"Personally, I have never understood the desire for the 12 month contract style of payment. Why would you not want to get paid in full for the tasks as you do them? Why would you prefer to wait until winter to get paid for work done in the summer?
I…"

"Those machines possibly have a place in a remote setting where there is access to a power supply . I wouldn't want to use them in a domestic setting as a contractor "

"And another thumbs up for battery.. T
the cord is going to cause more problems than it cures...is it long enough, has it got tangled, has that elderly client tripped over the extension...the list goes on and on"

"Totally agree with Vic. Go cordless, there are simply too many issues with having a lead attached. I do agree with your point about the sourcing of the batteries not being environmentally friendly though, nor is the disposal. "

"For a few years I used the HSE 71. Mine has the 28 inch blade set but I believe it is now only available with the 24 inch blade set, so get the HSE 81. Although the 28 inch replacement blade sets can be bought swapped out. The reason I had this was…"

"The 21" Kaaz/Danarm/Lawnflite roller mowers are pretty good and there are always secondhand ones coming up on Ebay for under £400.  Gearboxes can be a problem with them so make sure they engage properly and that the mower doesn't need a "nudge" to g…"

"You could mulch the 4 hour job which will save you lots of time not having to box the grass  off with something like a toro recycler . As long as they dont want stripes .
Today i cut Three large wet overgrown lawns with a Viking 545 roller mower whi…"

"if you could stretch the budget to around £600, then 53-56cm Toro Recyclers or Honda Izy come into play. Toro are the machines we've had least problems with so I rate those. Many on here have mentioned the Honda Izy as being very good."

"I used one of these when starting out - good performance for a budget machine, mulches, collects or side discharge. Good speed and not too heavy. Not as good as the pro machines, but almost 1/3rd of the price. As a lone user I would expect to get ar…"

"Agree with Adam re the budget that you have available, £350-400 isn't enough  to purchase a 'wide cutting' model.  Toro produce a 30" Time Master for just over £1k. You may be able to get a good second hand machine for around half of that.  "

"Wheeled or roller?
If roller a (secondhand) Honda/Kaaz/Lawnflite/Kubota Pro.
Wheeled - much the same.
Thats not a long of money to play with in the commercial mower market I will be honest when a new Pro roller is around £1200....."

"yes, company name embossed and product/ date filled in by pen...great idea "

"All the years of testing and field trials before a product is released,  is geared towards human health & the environment. Where those two things intersect is such a changeable feast, the manufacturers could never replicate the various ways of poten…"