I purchased this lawn mower when my cheap Tesco lawn mower broke down. I had my Tesco lawn mower for a little less than a year before it completely packed in, so I decided to fork out a little bit more for a named lawn mower, and because I had been told Flymo lawn mowers have a good reputation and are reliable, I went looking for one. I purchased my Flymo from B&Q for just under £48 about 6 months ago and I must say I was extremely pleased at the price, I was thinking, "I've got the best deal going here!". I took my lawn mower home along with an ear to ear smile.

Set up

The set up for this lawn mower is incredibly simple. Open the box and you are greeted with the base of the lawn mower and the handle, which is in two parts. Simply attach the bottom part of the handle to the lawn mower and then attach the top to the part you have just fitted. Once you have the handle in place and tightened up, you are ready to mow the lawn! My Flymo came with plastic blades already attached to the bottom. However, it is always best to check that they are already fitted because I have heard that sometimes they are not. If they aren't fitted they are simple to fit. I'm sure you can set the cutting length but since I have lost the manual I'm not sure how or if you can. Set up gets a 5/5.

Ease of use

When you get your Flymo outside ready to cut the grass you will notice that it is a little bit awkward to carry, thanks to the weight being all at one end. But, thankfully it isn't heavy, meaning you won't be exerting yourself. Once you unravel the power lead you might notice that it seems smaller than what you expected it to be, mine was! So, it might be worth getting out the extention lead! Once you have plugged it in and you are in position, you press the button located on the handle and pull either of the triggers. You're up and running. The lawn mower wasn't as loud as my previous mower and it seemed to hover a lot better, which was good. Now, before I carry on, my grass is very bumpy and uneven and this can lead to a very poor lawn mowing experience, if you have the wrong kind of lawn mower. The Flymo was advertised as being able to cope with uneven ground, which is why I purchased this particular model and because it was cheap! Anyway, I began cutting the grass, starting around the edges where the ground wasn't uneven. In this area it performed smoothly and cut exactly how I wanted it. However, working my way towards the centre of the grass, my smile was wiped away. Whereas around the edges of the lawn the mower felt like it was gliding, in the middle it felt like utter hell was breaking loose underneath. It became incredibly difficult to move and you could hear the motor was beginning to struggle. Before my arms were broken into many pieces, I switched off the power. When I moved the mower away I was horrified! Where the mower had been, it had ripped through the top layer of grass revealing the soil beneath. I now had a circular "bald" patch right in the middle of my lawn. I was not happy, my Basil Fawlty impression was about to surface. Before I battered the lawn mower with half a tree, I decided to put it away and go borrow my dad's mower. This was the first use of my brand new lawn mower and also the last, in my garden. It wasn't the lawn mowers fault, but the lump of meat which bought it and operated it (which was me). It is really easy to move around, when on a more level surface. If I had done some more research and not looked for the cheapest Flymo because my wallet would be angry with me, I would have got the correct lawn mower. My experience was awful, but only because I hadn't done my research properly. Other downsides I noticed were, you have to rake the grass cuttings and clear them up yourself, which is a pain, especially if you have a decent size lawn, and the power cable is a bit of a nuisance when cutting the grass, as it does have the tendancy to get in your way. I give the ease of use 3/5.

Storage

Since my lawn mower is constantly in storage, I can tell you that it doesn't do bad in this area. I put up a hook in my garage where I hang the handle of the lawn mower from, which keeps it out of the way of everything. And, because it lays flat you can place it under, on top or down the side of something in your garage or shed. If you really wanted you could disassemble it to make it fit in a smaller space. Storage gets 4/5

Reliability

I can't give a rating on this but the plastic blades on this lawn mower are still intact and have a sharp edge, despite being driven into the ground at very high RPM. The mower still works, I used it cut a friends front garden, which is really smooth. But other than that it has only been used twice and since it has been used very little I cannot say if it is reliable or not.

Conclusion

This Flymo lawn mower is a great little mower, despite me using it on the wrong type of lawn. But, that said it is fantastic for use on small gardens with slightly uneven ground. If you have a lawn like mine then stay away from this particular model and buy yourself a mower designed for that type of ground. I would recommend buying a petrol lawn mower, if your lawn is the same as mine. They might cost more and make more noise than an electric, but they don't have annoying power cables. Petrol mowers have many standard features which make cutting the grass easier and we all want things to be easier. This Flymo is fantastic but not beefy enough for larger more uneven gardens. Overall from me 4/5