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| UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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Which Flymo
Hi there
I need a new mower and only have a small lawn, about 3 metres by 7. A fair amount is covered by a climbing frame, although the grass does grow under that. My question is this, having decided to go for a rotary mower, should I go for a hover, or one with a roller. I do like stripes, but are the wheeled mowers too annoying to manouvre around the climbing frame There are some good flymo offers on at the moment, I am looking at either this http://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDispla...mber=3D7303133 or this http://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDispla...mber=3D7303274 Cheers=20 Ed |
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#2
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wrote in message
oups.com... Hi there I need a new mower and only have a small lawn, about 3 metres by 7. A fair amount is covered by a climbing frame, although the grass does grow under that. My question is this, having decided to go for a rotary mower, should I go for a hover, or one with a roller. I do like stripes, but are the wheeled mowers too annoying to manouvre around the climbing frame There are some good flymo offers on at the moment, I am looking at either this http://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDispla...Number=7303133 or this http://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDispla...Number=7303274 Cheers Ed ----------------------------------- Ed, Your links didn't work just now. However, I bought a new Flymo Hover type grass cutter about a year ago, and for my way of using it, it was important that the cutting blade was metal. I found that the real cheapy types had a plastic blade - no use in my opinion for dealing with minor (and not so minor) shrubs at the edge of the grass. -- M Stewart Milton Keynes, UK http://www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm |
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#3
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Thanks Malcolm
I think google has broken my links, these are the two... http://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDispla...Number=7303133 http://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDispla...Number=7303274 |
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#4
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We bought the 350ex as it was a good deal compared to everywhere else.
Flymo seem to have a strange range at the mo in that they seem to cater for the very large gardens (and likewise the cost goes up) but the choice for small/medium gardens seems limited. Not having had a lawn or a lawn mower for a very long time I was surprise to find out that a: quite a bit of the grass gets left on the lawn (where it had to stay as I don't have a rake) b: what isn't on the lawn or in the mower is actually all over the mower especially where the base curls up and in various nooks and crannies which resulted in a lot of huffing and puffing and mumbling to myself when I found out I had to actually clean it after use! Wether it's by design or my hoovering style of mowing I don't know. It was a laugh watching the other half trying to start it this weekend though as she didn't realise you had to pull a lever and press the button. I bet she didn't clean it when she'd finished either. |
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#5
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Thanks!
When you say 'quite a bit of grass is left', is it noticeable? I alredy have a small flymo (with poxy plastic blades that keep breaking), so if this leaves grass on the lawn too there is little point me upgrading cheers Ed |
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#6
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#8
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Trouble is I have a shingle/loose stone path, so the second a cat or
fox or even a son kicks a stone onto the lawn and it gets between the blade and the cutting edge the cut is ruined. Must have a rotary I am afraid |
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#9
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wrote:
Thanks Malcolm I think google has broken my links, these are the two... http://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDispla...Number=7303133 http://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDispla...Number=7303274 Oh, Gawd. No. 1 looks very much like the one I had experience of. Seriously, the air was *blue*, every single time I used it. Grass builds up underneath the thing, and further reduces its efficiency. The grass box is small, and despite claims made, needs emptying frequently, *and* you need to lift the flimsy lid up to see what's happening. It's heavy and awkward to manoevre (ISTR there are wheels at the back, it's not a true "hover" mainly 'cos it's so lbeeding heavy. It does not cut grass longer than 1/2" on a dead flat and smooth surface at all well. It's a big heavy lump of awkward plastic. The on/off switch is a complete PITA. The grass box is awkward to put in, it can get stuck at an angle, and the lid won't go down, and you have to fiddle about with the lbooydy stupid thing. It's heavy and awkward to manoevre - did I already mention that? That lbooyd switch, too, did I mention it? Flippin' heck, now I'm feeling *very* thirsty. Try cuting your lawn with nail- scissors, then going over it with a cold domestic iron to get stripes, it'll be *far* less frustrating. Flymo compact, indeed, absolute abstrads. Get a Performance Power Electric Cylinder Mower PWR600CMA from B&Q or a similar offering from anywhere else, these will be far better than the *things* you mention. No, just don't do it. Abstrads, abstrads. Get out the nail scissors and cold flatiron, that's a major step up. Grrrr. |
