(Content was last updated in January, 2022)
Generally speaking, the best type of lawnmower for a small- to medium-sized UK lawn is the electrically powered machine that is corded.
Nevertheless, not everyone wants this.
Electric power cords can get in the way. Plus, for the most part, unless your lawn is relatively small and is located close to a source of power, you’ll need an extension lead. More wires. Ugh!
However, for a petrol-driven lawnmower there’s a price to pay. Petrol mowers are more expensive than electrically powered lawnmowers. Plus, they are heavier. But then, they tend to be a little larger and the cutting width is typically larger.
As an attempt to cover all requirements, I’ve reviewed one petrol-powered lawnmower here. This mower is arguably the best currently available petrol mower.
I’ve also reviewed one battery-powered lawnmower. Yes, there are now lithium-ion battery-powered mowers available. Plus, this mower comes with a big difference – it’s self-operating! Read on to find out about this novel and rather excellent little mower!
Otherwise, because for the most part, UK gardeners are okay dealing with electric power cords getting in the way (or are we?), the other lawnmowers reviewed here are electrically powered. Two of the best electric power cord lawn mowers are reviewed in this guide.
(Incidentally, this post contains links to products. Please make the assumption that at least some of the links may result in earning commissions. Thank you.)
Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Electric Hover Lawnmower
Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Hover Mower Review
Well, the smallest version of this machine weighs in at 5.95kg. There are larger versions of the same model – the 330 (33cm cutting width) and the 400 (40cm cutting width. See the Technical Detail section below for more details.
The Flymo Turbo Lite 250 is powered by a 1400 watt motor.
Cutting width is 25cm.
Power cable length for the 250 and 330 models is the standard 10 metres/ 30 feet.
The cutting blade is metal. It’s recommended that the cutting blade should be replaced after around 50 hours of usage. Typically, that would mean after a couple of years. So, with this in mind, how easy is it to get spare blades and other replacement parts?
Easy enough. You can purchase them directly from the Flymo UK website.
The body of the Flymo Lite is made from hard plastic. You may think that’s not going to be long-lasting or durable. But that’s not the case. Not unless your lawn is made up of large stones all over the place or you continuously bang the machine against hard surfaces.
As you’ll likely be aware, for smaller Flymo lawnmowers there are no wheels. Instead, they float on a cushion of air, hence the name: ‘Fly mo’. That makes them easy to push around on a tighter lawn that has sharp corners or plenty of obstacles.
The 250 folds down and can be hung on a hook in your garden shed or in the garage.
One downside to some Flymos, including this one, is that they do not come with a grass collection box. So, inevitably, this means you have to rake up the grass clippings by hand. Mind you, the Flymo Lite 250 deposits the grass clippings to the side thereby making the raking-up process less burdensome.
Another downside for some people is that you cannot alter the length of the handle. For taller or smaller folks, altering the handle length is potentially a real benefit.
You can adjust the cutting height of the Flymo Lite. To do so, simply follow the directions provided in the handbook.
On that note, for the Flymo Turbo Lite 330 Electric Hover and the 400 model here’s a video showing you how to change the cutting height. The process is the same for the 250 model except that the number of spacers that come with the 250 is three.
All models come with a 3-year warranty.
Technical Detail
Cutting Width: 250 model: 25cm; 330 model: 33cm; 400 model: 40cm.
Cutting Height: 250 model: 3 cutting heights of between 10-30mm; 330 model: 4 cutting heights of between 10-30mm; 400 model: 5 cutting heights of between 15-41mm.
Weight: 250 model: 5.95kg; 330 model: 6.5kg; 400 model: 7.8kg.
Wattage: 250 model: 1400; 330 model: 1150; 400 model: 1500.
Colour: Orange.
Power Cable Length: 250 model: 10 metre/ 30 feet; 330 model: 10 metre/ 30 feet ; 400 model: 12 metre/ 39.4 feet.
Warranty: 3 years.
Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Electric Hover Lawnmower Pros and Cons
Pros
- Very competitive price.
- Very lightweight.
- No wheels – this Flymo is mobilised by a cushion of air which makes it extremely mobile.
- Electric cable length: 10 metres or 12 metres depending on model.
- 3-year warranty.
Cons
- Handle is single length.
- Power cord is either 10 metre (250 and 330 models) or 12 metre (400 model). An extension power cord is necessary for larger gardens, etc.
