Customer Reviews

Bosch Rotak 40 Electric Rotary Lawn Mower

5 star:		(247)
4 star:		(71)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

The reviews on the Rotak 40C, I think are actually for the 40, particularly as one reviewer quite rightly notes that you can pick one of these up from Homebase for £119.00 and Homebase doesn't stock the 40C!!

I have bought one of these for my Medium to Small garden after my Flymo burnt out. I have to say that I have been missing out. The Flymo was hard work, hacked the grass, rather than cut it and wasn't even very good on my steep front lawn! This BOSCH blows it out of the water. Its powerful, easy and produces an excellent cut, even across steep ground. You can easily adjust the cut height and the grass collector really compacts the cuttings, meaning I can do the whole lawn without emptying. I was going to buy a Petrol Mower this time, but the Bosch is so light and relatively maintenance free, I don't think you'll find much to justify purchasing one of the competition.

One of the best bits of kit I have bought for exceeding my expectations. Great value for money!

I have used this lawn mower since last year, It has been as described by all.But the motor has just broken, On inspection the cover over the motor has vents in it but these were blocked with grass hence the motor over heated and sized up. So if you have one take of the top cover by undoing the two screws, so you can clean of the cover over the motor, or it will happen to yours.

I don't write reviews unless something comes along that redifines anything before it. This is only my 3rd review on Amazon. And yes, its only a lawnmower so whats the big deal? Well, I love my garden, but am not too keen on the inevitable hard graft required to keep it looking good. I have a medium sized to large lawn, most of which is even, but parts which are not, and like it or not, its me that has to mow the darn thing.

I've tried several mowers over the past 5 years, including Flymo hover types (despite all the marketing hype, and several different models, proved to be very little grass collected for lot of hovering ) and a couple of cylinder mowers ( the best one being a Qualcast all metal mower, which works OK on flat areas but scuffs on uneven parts and is heavy to manouver ) this is the mower I used last season and which I'd had the best results with........until I saw the lawn cut with friends Rotak 40.

So I bought one.

If I hadn't seen what this mower can do, I would never have paid £119 for what basically looks like a cheap plastic mower designed for a postage stamp lawn. And I have to admit, I have my reservations as to how long it will last ( has a year guarantee though ). Its all plastic for goodness sake !! But the results this machine produces are simply stunning. I like my grass cut short, and use this at the minimum cut of 2cm. The lawn almost looks like a bowling green, at this setting. It only takes one mow to cut, and is easy and lightweight to manouver. It has 2 carrier handles built into the mower, which makes it easy to pick-up for transport. The flimsy looking grassbox, does its job admirably, the grass collected being compacted, means it holds at least twice as much as my conventional Qualcast cylinder grassbox. It cuts up right to the edge of the mower ( yes it realy does! ) meaning I can steer the mower round my Apple trees without having to use the strimmer. Underneath, on the back, is a plastic roller, which gives a stryped effect ( not as good as the qualcast, but still noticeable). And, here's the crunch.......this mower will cut on its lowest setting (ie bowling green!! ) without scuffing on uneven lawns.

I am quite literally bowled over by this rotary machine, the ease of use and the results I've achieved, and indeed the time saved mowing. I paid over £300 for an excellent quality Qualcast electric mower 2 years ago, but this mower blows it away, in performance and ease of use. UNBELIEVABLE.

The question is, how long will it last...it is plastic for goodness sake !!!!!!

Update August 2010: Mower still cuts grass like it did when I first bought it, (even though there are a few chunks in the blade ! ) Tip: Now and again I take the front cover off ( 2 screws ) and clean out any grass thats accumulated, to aid ventilation of the motor. See you in 3 years time for next update !!!

I found this lawnmower on a review of flymo 330, and was swayed by the reviews and manufacturers description.

I have never written a review before, but the performance of this product has prompted me.

I had a 9-year old qualcast 6000, which didn't pick up the grass properly, was heavy and cumbersome. I thought it was normal for my medium-sized back lawn to take two hours and a lot of energy to cut.

That was until I bought this. I've just cut my grass for the second time. It was about 4-6 inches long, damp, and I cut it in little over 20 minutes. That includes a steep slope at the back, which I just rolled the mower along the side of!

It was a little above my budget, but more than worth it.

The only thing which is a little frustrating is that you have to empty the collector so quickly - this is purely because it cuts the grass so quickly!!!

So all-in-all, this is a fantastic product - I strongly recommend it.

I previously owned a hover mower and was going to buy another until I saw the splendid reviews for this product. I once borrowed a rotary mower from a friend and was very unimpressed so I thought buying the Rotak 40 was taking a bit of a risk. Thankfully the machines couldn't be more different in operation and results, and I'd highly recommend the Rotak 40. Due to its large cutting width it has halved the time to cut my lawn and left a very neat cut, although I don't use the closest setting as my lawn is quite uneven (having laid the turf myself). The grass collection is superb, rendering my electric grass rake redundant. It really does cut right up to the edge, so there is less work for the strimmer as well. It even has two carrying handles built into the body of the mower, and the non-removable cable easily wraps around the handle. Full marks!

I was swayed into buying this product by the other reviews. Glad to say it lived up to its reputation. I have a large garden with a very uneven and thick lawn. This mower managed to get through all the grass easily. It is also extremely light making the job of cutting on a slope very easy. Do not hesitate buying this lawn mower

My previous mower was a petrol-powered Hayter. Not a cheap-end machine, but the suspension collapsed and it was over 10 years old - so time for a replacement.

I thought long and hard before going for an electric mower. Not had one before, and the thought of a weedy engine really put me off. So I looked around for a powerful electric rotary and found this one. Bought it online and saved loads, so I thought if I didn't get along with it I could eBay it.

