Since February I have been sporadically cutting our lawns in anticipation of summer! My usual tool of vengeance for the grass is my Flymo Turbo Compact 330. But sadly it died last month when a anti mower part of the grass chose to take my faithful 8 year old mower as its new victim.
After ... Read review
Advantages: Easy to use, quite sturdy, Disadvantages: Availability - not found in all shops,
...for the grass is my Flymo Turbo Compact 330. But sadly it died last month when a anti mower part of the grass chose to take my faithful 8 year old mower as its new victim.
After it's sad departure from this world - we laid him to rest in our shed and in honour of him we wanted to get a new mower to take the grass out Quentin Tarantino style.
After searching the usual haunts of B & Q (online) which didn't have that much ... ...we come across the Flymo Vision Compact 350.
It might not have been the same version we had grown accustom to over the years but we thought we would give it a shot. After trying to reserve it online at Argos (we tried 4 different branches in a 20 square mile radius) but to no avail we resolved that we would have to chose a different mower or shop.
Phoning up B & Q I enquired if they had ample stocks of the 350 Flymo - after ... more
Since February I have been sporadically cutting our lawns in anticipation of summer! My usual tool of vengeance for the grass is my Flymo Turbo Compact 330. But sadly it died last month when a anti mower part of the grass chose to take my faithful 8 year old mower as its new victim.
After it's sad departure from this world - we laid him to rest in our shed and in honour of him we wanted to get a new mower to take the grass out Quentin Tarantino style.
After searching the usual haunts of B & Q (online) which didn't have that much of a range of mower (unless you like sit ons) and Argos (online) we come across the Flymo Vision Compact 350. It might not have been the same version we had grown accustom to over the years but we thought we would give it a shot. After trying to reserve it online at Argos (we tried 4 different branches in a 20 square mile radius) but to no avail we resolved that we would have to chose a different mower or shop.
Phoning up B & Q I enquired if they had ample stocks of the 350 Flymo - after receiving the resounding yes we traipsed the 15 miles to our second nearest branch and come across a bounty of different mowers. Looking around we come across the Flymo 350 Vision Compact with Easi-reel. Checking out the statistics we knew this would be the mower for our lawns and duly bought it on the spot.
㋚ Flash back! In true Tarantino style Mr Orange was boxed, stuffed in the boot of our car, driven 15 miles to our hideaway where he was promptly locked in a shed over night with no lawn feed or water. The following morning he was duly pulled from his box, had the screws put on him and was wired to the mains hehehe!
㋚ So was Mr Orange easy to put together? When we unpacked the Flymo 350 there was relatively few parts that needed to be assembled. The first set of handles was quite easy to put on. But when we come to the second set of handles the diagram was a bit misinformed on how to put on the handle knobs. Try as we might the way the picture was showing on how to put on the knobs we couldn't put them on using the round headed side (logic states round holes do not go with hexagon shaped holes unlike what the diagram was stating). So going with gut instinct we used the bolt side of the knobs and hey presto it went on as easy as pie. After that slight confusion it come to the grass box lid. This was put on inside a few seconds as all it needed was to be clicked (no bolts etc required) into place. The lead itself was a diamond to put away. All you have to do is click the female connector into the top of the cable winder and wind away. When that was done all that was needed was the cable clip to be put on and the blade to be adjusted to the required height of your lawn. We used two spacers to give the desired length of lawn for our garden.
㋚ What does it look like? After assembling Mr Orange I stood back to admire its flowing curves of orange and grey plastic/ metal and I would have to say he is a meaty machine. The mower has a slight bulky look with knobbly bits here and there. One of which is the vision part of the machine - it's a clear bit of plastic so you can see how much grass is collected. As well as a knobbly bit for the handle for the easi-reel cable. The handles are very sturdy but do move up and down (they are not rigid) for easy handling around corners etc. For easy storage all you have to do is loosen the handle knobs to make it more compact for putting in your shed.
㋚ How well does it cut? The piece de la resistance of Mr Orange is how well it cuts the lawn. As it's only 10.5 kg it floats on the lawn with ease and cuts the lawn to a good standard. Even with only using the 2 spaces. I read in the newspaper a couple of days ago that to keep the grass from dieing you shouldn't give it to close a cut as this helps it retain it's water better. You have got the option of using between 1 and 3 spaces to cut your lawn
㋚ Is the handling like power steering? The handling of this machine monster is relatively easy. He doesn't need much pressure to manoeuvre around the many obstacles in the garden be it plants/ lawn edges and shih tzus. But to double check that I wasn't a supergirl inside a normal females body I did get my dear ole mum of 63 (who's got arthritis) to try it out. Also I wanted to have a rest from cutting the lawn. So Mumsy Beccie took Mr Orange out for a date whoops I mean a spin around the garden and she gave it the thumbs up as well.