- No grass-clipping collection box (a pro in that the machine is very lightweight; a con in that you need to rake up the grass clippings).
Flymo 1200 R Lithium-Ion Robotic Lawnmower, 18 V
Flymo 1200 R Lithium-Ion Robotic Lawnmower Review
I hear you say “Is this merely a gardening novelty?”
Actually, no. It really does work and it works very well, too.
Flymo was first to introduce us to the ‘flying’ mower. And it now seems that Flymo is the first to introduce us to the robotic mower.
Anyway, how about the technical details?
The Flymo 1200 R Lithium-Ion Robotic Lawnmower is powered by an 18 v 1.6 Ah lithium-ion battery.
Its maximum incline is up to 25%. Which means it will not handle any really steep inclines unless you manually push the thing.
The robot mower can be used even when it’s raining.
Its cutting width is 17cm. Not large. So it’s not going to be suited to the very large lawn. Mind you, Flymo advertises that this robotic mower can deal with lawns up to 400 metres square. That’s a decent-sized lawn for a little robot to handle.
Minimum cutting height is 20mm, so it’s not going to scalp your prize grass. Maximum cutting height is 50mm. Cutting height is set using a rotary knob.
How much can it cut within an hour? Anything up to 30 metres square.
The Flymo 1200 R Lithium-Ion Robotic Lawnmower uses highly sensitive collision sensors together with a boundary wire to avoid banging into obstacles. When it comes across an obstacle it immediately reverses and changes direction.
This inevitably means that the mower is unable to create that beautiful striping effect that some lawns have.
How about pets? Any danger of the robotic mower mowing the feet of any pets? Because the blades are tucked well under the mower’s body, the mower would alter its direction before it even touched an animal.
How about battery life and battery charging time? In fact, how do you charge the battery?
First things first: Battery life (the lithium-ion battery comes included with purchase of the lawnmower) is 60 minutes on a full battery charge.
Charging time from flat to full battery: 80-100 minutes.
How does the Flymo 1200 R charge? A charging station is included with purchase of the mower. The mower automatically returns to the charging station when the battery power becomes low. Thus, the charging station should be outside and on the same level as the mower. Either that or you need to carry the mower to the charging station after around 60 minutes of use.
But is there any problems with power supply if the charging station is outside?
No. Providing the charging station is not sitting in a puddle. You do need an outdoor-type plug socket to plug the charging station into.
Flymo (or is it Husqvarna AB…) state that because the robotic mower shreds the grass clippings so small these clippings are unnoticeable and will act as fertiliser for your lawn. There is, though, also the potential for added thatch. But if the clippings are ‘that’ tiny, then no problems should arise.
The 1200 R is very quiet during operation – only 58 dB(A), which is about the same volume as when you speak. Perfect for early Sunday morning lawn cutting.
How about it overstepping the lawn boundary? Well, to accommodate that, or to avoid it from happening, you need to set up boundary wires around your lawn’s perimeter. You get around 100 metres of wire with the purchase of the mower.
Spare parts are available on the Flymo website. Select ‘Accessories’ from the menu at the top left of the webpage.
The mower’s dimensions are approximately 56cm long x 44cm wide x 27cm high. The charging station is a little longer at about 64cm.
How long does the Flymo 1200 R take to cut an average-sized lawn?
Well, for a lawn that’s around 200-250 square metres, given that the same lawn is somewhat neglected (the grass has not been cut for a couple weeks in peak growing season, for example), the robotic mower will take a couple of days to make the lawn look neat and cover all areas. But when you can just leave it to do its thing, a couple of days is not overly long because you don’t have to do anything.
If you want the Flymo 1200 R to cut your lawn during the night (it’s plenty quiet enough not to disturb you or the neighbours) can that be achieved?
Yes. The robot mower can be pre-programmed. Check the manual that comes with the mower about how to pre-programme.
The Flymo 1200 R comes with a 1-year warranty.
Technical Detail
Cutting Width: 17cm.
Cutting Height: Minimum: 20mm; Maximum: 50mm.
Weight: 15kg.
Power Source: 18v lithium-ion battery (supplied with mower purchase).
Colour: Orange and black.
Area Capacity/ Hour: 30 square metres.
Boundary Cable Length: Approximately 100 metres.
Maximum Slope Height: 25% incline.
Warranty: 1 year.
Flymo 1200 R Lithium-Ion Robotic Lawnmower Pros and Cons
Pros
- The mower cuts your lawn on auto – day or night.
