Choosing the Right Lawnmower for You

Lawnmowers come in a range of different types and combinations, and some mowers are more practical for certain lawns and gardens than others.

Our guide to choosing the best lawnmower for you will help you to decide which mower is best for your garden, and what preferences you may want to take into account.

These are the main three mower types available:

• Cylinder
• Rotary
• Hover

Motion options are:

• Push lawnmowers
• Self-propelled

And finally the power options:

• Electric lawnmowers
• Cordless lawnmowers
• Petrol lawnmowers

Lastly consider 

• Rear Roller
• Cutting width

Cylinder mowers

Cylinder lawn mowers have cylindrical blades that rotate vertically at the front of the mower. This mower can come in any power option and we sell it as a push mower where you have to physically push the mower along. In this combination it is ideal for smaller lawns and where you want to regularly keep and maintain a short lawn. 

Once your grass gets a little unruly after being left too long between cutting, you may struggle with this type of mower.

It is also great for mid-week touch-ups as an auxiliary mower if you don't want to get a bigger mower out.

Rotary mowers

Rotary mowers work by one double ended blade, or 4 short blades, spinning horizontally across the grass.

A Rotary mower can come in all power options and with or without a rear roller. Rotary mowers are often also called four-wheeled, and they can be height adjustable via the wheel distance from the axles.

A rotary mower will not give you lawn stripes unless it also comes with a rear roller.

Hover mowers

As it's name implies, these mowers utilise a cushion of air to skim over the top of your lawn. When the mowers fan revolves it draws air in via air inlets located at various points on the outside making it easy to move the mower in any direction. This can make mowing very quick and easy and you don't need to walk up and down your lawn. 

A hover mower can be ideal if you have a very irregular shaped lawn or lots of windy paths or flower beds to negotiate, or a sloping site. 

You won't get true stripes with a hover mower.

Push mowers

Mowers that don't have engagement between the motor and wheels have to be physically pushed along. This type of mower is often cheaper than a comparable self-propelled version. For a small to medium lawn, and if you are physically reasonably fit, these are a good choice.

A hand mower is always a push mower as it will have no engine.

Self-Propelled mowers

Powered mowers can also have gearing and so will propel themselves. This makes lighter work of mowing, especially if you have a large lawn to upkeep.

These mowers also often come with a rear roller.

Electric mowers

Probably the cheapest option comparably, an electric mower requires the use of a cable, often an extension lead depending on the size of your garden, and a safety trip switch in case you accidentally mow over the cable.

Ideal for a small to medium garden, but great care must be taken to mow safely with this option. A corded electric mower is best for an easy rectangular or square lawn without too many corners and shapes to follow because of having to keep an eye on your power cable.

Cordless mowers

A great alternative, the cordless mower utilises a battery which needs to be kept charged, or charged before mowing which may make impulse mowing more difficult. 

Nowadays many companies are making batteries to fit a number of different garden products, so whilst a bit more expensive to start with it can work out cheaper in the long run if you want a number of items of garden equipment.

If you have a large lawn you may find you run out of charge part way through which could get very irritating, hence a cordless mower is a better choice for small to medium lawns.

Petrol mowers

Petrol mowers give complete independence and are great for larger lawns. You have no worries over long trailing power leads, or running out of battery power.

You will need to bear in mind safe storage of your fuel.

Petrol mowers are often a little heavier than other types, but for a medium to large garden you probably want this anyway.

There is one final mower type not yet mentioned.

Robotic mowers

Newer on the scene, Robotic mowers require an outside electrically wired housing station, and for a guide wire to be set up all around your lawn area. Once this is done they operate on a rechargeable battery and can be programmed to a mowing schedule, even while you are at work.

Obviously fairly pricey, this is definitely another option worth considering depending on your circumstances, and how much you want a neatly mown lawn without the weekly work. Grass must be kept short and therefore mown frequently for a robotic mower to work.