The UK's bestHand Push Manual Lawn Mowers2022 Review

Whilst a lot of manual push mowers have either no grass-clippings collector, or one that is a little fragile and hard to put together, the WEBB WEH30 Hand Push Lawn Mower is the only model featured here with a solid 18 L grass-catcher box.

This makes it easier to empty, as its hard casing doesn’t need to be supported, and easier to remove and reattach to the mower by simply clicking it into place. One common theme with the grass collectors on these mowers is that the need relatively frequent emptying; this is standard across the board due to the size of the machine vs. the size of collector it can feasibly support. Whilst this mower is no different, it still has a larger clippings capacity than some, and the solid clippings box makes the emptying process less of a hassle.

At 9.1 kg, this is a midweight mower; however, it has six hardened-steel cutting blades, instead of the standard five, which explains this additional weight. These blades are generally very effective, capable of cutting through even slightly longer grass. Whilst 3 – 4 cm grass blades are probably the limit for this mower, its cutting height can be adjusted from 10 – 40 mm which helps tackle them relatively reliably.

This WEBB WEH30 mower comes partially assembled, but the assembly process is straight forward, only requiring the handles to be attached with wing nuts. This actually makes it easy to store after use, as the handles can be removed again without much problem. Alternatively, the mower fits well into smaller spaces in the shed, even with the handles attached because of its ‘upright’ standing design .

The Einhell GE-HM 38 S Push Lawn Mower is one of the best manual push lawnmowers to buy on a budget; it’s functional and well designed, without any (sometimes unnecessary) mod-cons pushing the price up. It’s a decent, basic machine which efficiently completes its primary function: neatly cutting the grass.

Weighing 7.77 kg, with a 38 cm cutting width, it isn’t overly cumbersome yet is wide enough to cover small to medium gardens relatively quickly.

Plus, as a push mower, it’s a quiet and environmentally friendly option, which still offers all the usual benefits of an electric or petrol model. There are four cutting heights, ranging from 13 to 38 mm, leaving plenty of options depending on personal preference and desired finish.

Five steel blades provide the cutting power, and they use a ‘contactless’ system so that there is less friction and resistance felt when pushing the unit.

As a cheaper option, this mower is not particularly well suited to tackling longer grass; however, as long as mowing is done relatively frequently and not left for weeks at a time, it shouldn’t be necessary to drag the electric mower out.

Mowing the lawn can be hard work for a number of reasons, and often the hands, arms and back suffer when pushing the mower. This can be especially true when using a manual, hand-push mower, but it doesn’t have to be the case. The Gardena Comfort Handy Push Lawn Mower is, as the name suggests, built ergonomically with comfort in mind.

Lightweight, at 9.4 kg, there won’t be any backache caused by moving this mower in and out of the shed, and the rounded ergonomic bar handle is comfortable to hold for an extended period without digging in to the hands.

Gardena has also taken steps to make this mower easier to push by employing ‘touchless cutting technology’. This means the blades don’t interfere with each other and therefore there’s no need to fight against their resistance whilst pushing.

It’s a model that has been designed for use in areas of up to 250 m², so it’s suitable for small and medium gardens. Of course, it will cope with larger areas too, but more passes will be required. In general, the 40 cm working width ensures jobs don’t take too long, without being too large to navigate around some smaller areas.

With 4 cutting heights to choose from, ranging from 12 – 42 mm, both long and short finishes can be achieved. Longer grass can also be tackled in stages, over several passes, to avoid jamming the mower or causing too much resistance.

The main thing letting this mower down, compared to other models of a similar price, is that it doesn’t come with a collection bag. The bag can be bought separately, or the mower can be used without; however, it can be time consuming to rake up the cuttings.

Who said that using powerful machines was the only way to get those excellent stripes running up and down the lawn? If you’re looking to achieve this kind of satisfying football-pitch finish, without using any fuel, the Bosch AHM 38 G Manual Hand Push Lawn Mower comes with a roller attached to help realise this goal.

With five steel blades, that cut neatly on a cylindrical drum, this mower cleanly cuts through grass without chewing it up in the process. Covering a 38 cm width in each pass, small to medium lawns are easily managed, and the rolled stripes are both clearly visible and aesthetically pleasing.