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#11
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Yep there's enough left on the lawn that makes me want to give it a
rake. Just haven't been to B&Q for one yet. It might just be my luck of the draw though. Naff mower? Funny grass? Not mowing right? The upside is that it survived mowing a cherry tree root that we didn't know was there. |
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#12
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Hi,
Only buy a hover mower if you actually need one - i.e. if you have slopes. I don't think that you will find any problems with maneuvering a roller rotary. I occasionally work in a lawnmower repair shop and we think Flymo are c**p. One feature you want is an induction motor and I don't think the particular model has one so I would therefore avoid both machines you are thinking about. The best machine of that ilk is the Mountfield Princess but that may be a bit too expensive for you (but it will last many many years unlike the Flymo) You can also buy cheaper machines made by an Italian company called Castel under various brands. I can't advise you strongly enough to go to an independent mower shop (one which repairs as well) and get some good advice. Prices will be competitive and you get the bonus of after sales service and satisfaction of supporting your local business. Another poster suggests buying a cylinder mower. They certainly make a better job of cutting grass but if you have a gravel driveway or kids then you are guaranteed to get stones or something jammed between the blades and therefore constant repairs and maintenance. The Qualcast cylinder mower is a good enough wee machine. A roller mower should be OK for moss, hover mowers are the worst because they float over moss instead of cutting it. Alan. |
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#13
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AnthB wrote:
We bought the 350ex Oh, God, I am so very sorry. Please accept my condolences, and these six tins (13 1/2% extra free) of Carlsberg Special Brew. If you've a spare rusty shovel you can bite down on, you may find it helps. |
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#14
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Actually thats why we got ours, the back garden slopes upwards and from
left to right so all recomendations pointed to a hover mower. As Chris Bacon says though it can be a bugger to manouver around and I still wonder if I'd've been any worse off buying a "normal" mower. |
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#15
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Chris Bacon wrote:
AnthB wrote: We bought the 350ex Oh, God, I am so very sorry. Please accept my condolences, and these six tins (13 1/2% extra free) of Carlsberg Special Brew. top prize. good enough for winston churchill, good enough for anyone. RT |
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#16
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I heard the other day that Tennents are no longer making the brew of
choice for tramps, Tennents Super. What are we to do now? Back to the sherry! |
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#18
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To URG: Advice required for eabowden, who wants a rotary mower of
the hover or roller kind, and uttered the words "Flymo", "Compact", and "Mower" in the same breath, thereby summoning devils from my memory which I had thought long exorcised. wrote: Trouble is I have a shingle/loose stone path, so the second a cat or fox or even a son kicks a stone onto the lawn and it gets between the blade and the cutting edge the cut is ruined. Must have a rotary I am afraid How big is the shingle (is it gravel) ? I find that a cylinder mower generally cuts over the top of gravel, unless it's quite big stuff. Put some path edgings in to make it less likely that your path will get on your lawn. Get a second-hand cylinder mower. Get a rotary on wheels, or a nice light hover that isn't an effing great heavy lump of a lbooyd silly thing masquerading as a lawn-mower. Get a scythe and a rake! Get anything else! *You can be saved!* I'm sorry, but *really*, these things. I've added uk.rec.gardening, who may have some knowledge of the F**** C****** Rotary Mower. |
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#19
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Cheers
It is quite large stones, about the size of 50p pieces. I did post on uk rec gardening but no-one replied :-( |
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#20
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wrote
