Lawnmower purchase advice
 

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 - 900 watt motor, 28cm plastic blade) 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 metal blade, and the "Vision Compact 380" which is much heavier, collects grass, and has a 1700 watt motor and a 38cm metal 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 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