I don't know where I'd be without my trusty decade-old petrol lawn mower — and you can get your hands on some great Mountfield deals online
(Image credit: Future/Natasha Brinsmead)
Just the other day, our Mountfield lawn mower celebrated its tenth birthday — something a very random 'memory' on my phone alerted me to.
While we admittedly didn't go so far as to throw a party for it, it did make me realise just how worthwhile an investment it had turned out to be — one of those everyday necessities that you kind of take for granted until they give up the ghost. Except this one hasn't — it continues to do just as good a job today as it did on our garden all those years ago and is hands down one of the best petrol lawn mowers around in this price bracket, in my view.
While renovating our house, we relied on our garden as somewhere to retreat when the mess and disruption inside got a little too much. Now it is used, variously, as a rugby pitch, netball court, teenage campsite and sociable entertaining space, as well as being planted with a couple of flowerbeds for a bit of colour.
In order to explain why I like this mower such much, it will probably be useful to give you a little context in terms of how we use it and what our garden is like.
Our back garden measures around 33m x 9m (300m2) and is ever so slightly sloping. It is a little bumpy in places and features two large apple trees, a raised deck, a shed, two long, narrow flowerbeds and a sunken patio at the house end — all of which the lawn mower has to navigate around.
Get the Homebuilding & Renovating Newsletter
Bring your dream home to life with expert advice, how to guides and design inspiration. Sign up for our newsletter and get two free tickets to a Homebuilding & Renovating Show near you.
During the summer months we find we need to mow weekly, mainly due to the large number of daisies and clover that seem to sprout up as soon as we turn our backs.
Along with a couple of trees, a patio and the decking, the lawn mower also has to navigate its way around the flowerbeds. (Image credit: Future/Natasha Brinsmead)
Why I love this lawn mower so much
Its reliability aside, there are many other reasons behind why I'd never hesitate to recommend this mower (or its updates) to others. Its main benefits are:
Although heavier than battery or electric-powered lawn mowers, the fact that it is self-propelled means even my twelve year old daughter can mow the lawn (much to her delight...)
Unlike some mowers I have owned, the pull cord of this one is smooth and easy to operate — even with cold hands
Its 45cm cutting width makes short work of the weekly mow
It is easy to change the cutting height (of which there are 5)
It comes complete with a very generous 60-litre collection bag meaning you don't have to keep emptying it
The handlebars fold up when not in use which is handy in our already packed shed
Of course nothing is perfect and there are one or two niggles I have with this machine.
Firstly, despite being lightweight for a petrol mower (it weighs 25kg), it is considerably more unwieldly than the neat little battery-operated lawn mower I use to cut my Mum's grass. That said, I don't have to change the battery and the grass collection bag is far bigger.
Secondly, I do find it hard to get the areas of grass within a couple of centimetres of the deck and around the shed, so I have to go around these with shears afterwards.
Those minor cons aside, however, I would definitely buy the upgraded model should my old friend ever decide to retire.
Best lawn mower deals around on the web
We take a look at some of the best lawn mower deals currently on offer.
Natasha is Homebuilding & Renovating’s Associate Content Editor and has been a member of the team for over two decades. An experienced journalist and renovation expert, she has written for a number of homes titles. Over the years Natasha has renovated and carried out a side extension to a Victorian terrace. She is currently living in the rural Edwardian cottage she renovated and extended on a largely DIY basis, living on site for the duration of the project. She is now looking for her next project — something which is proving far harder than she thought it would be.