When you say 'quite a bit of grass is left', is it noticeable? I alredy have a small flymo (with poxy plastic blades that keep breaking), so if this leaves grass on the lawn too there is little point me upgrading All the Hover-collect mowers leave a 'snail trail' down one side of the mower. A rotary (wheeled) mower will collect much more of the cuttings HTH |
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#21
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Toolmaker wrote:
wrote When you say 'quite a bit of grass is left', is it noticeable? I alredy have a small flymo (with poxy plastic blades that keep breaking), so if this leaves grass on the lawn too there is little point me upgrading All the Hover-collect mowers leave a 'snail trail' down one side of the mower. A rotary (wheeled) mower will collect much more of the cuttings HTH point of order: hover mowers are rotary mowers, the rotary blades spin on a shaft mounted on a vertical axis to create the downdraught for the hover effect. mowers with wheels and a roller tend to be cylinder mowers, with the cylinder mounted on a horizontal axis RT |
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#22
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Someone wrote that, but outbound e-mail doesn't work a cest mo:
Take it you dont like flymos chris?! It's just the "compact" one - I've no experience with others, except old simple motor-on-deck hovvers without grass collection... am wary of 'own brand' which Performance Power are. Having said that the circular saw i got off them 2 years ago is still working! I bought a PP one, but "it wasn't liked", so had to go back to be exchanged (+ extra cash which I *could* have spent on beer!) for the "pants" mower I've alluded to, which had the advantage of being "cool-looking" and "much more like it". Yeah, right. Gimme PP and a receipt to keep, I've used one of these (wheeled rotary) & it was fine; if it blows up, take it back. |
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#23
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#24
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[news] wrote:
Toolmaker wrote: wrote When you say 'quite a bit of grass is left', is it noticeable? I alredy have a small flymo (with poxy plastic blades that keep breaking), so if this leaves grass on the lawn too there is little point me upgrading All the Hover-collect mowers leave a 'snail trail' down one side of the mower. A rotary (wheeled) mower will collect much more of the cuttings point of order: hover mowers are rotary mowers, the rotary blades spin on a shaft mounted on a vertical axis to create the downdraught for the hover effect. mowers with wheels and a roller tend to be cylinder mowers, with the cylinder mounted on a horizontal axis Not so I'm afraid. The big difference between hover and wheeled rotary mowers is the direction of airflow. With hovers, naturally. they blow downwards, and then a second fan, on the same shaft, hidden within the plastic casing, has to try and suck up the grass off the ground. Wheeled rotary mowers arrange the airflow to be upwards carrying the grass straight into the grass box. Chris -- Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh. |
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#25
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"[news]" wrote
point of order: hover mowers are rotary mowers, the rotary blades spin on a shaft mounted on a vertical axis to create the downdraught for the hover effect. mowers with wheels and a roller tend to be cylinder mowers, with the cylinder mounted on a horizontal axis I surrender ! Yes, OK, a rotary mower with wheels will collect better than a hover mower. It is often a more practical option than a cylinder mower, although these also collect well. |
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#26
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"Alan" wrote
One feature you want is an induction motor and I don't think the particular model has one so I would therefore avoid both machines you are thinking about. Almost all the wheeled rotary mowers on the market have induction motors (even the cheap ones). Almost all hover mowers use universal motors (for weight saving reasons). An induction motor should last longer, as there are no brushes or commutator to wear. |
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#27
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Chris J Dixon wrote:
[news] wrote: Toolmaker wrote: wrote When you say 'quite a bit of grass is left', is it noticeable? I alredy have a small flymo (with poxy plastic blades that keep breaking), so if this leaves grass on the lawn too there is little point me upgrading All the Hover-collect mowers leave a 'snail trail' down one side of the mower. A rotary (wheeled) mower will collect much more of the cuttings point of order: hover mowers are rotary mowers, the rotary blades spin on a shaft mounted on a vertical axis to create the downdraught for the hover effect. mowers with wheels and a roller tend to be cylinder mowers, with the cylinder mounted on a horizontal axis Not so I'm afraid. FACT airflow is a secondary issue after cylinder/rotary RT |
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#28
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In article , says...
