With a whole host of features, including a telescopic handle with three folding positions, cable relief, a large grass bag with two handles for easy emptying and a cable tidy, this is a well thought out and easy to use mower. Ideal for medium size lawns it's a BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy winner, comes with a two year warranty and is excellent value for money.
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What are the main features of the Mac Allister MLMP1800SP electric lawn mower?
With an 1800w engine and a 42cm cutting width this rotary mower is much bigger than the others in our test but within the same budget.
It has a choice of six cutting heights, ranging from 25-75cm and the height of cut is easily adjusted via a single lever on the body of the mower. The padded foam handle is telescopic, sliding down to almost half its length but it also has three folding positions - working and upright for mowing, back for easy emptying of the grass bag and forward and flat over the mower for storage. There’s a cable tidy for the black, 14m long cable on the handle and a rather elaborate cable relief clip, which stretches across the two handles although it isn’t as effective as some of the others in the test.
The large grass collecting bag has a capacity of 60L and a full indicator, so you know when it needs emptying, but the mower also comes with a mulching plug if you’d rather leave the clippings on the lawn to feed it.
What’s the Mac Allister MLMP1800SP electric corded lawn mower like to use?
The Mac Allister came in a much larger, heavier box than the other mowers in our test but that does mean very little assembly is required, only the grass collector needs putting together and that takes hardly any time at all. A Phillips screwdriver is needed but the instructions are clear and easy to follow.
The mower is packed full of features and feels very well thought out. The sliding and folding handle is ideal for storage, although some testers did find the need to fold the handle just to empty the grass box a little annoying and despite the choice of handle heights, our tallest tester still found the handle a little low.
The height of cut is easy to adjust, with a simple single lever on the body and the whole operation of this mower is easy and smooth. The double drive levers o are operated with the thumbs rather than the fingers but you do have the choice of driving it with both hands or just one. It's also self-propelled, which is very helpful, but it isn’t as easy as the smaller mowers to turn or manoeuvre around obstacles. This is more for mowing steadily up and down a larger lawn. It cuts efficiently and well and the long cable is handy for bigger gardens but it would be helpful if it was a brighter colour so it was easier to see when mowing. The large grass bag is also useful, it has two handles for easy emptying and at 60L you need to empty it half as often as most of the others in the test.
Is the Mac Allister MLMP1800SP electric corded lawn mower easy to store?
This is the largest, heaviest mower in our test but it has a handle on the top to help you lift it up and into the shed or garage and the sliding, folding handle helps it take up as little room as possible, literally just the footprint of the mower deck itself. A cable tidy on the handle allows you to wind the cable up neatly and the grass collection bag compacts down flat so it can be stored out of the way with the mower.
Is the Mac Allister MLMP1800SP electric corded lawn mower good value for money?
In essence this is a budget priced mower for medium to larger size gardens. It’s well thought out with loads of extra features and with its two year warranty we think it's excellent value for money.
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