Our verdict
The bottom line
The best corded mower you can buy and a quiet legend on UK lawns. If your lawn is small-to-medium and near a power point, this beats every cordless rival on cost-per-year. Stripes on a £200 mower is genuinely unusual.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Corded means no battery to fail
- Rear roller for stripes — rare on electric
- Light at 12kg
- Bosch reliability
Cons
- Cable management on big lawns is annoying
- 36cm cut narrow for medium lawns
- Plastic deck
Full specs
| Type | Electric |
|---|---|
| Cut width | 36 cm |
| Engine / Power | 1400W induction motor |
| Weight | 12 kg |
| Deck | Plastic |
| Self-propelled | No |
| Rear roller | Yes (stripes) |
| Mulching | No |
| Cutting heights | 6 positions |
| Bag capacity | 40 L |
| Suited to lawn | Medium |
| Noise level | 78 dB |
Buying second-hand
Used-market tip
£60–100 is fair used — enormous supply. Check the cord for tape repairs (rewire £15 if needed). Roller should turn smoothly. The motor is brushless and rarely fails — most Rotaks die from cable damage, not motor wear. A cheap one with a dodgy cable is still a bargain.
Where to look: Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree are usually 20–30% cheaper than eBay UK for petrol mowers because most sellers want local pickup. eBay tends to win on cordless and electric (lighter, easier to ship). Always insist on a starting demonstration before paying.