- Hmmm… the mower cuts your lawn without your intervention… What else to say about this mower? The key feature and key benefit is that it runs on auto.
Cons
- Price – it’s costly.
Hyundai HYM460SPE 4-Stroke Petrol Lawnmower Self Propelled Electric Push Button Start 46cm /18 inch Cutting Width
Hyundai HYM460SPE 4-Stroke Petrol Lawnmower Review
Anyway, the Hyundai HYM460SPE Mower comes with a 139cc 4-stroke petrol engine.
It has a cutting width of 46cm/ 18 inches which is a good size for the medium-sized or even the larger-sized lawn if you don’t mind the extra walking back and forth.
The start is electric and push-button operated. Much better than the older type of petrol mower that came with a pull cord and recoil starter (and, inevitably, there were times when the pull cord would snap back and hurt your fingers. Hence the name ‘recoil’!). This lawnmower comes with a pull-cord recoil starter as back up.
This mower is rear-wheel-drive self-propelled. Doesn’t mean it will cut your grass without your input like the Flymo 1200 R Lithium-Ion Robotic Lawnmower reviewed above. But it does mean you don’t have to physically push the thing.
The cutting height is single-lever operated. There are six different cutting heights – 25mm (0.98 inch) through 75mm (2.95 inch). Cutting height is altered by raising or lowering the height of the wheels.
The relatively large-sized wheels make the Hyundai mower quite easy to move around. That’s a blessing on an uneven lawn.
The grass collection box has a 70-litre capacity. It comes with a level indicator which is a very neat feature to have because, otherwise, it’s a matter of stopping and starting to see if the box is full.
There’s also a grass-mulching option which means that the grass is thoroughly shredded and will spit out onto your lawn for mulching purposes. There’s a side-discharge chute, too, which is useful if you prefer to rake up the grass clippings rather than use the collection box.
The Hyundai has a rear hatch which makes access to the drive belt easy, and thus also makes some of the maintenance work to keep this one on the ‘road’ a bit easier, too.
Do note that the Hyundai HYM460SPE 4-Stroke Petrol Lawnmower will not leave those much-beloved stripes on your lawn. For that, you need a rear-roller mower such as the 16-inch rear-roller Cobra RM40SPC, or, indeed, the Mountfield 294340063/M13 Princess 34 Electric 4 Wheel Rear Roller Lawnmower which is reviewed just below.
Now, it’s worth mentioning the 3-year warranty that is part and parcel of the Hyundai. First, be sure to register the warranty after purchasing the mower. Hyundai has named their warranty a ‘Platinum Warranty’. What does this mean?
It means that for the first 12 months after purchase, you get the normal warranty whereby if anything goes wrong you either get replacement parts or a new mower.
Over the following 24-month period, however, you get parts only. Plus, you have to pay carriage costs.
So it’s not a full 3-year warranty. Rather, it’s a ‘cut-down’ version. Nevertheless, do be sure to register the warranty, as I’ve mentioned above. Otherwise, you’ll be covered for nothing at all.
The mower is tool-free assembly. So when you first get it after purchase there are no tools necessary to put the thing together. That’s a good thing because the instruction leaflet is a bit tricky to follow.
The Hyundai has what is referred to as OPC technology. Meaning what, exactly? Meaning it has Operator Presence Control technology. If you let go of the handle during operation, the engine will cut out.
The handle folds down so the mower is easily stored in the shed or garage or can be popped into the boot of the car.
You can get two hours of operation from a single tank of fuel with the Hyundai. Plus, the motor operates very quietly, given it runs on (unleaded) petrol.
Technical Detail
Cutting Width: 46cm/ 18 inch.
Cutting Height: Minimum: 20mm; Maximum: 75mm.
Weight: 39kg.
Powered By: 139cc 4-stroke petrol engine.
Colour: Blue and black.
Grass collection box capacity: 70 litre.
Warranty: 3-year ‘Platinum’.
Hyundai HYM460SPE 4-Stroke Petrol Lawnmower Pros and Cons
Pros
- Electric push-start button (with pull-cord recoil starter as backup).
- Large-size wheels which are ideal for manoeuvring around uneven lawns.
- Rear-wheel self-propelled.
- Quiet to operate and very low on fuel use.
- Large-sized grass collection box (70 litre) with option to mulch grass clippings.