At 6.9 kg, this is at the lighter end of the mowers featured here, making it straight-forward to navigate around corners and easy to turn around in smaller gardens. It can also tackle a variety of lawns, able to cut through some thicker grass, and offers several cutting heights from 12 – 40 mm in order to create different finishes.

Using the various cutting heights can also help in tackling longer grass, as it can be approached in stages to avoid jamming the blades.

A 25 L grass box comes included, which is somewhat of a revelation considering the number of manual lawn mowers that don’t come with one as standard. It attaches easily to the body of the mower and collects grass relatively efficiently, but does require fairly frequent emptying.

The assembly instructions are slightly lacking, but it still shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes to get this mower up and running. Whilst a small spanner is supplied, an adjustable spanner can make much lighter work of the task.

For gardens that contain a large number of obstacles, be they water features, flowerbeds, or washing lines, it can be difficult to find a mower that’s not too cumbersome to navigate around the lawn. The Einhell GC-HM 30 Manual Hand Push Lawn Mower has a cutting width of 30 cm, and an overall size of 58 cm wide, making it easy to manoeuvre and a good option for smaller gardens.

At 6.46 kg, this is a compact model that can be transported in the car if necessary, and it doesn’t require a lot of effort to get out of storage either. When the idea of getting machinery out of the shed is off putting, it’s natural that jobs get done less regularly, so a lightweight push mower can encourage regular lawn maintenance.

This Einhell mower is also a good, practical weight to be used by any family member; so, whether the plan is to encourage teenagers to help out, or gift a manageable mower to grandparents, it will be suitable for the intended recipient.

Requiring a bit of ‘oomph’ on the first push, once away this mower moves smoothly without fighting back with too much resistance. It can tackle longer grass, and damp grass, within reason, but will be most effective on level lawns that receive fairly regular trims.

The cutting height is easily adjustable, ranging from 15 – 42 mm, so whether you’re looking to gradually cut down longer grass, or neaten shorter blades, there are options to choose from. It also comes with a 16 L collection bag which can help avoid making too much mess whilst mowing, although some grass blades may still be thrown out of the bag, so some raking may still be required post-mow.

Whilst you might not expect to find a roller attachment included in this price range, the Einhell Manual Push Mower does have a small roller connected to the back. It’s capable of creating small, subtle strips on the lawn.

One further thing to note: due to the design of this mower, the distance between the outer edge of the wheel and the blades is approx. 8 cm. As a result, in can be difficult to get right up close to obstacles, and sheers may be required for the finishing touches.

Electric and petrol mowers can be heavy, but even certain manual lawn mowers can have a fair amount of weight to them. If you’re looking for a truly lightweight machine, suitable for gardeners of any age, this Garden Gear Manual Hand Push Lawn Mower weighs a comfortable 6.4 kg, making it the lightest of the models featured on this list.

With handles that can be detached by undoing screws, and a 30 cm cutting width, it’s a compact unit that can be easily taken out of the shed and put away again. The amount of space it uses up is minimal, and it can even be packed into the car if required, to take to an allotment or relative’s house.

The mower has 5 sturdy blades and is easy to push. Its manageable weight makes it suitable to work with over inclines and it has a choice of adjustable height settings from 12 – 45 mm.

As with most manual mowers, it’s best suited to lawns that are relatively even and well maintained, especially as it has slightly less force behind it due to its light weight. Several passes will likely be required in areas with longer grass, but it does do a reasonable job at tackling them.

As a smaller unit, gardeners with small gardens will probably get the most out of this mower; however, even medium-size gardens can be tackled, they’ll just require more passes due to its narrower width. A 17 L collection bag comes included which will be most compatible with a smaller area.

Petrol lawn mowers are well-renowned for being noisy machines, whirring, coughing and spluttering as they work. Electric mowers have a similar potential for being disruptive, making it difficult to cut the lawn outside of ‘appropriate’ working hours.

Hand-push mowers though, especially models like the Fiskars StaySharp Plus Manual Lawnmower, bring the noise right down. This model is particularly quiet, even on the scale of manual mowers, and will allow you to make the most of those summer days, when it stays light until10 pm, without feeling like the neighbourhood maverick.

