Manual Lawnmowers

Known also as hand driven or push mowers, these are the archetypal lawn mowers that remind us of the era of Victorian gardening (with lots of gardeners) and are also the ones that turn up on those nostalgic adverts where an elderly gent pushes a mower across a glowing lawn whiles his admiring wife watches. It's not exactly that simple, although it's true that push mowers are powered by nothing more than the user pushing and pulling them across the grass.

Manual lawn mowers have the some major advantages - the first of which is that they are usually very cheap to buy and also very cheap to maintain - the moving parts are simple and easy to look after, without requiring any specialist servicing. They are environmentally friendly which is becoming more of a consideration for many people because they use no petrol or electricity and don't pollute the environment. They are also very recyclable: if you can't sell them second-hand, and you often can, just about all the components of the mower can be recycled through the local amenity tip. Finally, if you're prepared to put your back into it, literally, manual mowers give an excellent finish to your grass.

There is another advantage that people will understand if they have newborns in the house, the only sound you get to hear from a manual mower is the gentle whir of the cylinder - nothing that would wake a sleeping baby! This can also make them a very good option for people who have a community garden where mowing the lawn can disturb a large number of residents.

A traditional push mower can be the cheapest and most environmentally friendly option for your lawn. Castel cylinder mower courtesy of www.gardening-tools-direct.co.uk