This is another question about lawnmowers that we’re often asked: a rotary-bladed mower or a cylinder mower?
Usually, we would recommend a rotary-bladed mower. Cylinder mowers have gone a bit out of fashion for a number of reasons: they won’t cut long grass (the front roller tends to flatten the grass, which the cutting cylinder then goes over the top of and doesn’t cut) and they won’t cut damp grass.
Also, cylinder mowers don’t do a good job on cutting weeds – they leave the weed stems behind, which doesn’t give the lawn a nice finish. And then there are the maintenance costs for a cylinder mower – they are much higher than for a rotary-bladed mower.
However, cylinder mowers cut much lower than rotary-bladed mowers. So, if you have a very short lawn (putting green short) or if you have a grass tennis court, and as long as it’s perfectly flat, a cylinder mower may be the best choice.
A self-propelled mower or a push mower?
The size of your lawn is a significant factor here. The larger it is, the more likely you might want a self-propelled mower (let the machine take the strain instead of you). A push mower will keep you fit, but there are limits.
A self-propelled mower usually has a single speed – a comfortable walking pace. You just follow the mower around. Simple. A self-propelled mower will let you switch the power drive on and off if you occasionally fancy applying some elbow grease.
If you feel the need for speed, there are high-spec self-propelled mowers that have variable power drives that allow you to control how fast your mower mows.
The pros of push mowers are their lighter weight, better manoeuvrability and lower cost. But once you get to mowers with a cut width of 45cm and above, they are normally all self-propelled.
Should I buy a robotic mower?
If you don’t want to mow your lawn yourself, the answer to this question is a big fat yes. A robotic mower will come out once and twice a week and mow the grass for you.
You can pre-set a robotic mower to get to work when it’s dark or you’re not at home, and your lawn will always look nice because the regular cutting will stop the coarse grasses from growing and keep the weeds at bay.
The disadvantages of a robotic mower, if you can call them that, is that they take quite a bit of setting up and they are reasonably expensive in terms of upfront cost, versus what you’d pay for a walk-behind or ride-on mower.
Can I still get a hover mower?
Remember hover mowers? You don’t see too many of them anymore because they’re not particularly good at cutting grass. You often end up dragging them around, and they’re not good at doing long grass. They also tend to blow clippings everywhere, so they are not what you want if you have a fish pond or patio nearby.
We’d always steer you towards a four-wheel rotary-bladed mower instead of a hover mower, or if you have a small patch of grass, a manual push mower.