wrote: Hi there I need a new mower and only have a small lawn, about 3 metres by 7. A fair amount is covered by a climbing frame, although the grass does grow under that. My question is this, having decided to go for a rotary mower do yourself and your lawn a favour and buy a cheap qualcast cylinder mower with grass collection. that way, in 4 - 5 years time, there won't be a thick thatch choking the grass whilst providing a perfect living quarters for moss which will choke also out the grass. If you only have 7 x 3m get a handpush cylinder mower eg http://www.husqvarna.co.uk/?url=%2Fn...286%26intLangu ageId%3D8%26frames%3Dfalse (with the optional grass collector) and finish around the frame poles with shears. 40cm cutting width. Large, easily adjustable height setting. No cables to cut and electrocute yourself with and it doesn't annoy the neighbours quite as much. Cheers D. |
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#29
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I've had both hover and wheeled rotary. The hover is slightly better for irregular shaped lawns, but remember, the more they fill up the more they lose their hover anyway. I'd go for a wheeled rotary with a roller on the back. That way you get the stripes as well. Funnily enough, I need a new mower myself after my Flymo's given up after just 6 years. At Homebase tomorrow (29/04/05) they have 10% off day and already have some great prices on Qualcasts. I'm planning on getting a Qualcast Power-Trak 4000 @ £98. It's £149 most other places. |
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#30
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All the Hover-collect mowers leave a 'snail trail' down one side of the
mower. A rotary (wheeled) mower will collect much more of the cuttings The hovers only leave a "snail trail" when the grass collector bin starts getting full, or the blades start getting clogged with wet grass. In dry grass cutting conditions, say mid-summer, none of that would apply providing the collector is cleared. |
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#31
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D wrote:
If you only have 7 x 3m get a handpush cylinder mower Absolutely! 40cm cutting width. Large, easily adjustable height setting. Nice & wide... No cables to cut and electrocute yourself with Yes, quite - not to mention the hassle... and it doesn't annoy the neighbours quite as much. There is a great deal to be said for this. However, people don't seem to realise that these are viable! Also, of course, they don't "look the part" (ptooi!). |
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#32
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"RedOnRed" wrote in message The hovers only leave a "snail trail" when the grass collector bin starts getting full, or the blades start getting clogged with wet grass. In dry grass cutting conditions, say mid-summer, none of that would apply providing the collector is cleared. IME, they always spill more than a non-hover mower. Wet conditions just makes them *really* terrible, and clearly if the collector is full, it is difficult for them to do anything but spill |
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#33
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So to put you all out of your misery, i went for this one
http://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDispla...mber=3D7303274 except I got it at B&Q, as it was over =A320 cheaper. Has a roller for stripes, wheeled not a hover so the grass comes up, and Flymo, so it lasts at least 6 weeks! Will keep you posted if it goes pop, but my first flymo (very mini hover) which is over 10 years old now is still going strong. |
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#34
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Ed B wrote:
So to put you all out of your misery, i went for this one http://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDispla...Number=7303274 except I got it at B&Q, as it was over £20 cheaper. Has a roller for stripes, wheeled not a hover so the grass comes up, and Flymo, so it lasts at least 6 weeks! Will keep you posted if it goes pop, but my first flymo (very mini hover) which is over 10 years old now is still going strong. At least it's a POS on wheels. Now, who can tell me how to buy shares in Carlsberg-Tetley? Their price is due for a rise.... |
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#35
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"Ed B" wrote in message oups.com... So to put you all out of your misery, i went for this one http://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDispla...Number=7303274 except I got it at B&Q, as it was over £20 cheaper. Has a roller for stripes, wheeled not a hover so the grass comes up, and Flymo, so it lasts at least 6 weeks! This is the one i'm going for... http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/st...clickfrom=name But i'll be getting it from Homebase at £98. |
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#36
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I looked at that - it's quite a beast compared to my flymo. How come
it is so much cheaper at homebase? Oddly enough Argos are running homebase's online shop now - had you noticed the pages are the same? Not sure if the stores are still part of Sainsbury's or not. |
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#37
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"Ed B" wrote in message ups.com... I looked at that - it's quite a beast compared to my flymo. How come it is so much cheaper at homebase? Oddly enough Argos are running homebase's online shop now - had you noticed the pages are the same? Not sure if the stores are still part of Sainsbury's or not. I got one last night (Thurs, still 10% off after 18:00hrs) and it is a bit of a beast! It's supposed to fly through long grass. Homebase had it at £109 and then another 10% off today/last night. Dunno why. It cost me about £98, when it's £140 most other places. Qualcast are now owned by Bosch and have Bosch engines. It comes with a nice 5 year parts guarantee. |
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#38
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Ed B wrote:
I looked at that - it's quite a beast compared to my flymo. How come it is so much cheaper at homebase? Oddly enough Argos are running homebase's online shop now - had you noticed the pages are the same? Not sure if the stores are still part of Sainsbury's or not. Sainsburys sold Homebase a couple of years ago. -- Chris Green |
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#39
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"Ed B" wrote
Oddly enough Argos are running homebase's online shop now - had you noticed the pages are the same? Not sure if the stores are still part of Sainsbury's or not. No surprise there, Homebase are owned by Argos |
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#40
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"Toolmaker" wrote in message ... "Ed B" wrote Oddly enough Argos are running homebase's online shop now - had you noticed the pages are the same? Not sure if the stores are still part of Sainsbury's or not. No surprise there, Homebase are owned by Argos That would explain why their prices are now very competitive to the point that Wickes (with many of its substandard products) is now almost out of the equation. |
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