Cylinder versus Rotary Lawnmower

[HappyFace]

I am looking to get a new/second hand petrol lawnmover. My lawn area is not massive (around 60ft by 30ft). I want it to cut the grass well, stripes included. What would you choose and why? Thanks

[Lonnie]

If you want stripes, then you want one with a roller attached, as its the roller that makes the best stripes. so a cylinder is probably the one you want.

[vehelpfulguy]

As Lonnie says, you will not get stripes with a rotary mower.

This is where the blades spin round like helicopter blades.

[Clanad]

Additionally, take a close look at blades of grass cut by the rotary mower and one cut by the 'cylinder' mower (called reel mowers here in the U.S.). The rotary whips the grass off and the ends are shredded, whereas the reel mower shears the grass like a pair of scissors. The shredded tops turn brown between mowings and are unsightly. All the Major League baseball parks here in the U.S. use only the large commercial 'cylinder' or reel mowers for that manicured look. Only the reel mowers are equipped with rollers to give the finished stripe look, as Lonnie says...

[baileys]

i'd leave the cylinder well alone HappyFace their more trouble than their worth.stripes are a thing of the past.trust me

[hammerman]

Rotary mowers (flymos etc) will stripe the lawn.....it's all down to which direction the grass is pushed....by either a roller (which you can get on both cylinder and rotary) or by the outer "skirt" of the flymo (blade housing).

IME, you get a far neater cut with a rotary and there's no blade adjustment.

[heathfield]

Roller for stripes every time...Stripes a thing of the past? See a football match on TV and admire the artistry of some groundsmen!

[baileys]

tis true heathfield,but i'd leave it to the groundsman if i could afford one lol

[WendyS]

If you want a lawn which looks really manicured, as opposed to just being cut, I'd recommend a cylinder petrol mower. Hovers just cut and don't collect the grass. It's essential to have a mower where you can lower and raise the height of the cutters, depending on the time of year, i.e. a lawn can grow really high in a wet mild winter, or after a fortnight's holiday in the summer so being able to adjust cutting height is essential, as well as being able to have a grass box. Don't know what gender you are, but if you go for a petrol mower, get something like a Mountfield which has both a "Pull" start mechanism and a key start as well. Sometimes they don't always start easily on the "Pull" chord, especially if left over the winter and you can pull them until you're blue in the face trying to start them.. (I damaged my shoulder doing this and needed surgery) so our replacement mower came with a key start as well. (Brilliant !!) If you buy a rotary mower which doesn't collect the grass and it's rather long or damp when you cut it, your lawn will look dreadful and it might take ages for all the grass to dry up and dissipate. Meanwhile, inevitably some of the cuttings will end up being trampled into the house.

[HappyFace]

Thanyou all. Wendy, could you tell me which Mountfield lawnmower you have? By the way, I am male!!