
The Flymo Hover Compact 300 could be an option if you’ve got a smallish garden and you are thinking about going with an electric mower. I guess you're here to see if it would be a good fit for you. We found it is a good solid option for the average family lawn but there are a couple of things to watch out for. We reviewed it thoroughly and everything we found out about it can be read below.
Flymo Hover Compact 300 Review - Specifications |
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Manufacturer | Flymo |
Model | Hover Compact 300 |
Motor | 1400 Watt |
Deck Size | 30 cm |
Cutting Modes | Integrated Grass Collection System |
Cutting Heights | 10 - 33 mm |
Number of Cutting Heights | 4 |
Grass Box Capacity | 20 litres |
Cable Included? | Yes, 12 m |
Weight | 7.6 kg |
Flymo Hover Compact 300 Review – Key Features
- Build Quality & Design – As with pretty much all the Flymo product range, this mower is primarily constructed from plastic. We would definitely advise you to be careful with it as it’s not the most solid mower you’ll ever come across. To be fair though, it has to be made from plastic really so it can remain light enough to hover effectively. In terms of cleaning the mower once you’re done, the design doesn’t lend itself well to this process. In fact the cleaning takes practically as long as the cutting does. There’s so many little nooks and crannies that the grass collects in that you need a while to get it all out satisfactorily.
- Cutting Deck – The mower has got a 30cm cutting width which makes it ideal for the smaller garden and perhaps a medium sized one at a push. Not a great size if you have a large garden though, so if that’s you, then you’d definitely be better looking at something with a bigger cutting deck. The deck itself is nothing fancy, just that traditional “Flymo-orange”, moulded cutting deck and a flap on the top which conceals the grass collection box.
- Grass Box – If you lift up that flap then you’ll see the grass collection box, which has a 20 litre capacity. This is not a big capacity but if you’re only looking to maintain a small lawn then it should be fine. We liked how it’s neatly concealed within the main body of the mower as it gives the whole mower a more compact size.
- Easy To Start – The starter mechanism is the same on pretty much every Flymo model available at the moment so if you’ve ever used a Flymo before you probably already know how to start this up. Anyway for those of you that don’t know, this Flymo (and many other models they have) has a twin grip starter mechanism. There’s also a little push button in between the two triggers. You need to push this button in and then squeeze one of the triggers. You will then hear the mower start up and at that point you just need to keep your hand firmly squeezed on the trigger and you’re good to mow. The great thing about this twin grip system is that you can start it up with your right hand or your left hand, so it’s really great to use whether you are right handed or left handed.
- Cutting Heights – You’ve not got a HUGE selection of cutting heights here but you do get a sufficient number to do the job at hand. There’s four in total and they range from 10mm up to 33mm.As you can probably see from these heights, this mower is really designed for cutting pretty short, well kept lawn and is not a great one for mowing long, overgrown grass. So if you are interested in this mower you will need to keep on top of things and get out in the garden at least once a week.
- Handle – The handle is one piece and you don’t need to unscrew any nuts in order to get it to fold and then at the top of the handle you’ve got the twin trigger starter mechanism.
- Power Cable – The mower comes complete with the power cable too so you’ve got everything you need to start mowing straight away. The lead isn’t detachable though which is a bit of a bummer! Its 12 metres in length though and I think that further demonstrates that this mower is aimed at the small to medium sized family garden.
- Easy To Store – The Flymo Hover Compact 300 stores pretty well though as it’s got a nice compact design (as the name of the thing suggests!!) and also the handle folds over to make the storage footprint even smaller. All you do to fold the handle over is push it in at the sides and then push the bar down and then you’ve got a very storable mower!
Flymo Hover Compact 300 Review – Assembly
Well this section is REAL easy for this mower because there isn’t anything to explain at all. There is absolutely nothing to assemble, it’s all been done for you already. Yes you heard that right! There’s absolutely nothing to assemble.
Flymo Hover Compact 300 Review – Performance
- Cutting Ability – In terms of its cutting ability the Flymo Hover Compact 300 definitely performs a lot better when the grass is cut little and often. It’s not brilliant with longer grass. If you use it in the correct conditions (which we just outlined) then it cuts nicely and you won’t have any problems. If you start getting a bit lazy and letting the grass grow pretty long then you’ll probably get frustrated with its performance as you’ll have to make several passes over it to get it cut properly & no-one enjoys mowing the same spot several times.
- Grass Collection – With the grass collection, it does a fairly good job and does collect a majority of the clippings, which saves you time as you don’t have to bother with raking up afterwards. The only thing I would comment on with the grass box is that it’s only got a 20 litre capacity which is not a great deal and can fill up fairly quickly, so it’s not ideal if you intend on cutting longer grass or larger areas of lawn. Be sure to empty it as soon as its full otherwise it’ll just leak clipping out of the base of the mower! The one good thing about this grass catcher though is that it’s real simple to empty. You just flip up the “lid” on the top of the mower and lift the catcher out, dispose of the clippings and put it back in again. It’s a nice simple process and because this tray is inside the mower there’s no need to worry about it falling off or dragging along the floor.
- Manoeuvrability – At only 7.6 kg’s it’s not like the Flymo Hover Compact 300 is really that heavy, so pushing it shouldn’t be a problem really for anyone.
The Bottom Line
Let's sum things up. We've pulled together what we believe to be the key points when considering whether to buy the Flymo Hover Compact 300 or not.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion:
The only things which this mower really has going against it is the fact that the lead is not detachable – which could prove to be a problem if you did accidentally run over it as I’m not sure how easy or cheaply it would be to get the cable replaced & also the fact that the mower is not that easy to clean. These are more “niggles” than major faults with this product and if you can live with those things then this mower is still a good solid option. It cuts well as long as you keep on top of things and keep the grass to a reasonable length, it’s easy to manoeuvre around the lawn (should be suitable for most people as a result of this) and is easy to carry. You won’t get that Wembley style finish but it will do a decent job at making your lawn look respectable.
Our Rating
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