Bosch Rotak 40 Ergoflex Review

Bosch Rotak 40 Ergoflex Review – Key Features

• Construction – This mower has a high plastic content, there’s no getting away from that. But even so, the construction is pretty solid. Obviously a plastic mower is never going to be able to take the blows that a metal one can withstand, but if you look after it well there is no reason it shouldn’t last a long time. There are also some pretty big benefits to the mower being constructed mainly from plastic – it remains light weight and it isn’t at risk of rusting either.
• Motor – This mower is powered by a Bosch “Powerdrive” motor which is a real nice 1700 watt high speed motor. Relative to the overall weight of the machine this mower easily has enough juice to do a great job.
• Easy Starts – To start it up you just need to push the button located in the middle of the handle and then squeeze one of the four switches located on the underside of the grip. Any one of these four will do. Once you squeeze one of those you will hear the mower start up very quickly and easily. That’s it – you’re set to go and get this job done.
• Cutting Deck – The cutting width is 40cm which is pretty big and will certainly tackle a medium sized lawn without any problems. To be honest the cutting width is sufficient for mowing a larger lawn. The deck layout of the Bosch Rotak 40 ergoflex is really neat. You have the height adjustment lever tucked in on the left hand side, a nice carry handle integrated into the top of the deck for easy transportation and then you’ve got the inset wheel/grass comb combination for close cuts around the edges of your lawn.
• Grass Combs – You’ve got the neat little red grass combs on each side of the mower and you’ll notice that the front wheels are inset. This allows you to get right up close to the edges of your lawn so you can cut the grass in those areas. This definitely helps you to get a better finish around these areas although to just finish it off totally you might need to go over it quickly with a strimmer.
• Cutting Heights – There are ten different positions in total and they range from a short cut of 20mm up to 70 mm. This selection really does give you a nice range of heights to deal with most situations. 20mm is a nice short cut, whilst the 70mm cut can be used if you’ve been away on holiday and the grass has shot up. You adjust the height with that lever I mentioned before which is located on the left hand side of the deck.
• Handle – You have a two piece handle which conveniently folds in the middle (just unscrew the fasteners) so the mower stores better. That’s also pretty good if you want to get the mower in your car.
• Ergonomic Controls – The actual control part of the handle is the real special feature on this mower. You won’t find this anywhere apart from on a Bosch Rotak mower. They have really gone the extra mile to develop this versatile control system. They developed it to reduce muscle strain and ache whilst you are mowing, so hats off to them, they are really thinking about their users which is a nice touch. You can operate it with either hand – which is great if you’re a leftie as not many mowers cater for you guys! There are a total of 8 different positions you can grip this thing from so there should be something to please everyone there.
• Power Cable – There is 15 metres of cable included and it’s detachable from the mower which is handy for storing when you’ve finished mowing for the day

Bosch Rotak 40 Ergoflex Review – Assembly

For assembly you have got the standard task of attaching the handle to the unit and then assembling the grass box. You should be able to get it all done in around 15 – 20 minutes. What you have to do is screw the bottom part of the handle to the base unit. This was pretty easy but I have heard of a few people who found it a little tricky because the screws are self tappers and do need a bit of force to get them going. Once you have connected that part, just connect the top part of the handle to the bottom part and you’re nearly ready to roll. Now for the Bosch grass box assembly. They always ship their grass boxes in two halves which need clipping together. On the face of it it’s not too difficult to just line them up and then clip them together but it can be a little difficult doing it on your own just because of the size of it. If possible get someone else to help you for a few minutes with this.

Bosch Rotak 40 Ergoflex Review – Performance

• Cutting Ability – The Bosch Rotak 40 ergoflex really does deliver a top quality cut and the finish you’re left with is something you will be proud of. I’m pretty sure you will get some decent feedback from your neighbours after using one of these. What’s more it copes well with most types of grass – long or short, thick or thin. It also did a good job on damper grass which is a bonus if you live in an area where it tends to rain pretty often.
• Grass Collection – The actual grass collection is better than the grass box itself. In terms of collection the mower does a great job at collecting the clippings into that huge grass box. It’s when you come to emptying it where you have a problem. The opening to the grass box is pretty narrow so it’s not easy to empty 50 litres of clippings from that narrow opening. In fact you find yourself scooping them out with your hand. It’s not a deal breaker but Bosch should have thought the design through a bit better there.
• Manoeuvrability – For a mower of this size it’s extremely lightweight and because of this you’ll find it real easy to push up and down your lawn.
• Lawn Stripes – Although the mower is very light weight for its size, it is heavier than the smaller models in this range which actually helps the rear roller produce a better quality striped finish. It’s not an essential feature but the striped effect does give that little touch of class.