"pied piper" wrote in
:


I am also undecided about petrol or electric, concerned that the
petrol
may
need regular servicing.


Petrol all the time other than for small (define small?) lawns. The
cable-hassle factor is a real faff, once you've tried petrol you
won't consider electric again! Maintenance is trivial!

pk
i agree keep it cleaned and check the oil clean the plug now and then
simple

I disagree, unless you have a small estate down to grass.

Grew up with horrible oily, heavy, petrol mowers. Damn thing never
started first time, was a git to manoever over kerbs and round tight
bends, had to be serviced (and got into the car to get it to the service
place) - and expensive to replace too. It had driven wheels, and
consequently tended to take off like a skittish horse with the operator
racing desperately behind it on a downhill straight.

You can bark your knuckles pulling the starter cord thing if you aren't
tall enough too.

Of course, male friends of my father would see it and nod sagely.
'That's a proper mower' they would say. 'None of your cheap stuff' and
go on to talk of manly stuff like beer and spark plugs, probably.

Now I have a tiddly electric rotary made mostly of plastic. It's so
light! And so easy to move about my largish but hilly garden! And so
cheap! And it starts immediately as soon as I press a button. I don't
service it: if it goes wrong I shall simply buy a new one. I don't need
to keep petrol in a can in my shed, and I don't find the cable a problem
at all. Long cables are widely available and very easy to move about.

I bet Harry Potter's Dursley relatives would have a petrol mower.
You can keep 'em!

Victoria