It’s that age-old question for gardeners – to choose a powerful, noisy petrol lawnmower or a quieter electric one with an awkward power cord. Now they’re being offered a third choice … a battery-charged lawnmower, built in Britain, with the same power as a petrol model but quieter than some domestic vacuum cleaners.
So confident is the manufacturer, Bosch, that it will catch on with gardeners that they’ve killed off the petrol mower, saying they won’t build any more of the noisier, dirtier models. Products in the new range are built in Britain, start at the touch of a button (avoiding the strain on back muscles from tugging the starter cord), don’t involve trips to the garage for petrol and are not affected by rain or cold weather. The absence of oil or petrol is also a boost to the environment.
A Swedish study found that the emissions from a petrol mower used for one hour is equivalent to the emissions released by a car on a 100 mile journey. During the summer months an estimated 15 million domestic lawns are mowed every couple of weeks. The emissions from petrol mowers each fortnight in domestic gardens alone are thought to be the equivalent of the emissions from a 500 million mile car journey, the equivalent of the distance from the Sun to Jupiter.
The new models match the performance of petrol equivalents and are built around heavy duty batteries. They feature brushless motors that remove the need for servicing. Moreover, the fuel savings that flow from battery powered technology mean that the mowers and brushcutters could effectively pay for themselves over a few years.
The technology is also low-vibration which means that gardening professionals and enthusiasts are no longer at risk from the condition called ‘white finger’ caused by vibration.