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Hand powered / push lawn mowers - any thoughts?

I know it's the wrong time of year, but my grass has grown a bit too long, and so for the first time in my life I need a lawnmower.

I was surprised to find that some of the hand pushed lawn mowers (like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Qualcast-Panther-Powered-Cylinder-Lawnmower/dp/B00027YJAI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322855386&sr=8-1) actually have really good reviews. Our lawn is fairly small and flat.

Has anyone got/had a push mower, and what do you think of it?

Thanks :)
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Comments

  • Sooki
    Sooki Posts: 240 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    I've been musing over ditching the flymo myself and am interested too!
  • anotherbaldrick
    anotherbaldrick Posts: 2,335 Forumite
    edited 2 December 2011 at 11:02PM
    You scullion! You rampallian! You fustilarian! I’ll tickle your catastrophe (Henry IV part 2)
  • Yolina
    Yolina Posts: 2,262 Forumite
    My grandparents always had a push mower (and a reasonably big lawn!) I used it many times when I was a kid without any problems. That was 25+ years ago, and I have no idea how old the mower was - they built the house early 60s so quite probably it was acquired then ;) I'm sure any "modern" version will be just fine.
    Now free from the incompetence of vodafail
  • ormus
    ormus Posts: 42,714 Forumite
    i hope you are very fit.
    these things are bloody hard work.

    you couldnt give me one.
    Get some gorm.
  • ormus wrote: »
    i hope you are very fit.

    I am not :(

    Perhaps I should reconsider.
  • ormus
    ormus Posts: 42,714 Forumite
    then consider a flymo micro lite. 5 quid more than the qualcast panther.
    at argos.
    Get some gorm.
  • Gloomendoom
    Gloomendoom Posts: 16,551 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    We have one of those Qualcast ones in your link. It's very light and not hard to push. However, I wouldn't recommend it for long grass at all. It will just jam up.
  • Thanks Gloomendoom - would you recommend it in general? Does it do a decent job on the lawn?
  • rustyboy21
    rustyboy21 Posts: 2,565 Forumite
    I wouldn't recommend any lawn mower like a flymo which takes plastic cutter blades, they are an absolute nuisance.
    I have had ( In the past 10 years )

    Manual cylinder mower- too hard to push
    electric cylinder - long grass jams it
    Flymo ( plastic blades ) - changing blades every 10 minutes

    Best one I have now is a Bosch 12'' diameter electric rotary one with metal blade which cost £49 in Homebase. Not an ounce of trouble.

    I am noy the avid gardener, the grass only gets cut when the dog gets lost in it ! lol, but the rotary one is so easy to use as well as being the cheapest

    Bit more expensive from 2 years ago, but you may get one in B&Q or somewhere cheaper. This is the one

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-Rotak-Electric-Rotary-Mower/dp/B0007VHMQW/ref=pd_cp_diy_1
  • Yolina
    Yolina Posts: 2,262 Forumite
    edited 3 December 2011 at 7:52AM
    ormus wrote: »
    i hope you are very fit.
    these things are bloody hard work.

    you couldnt give me one.

    :eek: If I could push one of the good old all-metal ones when I was something like 10, it can't be that much hard work, unless the French ones were built completely differently :p Yes it does require a bit of effort but it's honestly not that bad. What I remember as being a right pain was that the one my grandparents had didn't have anything to collect the cuttings as you were going so you had to rake afterwards.
    Now free from the incompetence of vodafail
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