make light work with the right mower (Mower Magic)

Member Name: TimStavert

Product:	Mower Magic
Date:	28/08/09 (103 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: no cables, light work and easy to use good finish to your lawn

Disadvantages: mostly for even ground, blades a bit flimsy and grass doesn't clear into chatcher that welll

Eckman 24-Volt Cordless Rechargeable Cylinder Lawn Mower
Product no: RM001
As a gardener, one of my clients ordered an Eckman 24-Volt Cordless Rechargeable Cylinder Lawn Mower from an offer in the Daily Express Newspaper and received it one week after ordering it.
The offer was £99 + £29.99 for the spare battery because she had a large lawn. The Recommended Retail price is £149.99p
Today I assembled it together with a simple instruction pamphlet within minutes of getting it out of its box. The only problem I had with the assembly was the instructions. They say that I would have to bend the handle components to fit to each other. I feel that quality should prevet this unnecessary task and at first I thought they had sent the wrong components.
The mower is lightweight weighting 37lbs. Made of light metal approx 18sw gauge it is quite robust. However I feel that time will tell with wear and tear on the Cylinder and Bottom Blades which I feel are not very thick steel. This concerns me a bit, with the odd hidden stone or turf of edging which may bend the blades, but many mowers are made this way these days. If enough care is taken, like any mower any damage can be prevented.
It has a nice desirable wide cut of 40cm (17.5") and produces a nice lined finish to a lawn with the aid of the integrated rear rollers. The cutting depth is between 1"-2", so I would suggest that this is really for the fine and fairly even lawns.
The Battery will last enough to cut 5000 sq feet of lawn (approximately 2 tennis courts) on one charge, about 50 minutes continuous mowing depending on how fast you walk as it is a push mower. This isn't as daunting task as it sounds as the ten inch side wheels makes it easy to push, is light and durable and it turns easily.
The light 25 litre grass catcher cuts out a lot of raking but I find that occasionally I have to pull the grass back into the catcher as it gathers near the opening especially if it is a bit wet. That is the other advantage though; you can cut it damp if you want because of no electric cables.

Tim's Tips:
This is a good little mower so far as I have tried and tested, so I will add an update later in the year when I have used it more and it has a few miles and charges to the batteries.
To get the best effects on cutting your own lawn I find, is to have an even skirting (brick or earth or concrete). As for borders when you have a lawn edge and recess (Slight ditch) either ensure one wheel can go on the other side of the ditch, keeping even along the edge. This has to be done very carefully as not to catch the turf or may damage the blades.
The other alternative is to mow as close to the edge and finish with shears or edge cutter, or an Eckman WGT01 edge trimmer (which I would recommend once I find out how the mower performs. Then mow up and down the direction you wish for your stripes to run.
Do not run, walk at a pace that will suit the cut; once you see that the grass is folding over you know that it isn't cutting properly, you are either going too fast, the cut is too high or the blades need sharpening or adjusting.
If you are tempted to buy this model, please let me know how you get on with it.
Best Wishes
Tim

Summary: Nice mower and value for money, only time will tell.