New lawnmower and strimmer

egyptiancotton

Hi all,

I'm after a new mower and strimmer. Not looking to spend a lot. I had a look at the Wilko lawnmower and strimmer - both seem to have decent reviews and 2-year warranty. I also noticed the Flymo mower and strimmer set from Tesco @ £70 - decent reviews as well but only 1-year warranty.

I noticed Wilko's mower is identical to Tesco's own mower - not sure who they're made by.

Not sure whether to go for Wilko's mower and strimmer or the Flymo twin set. Advice welcome

Nilrem

If you're after a cheap set and your garden isn't too big just go for the one with the better warranty (keep the receipt) if the price is around the same- however, and this is something I can't stress enough, get an RCD plug and use it (that trailing cable is surprisingly easy to run over*).
At the lower end of the market many of the mowers and strimmers are going to be pretty much the same model in different colour combinations** dependent on brand.

If you've got a larger garden then it's best (imo) to avoid electric mowers as the cables become a real pain in the neck and are relatively
dangerous*. Towards the end of the season keep an eye open for a petrol one, people often throw them out because they're running rough or have a problem that is cheap and easy to fix (for example briggs and Stratton engines use a rubber diaphragm for the carb, it perishes after a few years but only costs about £3 and 15 minutes to replace).

Finally when you get them, whatever make/model you buy allow for a set of ear protectors and goggles.
The average strimmer loves to throw up odd bits and pieces and whilst you'd be unlucky for it to big enough and hit you in the face/eyes it can happen, so for a couple of quid goggles are a must, and please wear proper footware
I probably sound like an old granny, but I've had close calls with the strimmer and thrown stones that have made me grateful for face protection, and the noise from a lot of gardening tools is enough over a prolonged period to risk hearing damage (as you're usually running them with the motor/engine near you the whole time)

*Every electric garden tool I've ever owned seems to have had to have it's cable replaced at some point after I've loaned it out (I keep cheap electric ones for quick/small jobs and loans - I've been given a fair few in the past because the owner ran the cable over as well).

egyptiancotton

The Wilko mower is £40 and the strimmer is £17 - so £57 for the pair with 2-year warranty. Whereas the Flymo set is £70 and only comes with a 1-year warranty. I would've thought the Flymo set would be more reliable, but I base that purely on the fact it's a well-known brand.

Already ahead of you with the goggles - I wore a set yesterday when I was strimming the garden; debris was thrown