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Cordless lawnmowers, any good?
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Posted by SlugPelletUK Southern UK (My Page) on Thu, Jun 16, 05 at 9:51
| I am specifically looking at a Qualcast 32c. I want to get one for my elderly father, who is finding his old mower too heavy, so I am concerned that a battery job will be just as bad. Because of the lay-out of the grass around his bungalow electric access is very restricted, and just to be awkward, he does not like the idea of a hover mower! |
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RE: Cordless lawnmowers, any good?
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It's all a question of cost vs. performance. I always find rechargeable tools a pain, because (a) they need recharging at the wrong moment (half way through the job) and (b) replacement batteries are extremely expensive.
If your Dad has access problems with a normal power lead, might it be worthwhile considering installation of a couple of extra outdoor power sockets round his home? This could allow him a better choice of lighter-weight "traditional" electric mowers.
Having said all this, I guess the mower you are looking at is about the best of its kind. Chris |
RE: Cordless lawnmowers, any good?
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| I think it will be fine for the job. Make sure it will cut the whole lawn on one charge, anything up to about 500 square metres. The battery is like a car battery, it should be left on charge between mowings and will need replacing every few years, maybe once every ten years with low use. The Concorde 32C is a cylinder mower. This means it is best suited to cutting fescue (quality ornamental) grasses and cutting them short. It tends to tear the "family" rye grasses especially when cutting at longer lengths. It should really be sharpened by a professional every year or two or the cut quality will suffer. You can't sharpen it yourself. It is not good for cutting wet grass, bumpy lawns, or grass that has grown very long. This is the mower for the bowling green look, assuming you have the right grass. If you have a bumpy lawn, a tough family grass, or just like to have the grass grow longer than an inch and a half (the 32C highest setting) then look for a rotary mower. You can get them with a roller to make stripes, you can sharpen them yourself for the best cut quality. Cordless rotaries will tend to be more expensive because they have a higher power, but they will cut just about any grass, any length, wet or dry, without binding, and you can have the cut at 2" or 3" depending on the model. |
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