With four cutting heights available, ranging from 40 – 100 mm, this is an ideal option for those who like their grass kept a little longer. However, if that sounds a bit too long, remember that manual mowers generally need to be used weekly anyway, so a minimum height of 40 mm will still create a maintainable and neat finish.

The cut grass is thrown forwards, unlike with most manual lawn mowers that eject it to the back, avoiding projecting the clippings at your legs as you walk. Purchasing the additional clipping collection bag is a matter of personal preference, but when mowing so regularly, the small number of debris that is cast aside can be left and used as effective lawn mulch.

Although quite a lot heavier than the majority of push mowers featured on this list, at 18.6 kg, it is still sufficiently manageable for most gardeners to comfortably use over an area of 200 – 300 m².

One thing to bear in mind though, is whether there are a lot of obstacles on the lawn, such as plants, flowerbeds, ornaments etc. It can be more difficult to constantly stop and start with this mower, particularly compared with other models, as it helps to have a bit of momentum.

Depending on your gardening style, you may like the idea of leaving grass clippings on the lawn as fertiliser, or you may prefer to neatly collect them all up for composting. The Murray HM400 Hand Push Cylinder Mower gives the option to either use its large 20 L collection bag, or not, depending on whether you’d like to feed your lawn with mulch.

With cylindrical mower blades that arrive fully sharpened, this mower slices through grass using a scissor-style chop which results in a clean shave for the lawn. When used regularly, only a small amount of height will need to be cut each time, creating fine clippings. These can either be lightly scattered over the garden as you mow, or fit in the grass collector.

Whilst the grass catcher does still require semi-frequent emptying, it’s easier to work with than those with smaller capacities. Depending on the size of the garden, and how substantial the trim, it may need to be emptied at every pass of the lawn. The best way to empty the collector is by taking grass out by hand because removing and reattaching the bag can be more trouble than it’s worth.

The height of the cut can be adjusted to fit your lawn and weather conditions – if the grass is damp, it can work better to use a higher setting. There are four height positions to choose from, between 13 and 38 mm.

For gardener’s with a medium-size garden, who are really looking to steer clear of externally powered machines, the Sprint Hand Push Manual Mower offers a good balance of manageability and size.

With a 40 cm cutting width, it’s hard to find a manual mower with a wider cut – especially one that still only weighs 9.5 kg like this model. This combination of lightweight design and larger coverage means it can be used over bigger areas without causing too much fatigue.

A 20 L collection bag comes included, keeping time spent emptying the grass catcher to a minimum. It still requires relatively frequent clearing out, but a larger bag would unbalance the machine so this creates a decent compromise.

Depending on the desired aesthetic for the lawn, the Sprint manual mower can be set to different cutting heights ranging from 13 – 38 mm. Whilst not intended for cutting very long grass, working through the heights gradually can help this mower manage slightly more challenging lawns.

If you have a larger garden, but are really keen to use a manual mower, it might be advisable to have an electric lawnmower on standby – not for frequent use, but just to help out if using the hand-push mower becomes too hard going.

When the lawn is growing fast, but your budget isn’t, consider turning your gaze to an affordable, yet functional, manual mower like the Oypla Manual Hand Push Lawn Mower. This reasonably-priced mower won’t have a dramatic effect on your bank balance, but it will help to dramatically neaten up the garden.

It is well suited to smaller gardens, with a 30 cm cutting width that makes it easy to manoeuvre both around the lawn and back into storage. This narrower design is especially useful for gardens with narrow passageways and different ornaments because it can navigate them easily, whereas larger mowers can get stuck and be a nuisance to pull past bushes.

A lower price tag doesn’t result in a lower-quality mower, either, and this model cuts through standard lawn grass without any problems using its five sharpened blades. The cutting height can be adjusted between 14 and 47 mm, making it easier to tackle slightly longer grass too, or choose the specific finish desired for the lawn.

Whilst even some pricier manual mowers don’t come with a catcher bag for the clippings, this Oypla push mower has a 20 L collapsible collection bag which can be stored compactly when not required. This bag might not seem that big for larger garden, but it’s one of the biggest sizes that comes with manual mowers, and it will certainly help in smaller areas, meaning no raking is required once the job is done.

As with the majority of hand push lawn mowers, not all of the clippings are thrown accurately in the bag by the mower – with no engine-power to help direct them, they can miss the catcher.