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I tried a popular new cordless lawnmower – and it made cutting the grass easier than ever (Image: Angela Patrone)
A good lawnmower is an essential garden tool for anyone with a lawn in their outdoor space. Without regular mowing, your garden will become unkempt, untidy, and unhealthy. Over summer, you’ll need to mow your grass almost weekly to keep it at its best, and the wrong mower will make this a chore.
Having never tried a cordless lawnmower before, this week I trialled the Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460. To test out the ease and effectiveness of the lawnmower, I used it to mow one half of my overgrown lawn and the other half using a petrol mower I already own. While the first mow of the year is typically carried out before May, I hadn’t got round to it, so my lawn was in dire need of a cut.
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I tested the Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460 against my petrol lawnmower (Image: Angela Patrone)
My lawn was in dire need of a cut (Image: Angela Patrone)
My petrol lawnmower is heavy and large, so it’s not the easiest to manoeuvre (Image: Angela Patrone)
I started by using my petrol lawnmower on one half of the grass, making sure to change the oil and top up the petrol. A petrol lawnmower is incredibly powerful and cordless, so it’s no surprise that it cuts the grass fast without having to wrestle with wires. However, it doesn’t come without its downsides.
Right from the off, it was a little tricky to start as you have to set it to the right gear before pulling on the starter cord with a firm grasp to ignite the engine.
While my petrol lawnmower self-propelled lever is designed to make mowing effortless, I do find it makes controlling the mower difficult as it runs off pretty fast. What’s more, this lawnmower is heavy and large, so it’s not the easiest to manoeuvre.
Moving on to the Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460, which retails for £499.99 on Amazon or for £599.99 on B&Q, I found it easy to assemble. Simply remove the screws pre-installed in the handle, slide each side onto the telescopic arms, and replace the screws. Then, all that’s required is to snap the handle onto the grass collector and clip in the tongue that smooths grass flow between the grass chute and 50-litre collector.
You need to charge each of the 4.0Ah batteries in turn, because there’s only one charger. Fortunately, the batteries came partially charged and only took an hour each to reach their maximum capacity.
The Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460 retails for £499.99 on Amazon or for £599.99 on B&Q (Image: Angela Patrone)
The cutting height adjusts at 10mm increments from 25mm to 65mm by pressing a button on the side (Image: Angela Patrone)
The cutting height adjusts at 10mm increments from 25mm to 65mm by pressing a button at the side and lifting the mower using the handle beside it. Given this was the first mow since last year, it was important not to reduce the height too much to avoid scalping the grass.
To turn on the lawnmower, it was a much easier process, you just turn the dial that’s located where the batteries are before pressing the centrally-mounted safety release button and squeezing the start lever towards the handle at the same time.
I like the trio of green LEDs, which show battery charge, although it’s a shame they only shine for a few moments after you start the mower, as it would be more useful for them to stay on to judge the remaining charge at a glance. Next to them is a boost mode button, which increases the blade speed from 2,800 to 3,400rpm.
Using the Flymo mower to cut the other side of my lawn, it was noticeably easier. The large back wheels make the Flymo manoeuvrable and easy to turn. I never felt I was battling the small front wheels.
To turn on the mower, turn the dial that’s located where the batteries are first (Image: Angela Patrone)
The Flymo UltraMow Duo 36v 460 cuts the grass well and makes mowing so much easier (Image: Angela Patrone)
When mowing the lawn, I did find myself having to go over areas twice; however, when I switched over to the boost mode, this worked better to cut the grass.
The Flymo has twin blades that counter-rotate. The brand said that the benefit of this is more coverage on a charge, a more precise cut and better grass collection, and I’m inclined to agree with the second as the cut wasn’t precise on the bumpy areas of my lawn
After mowing, there was still charge left in the battery, and there was sufficient space left in the grass collector box.
Overall, the Flymo UltraMow Duo 36v 460 is a good and reasonably cost-effective all-rounder for anyone maintaining a typical-sized garden. It’s incredibly easy to put together, use and store away. Given it’s a battery-powered mower, it fared very well against my petrol lawnmower.
For those looking for other lawnmowers around a similar price range to the Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460, you can pick up Gtech’s Lawnmower CLM50 for £599.99, which customers have rated as 4.6 out of five.
For a more budget-friendly option, gardeners can pick up the Spear & Jackson Cordless Lawnmower on Argos for £205 down from £260, which also comes with a grass trimmer.