Cons
- The ‘Platinum Warranty’ while much better than nothing at all is a bit of a dupe in my opinion (see above for details).
- Grass box is a bit flimsy but it is also lightweight.
Mountfield 294340063/M13 Princess 34 Electric 4 Wheel Rear Roller Lawnmower, 1400 W
Mountfield Princess 34 Electric Rear Roller Lawnmower Review
In fact, my previous mower – my main mower – was a petrol-powered Mountfield. Lasted for donkey’s years, as they say (about 15 years in all) until it gave up the ghost. That’s very good going since I used it on a professional basis as well as at home.
For the most part, I also used a Flymo at home. Lovely and light and did a good job even though the lawn was dotted with large-sized tree roots poking through. But, man, that massive huge length of electric power cord was a pain!
Well, it’s pretty much the same deal with the Mountfield 294340063/M13 Princess 34 Electric Rear-Roller Lawnmower. Though, with the Princess it’s likely a lot lighter in terms of weight than what you’ve been used to.
Of course, in today’s world, it’s much more about plastic bodywork and light weight. Quite unlike the Mountfields of the past that were all about hard-cast metal body shells and weight was not a consideration during the design process.
The Mountfield 294340063/M13 Princess 34 Electric Rear-Roller Lawnmower is a hand-propelled rear-roller mower that runs of mains electric. It comes with an electric power cord that’s 15 metres (49.2 feet) in length – nicely longer than the standard 10-metre long cable that you tend to get with most other electrically powered lawnmowers and lawn scarifiers.
Wattage output is 1400.
What’s great about the Mountfield 294340063/M13 Princess is that, because it has a rear roller, it will leave that much-coveted striped effect on your lawn.
The grass rear-mounted collection box which incidentally comes with a handy little vision window so you can see when it’s almost full (or completely full) has a 35-litre capacity.
To note: the grass collection box, which is made of hard plastic, can be tricky to assemble.
There is a mulching plug also supplied with the Mountfield mower. So, if you do want to mulch your lawn with the grass clippings, rather than attaching the grass collection box, instead you attach a mulching plug which is supplied with the mower. The clippings are then discharged out to the rear of the mower during cutting.
The Mountfield is a lightweight machine, weighing in at 14.2 kg, large part because of the polypropylene body. That makes it the second-lightest lawnmower I’ve reviewed here, coming in second only to the Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Electric Hover Lawnmower which weighs in at around 6 kg depending on which model you’re considering.
There’s a single lever to ‘negotiate’ the height of cut and that offers six pre-set cutting heights of between 25mm and 75mm.
The roller, as mentioned, is fitted to the rear of the mower and between the rear wheels. To get the best stripe effect, it’s best to operate the mower on the lowest height cutting setting.
The Mountfield also features a safety brake. When you release the switch within a matter of three seconds the blade quits rotating because the safety brake comes into operation.
If you’re no longer of youthful age or you suffer from a bad back, the Mountfield’s extended, ergonomic handle is a blessing.
There’s an anti-scalping plate that’s supplied with the Princess 34, too, which helps to avoid scalping those more undulating lawns.
Cutting width is 34 cm.
The Mountfield lawnmower is suited to lawns of up to 10 metres by 10 metres (32.8 feet x 32.8 feet).
Technical Detail
Weight: 14.2 Kg.
Dimensions: 130 x 40 x 97 cm.
Material: Polypropylene.
Power Source: Corded electric.
Wattage: 1400.
Blade Length: 34 centimetres.
Cutting Height: Six different settings: minimum: 20mm; maximum: 75mm.
Colour: Red and black.
Grass Collection Box Capacity: 35 litre.
Electric Cable Length: 15 metres.
Warranty: 2 years, full.
Mountfield 294340063/M13 Princess 34 Electric 4 Wheel Rear Roller Lawnmower Pros and Cons
Pros
- Rear-mounted roller leaves beautiful stripes on the lawn.
- Nicely lightweight and very manoeuvrable.
- Made from polypropylene which may sound flimsy but this mower has a durable build.
- Mulching plug (which comes with the mower) provides an alternative to using the grass collection box.
- Good on somewhat undulating lawns.
- Safety brake stops blade rotating after switch is released for 3 seconds.
Cons
- A little on the costly side but this is Mountfield we’re talking about – a top brand in garden machinery.
- Grass collection box is tricky to assemble.
Header Image by Ulrike Mai from Pixabay
