Things we know thus far this year: 1) Football is not coming home. In fact, it snubbed “home” completely and the best we can hope for now is a postcard from Marbella where it’s gone sunning itself with its real mates.
2) Leading on from that, something else that seems evident so far is that summer is not bothering to visit either, given that in July, I still have to don a jumper in the evening to keep the distinct chill at bay.
But, things can only get better, looking at the immediate weather forecast and the Paris 2024 Olympics kicking off, both sunshine and glory lie ahead for the UK! If not at the same time.
So, where to enjoy the former when it periodically appears? Why, in the garden, of course! On a lounger, beneath the blazing sun, cold drink in hand, cool music playing, impossibly good-looking pals gathered round – just like in those adverts you see on the telly. But wait, what’s this? Your lawn has sprawled uncontrollably into a ‘lost world’ during all the intermittent sunshine and showers?
And, worst still, you’re lazy to an almost heroic degree? Then worry ye not, because not every lawnmower need involve maximum effort, futile mowing machine wrestling in the rough, and language so coarse that it would make a sailor blush. No, simply sell whatever hapless “hover” model you currently have on eBay and use those fresh funds to purchase a self-propeller.
Yes, let the mower take the strain, allowing it to lead you in a gentle waltz around the garden, as it pulls itself along and the turf behind you is transformed into something akin to the Centre Court at Wimbledon.
Available in a wide range of shapes, sizes and power setups for gardens of all dimensions, I’ve fixed my scything sights on five such selfers, spanning all green spaces and sticker prices, so hope ahead to a summer of sun and sporting success, all enjoyed from the perfectly manicured privacy of your very own Eden…
Best self-propelled lawnmowers at a glance:
- Best for pure, unadulterated petrol power: Einhell GC-PM 40/2 S - £150, Amazon
- Best for cordless freedom: Greenworks G24X2LM36 - £166.45, Amazon
- Best for making light work of small gardens: Webb WEER33 - £93.94, Amazon
- Best for slicing with a cylinder: Yard Force LM C38A - £199.99, Amazon
- Best for ultimate garden grunt: Hyundai HYM560SPE - £639, Amazon
Find out more below
Greenworks G24X2LM36
Best for: Cordless freedom
The Greenworks G24X2LM36 is a remarkably versatile little lawn-goer that frees you from the cords that bind by delivering 48V performance via 2x 24V bundled batteries, making it good to mow across small to medium gardens of up to around 420m2 in size.
With a reasonably sized blade of 36cm, the Greenworks features five stages of cutting height adjustment from 25- to 70mm, while its light weight of 16kg and large high traction wheels make it easy to move around on even the most uneven domestic terrain.
Clipping collection-wise, the 40-litre catcher saves on endless emptying, but if that still feels like more than you can manage on mild to actually warm days, this little beauty also mulches, feeding the severed sod ends back into your lawn to help fertilise it.
Convenient in all areas, once the turf toil is done and mulched, the neatly designed Greenwork’s handle folds down completely via quick-release clamps for compact storage in the shed.
A great little grass-cutter at a very reasonable price, the Greenworks makes the garden dreams work.
- Type: Battery
- For lawns up to: 420m2
- Cutting width: 36cm
- Height adjustment: 5-stages (25 – 70mm)
- Collector volume: 40l (also mulches)
- Weight: 16kg
Buy now £260.00, Amazon
Einhell GC-PM 40/2 S
Best for: Pure, unadulterated petrol power
Got a sizeable thatch to sort out? Sizeable beyond the reach of power cords and the job duration of batteries? Then, while not wishing to sound like old-school Top Gear, get yourself some petrol power!
Specifically, the excitingly named GC-PM 40/2 S from Einhell, a green-mowing machine with a one-cylinder Einhell four-stroke OHV engine, 7-stage central cutting height adjustment from 25mm to 75mm, capacious 45l grass collection basket, and decent manoeuvrability thanks to a low weight at just 19.91kg.
Capable of bringing the chop to verdant expanses up to a whopping 1000m2, the Einhell has a large 40cm blade to cover more ground each sweep of the lawn, meaning even less work for you, so a double-win.
With a comfortably ergonomic guide bar that folds away to assist storage, the mighty GC-PM 40/2 S, again without wishing to get all Top Gear, comes in finished Ferrari red and up to 2kW power under the hood, achieving an idle speed of 2900rpm, to make short work of any undergrowth.
- Type: Petrol
- For lawns up to: 1000m²
- Cutting width: 40cm
- Height adjustment: 7-stage (25 – 75mm)
- Collector volume: 45l
- Weight: 19.91kg
Buy now £250.00, Amazon
Webb WEER33
Best for: Making light work of small gardens
If your garden is on the slighter side, but the grass therein thick as a thicket and the ground it grows from as undulating as an ocean frozen mid-roil, then you need a mower that’s light, flexible to tough terrain and which has an endless supply of power; you need the WEER33 from renowned British brand Webb.