㋚ Is it easy to clean? Very easy in actual fact. All that needs to be done is to be scrapped around the blade part every time it has been used and the grass dusted off from top to bottom and it looks good as new. The scraper is included in the box - it doubles up as a spanner as well.
㋚ Can the blade be sharpened? Yes it can as its made of metal - at present we haven't had the need to do this but with past Flymo's it shouldn't be too much of a problem and if we ever need to get a new blade we can always pick one up in B & Q for about £10.
㋚ Is it easy to adjust the height of the blade? Yes, all you have to do is loosen the the blade bolt with the spanner (that comes with the mower) and add or subtract the required spacers then tighten up the bolt again. Remembering to align the spacers pegs with the holes. You do receive the required amount of spacers in your box (there's 3).
㋚ Would I recommend? Definitely, the first cut from this lawn has brought up my grass perfectly and with only doing spot cutting in places I have missed. I would say it is well worth the money. Our grass usually takes about an hour to cut and when my old mower was on it's way out it did make my arms ache abit whilst I was using it. Using this model hasn't made my arms ache whatsoever and I am pleased with the results.
㋚ So did Mr Orange take out the grass that killed his predecessor? After we suited and booted Mr Orange we got ready for the confrontation. We lined up the mower with said grass and with break neck speed proceeded to beat up the offending grass to a pulp. Phew!
㋚ Any tips? Flymo does recommend that after 50 hours of mowing or 2 years of usage (which ever comes soonest) that the blade should be renewed. At present we haven't down this. Also to replace any damaged blades. Which we have done before as we have found out that Flymo's can not devour big stones.
If you have very long grass to cut it is recommend to use the highest setting for the blades for the first initial cut (use only one spacer) then add the other spacers when required.
㋚ Price After purchasing this from B & Q for the princely sum of £89.99 I thought I would have a look at Argos to see if they carried this model and also if I had paid over the odds. I still haven't come across this exact model. The closest is the Flymo Vision Compact 350 Easi-bag which is retailing at £99.99. This also has the Easi-reel cable storage.
㋚ The Statistics of Mr Orange Width of cut 35cm Speed of rotation of Mr Orange 4,300rpm Guaranteed sound power level 94 db (a) Measured sound power level 91 db (a) Level 78.8 db (a) Value 1.64 m/s little 2 Motor size 1550 watt Weight (out of box) 10.5 kg Weight in box 14.5kg (we found this very easy to carry to the car - also trying to find a trolley at B& Q is like trying to find a needle in a haystack). Free one year guarantee which you register by post. This protects you against electrical and mechanical breakdown.
㋚ 13/04/2007 Would I still recommend this lawn mower over a year later?
I thought I would update this review as I have put my mower through a multitude of sins ie it has been cutting though grass a few inches long (about 9 inches) , over stones (I honestly didnt see them) and also twigs/ branches that my little scallywag dogs have been leaving on the floor (the little sods). But still the blade is good, the engine hasnt faulted and it still does a good cut on my front side and back lawns. I would definitely recommend this mower to anyone whos looking for a low maintainance, easy to use mower.
Advantages: Lightweight Disadvantages: Noisy and hard to move around where you want it
...I treated myself to a Flymo Hover Compact 350 Hover Mower from Argos. Yes, I spoil myself!
The orange machine cost me £59 which was a saving of £20 on the previous catalogue price, so that was a good reason for choosing it. It certainly looked like a good deal and I was getting a good brand name for my money.
It is constructed from metal and plastic. The blades are metal and the power is 1500w. It will cut grass as long as thirty five centimetres ... ...with my tangled up green patch. The key to getting the best from this machine seems to be to use it regularly. It really did not like thick grass and weeds at any more that a couple of inches high. Fortunately, at just 7.6 kilograms it is very light for me to get out and put away again, so that helps me a great deal when it comes to mustering up the enthusiasm to use it. The height of the blades can be adjusted if you like a close cut lawn but I ...
jan007 15.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Flymo Vision Compact 350
Advantages: Light weight and compact easy to use Disadvantages: none
...years ago i had a flymo with plastic blades and i had to continually replace them. It really holds alot of grass for such a compact lawn mower and it has a perspex view to let you know when the box is full. It also is so easy to manouvre around the lawn, my back garden has alot of things to go around and this is where its so much better than the big petrol mower.
Disadvantages: None that i can think of apart from the cutting width isnt that big ...
trevn74 25.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Flymo Vision Compact 350
Performance
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Quick review of Flymo Vision Compact 350
Utter rubbish - underpowered and cannot handle more than two inch grass without chocking itself to death.
Also, there is not enough power to suck up the grass into the grass containter.
I had a Flymo 380 before which was a much better machine, but this one is simply unfit for its purpose. ...
SiggiJo 07.09.2007 (05.09.2007)
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Flymo Vision Compact 350
