The height is adjustable (within narrow limits) though it is not suitable for long, rough or wet grass,

A cylinder mower does the job it is designed for very well. That job is the neat trimming of a well-maintained lawn at frequent intervals.

The reason that the cylinder mower gives such a good result is of course because of the cutting system. There is a horizontally mounted blade that skims across the surface of the grass. As this happens, so the rotary blades move across this fixed blade acting like a pair of scissors and snipping off any grass that is trapped in-between. The grass is therefore severed with a clean and neat cut rather than the somewhat jagged edge that can be left with a rotary mower blade.

The large following roller neatly arranges the grass blades in the same direction, so giving a velvety smooth finish with those all important sharply defined striped finish.

Multi Sharp Cylinder Mower Blade Sharpener Abrasive Pack £3.95	ALM Cylinder Lawnmower Blade Sharpener £7.49	Multi Sharp Cylinder Mower Blade Sharpener £13.95
Handy THHM Push Hand Cylinder Lawnmower 300mm £64.99	Bosch AHM 38G Push Hand Cylinder Lawnmower 380mm £72.95	Handy Handy THHM 31cm Push Cylinder Lawnmower £73
Webb WEH30 Autoset Push Cylinder Hand Lawnmower 300mm £89.99	Gardena 330 Classic Hand Cylinder Lawnmower £104.95	Webb WEH12R Push Hand Cylinder Lawnmower 300mm £109.99
Webb Webb H12R 31cm Hand Push Cylinder Roller Lawnmower £114	Gardena 400 C Hand Cylinder Lawnmower £136.95	Webb WEH18 Push Hand Cylinder Lawnmower 450mm £159.99
Webb Webb H18 46cm Hand Push Cylinder Roller Lawnmower £169	Fiskars Staysharp Plus Reel Push Hand Cylinder Lawnmower £224.95	Fiskars StaySharp Max Reel Push Hand Cylinder Lawnmower £242.95

---

Cylinder mowers tend to be large and heavy due to the large rear metal roller though this need not be a great disadvantage if thought is put into where the mower will be stored and its transport around the garden. In fact in some cases, being large and stable can be an advantage to those who are somewhat unsteady on their feet as the mower can provide help and support.

On a final note, the is no lawn mower that is more "lawn mower like" than a petrol powered cylinder mower, they quietly announce that here is a lawn receiving the very best attention from someone who quite clearly knows a thing or two about lawns and lawn mowers.

It should be acknowledged that a high quality lawn is not simply the result of the correct mower. The highest quality of finish is the result of thorough soil preparation, levelling and firming followed by a programme of ongoing seasonal maintenance. The mower and cutting the grass are simply elements of that ongoing maintenance.

---

Cylinder Lawn Mowers Questions and Answers

Q.   We had a new lawn (about 1000 sq.m) laid in November, from turf containing 25% Smooth stalked meadow grass, 25% Chewings fescue, 20% Slender creeping red fescue, 20% Strong creeping red fescue and 10% Browntop bent. This is a mix for fine ornamental lawns. The problem is that some of the grasses (the meadow grass?) are relatively coarse and long-leaved, with short seed heads that tend to lie close to the ground. The cylinder mower merely rolls the long grass down so that it's not cut. A wheeled rotary mower tackles some of the stalks, but short of getting down on my knees with scissors, I don't know what to do. Is there a cylinder mower with a rotating brush immediately in front of the cutter, so that it raises up the grass to meet the blades?

A.  It can be a problem to keep the flower stalks down. The usual way is by a regular mowing regime, if you mow the grass every 3 days through the summer, this should be enough to deal with any potential problems before the stalks can get long enough.

Is there a brush or device of any kind? No, not that I've ever heard of. Maybe a strimmer could deal with the problem in the short term if there's a lot of them, but the regular mowing should overcome the stalks in the longer term.