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Bosch Rotak 32
by deesum
~*~The Product ~ 'Satisfaction Guaranteed or Double Your Grass Back'!~*~
Bosch is well known for its contemporary quality garden products, not only in Great Britain but around the world too. The lawn mower I am reviewing is in contrast to many other models on the market, as it has the older style single-switch handle. Out of ... the five Rotak range of Bosch mowers, this is the smallest. Alike its counterparts, this mower has a roller and unique red grass combs.The Product Dimensions are 35.5 x 6.5 x 6.5 cm and weighs in at a light 490 grams.The lawn mower came well packaged in a sturdy box that also contained a grass box and one instruction leaflet.
~*~My Usage Experience ~ 'A Cut Above The Rest'!~*~
*Setting up*
The instruction leaflet is pretty dreadful! The warning advice is excellent but the only guides given to the machine's features are in basic images and a brief overleaf convoluted listing! Thankfully, with previous experience and this being a basic model, setting up wasn't as difficult as it could have been! There are fifteen loose small connections that are pretty self-explanatory. The long handles to the mower connect with ease and fix in the slots firmly with the supplied fitments. The grass box comes in two pieces and with a little jiggling fits snugly together.
4/5
*Bosch 'Powerdrive' Motor*
The 1200 Watt motor dealt fairly well with the wet lengthy grass in the first cut, generating plenty enough power to deal with our rather wet March weather! Although less powerful than its counterparts in the same range, this mower has a very acceptable running drive of 3600 rpm; I found very impressive when using. I could really feel the powerful momentum driving through the lawn without me having to use any unnecessary force. The 1200 Watt motor with the creative gear set complement each other and combine well in keeping the sturdy blade cutter running at the 3600 rpm.
This innovative design means that mowing the lawn is made pretty effortless, even when the surface can be tough going! The internal system is programed to sense increased pressure on the blade and will then upsurge the torque to the powerful motor. I found this to be particularly beneficial when I had to do the first cut of spring! My lawn is uneven and the moist grass didn't help, but the 'Powerdrive' system handled the going quite well considering and I wasn't left wishing I hadn't started the task! :~)
4/5
*Grass combs*
I love that the front wheels are inset, thus making edge trimming closer. The ingenious grass combs on the Rotak 32 cut grass that is growing on the edges of my lawn quite well but are probably more aesthetically pleasing than as useful as the manufacturers would have hoped consumers would find them! Though, the combs do draw foliage and grass growing around such impediments as rockery and so forth fairly well. I have found this clever structure leaves garden paths and clothes line stems looking pretty neat, with only limited need to return to remove stray strands here and there.
4/5
*Height of cut adjustment*
At my disposal is a choice of three different heights in the cut positions, 20mm, 40mm and 60mm. For initial cut I use the 60mm length but thereafter the 40mm. The height of the cut positions are easily, if cumbersome to turn the machine, adjusted by means of the axle height on the back wheels. As my lawn is uneven I find the 20mm too short and tend to cut into soil as opposed to grass when navigating the ground. I found that at its lowest point, around an average as low as 15mm was cut, which I found very acceptable. Unfortunately, this basic mower does struggle and tends to act sluggish, clogging up the blade when getting through moist grass. The choices are very helpful when I am using the mower on the first cut of spring and seasonal weather changes.
4/5 on shorter grass but 3/5 on lengthier grass!
*Blade*
The stainless steel robust sharp blade is a good 32cm width and handles the grass on my lawn with ease. The great combination of the combs drawing in grass and roller helps the blade furnish a finer cut.
5/5
*Rollers*
The rear rollers are an excellent feature that affords stability when cutting edges and prevents an awful scalped look! I can even use the roller feature to give a lawn stripes but this doesn't work too well on my lawn, as the unevenness of the garden prevents a neat fluid appearance in the lines. But for its stability in operation the mower deserves a higher rating!
4/5
*Small & Lightweight*
I love that this mower is so lightweight at 6.8 kg. As I have gotten older, I just do not have the oomph to carry heavier items so this is just perfect to carry to and from my garden. The integrated handle makes lifting the machine easy too.
5/5
*Cable*
The 10 metre cable gives me ample length to plug into the power point in my hallway and mow the front and back lawns with ease and no pulling. Of course, the more lengthily a cable the more practical it is for much larger lawns than mine!
4/5
*Grass box*
Although a small apparatus, the mower has a large 31 Litre grass box; which I have found to be so practical, collecting over 4kg of cuttings each time. I don't have to keep emptying grass which makes mowing the lawn a quicker and less laborious task. And because the actual grass box only weighs 7 kilos, it doesn't add too much weight to the mower, again making it easier for me in using. Beware; damp grass isn't conducive to the grass being collected as well as when the lawn is dry!
5/5
*Mowing quality*
I was concerned that this small mower wouldn't furnish me with the great results one can expect from the larger models. But I have been pleasantly surprised! It really does do a pretty effective job leaving the lawn looking well groomed with a good even cut despite my garden being uneven. The quality of cutting and time it takes me to complete the job is between 3 and 4 stars for me, but for the overall effectiveness, ease of using the various features and maneuverability around my uneven lawn with obstacles of rockery etc., I'm giving it a more positive rate.
