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Best mower for long grass: five conditional UK picks

Updated: October 2026

If your lawn has grown beyond its normal weekly cut, the best mower for long grass is the one that can begin high enough without stalling. Inside this amazon.co.uk set, one domestic rotary is the top pick for a recovery cut. It is not a meadow machine, and it will not replace a strimmer in knee-high growth. The [tall grass mower comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/tall-grass-mower) shows all eleven listings and their prices. This shortlist narrows them by lawn size, cutting height and the faults UK owners report, rather than treating one star rating as a universal answer.

If your lawn has grown beyond its normal weekly cut, the best mower for long grass is the one that can begin high enough without stalling.

Our top picks

swift swift EB122C

Best overall

swift swift EB122C
8.6/10about £134.99
Einhell Einhell GC-EM 1600/37

Rank 2

Einhell Einhell GC-EM 1600/37
8.7/10about £114.99
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Top pick inside this set: Einhell GC-EM 1600/37

The Einhell is the strongest all-round choice here: 1,600 W, 37 cm, five settings from 20 to 60 mm and a 38 L box, at about £114.99. That sits below the £158.31 Hyundai roller mower, with a stated top cut you can check. The amazon.co.uk rating was 4.5 from 298 reviews, including owners who found it cut well after grass had been left high at the start of the season. Start on 60 mm and narrow the strip if the grass is dense. Six-inch or knee-high grass is beyond that first pass, and the claim of up to 700 m² is not an independent test. The fill flap does not always show a full box. If the growth is too high for 60 mm, follow how to cut long grass.

Best when the lawn is very small

The swift EB122C suits a very small lawn: 5.2 kg, a 40 V 2.0 Ah battery and a 22 cm mulching deck. The maker states up to 35 minutes and about 50 m². The rating is 4.5 from 330 reviews, although one owner reported a failed control after 13 months of light use. A 50 mm ceiling can take modest regrowth in stages. There is no box, so mulching a heavy first cut is a poor plan. The Flymo Hover Vac 250 is the other small-lawn hover: 25 cm, a 15 L box and 5,387 reviews, with a 31 mm maximum. Owners report trouble in long wet grass and a very tight blade bolt. Buy it for light cuts on awkward ground.
swift swift EB122C

Testsieger

swift swift EB122C
8.6/10about £134.99

Best value, with a strict limit

At about £49.99, the BLACK+DECKER BEMWH551-GB is the best value in this set: a 30 cm hover, 1,200 W, and 4.2 from 1,041 reviews. It suits a small lawn that is only somewhat longer than normal. Three heights run from 20 to 40 mm. It cuts with replaceable plastic blades, and no grass box is listed. Owners say it does not hover as freely as expected and can be hard to push. Ten spare blades are included. They do not turn a 40 mm ceiling into clearance for heavy growth. If the lawn is a tangled mat, reduce it first. The mower buying guide covers when height and machine class matter more than the shelf price.

Models to leave for a difficult first cut

The Hyundai HYM3313E looks promising at about £59.99, with a 20–60 mm range, but 3.6 from 416 reviews includes cutting out, weak power and a lead that disconnects. A high setting has little value if the motor will not continue under load. The FORTE reaches 70 mm, yet reviews mention a lost wheel, a broken handle and a smoking motor, from only 66 reviews. The Bosch UniversalRotak 34-410 listing conflicts on weight and cutting height, so it is not a pick for a demanding first pass.

When the best buy is not a mower in this table

Every product above is a domestic rotary or hover. When grass is around six inches, tangled or too tall for the deck, reduce it with a strimmer or brushcutter, then rake and mow. That split is in strimmer or mower for long grass. A meadow needs a seasonal cut and the arisings removed, which sits outside this table.

Common questions

Which mower is the top pick for long grass in this comparison?
The Einhell GC-EM 1600/37, for a domestic lawn that can start at 60 mm. Grass above the deck clearance should be reduced first. It stays a corded mower with a 10 m lead, and knee-high growth still needs a strimmer.
Is the Flymo good for tall grass because it has thousands of reviews?
No. The 5,387 reviews are useful ownership evidence, but the Flymo Hover Vac 250 only reaches 31 mm. Reviews also mention difficulty in long wet grass. It suits a small, bumpy lawn kept under control, not a neglected lawn that needs a high first pass.
Is the cheapest hover mower good value?
The BLACK+DECKER is best value for a small lawn with manageable growth. It was about £49.99, with 4.2 stars from 1,041 reviews. Its maximum height is 40 mm, it uses plastic blades, and no collector is listed. Those limits matter more as the grass gets longer.
Do I need the Hyundai HYM3800E roller mower?
Choose the HYM3800E, about £158.31, only if the 38 cm width, 40 L box and rear roller suit a lawn you already keep. Reviews split on long grass and stripes, and the listing gives no reliable height in millimetres. It is not the upgrade for neglected grass.
Is cordless enough for thick grass?
Cordless removes cable management, but battery voltage or runtime alone does not prove thick-grass ability. The swift is limited to a stated 50 m² and a 50 mm top cut. The Hyundai 20 V has only 51 reviews and collection complaints. For a difficult first cut, deck height and load handling come first.
Who should skip every mower here?
Skip this table if you are cutting knee-high, tangled or woody growth, or managing an established meadow rather than restoring a lawn. Use an appropriate strimmer, brushcutter, scythe or sickle-bar for the first job, then bring in a lawn mower only when the remaining height is within its safe range.

Related pages

Sources

Sources checked for this comparison; last retrieved on 17 October 2026.

  1. RHS, wildflower meadow maintenance (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  2. RHS, lawn mowing (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  3. RSPB, Wildlife and Countryside Act (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  4. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  5. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  6. Which?, how to buy a lawn mower (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  7. RHS, hedgehog-friendly gardening (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  8. Homebuilding, how to cut long grass (retrieved 17 October 2026)