Awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy award for Best mower for very small gardens, this agile mower is light and compact and easy to move around the lawn. Battery power level is visible as you mow and it mulches the grass as it cuts so there’s no grass bag to empty. It comes with a two year warranty.
Buy the Gardena HandyMower Li-18/22 cordless lawnmower from Tooled-up
Gardena HandyMower - Best Buy Review video
What are the main features of the Gardena HandyMower Li-18/22 cordless lawnmower ?
Powered by an 18V lithium ion battery this compact mower has a run time of 20 minutes, long enough to cut a lawn up to 50m2. With a 22cm cutting width, the rotary blade shreds the clippings, dropping them back on to the lawn, where they break down and feed the grass, so there’s no clippings to collect or bag to empty with this little mower. It has three cutting heights, 30-50 mm and a pivoting handle that makes it easy to manoeuvre, and the battery takes just 60 minutes to charge to full power.
What’s the Gardena HandyMower Li-18/22 cordless lawnmower like to use?
This mower is almost ready to go, straight out of the box, the handle just needs screwing into the body before use. It's very light and surprisingly agile, with the pivoting handle making it easy to push with both hands or just one, and it manoeuvres well around beds, trees and any furniture that might be on the lawn. The only snag with this mower is that it's designed to stop when the handle is in certain positions - upright is the park position and flat to the body is the carrying position - but the mower does have a tendency to stop running if you approach either of these angles too closely, which can be frustrating. The three cutting heights are easy to change, by simply lifting the lever into position and the battery level is clearly displayed on the body of the mower, so it’s easy to see how much charge you’ve got while you're mowing. With no grass bag to empty mowing the lawn with the HandyMower is quick and easy and it's best to mow regularly, little and often, so that the clippings that fall on the lawn aren't too long.
Is the Gardena HandyMower Li-18/22 cordless lawnmower easy to store?
It's easy to find a spot in the shed for this little mower, as the body hardly takes up any room at all. It's light and the large handle makes it easy to pick up and carry, and you can hang the mower up, flat on a wall and it won't be in the way.
Is the Gardena HandyMower Li-18/22 cordless lawnmower good value for money?
The HandyMower is available on its own or as a set with the battery and charger so check what you get before you buy. Given the size of garden this is for, this is not a budget mower but for all its features and ease of use we think it's good value for money. Plus it's part of the Power For All Alliance, with Flymo, Bosch and other cordless brands which means the 18V battery and charger can be used with their cordless tools too.
Not the right cordless mower for you? We’ve tested other brands in our round up of the best cordless lawnmowers. For help finding other cordless tools see out guides to the best strimmers and best hedge trimmers and read our buyer's guide to the best cordless garden tools.
This review was last updated in August 2022. We apologise if anything has changed in price or availability.