4/5
*Cons*
Having to turn the whole machine over to get at the axle to adjust cutting heights/Not as smart cut on lengthy grass/Handle feels a little uncomfortable after a while in using the mower/Very poor instruction leaflet
*Pros*
Very light/ Gives effective cut on shorter grass/ Collects grass clippings efficiently/Powerful motor/Large grass box/
~*~Would I recommend? ~ 'The Grass May Be Greener on the Other Side, but It Still Has To Be Mowed'!~*~
The Bosch Rotak 32 R is really ideal for smaller-sized lawns (anything under 40/50 sqm). I am very happy with this light weight model but the contemporary ErgoFlex version would have been more beneficial when it comes to changing cutting heights with its smart lever and far more comfy handle design. This Rotak, with its high speed 1200 Watt 'Powerdrive' motor, with adjustable height settings, enables me to cut longer grass far easier for the start-of-season growth! The blade's 32 cm cutting width is great for small to medium sized gardens.
I purchased this lawn mower from Amazon for a very reasonable £79.99 http://www.amazon.co.uk/-R​otary-Lawnmower-Cutting
Thank you for taking the time to read my review :~)
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Flymo Turbo Lite 330
by Danscomp
It may float on a cushion of air and it may be cheap, but I will never buy another one of these hover mowers. I bought my flymo from homebase for £34.99 on sale. It is certainly light, easy to pick up. The cord is an absolute pain. It allows a reach of approximately 60 feet and when not in use has to be wrapped endlessly around the ... handle. Whenever you use it, you have to unwind the cord which will have fallen into a tangled mass of coils on top of the base unit.
There is some minor assembly when bought, but five minutes is all you will need. The flymo operates using a little plastic blade that slots in underneath. It's worth buying a few replacements as this blade will break at the slightest provocation. I went through four during one summer. It also doesn't like cutting any real accumulation of grass. It just blows it flat, making it even more of a pain to cut, needing a number of passes to get a patchy finish.
In my direct experience as an owner and user of this product, the description of this item stating that its motor is powerful enough to "tackle the toughest grass conditions" is patently untrue. Neither does it "cut easily in every direction".
Another reason why you should not consider buying this particular flymo is that there is no grass collector. You will be reduced to grabbing handfuls of cut grass, and if your garden is any appreciable size at all (mine is only forty foot by twenty), there will inevitably be plenty of cut grass blown into every concievable corner in addition to what's left on the lawn. Bad news if you have any hay fever sufferers or asthmatics in your house.
It does store easily, but I was almost thankful when the mower burned out after three summers. I replaced it with a wheeled Qualcast for little more money that is far, far more effective at cutting grass. It also has a collector and a steel cutting blade worthy of the name.
Advantages of a flymo hover mower:
Light
Cheap (ish)
Easy to store
Disadvantages of this flymo hover mower:
Bad at cutting grass
No grass collector
Blows cut grass everywhere
Blades are a joke
Flex storage is a pain
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Qualcast Easi Trak 32
by Danscomp
Short back and sides please
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My garden does not have rolling hills. There are no statues, no summer houses, no ho-ho and very little ha-ha. It is what many people have. A thirty-five foot by twenty foot strip of grassy goodness. And lord, how the grass in my garden does ... grow.
I've had hover mowers before. They are light, but collect no grass which means raking, shovelling and a fair amount of swearing. My last one decided that it had had enough of being sworn at, and told repeatedly what a piece of ....ah...mechanical faultitide....it was, with weedly little cutting blades that faint at the prospect of more than a blade of grass at a time.
Retreating from the smoke and smell of burning plastic, I decided to head down the local homebase and see what they could offer. A short while later, I emerged £60 poorer, but with a Qualcast RM32 (the successor to this one) in tow.
Take that, Festuca rubra subspecia commutata!
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Ah, to have wheels once more. It may not float on a cushion of air, but this lawnmower is like the mars rover. It just keeps going with arguably less affort. The noise it generates from its 1000w motor is about the same, but the heavy duty blade beneath hungers for anything you can feed it.
For the price, this really represents great value for money. The flex is long enough that I can do the entire garden. Altering the height to one of three possible settings is a bit of a pain, moving the axles between the three groves on each of the four sides, but it is simple enough. The main body is reassuringly solid, and feels well engineered.
The main weakness in this package is the plastic grass collector. It frequently chokes on what the blade is trying to feed it, needing you to lift the back and manually force the cut grass to the back of the box. Having a bucket or two handy if you need to make trips through the house to the green recycling bin is advisable to avoid racking up some serious mileage. 30 liters sounds like a lot. It's not.
At 8 kilograms, it is easy to carry. Just don't tell the wife. As far as she's concerned, it's almost as heavy as her car, earning you many relaxation points afterwards. Storage is simple enough. It hangs from a nail in the garage happily enough, waiting to be used next time. All in all, I am impressed with my purchase.
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