Reasonably impressed with the instructions and box contents, although putting the grass collector together could have been easier. Also I am slightly unsure of how sturdy the grass box will be after a season of use but it seems ok at the moment. Cable management, a real bugbear for some electric mowers, seems good as it coils neatly onto integrated clips on the handle. Two sturdy carry handles make light ;-) work of moving the little beast.

While my lawn isn't colossal, I end up cutting around 3000 sq ft each go including a communal area at the front. I also normally use the mower to pick up after I've deadheaded roses and cut back other plants so it gets a workout!

My old petrol machine was smelly, noisy, heavy, unwieldy, and so vibratory my hands felt numb afterwards. This Bosch Rotak cuts well, is light, manoeuvrable, superbly powerful, smooth, and good at collecting clippings - even on slightly damp grass. Obviously it's going to cut well with a new and sharp blade, but it'll be easy to keep it sharp because it's not too heavy.

Now I've got used to flicking the cable out of harm's way and the best way around the garden without crossing over, I actually think it's much easier than a petrol machine.

Thoroughly recommended.

[Additional - 18 months later]

Just in case anyone's curious, I'm still very happy with this mower. Durable and dependable. I've sharpened the blade, didn't really need to but I had a metal file handy and thought it would be a Good Thing to give it a few licks with that. Sadly my wife has worked out that the grass can still be cut while quite wet so I can't use that as an excuse any longer.

I bought this mower this afternoon after reading the reviews on here, and following a truly horrendous session with our Mow n Vac on the front lawn yesterday. Its only a small area, but the grass was very wet and long and it took me a blister inducing hour and a half to get it vaguely cut, and it still looks a proper mess (plus I had to change the broken blades halfway through the job)
With the prospect of the much bigger back garden to contend with, I decided enough was enough, we needed a new one, so I googled and this one (and also the cheaper Rotak models) came up top in my price bracket. I ended up getting it from Homebase with a magazine discount, so it came to just over £100, which is twice what we spent on the Flymo.
I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed by performance. It took me longer than I anticipated to assemble, although its not difficult, I had problems aligning the handle screws, and the flimsy grass basket was a pain to click into place. My initial thought was 'ooh its a bit plasticky' as I thought it would feel more robust, but as soon as I started using it, it was obvious why it rates so highly.
It tackled our horribly overgrown wet grass with no problems at all. I think it took me twenty minutes and the lawn looks, well like a lawn now. I used the longest setting (70mm) due to the length of the grass (was about 8 inches in some places) and will have another go with a shorter setting once the grass has had chance to dry out a bit. Its relatively easy to push, not too heavy, and I'm so pleased with the results - we finally have a neat looking garden. I can't believe we struggled all last summer with the Flymo. Doh!

Based on the reviews of other people on the site we purchased a Bosch Rotak 40. Couldnt wait for it to arrive ,as soon as it did it was out of the box and on the lawn. As soon as it was switched on WOW was it quiet compared to the ear splitting sound of the terrible Flymo we had previously which couldnt mow or collect grass. The garden took only 10 minute to mow compared to an hour and a half previously because of the constant unblocking and cleaning out with the Flymo. One sweep with the Rotak and the garden is completed and only one grassbox full. I am ecstatically happy with the Rotak. I only wish I had found this product years ago. My neighbour is extremely jealous and is in the process of now purchasing a Rotak.

I bought a Qualcast Elan 32 three years ago and I've been struggling with it since then. Awkward to carry, useless unless the grass is half an inch high and perfectly dry, badly made, difficult to adjust, with a power switch that releases itself every three minutes... I couldn't face another summer with it.

The Rotak was the obvious choice to replace it after reading the reviews.

It was dead easy to `assemble' for a start, unlike the Qualcast, which involved forty minutes of cursing. I had the Rotak up and running in ten minutes. Even the grass box seemed easy to fit together. The trick is to line up the lugs, then thump them into place with your fist. It was child's play.

The carrying handles are a big deal for me because the Qualcast Elan was really awkward to carry around. You can wander about with the Rotak in one hand. For a big-ish mower, it's fairly light and easy to carry a few yards.

It feels quite a big machine at first because the handle extends so far back. But you soon realise this is so you can pivot it on the back wheels really easily, so turning around at the end of the lawn is a one-handed operation. This is a very well balanced mower and more manoeuvrable than the smaller Qualcast.

The chunky height adjuster is a doddle too, specially compared to the horrible lever on my old mower.

As soon as you squeeze the power lever (a metal full-width bar thankfully), you know this Rotak means business. My first cut was about three weeks' worth of growth and the thing I noticed straightaway was how the sound of the motor didn't change, even over some thick tufts of what passes for grass on my lawn. It's obviously very powerful.

I had to go over every bit of grass several times with the `old' Qualcast, but the Rotak managed it all in one pass. Very impressive, especially how it goes right up to the edge too. Effortless. It took me just ten minutes to finish the job, compared with at least 30 using the old mower, or up to an hour if I've let it grow too long. That's going to save me electricity apart from anything else - not to be sniffed at when you're using 1700W of power. I almost wished I had a bigger lawn!

And I only had to empty the grass box twice, instead of the usual five times. The mower starts to leave little clumps of grass behind when the box is full.

I was surprised at how well the rear roller striped the grass.

There's no cable tidy on this mower, but I find the cable tucks very neatly under the sprung flap that the grass box fits under.

So, what's not so good about the Rotak 40? Hmm. Perhaps the only thing I can think of is that at 15m, the supplied cable is just a bit short considering the size of lawn this will cope with, so I reckon pretty much everyone will need an extension cable.

If this mower proves to be reliable, and being a Bosch I suspect it will, then I think I have found the ideal mower.