Lawnmowers....

Does anyone make such a thing as a good lawnmower that doesn't cost the earth? I bought one probably only three years ago now and whilst initial impressions were really good, I have spent far too much of my time swearing at it.

I took the blade off it today and put a bit of an edge on it (not properly sharpened, I hasten to add, but better..) and whilst there was a bit of an improvement, it was still a battle to get the grass cut. Everything was perfectly dry and it wasn't even that long.

It seems to really struggle with getting the clippings into the basket for some reason - works better with the mulching plug in, if anything, but it has a terrible habit of gathering a big glob of grass at the ends of the blades which subsequently lock the thing solid. Bluntly, I have had enough (and fairly sure the neighbours will have had enough of me turning the air blue)

I looked at Bosch, as my last mower was a Bosch and was an excellent bit of kit untl it's demise after ten or more years' service. But, the current Bosch range seems to get very (very) mixed reviews, which put me off a bit. Especially as some of the complaints relate to grass collection.

I don't have a very large bit of grass to cut, although it does seem that mowing the verges in the street seems to be falling to me now too. The going does seem to be tough here for some reason, so something wtih a bit of grunt wouldn't go amiss.

Am I looking at a petrol?

 

Thanks @ricky101 - it was a Rotak that I had (albeit a very much older and distant grandparent to the models available now), but noticed the they had gone to a half bag half hard plastic basket arrangement (which the current mower has, and is suitably awful); I see complaints on grass collection too, so I assume yours is OK in that respect?

Rotak 650 & 750 both on the table at the moment I think;

 

Not necessarily width wise, no - current one is 37cm wide and not bad size wise. Grunt is what is needed though, especially when doing out front. Current one is 1600w and seems to really battle. The old Bosch would steam through without complaint for the most part.

 

I generally do only keep it on 2 or 3 notches up, but I suppose it could be density (although you wouldn't think that looking at my 'lawn' )

 

Every week to two weeks as a general rule - it can slip sometimes if work etc bites me on the bum, but I don't like to let it get out of hand. The thing that sticks with me is that I rarely struggled with the Bosch; this thing struggles like hell almost immediately. Very odd that it is better when set up to not collect the grass clippings, but even then it battles. When cutting the front, I generally attack it in small diagonals - if I tried to run straight along, it would bog down immediately.



Given I've got two strips of that same length, plus the bit around the telegraph pole, it can be a proper pain in the posterior.... hence, a petrol one had entered my head, especially so as there isn't as much between electric and petrol as I had first thought in terms of price.

 

No, and I never run it low at all out the front. Usually start at 5 (highest) then run back over at 3, never going below that. Indeed, I rarely go below that out the back to be fair.

 

See, that is the conclusion I have arrived at - it is rubbish. I'm cutting generally 3, maybe 2 (on a 1-5 level scale); Murray are apparently the electric brand of Briggs and Stratton, so I had high hopes... but I have a feeling it is just any old Chinese made product with a Murray sticker whacked on the side.

 

Is it a fairly new one? It seems that is a trait of the newer models (maybe 2016 onwards)?