A few years ago, when we had to choose between mowing by hand or by machine, there were only two options. Buy a gasoline lawn mower or a manual lawn mower. With the emergence of electric lawnmowers at very very competitive prices, it seems that the manual lawnmower has been relegated as a somewhat obsolete garden tool.
Nothing is further from reality. It is a tool that takes up little space and is extremely efficient in small gardens. We tell you the benefits of this little friend from the garden
Index
THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE CHOICE OF A LAWNMOWER
The factors are very numerous but the main choice that determines one type or another is much simpler. Then you can detail details that decide the choice but we are going to make an essential screen.
Buy an electric lawn mower if:
- You have less than 600 m2 of garden
- You don’t want to do maintenance on the machine.
Buy a gasoline lawn mower if:
- Your garden is more than 600 m2
- Maintenance and gasoline are not a problem
And where is the manual lawnmower then? Well, we do not forget about it if your situation is the same as that of the electric lawn mower. Small gardens in which the effort will be minimal and a manual lawnmower does the job as well as an electric one and with certain advantages over this that we later see.
At the moment we leave you 4 highly recommended models in a very wide price range.
IT’S NOT JUST TWO WHEELS AND A BLADE
Apparently a walk-behind mower shouldn’t have a lot of science behind it. A wheels that when we push, transmit energy through a multiplication of gears to a rotor with very sharp blades that rotate much faster than the wheels do.
Well, the shape of the comb that directs the blades towards the blade also plays a role. The angle of entry of the blade, the speed of rotation, the quality of the blade material, the grip of the wheels, the height and position of the machine for the back under the thrust conditions that we must provide to operate the mechanism. All this has to be studied. It’s not just two wheels, a handle, and spinning blades.
Something that is always said about manual lawnmowers is that if you save too much, the frog will come out. It’s like mediocre kitchen knives. They cut the first tomato. From there begins the decline of the edge.
In addition, the image of having to make several passes through the same site to obtain the same result as with a motorized one, either electric or gasoline, is very typical.
BOCH AHM 30. SIMPLICITY AND QUALITY OF CUT
- We are facing one of the benchmark DIY and garden brands. The quality of its materials has always been the endorsement of Bosch in any tool and the price is in line. Without being expensive, it is around the prices of a low-medium range electric lawnmower.
- And it is that the price goes in the scissor mechanism that it imitates directing the blades with its comb towards the rotation of the blades, as if it were a combine harvester. There is its true effectiveness.
- Its 4-blade hardened steel helical spindle ensures a clean and durable cut. It is true that one day they will have to be re-sharpened, but as in any machine, whether it is a manual, gasoline or electric lawnmower.
- It has a small cutting width, very suitable for gardens or gardens with nooks, not very extensive, which would certainly be difficult with a gasoline one for example.
- The cutting height in this model is continuously regulated thus avoiding specific cutting levels.
Technical specifications:
- Cutting width: 30 cm
- Cutting height: 12-40 continuous
- Hardened steel blades
- Weight: 6.4 kg
- This model has a collection bag but it is not included.
G ORDER 400 CLASSIC. ANOTHER GOOD OPTION. MORE CUTTING WIDTH
Compared to the previous one, this model is very similar. Gardena is another benchmark in garden tools, putting all its experience in each product.
This model has a greater cutting width (40 cm) than Bosch and its handle is easily foldable to occupy the minimum space.
However, as we see in the image, this model lacks the guide comb that the Bosch one has, so its cut is less precise. At this point we believe that the previous one wins.
It is a frankly simple model with very good ratings and an option for relatively small pieces of garden.
Its weight is somewhat higher, approaching 10 kg, which we believe is not bad because in the end it has more poise and it may slip less. It all depends on the ease of pulling the transmission.
Technical specifications:
- Cutting width: 40 cm
- Cutting height: 12-42 continuous
- Reinforced steel blades
- Weight: 9 kg
- This model has a collection bag but it is not included.
OTHER BRANDS OF MANUAL LAWNMOWERS
FISKARS STAYSHARP MAX. EXTREME QUALITY
- If something characterizes this Finnish brand, it is their absolute quality in everything they do. And we say it knowingly. Not because of the mower, but I have several tools of this brand, specifically a wedge-ax to open logs, two small field axes and a pruning saw.
The quality of their materials, the steel they use, the plastics and the fiber of the casings, the handles are very hard and robust, their blades are much less dull than others that I have tried. They are certainly a premium brand whose characteristic color is orange, as is dark green for Bosch.
In this case we are facing a very high-end manual lawnmower. It is perhaps too high a price for our taste but its features may make it worth it.
- Among the big differences that we find with a normal one are its 4 wheels, which make it much more stable and therefore very effective on slightly uneven terrain.
