Those of you who read Dick’s excellent blog yesterday, outlaying the benefits of three top-quality mowers from Morrison, will no doubt have noticed there is a certain elegance and chic to these machines that is, let’s face it, often lacking in your typical lawnmower. (By the way, those who didn’t read it, shame on you, go and read it this instant!)
Style is an oft neglected element when it comes to garden machinery design. Functionality is, of course, important, let us not forget the words of William Morris
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
Words I keep very close to my chest, for if Mrs Drew ever read them and followed this up, I’d be out on my ear in less time than it takes to say “and take your beer bottle collection with you”.
However, digression aside, they are wise words indeed, and this Morris mantra counts as much outside your house, in your shed for instance, as it does inside. Even so, I find myself leaning toward a more hybrid ethic of beauty and functionality combined. Something the designers of good quality cars have understood for a long time.
Surely it is not beyond the wit of modern mower designers, who have all the benefits of computer aided design, automated cutting and shaping and other tools our artisan ancestors could only dream of, to create efficient, well-built machines that don’t look like they just fell out of a 1970s Trabant catalogue? Wheres the flare? Where’s the pizazz, the va va voom? Well. Worry not, there is some out there. In fact, we have quite a decent store of it ourselves.
Take the sleek lines and uber-cheery livery of the Oleo-Mac lawnmower range, the delightful orange is reminiscent of Lamborghini, the look is sporty, bright without being certainly overstated, the hardcore, chunky wheels emphasising the ‘off-road’ look it seems to wear so effortlessly. In short, it’s as rugged and chic as Idris Elba in an Armani DJ. It is no co-incidence of course that Oleo-Mac is Italy’s leading lawnmower manufacturer. The Italians know more about style than Mary Berry does about lemon drizzle cake and their mowers are a sizzling combi of great looks combined with great performance, kind of like David Beckham on wheels. Our customers love these, for their looks, performance and sheer quality and have told us so often…”a wonderful looking machine, strong and robust build“, “smooth and powerful”, “Great quality and features. Cut was perfect.” “…has a brilliant drive for cutting grass on inclines”, “the cut is fantastic.” See? Not so hard.
And, while we’re at it, what about the afore mentioned Morrisson machines? Classic Retro looks, gleaming ivery, shiny and red like my old form tutor’s MG Midget, also carrying a hint, a small hint of classic old school Formula 1 arrogance. What could go wrong? And they perform very well too, as many of our
customers have pointed out. “A good quality small petrol mower”, Good quality mower… .excellent range of cutting heights. …well constructed machine… good starter.”, “….cut effortlessly”, “great product” “…very sturdy… it did an excellent job”.
And if you’re looking for something a little more, exotic shall we say? Why not cast your peepers over the MTX range of lawn mowers. These designers have boldly gone where mo other designers have even dared, offering a palette of colours and a space age, Barbarella vehicle type look that makes these well-built, amazing value lawnmowers really stand out in a crowd. They are popular too, initiating comments like…”A great machine for the money”, “Great mower. Build quality excellent, easy to put together, works brilliantly…Very impressed all-round.” and “Great Value for Money!”.
Other, for sure, have kept the faith with looks that don’t make you want to hide your face in your hands, companies like Allett, Hayter keep the retro flame burning with a passion for British Racing Green, but my firm belief is that designers could do better. The world of cordless mowers, an upcoming force to be reckoned with, is starting to look at design in a different way and that can only be a good thing as far as I am concerned. We eat first with our eyes, as many chefs will tell you, (although if you try that with chilli you’re in for a world of pain) and it can be the same with buying something. If we see something attractive, we want it. Anyhow, I hope your new lawnmower brings you joy and, as ever, enjoy your garden. Drew Hardy
ED: We would like to point out that the views on display are the personal, opinionated and slightly grumpy views of Drew Hardy, and do not necessarily reflect the more even handed views of MowDirect.
