Bosch Rotak 40 Mower
There’s a bewildering amount of electric lawnmowers on the market now, but how does the Bosch Rotak 40 mower measure up? It’s probably one of the most popular lawnmowers in the UK at the moment, the Bosch range of rotary mowers can be found in just about every gardening shop and DIY store. Here’s my thoughts on this mower.
Bosch Rotak 40 Rotary Mower
Well the first thing you notice about the Bosch Rotak 40 is the size of the box it comes in, it’s enormous – I initially wondered if I’d got the wrong one delivered. However it was correct and the Rotak 40 nestled within – in about 4 pieces. You have to self assemble to some extent but this just involves clipping the handles together and then slotting the grass box too. It’s only a simple job but the grass box can be a little fiddly to put together, 10 minute job really if that.
The initial impressions, certainly if you are used to petrol cylinder mowers is that it appears a little flimsy, the whole thing is just made from hardened plastic. However this has a huge advantage in the it is extremely light – most people would have little difficulty picking up the Rotak 40 in one hand (it weighs 13 kilogrammes). This makes it much easier to manoeuvre when you’re actually cutting the lawn.
The starting mechanism – so often the bane of the petrol lawnmower, I nearly had to dislocate my shoulder every time I used to start my ageing Hayter, the rotak is extremely easy. You pull back the lever and press a button and the Bosch Rotak 40 mower jumps into life. When you let go of the safety leaver the mower stops instantly.
It is extremely easy to use and the lightness means that anyone can push it and move the mower as they need. It is very easy to use and it sort of feels like you are pushing a vacuum cleaner round the garden. It’s not particularly noisy either when compared to a petrol mower which is a blessing if you’re partial to a bit of early morning mowing as I am.
So how about the cut, the Bosch Rotak 40 is a rotary mower – which means the 40cm rotary blades rotate to cut the grass. Previously these rotary mowers did not produce a very good finish but I’d have to say that the Rotak 40 defies that problem. Although not quite as good as a decent petrol cylinder mower the finish is surprisingly good. It even produces very clear stripes on your lawn as it cuts which always adds to the finish.
Combined with the lightweight and powerful motor the Bosch Rotak 40 most impressive feature is the actual cut. It has little grass combs on the side which allows it to cut right up to the edge of the lawn, and next to rockeries, shrubs and features really easily – you will be surprised at how close you can cut. The grass box is surprisingly roomy and seems to compress the grass down which means you need to empty it less (although you do have to pull the grass out sometimes when emptying).
Overall I can find little wrong with the Bosch Rotak 40 – there were rumours of some early ones having problems with the motors but very rarely reported now – mine is over 3 years old now and I’ve only replaced the blade. There are 5 grass level settings but the Bosch Rotak 40 mower is so light and easy to use I always use it on the lowest, perhaps the one annoyance is that the selector is a little bit tricky to use.
If you have a average sized lawn, I’m certain the Bosch Rotak 40 would be a good choice, very few people would not be happy with the finish it really is very good. The smaller Rotak 34 just has a smaller blade but for the price difference if you have an medium sized garden for for the 40. I guess the only other thing I could find annoying would be getting used to the electric cable behind you, it’s not too bad though depending on the layout of your garden. There are battery powered versions which are really very good based on Bosch Lithium technology although you do pay quite a lot more for the battery mowers.
I’d give the Bosch Rotak 40 mower a thumbs up, it’s an excellent little mower and I don’t think many will be unsatisfied with it – you can see hundreds of reviews at the amazon site – click here