- The weight is another of the great differences with previous models and that is that its 20 kg give it an unparalleled poise, making it very difficult for it to slide on the ground, achieving constant traction in the octave.
- The tempered steel blades ensure a durable and very clean cut.
- Its cutting width is the largest in the range of manual lawnmowers at 46 cm, even greater than some of the conventional motorized models.
- It consists of high-quality bearings in the transmission that facilitate thrust against weight. The balance between poise and ease of pushing is achieved with good bearings.
Technical specifications:
- Cutting width: 46 cm
- Cutting height: 25-100mm in steps
- Very hard tempered steel blades.
- Weight: 20 kg
- It does not have a collection bag.
EINHELL GE-HM 40. MIDDLE RANGE. REASONABLE QUALITY PRICE
On the opposite side to Fiskars we have this little Einhell that, due to its characteristics on paper and its reasonable price, is one of the favorites of the entire catalog with more than 1400 ratings and 4 stars out of 5 points.
What makes it so tightly priced compared to the previous one?
It is the only one that includes a grass collection bag with a capacity of 27 L. We think it can be difficult to move it when it fills up a bit, but on the other hand, the more weight it picks up, it may have better grip and slide less.
It does not have a comb like the Bosch but has a very respectable 40 cm cutting width.
If mowing becomes very, very sporadic, few passes, slow growth, or you don’t want to have the grass like a golf green, it can be an interesting model.
The disadvantage that we find is that the handle is not foldable and therefore will take up more space in the shed or garage while we are not using it.
Technical specifications:
- Power 1500W
- Cutting time: up to 36 min
- Cutting width 44 cm
- Bag capacity 50 L
- Weight: 6.2 kg
- 3 cut levels
- 2 batteries included of 5 Ah
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF A MANUAL LAWNMOWER?
- They have little maintenance: The blade is the only thing that you will have to worry about over time. It will have to be re-sharpened, but there is no motor to take care of, nor electrical elements that you have to pay special attention to. Absolute simplicity.
- Weight is important: A manual mower will weigh less than an electric one, although some like the Fiskars can weigh considerably more for their materials and build quality. Of course, in these cases they have high quality bearings that compensate for the thrust of a greater weight. Of course, no matter how little it weighs, if the traction is not good, it will be difficult to carry it as if it were twice as heavy. It’s like having a bike braked.
- Maneuverability : They are the most maneuverable in difficult surface gardens. They are light, small, and speed up cutting at the edges and are highly efficient on the move.
- They are smaller: The reduction in size bought with the electric or gasoline is unmatched. If you have space problems and a small garden, don’t think about it. Buy a good folding bar walk-behind mower. They occupy less than a home vacuum cleaner.
- Respectful with your health and the environment: If the electric one is already low polluting with respect to the gasoline one, this is already 100% eco. The energy to move it is yours, it depends on what you had for breakfast that morning.
- Quiet : The noise level of such a lawnmower is ridiculous. Let’s not be fooled. We know that a gasoline one is noisy, but electric ones are too. Not so much but they make noise.
DISADVANTAGES BUT FEW
- We have to make sure that the grass does not have stones if we are going to cut very hard. It is certain that we will damage the blade.
- If the grip is not good, it may slip and the pass may not be effective.
- If the blade is not sharp, it will tear the grass more than it will cut it because the passing speed is slower than the electric or gasoline models.
- They are not very suitable for large surfaces. It depends on your physical stamina.
TOP 10 BEST SELLERS
IN SHORT: WHAT DO WE LOOK AT WHEN CHOOSING?
In the size of the garden as we mentioned at the beginning. It is essential for a correct choice.
THE WEIGHT
- Important to get a better traction grip and do not slide preventing the blade from turning. They must have good bearings so that the weight does not influence the thrust.
SAVE SPACE
- They are the ones that take up the least space, but if you want it to take up less, make sure it has the easy-fold bar so that it takes up as little as possible.
BLADE QUALITY
- We believe that if you are going to invest in a manual lawnmower, a sharp and very strong blade is essential for it to be effective. Since we lack the revs of an engine, for the cut to be clean, the blade must be a scalpel. And for that you have to go to medium ranges.
WITH OR WITHOUT COLLECTION BAG
- For us it is not something decisive in these models. A manual lawnmower has to be passed more times, letting the grass grow less to achieve optimal results, therefore, if the cut is very small because we have not allowed it to grow too much, then the bag does not make much sense. What you cut returns to the ground and nourishes the new grass.
CUTTING WIDTH AND HEIGHT
- The cutting width at the end is the size of the blade and will be in proportion to the surface to be cut. With a wider cutting width in fewer passes, you just cut it.
- cutting height is not usually a relevant choice factor unless you have a golf green in part of your garden. In that case you will need a cutting height almost at ground level. You will have to look for models that have it. If that’s not your case, all mowers have more than enough variable cutting heights .