Bosch Lawnmower AdvancedRotak 650 (1700 Watts, Cutting Width: 40 cm, Cutting Height: 25-80 mm, Lawns up to 650 m², in Carton Packaging)

As a hover mower user of 20years standing, this Rotak 650 was a bit of a leap of faith.My old orange hovermowers were quite delicate and brittle, I suppose they have to be made lighter in order to hover.So it was a toss up whether I kept on repairing and adapting.In the end I took the plunge and went for the Bosch rotak 650, I'm glad I did.Downside? only one, the cable is too short, but I use an extension reel so no great hardship there.The quality of manufacture is excellent.It feels built to last, and so quiet.Four trigger buttons left or right cable tidy options and an ergonomic adjustable reach handle make this very pleasant to use.The quality of cut is first rate, a very uniform finish with the suggestion of a stripe due to the broad rubber tyres and the rear roller.My first impressions were that with the grass collecting box at the back it was a very long machine, that mowing around raised beds the collecting box might be an issue.I needn't have worried, the flexible nylon back & sides to the box means it folds neatly out of the way.I also went daft and spent the £30 on the mulching attachment. A bit of a swizz for the money seeing as its just a 30bob piece of plastic, but I'm kinda glad I have it now.Twice I've cut the entire lawn with no cuttings going into the blue recycling bin, but without them being apparent on the lawn. The one wee bit it did show I raised the cut a notch and went over the area again and it tidied up no bother.That 50L collector is a pleasant surprise too. Where my old orange hover had to be emptied when only half full to remain hovering meaning as many as 6 trips to empty it, the Rotak 650 did the lot in one go with no loss in quality of lawn finish.One wee unexpected bonus is the front wheels being set inside the track of the side combs and back wheels, you can mow right up to the very edge of a drop, say a kerb or path edge.Ease and speed of height adjustment I find very impressive too. The roller and body of the mower all move in synchronicity with the blade.Long grass wet or dry handled with ease. The mower adjusts from a max of 80mm length cut down to 20mm.Though as ever you will find a lot of wet grass stuck to everything under the mower when you're done.Yes even at twice the price of my old orange hover, more with the mulch plate that really ought to come as standard, I am well pleased with my purchase.

I am writing this review after only a few weeks of ownership and will update it after more extensive use, especially if my view changes dramatically. This is my second Bosch electric mower, having previously owned a Rotak 37 which gave up the ghost after 4 years when the motor burned out. This model, made in the UK and with a 3 year guarantee if you register on the Bosch UK website, seems to be built at least as well as my old Rotak 37. I like very much the extending and folding handles - height adjustment is easy and to have handles that can fold forwards for storage is great. Some report the handles to be flimsy, I found this not to be the case at all. The mower came fully assembled by the way, with handles attached to the mower - all you need to do is unfold the hinges on the grass box, attach it to the mower, unfold and adjust the handles and you are ready to go. No real assembly to speak of. Instructions are threadbare to be honest, but it is all pretty self explanatory - the mower features a simple height adjustment mechanism that appears to be more straightforward than the old handle on my older Rotak 37 that after 3 years of service had jammed in place. The cut seems good and the motor, as advertised, is pretty quiet, although this is not whisper quiet and so I would not mow your lawn at 7am on a weekend if you want to keep your neighbours happy ! Yes the supplied cord is short and you will most likely need to buy a quality extension cable to use. And yes, as others have said, and sadly like other Bosch Rotak mowers before it (my rotak 37 for example), the grass box design means that when you lift the box out to empty it, grass falls to the ground because the box is tilted downwards as you lift it out of the machine. I found the grass box empty/full indicator to be useless and completely inaccurate by the way. However, as a mid price electric mower it does a decent job, is quite light, pretty quiet, and has a reasonable footprint given the excellent folding handles, so there is a fair bit to recommend it. 3 year warranty seems like Bosch have relative confidence in the build of the machine. Amazon messed up the delivery for me but I am rating the item here, not the delivery.