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Everyone will have their particular favourite based on what results they need to achieve and their budget .
I started out with a Toro re cycler which i still use and its never let me down or cost me a penny other than a regular service but it doesn't leave stripes so i added a viking roller mower made by stihl for a better finish but i am not mowing prestigious lawns on country estates if i was i would have to upgrade and be faced with an over whelming choice which i would base on finish and reliability but still depends on your requirements .
When i had to choose a mower for specific tasks i laid out my requirements to a trusted dealer and they suggested the most suitable machine within my budget .
Thanks John
I use etesia for wet grass and stihl on dry days
I use a Husky.
Etesia Pro46's for mulching and cut and collect regardless of how long or wet the grass is.
Honda Pro 21" for stripes.
For big rough cut areas (fields, orchards) we use a Toro 36" Flail
For larger lawns we also use an Etesia Hydro 80 which is surprisngly capable.
I bought an elderly Hayter 48 pro 3 years ago. It was £140 and was supposed to last out that year while i decided if stripes were necessary, and if cutting right to the edge helped. It is still going strong!
I'm contemplating moving to stihl battery for everything one day...
I had Allen National (looks like a flying bedstead, with 3x cylinder mowers). 60" cut. Nice cylinder cut, covered a lot of ground (2 acres an hour from memory), loads available on eBay for spares etc.
Replaced it with a bevvy of Husqvarna Robomowers.
Con = No stripes.
Pro = saves me 1.5 hours a week
I used to cut the lawn on a Friday evening, ready for the weekend, which was then annoying if it was wet and I had to do Saturday morning and we had people coming over.
Grass looks better (probably due to frequent cutting)
Don't have to get any smelly Petrol any more
no maintenance (5 minute blade change 2x a year), no breakdowns that I have to fix before I can start.
Silent operation
Heavy ground here (waterlogged right now ...) could never get on it early in the Spring and grass looked a mess. Robo's are light, happy on my heavy soggy ground, and now cut the lawn 12 months of the year - barring a few periods when I tell them not to. e.g. Frost, Flood and Snow
My Allen was knackered, and cost of Robomowers was similar to a top-end (ie.. equivalent acres/hour speed) replacement
Unexpected upside: every morning when I go out the lawn looks freshly cut ... 'coz it is!
would sheep work?
For last 10years or so i carry a 16" and 21" mowers in the van and replace for new models every 12-24mths ( i use the new and keep 3 of each size as back up and sell on the oldest model of each size) but have pretty much stuck with the following mowes .... (up to this season that is) - All my stuff is small-medium residential stuff on fortnightly schedule. I dont take on amything big or rough nowadays so i dont need pro level mowers,
Izy 16" for smaller stuff ... love this mower for smaller stuff and will cut in wet if blade sharp, deck clean and raise rpm. Pretty much bullet proof for my type of customer base
Toro 21" Super Bagger Personal Pace .... These are lightweight and effortless when personal pace is set up correctly - Downside is not the best in the wet, steep hills needs slight effort and they are not ribust enough for heavy commercial work in my opininon (I did flirt with 21" Honda couple times but didnt get on with them at all) - but for medium residential stuff on fortnight visits they are very good imo.
This season have moved to Stihl 5 series 17" with variable speed for the smaller stuff - I couldnt ignore the claims that they are the best in the wet and even lighter than the 16" Izy ... My reservation is moving away from Honda to Briggs again as the Honda's have never let me down - time will tell.
and a Toro 22" AWD (all wheel drive) Recycler - I love the personal pace but it does just slightly fade on inclines. The AWD should be the answer for this .... Reservation is collection shute slightly smaller than the Super Bagger and im moving from Honda to Briggs engine again.
I'm picking up my new Honda HRX 537 THIS weekend upgrading from a cobra 5 in 1
Also have a Honda izy for the small gardens 😊