Good all round machine, with some reservations,
Must admit I was somewhat unsure about buying an electric mower as the one I had used in the past, while staying with a friend, was’nt that effective. I chose the widest cut & the most powerful electric machine I could find, which is more or less equivalent to the Honda petrol mower it is replacing after a quarter of a century. The instructions for starting in long grass encouraged me to risk buying it as the manufacturer was implying it might manage my often neglected grass.
Assembly was pretty well intuitive. The trick to assembling the grass box is to line up all the lugs then sharply slap the two sides together.
I have used the machine for a full season. The main grass area was about 10 to 15 cm long by the time of the first cut and fortunately dry. The grass box is a bit of a joke, as it’s too small for a medium sized lawn and was full before the end of each length, so wheelbarrow was needed close by.
The rougher grass areas around trees and shrubs were significantly longer, so I cut these without the grass box and with a cord between the handles to hold the back flap almost horizontal so the grass could be thrown clear. WARNING – there is a risk of injury from stones or anything hard that may be thrown out with the grass. Without opening the flap the cut grass quickly choked the blades especially if damp (just like the old petrol mower). Tilt the front of the mower up and give it time to cut in long grass and weeds. Also, beware of bits of twigs etc being spat out, mine happily crunched up dead twigs up to 1 cm or so in diameter
Once I had the grass down to a sensible length and cut weekly the grass box size was less of a problem but still requires frequent emptying. Being electric stopping and restarting does not require any effort though, and frequent rests may help prevent the motor overheating and cutting out. This is mentioned in the manual but has not happened to me despite spending a few hours grass cutting. The rear roller does leave stripes in the grass, but the machine is so light that my grass was standing upright the next day with all stripes gone.
So far I have not cut the power cord, but do loop it into the back of my belt when cutting so it falls to the ground behind me. This gives some tolerance when stepping back while cutting around shrubs and awkward spots.
To sum up: light and easy to use, cuts flat areas of fairly short grass well, will manage longish rough grass and weeds if used slowly without grass box. Good value when compared to the cost of buying and running a comparable petrol mower.
My only concern is how long it will last. The model name includes ‘flex’ and the unit does just that: it flexes when pushed over uneven ground or into longish grass.
Bosch Rotak 43 Ergoflex Electric Rotary Lawnmower with 43cm Cutting Width 1800w
