This really is CUTTING edge technology! (Bosch Rotak 37 LI)

Member Name: cakeyj

Product:	Bosch Rotak 37 LI
Date:	02/06/09 (102 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Light and easy to use, move and store. No damn cables! :-)

Disadvantages: Hefty price - Over £100 more expensive than the electric version :-(

**BACKGROUND**

Well, I hated cutting the grass, we have a substantially large back and front garden both with lawns. What with catching the sun for most of the day and the usual wet British weather it is not unusual to have to mow the grass twice a week during the summertime. Therefore when my lawnmower packed up after only a year I wasn't surprised. My husband had been edging towards replacing the old electric lawnmower with a petrol model. I had to agree with his reasons being that it was always such a pain having to deal with extention leads and the like to get the job done. I wasn't happy though with the idea of having petrol in the shed. It was then that I decided to research more eco friendly alternatives, in this day and age I feel that if you are going to have to buy something new anyway then its best to do it as economically friendly as possible - my husband thinks I'm mad!
Anyway it was then that I stumbled upon the new ion technology by Bosch.

**BOSCH SAYS...**

'The worlds first cordless lithium-ion mower from Bosch combines the power of an electric mower with the convenience of new generation cordless technology. The battery only weighs 1.2kg making the mower extremely lightweight to manoeuvre. The 36V battery fully recharges in one hour with 80% charge reached in 30 minutes.
With no cable and no petrol to contend with you can really enjoy the freedom of a new technology cordless mower.

**I SAYS...**

Prior to purchasing this mower I was undecided between this and the larger Rotak 43. My rear lawn is approximately 10 x 25 and my front 12 x 5 metres. although this mower is good for up to 300m2 according to Bosch I found that the £299 that it was costing was at the very top end of my budget and I wouldn't be able to manage the extra cost for the 43Li so I settled for the 37Li and just thought that I would have a break while the battery recharged. Additional batteries are available but they cost around £90.00.

The battery took 30 minutes to be fully charged whilst I assembled the mower. Assembly of the mower was quite easy to do. Most difficult part was tightening the two screws that secured the handle into the mower. No problems with the grass box. Instructions were basically pictures with very little, small printed text but it seemed fairly straightforward to work out.

I found the default grass height setting of 3 hopeless and had to set the mower to 1. A plastic insert requires removal for this to be achieved. Possibly you are discouraged from using the lower cut to save battery power. In use I found the mower very easy to manoeuvre and obviously so much easier without a cord. The lawn looked very good after cutting.

The battery had faired well and the indicator showed two green LEDs lit indicating a 1/3 of the power remaining. The grass was dry and about 25mm in height. It seem like there should be sufficient spare battery capacity to deal with longer or wetter grass. The grass box was emptied three times. With it being the smaller of the two mowers there was no problem in emptying the grass into the green waste bags or garden waste recycling bins.

In summary for my garden size the Bosch Rotak 37 has been a good choice. It's light and easy to manoeuvre and store. Cutting the lawn was almost a pleasure.

It has no problem cutting grass up to 30 cm long and the grass combs are wider than the front wheels, they effectively cut grass growing close to the edge due to their special design reducing the need for strimming.
Although the price is steep, for someone like myself who spends SO much time in the summer months cutting grass, this little baby is like a breath of fresh air at getting the job done.

I no longer mind having to cut the grass. :-)

Summary: A revolution in grass cutting -its a wonderful feeling to cut the grass uncumbered by cables!