: Bosch Rotak 34 Electric Rotary Lawn Mower

Rating: - so glad i did my research.
I had my heart set on a cylinder mower after my black and decker rotary, and petrol rotary had both packed up. Research and reviews however dissuaded me from the popular Qualcast cylinder, and pointed me in the direction of the Bosch Rotak range. I bought one yesterday and, despite having wet grass, mowed both my lawns. The results were really impressive, with the height adjustment easy, the mower being very light and manoevreable, and the collection box doing exactly what its mean to do. My lawns look great, and I am very happy with my purchase. It really pays to do your research, and my thanks go to all previous reviewers for this, and other products.

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Rating: - Brilliant Mower
Ordered this on a Friday it was delivered early on the following Monday. Cut my wet grass brilliantly, my Qualcast Cobra 32 mower couldn't cope with wet grass and was always clogging up the grass intake to the box. The only snag so far with the Bosch mower was the grassbox. On assembly the handle fell off and on contacting Amazon they refunded part of the price. A joiners clamp and a touch of super glue got the offending handle back on. This is far the best cutting mower I have owned and I've had a few over the years. Lovely striped finish and no clogged grassbox

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Rating: - Does what it says on the box
I'm fairly pleased with this mower. I've just completely replanted my large front garden and laid a new turf lawn, so I'm a bit out of practice with the chore of regular mowing.

This is a nice light little thing. You just need to attach the bottom handle with the two self tapping metal screws (this is in theory as I still can't find the relevant holes), fix the top hoop of the handle to the bottom bit with some strange plastic orange wingnuts + bolts and clip on two cable ties. Then you need to whack the two halves of the grassbox together (it takes a bit of effort to line up the lugs). The detatchable handle seems fairly useless as you have to remove it to fit the grassbox onto the machine without any gaps- there's no real point in putting it back on just to tip out the grass.

Don't forget to raise the cutting height from ONE to about midway until you're happy with the cutting height) (I managed to scalp a small section of lawn on the default setting). The height adjuster isn't the easiest of things to alter initially- you have to push in one direction and then yank it at 90 degrees until you get the right number setting. Once you've settled on your cutting height that should be the last wrestling match you have with it though. (Review update- it actually seems a lot looser after a few goes but my slightly uneven turf was a little bare when after a few weeks I finally selected level 3).

This version has the little orange fins on each side which are supposed to allow you to cut up right to the edge- as compared to the finless 34C version- hence the price difference.

So I was just after a cheapish mower with some reliability. Lightness helps too when I'm carrying it up and down the steps to the garden. Technically I suppose you should go for the widest mower going in the range- the faster you cut the less electricity you use overall (and the sooner you can be lounging out sipping Pimms?). Still I was impressed at how quickly it finished the job, once I'd set it up and got used to the old cable over the shoulder routine.

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Rating: - Goodbye Dandelions

Worked right out of the box (I've always wanted to say that but as I mostly review books I haven't been able to until now) well, after a bit of assembly. I've used it several times and it is very maneuverable owing to the fairly large wheels. Makes a suitably throaty operating noise so the neighbours will know when your out cutting with your Bosch.

The range of cut heights is excellent. The wheels are raised or lowered by a chunky gear lever devise and it does take a bit of getting used too because it works in conjunction with a strong spring. A really nice touch is the carrying handle on the top, seems such a simple idea but plenty of electric mowers don't have it. My only crit is the roller to create stripes is not as wide as the actual cutting strip but as few folks round here will see them I can live with that.

Tip for a long lasting machine: After use I always get rid of grass cuttings with an old paintbrush and my previous Qualcast rotary lasted fourteen years (far longer than manufacturers would like) but now too old, in fact, to replace the cutting blade so I chose a Bosch and so far a good buy.

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Rating: - excellent mower, but if there's a homebase / B&Q near you, it is significantly cheaper there!
out of the box and took only 5 mins to assemble. Works straight away and is a efficient and all-the-same quiet mower. But it did take a week for the order to come through, so as stated in the title - pick one up at your local store for an even cheaper price!