

Shop All Electric Lawn Mowers

Cylinder Mowers

The classic luxury grade lawns are on the whole cut with cylinder mowers as they can potentially give an excellent even cut. Cylinder mowers have a cylinder that has a number of blades that spiral around it. As the cylinder rotates the grass blades are forced between the spinning cylinder blades and fixed straight cutting blade. This gives a "scissor-like" cutting action and provided that your mower blades are in good condition and aligned correctly the cut will be of very good quality. These work best on frequently cut lawns, and struggle more on damp/longer grass or uneven surfaces. Cylinder lawn mowers are best suited to flat uniform and stone free lawns. If your lawn is quite bumpy or contains rough long grass, then you should avoid a cylinder mower as they will not handle these types of lawns very well.

Featured Cylinder Lawn Mowers

Shop All Cylinder Lawn Mowers

Rotary Lawn Mowers

Rotary lawn mowers have just the one very high speed rotating blade underneath. The grass is chopped on impact by the blade. If the mower has a grass box it is usually behind, and on some models it can be removed if required. Our mowers in this range are available as petrol, electric or cordless/battery. Rotary lawnmowers can deal with most types of landscapes and needs. They are all easy to use, and the more powerful models can handle small twigs and leaves better than the cylinder mower. Rotary machines are often on 4 wheels but some have a rear roller, leaving the striped effect seen on many football pitches. A machine with a roller is also useful because you can go to the very limits of the lawn, cutting the edges. As well as achieving a classic striped lawn rotary mowers with a roller at the back can also give you a helping hand if your lawn suffers from divots or worm casts, essentially ironing out the imperfections.

Featured Rotary Lawn Mowers

Shop All Rotary Lawn Mowers

Grass Collection or Mulching?

Most mowers come with a grass box or bag on to collect the clippings. The size of the box will determine how often you need to empty it. For hover mowers, a large bag full of grass may make it heavier than you’d prefer, so regular emptying will keep your mower light. With many lawn mowers you have the option of collecting the grass or mulching the grass or both! Dedicated mulching mowers offer a dedicated mulching solution. These lawn mowers mulch the clippings instead of collecting and will get the job done around 30% quicker than a conventional mower. The grass is cut and re-cut into tiny particles which are blown down into the base of the turf where they decompose and return valuable nutrients to the soil. Some lawnmowers offer complete versatility and offer collection, side discharge and mulching. These "3-in-1" lawnmowers have become extremely popular over the past few years because you can choose to collect the clippings, cut and discharge or to recycle the clippings depending on your needs or desires.

Featured Mulching Lawn Mowers

Shop All Mulching Lawn Mowers

Other Considerations When Choosing The Right Lawn Mower

  1. Something to think about when purchasing a petrol lawnmower is whether you want a self-propelled or pushed mower – push models are cheaper, easy to maintain and ideal for small lawns. A hand push mower will also mean you are doing a lot of the work, whereas a self-propelled lawnmower will do most of the work for you as the engine drives both the blades and the wheels. They are also easier to handle and may even come with a variable speed control to suit your walking pace.
  2. If you choose an electric lawnmower, then make sure the power cord is long enough to run across your garden.
  3. If you choose a battery powered lawnmower, make sure it can last the distance before needing a recharge.
  4. To avoid emptying over and over, make sure you choose a mower with a large enough clipping bag.
  5. We hope this guide has been useful and helps you choose exactly the right lawn mower for your needs. If you are still unsure or confused, or just need reassurance that you are making the right choice, then just give our team a call (or contact us here). We will be happy to help.
Shop All Lawn Mowers