On Thu, 8 May 2014 17:58:57 +0100, James Harris wrote:

Have you considered one of Al-ko's push mowers? Plenty of reviews here
(average of 4.4/5 over 118 reviews which is pretty positive):

http://www.productreview.com.au/p/al...m-comfort.html

I'm considering one as I've only got 30sqm of lawn with a curved wall at
one end and various other obstacles such that a long rotary mower, or
cylinder mower with front-mounted grassbox, is likely to be a pain to use
for such a small area.

Thanks for pointing that brand out. They sound quite good. Five-blade
cylinders, German made, good reviews for build quality. Apparently cheaper
to buy direct than from some online retailers.

http://100.al-ko.com/uk/products/law...awnmowers.html

I'm not so sure about their contactless cutting though. Is it any good?

I looked at these a few years ago and also rang the company (Shropshire way,
IIRC). The chap said that the action worked on speed of revolution
(peripheral speed), by cutting the grass before it had a chance to bend over
the bottom plate. Apparently the gearing is higher than on a standard mower.

As my grass is bumpy, broken up areas and I couldn't keep up a good speed on
most of it, I didn't buy one.
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway