Hoover mower is Fly (Flymo Turbo Compact 330)

Member Name: dididave

Product:	Flymo Turbo Compact 330
Date:	08/05/08 (1978 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Compact grass collection, lightweight.

Disadvantages: Struggles in divots and longer grass.

It is amazing how a bit of sun brings out a vague feeling of manliness that seems to compel men everywhere to dig the lawnmower out of the back of the shed. I am no exception and I have just finished mowing my lawn for the second time in just a few weeks. Something of a first for me as I usually wait for the lawn to reach record breaking heights. However, the purchase of my shiny new flymo coupled with an unusually warm few weeks have turned me into a veritable Charlie Dimmock (ok, I know she is a woman but she is the only gardener I know!).

The Flymo Turbo Compact 330 Mower is a joy to use for the most part. There is no assembly required other than clipping the cable guide to the mower and unfolding the handle. Even changing the three cutting heights can be done easily with the supplied tool. The Compact 330 operates really easily with the power button distinct and seperate enough so that you will not accidently press it and the on/off lever on either side nice and light to use. It is certainly less strenous to operate than previous mowers I have used.

Being a "hover" mower you would expect the Compact 330 to glide across the grass and this is largely true providing the grass is not of the aforementioned "record breaking" height and the ground is level. Hover could really be interchanged with the word hoover as the mower glides just above the grass and cuts evenly with little fuss and noise sucking up more grass than any other mower than I have owned. The "compact" feature of the mower means that the grass is neatly pressed into a collecting basket within the mower (no annoying basket sticking out behind it). This can be easily removed for emptying thanks to a hinged lid and carries very easily. However, some grass can fall out the hole if you are not careful as the hole the grass is sucked up into has not got a cover. Also, there can be some clogging up around the plastic underneath when the grass is damp although this cleans easily with the tool provided.

As I have already mentioned this mower works really well on flast surfaces with comparatively short grass. It's angled design makes it perfect for getting right up to the lawn edge and it is light to both carry and use. However, a more challenging surface is a problem for the Compact 330. Unlike mowers with plastic wheels, this mower struggles with any uneven surface and any decent divots will hamper you considerably. I found myself having to physically lift the mower over such areas. Although this is not the mower's fault but rather that of my hole-digging dogs, it does make mowing more difficult.

The Compact 330 also struggles with longer grass. It is not a good idea to leave your lawn to become overgrown as this mower glides far easier on a reasonable length of grass. There is far more effort involved if you leave the grass to get very long and although the compact basket collects efficiently, it does not hold huge amounts. As such you will have to change it very regularly if your lawn is left to it's own devices for any period. This is certainly a mower that is perfect for frequent use but for those who leave their gardens in the winter etc, you may want to purchase a petrol monster.

Finally, this is a great mower for storing thanks to the way the reel conceals itself inside the mower (akin to several cylinder hoovers on the market. With the foldable handle this makes the Compact 330 the perfect mower to store neatly in the corner of your shed. It may not be the most durable piece of kit (it's mainly plastic after all), but this is a mower that is cheap coming in at under the hundred pound mark, lightweight and easy to use.



The

Summary: An excellent little mower.