Flymo Mow 'n' Vac

...tidy. I've had a Flymo hover mower for about four years, but it was one that didn't collect the grass, and there was something wrong with it, it had become very noisy. For these reasons I decided to look for a new mower - one that would collect the grass, but one that wasn't too expensive.

My garden is a bit of an odd shape, so I'd liked using a hover mower in the past - much more easy to go around all the angles I'd found. I'd made ...
...made my choice wih the Flymo Mow 'n' Vac.

The Mow 'n' Vac looks a bit different to most lawn mowers - that's what you spot first about it. Instead of the horizontal bar handle that you use two hands on (as most mowers have), this lawn mower has a kind of stick with a handle on the top (see picture) designed to use just one hand with. The fact that you only use one hand shows you that it's quite a light mower - it weighs 6.5kg. Being ... more

Grass cutting time of year again... I only have a small garden, and although I'm not much of a gardener I like to keep it tidy. I've had a Flymo hover mower for about four years, but it was one that didn't collect the grass, and there was something wrong with it, it had become very noisy. For these reasons I decided to look for a new mower - one that would collect the grass, but one that wasn't too expensive.

My garden is a bit of an odd shape, so I'd liked using a hover mower in the past - much more easy to go around all the angles I'd found. I'd made my mind up that I wanted a hover mower this time too. So, after browsing the displays in DIY stores I finally made my choice wih the Flymo Mow 'n' Vac.

The Mow 'n' Vac looks a bit different to most lawn mowers - that's what you spot first about it. Instead of the horizontal bar handle that you use two hands on (as most mowers have), this lawn mower has a kind of stick with a handle on the top (see picture) designed to use just one hand with. The fact that you only use one hand shows you that it's quite a light mower - it weighs 6.5kg. Being a hover mower it's also easy to move it about on the lawn as it works, as the name suggests, by hovering on a cushion of air whilst cutting the grass.

Underneath the mower you can see the blades - these blades give the mower a cutting diameter of 28cm. The blades are made of plastic and there were plenty of spares supplied in the box. The mower's had plenty of use already and the blades are still fine, so I expect the replacements provided to last me a long time. You can change the blades between two cutting heights, but to be honest, I've just left them at whatever they were when I bought the mower - I couldn't tell you whether they're on the lower or higher setting, but the grass looks fine when it's cut! Towards the back of the mower you can see the vacuum section - it's situated behind the blades, so that as you push the mower forward cutting the grass, it's then passed over by the vacuum part which sucks it up and into the grass collection bucket.

The grass bucket attached to the mower can hold up to 15 litres. Although this isn't huge, it's enough for a smallish lawn. It's extremely easy to empty, so emptying it once or twice while you're mowing isn't a hassle. An indicator on the top of the mower shows you when the bucket's full so you know to empty it. When you need to empty it it's just a case of lifting it off the mower - it's not fiddly, and there are no catches or fastenings to undo.

When you purchase the mower it comes in parts in a box. Putting it together is simple and instructions are provided. It's mainly a case of assembling the handle and attaching it to the mower. The cable length is 10 metres, which for me is enough.

Flymo recommend this mower for small to medium gardens. Their definition of a small garden is up to 1/2 a tennis court, and a medium garden is up to the size of a tennis court. This should give you an idea as to whether this mower might be suitable for your needs.
It's reasonably priced - I bought mine for £46.98 at B&Q, which seems to be a good price for it (it's still at that price at the time of writing this review - see www.bandq.co.uk), but there are often offers on at this time of year for gardening products so you can probably get it a bit cheaper if you shop around. It's £59.99 at Argos at the moment, so obviously just by looking around you can save at least £10.

I would definitely recommend this mower - I'm glad I decided to get a mower that picks up the grass as it's made my lawn look in much better condition than it did when I had to pick up the grass afterwards. It's so easy to use and light that it's suitable for a wide range of people - anyone with a small or medium garden should definitely consider it. It might look a bit funny when you first see it, but it certainly does the job, and it does it well!

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