Key takeaways
- Flymo built its reputation on hover mowers, the collar-and-fan machines that float on a cushion of air instead of rolling on wheels. That design still defines the brand, and it’s the reason people search for Flymo by name rather than…
Flymo built its reputation on hover mowers, the collar-and-fan machines that float on a cushion of air instead of rolling on wheels. That design still defines the brand, and it’s the reason people search for Flymo by name rather than just “electric lawn mower.” If you’ve got a lawn with slopes, banks, or awkward tight corners, a Flymo hover mower will do things a wheeled mower physically can’t. If your lawn is flat and rectangular, you’re better served by a conventional corded or cordless mower, and I’ll get into why below.
How hover mowers actually work
A hover mower uses a fan mounted above the cutting blade to push air down and outward, creating a cushion that lifts the whole deck slightly off the grass. There are no wheels to steer around, which means you can push it sideways, spin it on the spot, and get right up to a fence line or flower bed edge without the usual three-point turns a wheeled mower needs. On a slope, this matters even more: wheeled mowers can scalp the high side and leave the low side too long, where a hover mower floats evenly over the contour.
The trade-off is cut quality on flat, open lawns. Hover mowers tend to leave a slightly less even finish than a wheeled rotary mower, especially in thick or wet grass, because there’s nothing guiding the deck height consistently across the full width of cut. They’re also lighter and have smaller motors on the entry models, so they bog down faster in long grass. If your lawn hasn’t been cut in three weeks and the grass is past ankle height, expect to go over it twice.
Corded vs cordless Flymo models
Flymo sells both corded electric and cordless battery hover mowers, plus a few conventional wheeled electric mowers under the same brand. Corded models are cheaper, lighter (no battery weight), and never run out of charge mid-job, but you’re tethered to an extension cord, which gets annoying on anything bigger than about 150 square meters and genuinely dangerous if you’re not careful about where the cable sits relative to the blade. Cut toward the outlet, not away from it, and never let the cord trail into cut grass where you can’t see it.
Cordless hover mowers solve the cable problem but bring battery limitations. Entry-level batteries typically give you 20-30 minutes of runtime, which covers a small garden but won’t finish a mid-size lawn in one charge. If your lawn takes longer than that to cut, you either buy a spare battery or accept doing it in two sessions. Battery mowers are also heavier at the back end and pricier up front.
| Type | Best for | Runtime limit | Typical downside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corded hover | Small-mid lawns near an outlet | Unlimited | Cable management, outlet distance |
| Cordless hover | Small lawns, awkward slopes | 20-40 min per charge | Battery cost, limited runtime |
| Wheeled electric (non-hover) | Flat, regular-shaped lawns | Varies by power source | Less maneuverable on slopes/edges |
Who should actually buy a hover mower
Buy a hover mower if your lawn has slopes, is irregularly shaped, has lots of edges around beds or paths, or is small enough that a lightweight machine is genuinely easier to lift and store. Hover mowers are usually lighter than wheeled rotary mowers of similar cutting width, which matters if you’re storing it in a shed with limited space or carrying it up steps.
Skip the hover mower if you have a large flat lawn, especially anything over 300-400 square meters. A wheeled mower with a roller will cut more evenly, cover ground faster because you’re not fighting air cushion drift, and give you the classic striped finish if that matters to you. Hover mowers don’t stripe well since there’s no roller pressing the grass down behind the deck.
If you’re shopping, it’s worth browsing a Flymo hover mower listing directly to compare current cutting widths and power ratings side by side, since Flymo updates model numbers often and last year’s name may already be discontinued.
Maintenance and the failures to expect
The most common hover mower failure is a cracked or warped deck from hitting hidden stones, tree roots, or sprinkler heads at speed. Because the deck floats and you can move quickly in any direction, it’s easy to clip something hard without the usual wheel-first warning a rolling mower gives you. Walk unfamiliar lawns once before mowing to spot hazards.
Blades on hover mowers are usually a simple bolt-on disc or bar rather than a cutting system with multiple blades, so replacements are cheap and the swap takes five minutes with a spanner. Keep a spare on hand if you mow regularly, since a bent blade from a stone strike will cause vibration you’ll feel immediately through the handle.
On corded electric models generally, the other common failure is the thermal cutout tripping in thick, wet grass, when the motor draws more current than the circuit allows. This isn’t a fault, it’s the mower protecting its motor. Let it cool for a few minutes and either raise the cutting height or go over the area twice. If it trips repeatedly on normal grass, the motor brushes may be worn, which is a sign the mower is near end of life rather than something worth repairing on a budget machine.
What’s worth paying for
On a hover mower, the two things that matter most are motor power (look for at least 1400W on corded models for anything beyond a tiny lawn) and cutting width, since a narrower deck means more passes. Features like edge-cutting shrouds or multi-position handles are nice but not worth paying a premium for if the base mower handles your actual lawn shape well.
If you’re deciding between a budget hover mower and a mid-range one, the budget option is genuinely fine for lawns under roughly 100 square meters that get cut weekly, since the grass never grows long enough to stress a smaller motor. Where it falls short is on neglected lawns or anything with thick, damp grass regularly, where the extra power of a mid-range model pays for itself in fewer stalls and double-passes. For comparison shopping across power tiers, it helps to look at a broader electric lawn mower selection alongside the hover-specific options, since a wheeled mower might suit your actual lawn better even if the Flymo name is what brought you here.