Flaunting a classic look for lawnmowers from the golden era of gardening, the Webb features a 10-metre power cord to keep you connected and the juice flowing non-stop – essential when the going gets tough and overgrown areas need several passes at varying height adjustments to get right. Speaking of which, the WEER33 has five such, covering 65mm right down to 25mm. It also has a cutting blade of some 33cm, so despite its overall size, it has the tools and the talent in abundance.
Given all that, the Webb can be tasked to tackle lawns up to 225m2 in size, obviously dependent on any obstacles cutting short the reach of the cord, but for smaller gardens this should be more than grass-shortneningly sufficient.
Weighing a feather-mocking 12.5kg, married to the mower’s nicely sized wheels, it's very easy to manoeuvre too, so when that mini-topography gets tricky, the Webb works wonders.
Coming complete with a nicely capacious 35-litre cuttings catcher, you’ll also have to spend less time stopping your severing to empty the bag, meaning the job is done in less time, giving you more minutes to sit outside in the summer sun.
Small but perfectly formed, the WEER33’s handle folds away for storage in compact places, thus ticking every box of the more modest garden owner’s requirement list with absolute assurance. Then there’s the price…
- Type: Corded (10m)
- For lawns up to: 225m2
- Cutting width: 33cm
- Height adjustment: 5-stage (25 – 65mm)
- Collector volume: 35l
- Weight: 12.5kg
Buy now £93.94, Amazon
Yard Force LM C38A
Best for: Slicing with a cylinder
Looking for a self-propelling lawnmower that lurks outside of the standard rotary box? Then why not look beyond the single-blade bunch and switch to a cylinder-packing grass slicer instead? Yep, the Yard Force LM C38A is just such a mower, featuring a spinning cylinder upfront baring no fewer than five blades for carving through the thickest grass as though it was whispering fronds of bizarre green butter.
Offering height adjustments from as high as 43mm all the way down to a ground-scorching 14mm, the cordless Yard Force is powered by a 20V 4.0Ah Lithium-Ion battery that gives its cylinder slasher a range of around 300m2, while the commodious 45-litre grass catcher saves on tedious raking after the fact.
Light too, at 15kg, the LM C38A also features a rear roller which not only helps you achieve that perfectly striped lawn and also keeps the mower balanced when working along the edge of sunken flower beds, so a double roller bonus.
The only cylinder option I’ve anointed for this round-up, the Yard Force LM C38A is a self-propelled tour de force of turf maintenance that gives a precision, professional finish every time you let it literally lead you down the garden path.
- Type: Cordless Cylinder
- For lawns up to: 300m2
- Cutting width: 38cm
- Height adjustment: 4-stages (14 – 43mm)
- Collector volume: 45l
- Weight: 15kg
Buy now £199.99, Amazon
Hyundai HYM560SPE
Best for: Ultimate garden grunt
The Hyundai HYM560SPE does, indeed, look like it could well have appeared as a background vehicle in the recent cinematic motor madness that was Mad Max: Furiosa, being a particularly angry-looking example of its mowing ilk. But whilst Chris Hemsworth did not ride one through the desert wilds of post-apocalyptic Australia, as far as I can recall, this thing is still an absolute beast.
Driven by an almighty 196cc Hyundai 4-stroke petrol engine, the enormous 51cm six-stage blade can cut at heights of 75mm down to 25mm, over a grassy expanse as epic as up to 2000m2, above which you should probably consider a ride-on.
A big machine at 37kg in weight, the Hyundai also comes with an equally substantial grass sack, holding a very helpful 70-litres of cuttings, while its easy recoil pull-start and sheer self-propelled power mean all you have to do is point and steer.
Rear wheel drive makes it adept at uneven terrain, and OPC (Operator Presence Control) stops the cutting colossus dead in its track should you accidentally lose grip no need to worry about any of those 80s’ TV sitcom moments where the runaway mower takes out the greenhouse, the fence and runs off down the road.
Obviously great for medium to large gardens, the Hyundai HYM560SPE is an undoubted monster of a mower that’ll power through even the densest overgrowth with utter ease, leaving you free to soak up the sun in the bowling green-esque perfection it leaves behind.
- Type: Petrol
- For lawns: 2000m2 and larger
- Cutting width: 51cm
- Height adjustment: 6-stage (25 – 75mm)
- Collector volume: 70l
- Weight: 37kg
Buy now £639.00, Amazon
Verdict
Obviously, all the options I’ve outlined here are very different (as far as lawnmowers go), but if you’re looking for a happy medium that can cover a more than reasonable amount of ground quickly and easily, then it has to be the Greenworks G24X2LM36. Dual battery powered, light and a mulcher, it’s the perfect choice for the lazy lawn mower looking to take full advantage of the fleeting summer sun.
