Hi,

I recently moved house from a place with a fairly small square of flat lawn to one with about twice the flat area and - more problematically - some very steep grassed banks between the flat spaces, and one much shallower bank up the side of the garden.

I used to get by with a small flymo (a "mow n vac" model) which has proved hopelessly inadequate to the task in hand. So I need a new one, and have a few questions I'd appreciated being answered.

My initial assumption was that I'd be best off getting a top-of-the-range flymo. This leaves me with a choice of two models - the "Turbo Lite 400" which is lightweight and has a 1500 watt motor and a 40cm blade, and the "Vision Compact 380" which is much heavier, collects grass, and has a 1700 watt motor and a 38cm blade.

* First up, has anyone had an experience of using both these models and impressions as to which is "best"?

* I'm a little concerned about the weight of the heavier mower since even good flymos don't tend to "fly" terribly well. Is there any good reason - besides the cosmetic look of the lawn - why I'd be better off having a mower which collects and removes the cut grass over one which leaves it behind?

* The advantage of a wider cutting blade is obvious. But for standard lawn cutting, is there any advantage of having a 1700 watt motor over a 1500 watt one?

* I have assumed that using a wheeled mower on steep banks is pretty dangerous. So, does that mean I'm best off with another flymo or would the combination of a wheeled mower for the flat and shallow banks and a good strimmer for the steep banks be a better idea?

* Are there other manufacturers/models available (in the UK) I ought to consider? I don't mind paying more to get a tool which gets the job done as quickly and as easily as possible!

Cheers,
Matt

My experience with the Flymo is VERY dated, but I don't think it worked very
well on slopes, especially if you're working uphill, where you'd benefit
from having a wheeled mower to prevent sideways motion. As you've described
your situation, I would use a good powered mulching mower, and if your
sloped area was too steep, use a high-wheeled string trimmer for the slopes.
That's what I use here, where I have to mow the edges of a swale that is too
steep for me to comfortably use my riding mower.

I suppose if I had a Flymo I could stand at the top of the swale and let
the mower swing back and forth on the slope, but I prefer the string trimmer
idea.

"mattDP" wrote in message
...

Hi,

I recently moved house from a place with a fairly small square of flat
lawn to one with about twice the flat area and - more problematically -
some very steep grassed banks between the flat spaces, and one much
shallower bank up the side of the garden.

I used to get by with a small flymo (a "mow n vac" model) which has
proved hopelessly inadequate to the task in hand. So I need a new one,
and have a few questions I'd appreciated being answered.

My initial assumption was that I'd be best off getting a
top-of-the-range flymo. This leaves me with a choice of two models -
the "Turbo Lite 400" which is lightweight and has a 1500 watt motor and
a 40cm blade, and the "Vision Compact 380" which is much heavier,
collects grass, and has a 1700 watt motor and a 38cm blade.

* First up, has anyone had an experience of using both these models and
impressions as to which is "best"?

* I'm a little concerned about the weight of the heavier mower since
even good flymos don't tend to "fly" terribly well. Is there any good
reason - besides the cosmetic look of the lawn - why I'd be better off
having a mower which collects and removes the cut grass over one which
leaves it behind?

* The advantage of a wider cutting blade is obvious. But for standard
lawn cutting, is there any advantage of having a 1700 watt motor over a
1500 watt one?

* I have assumed that using a wheeled mower on steep banks is pretty
dangerous. So, does that mean I'm best off with another flymo or would
the combination of a wheeled mower for the flat and shallow banks and a
good strimmer for the steep banks be a better idea?

* Are there other manufacturers/models available (in the UK) I ought to
consider? I don't mind paying more to get a tool which gets the job done
as quickly and as easily as possible!

Cheers,
Matt




--
mattDP