The Flymo EasiGlide Hover Lawn Mower is a popular favourite among UK gardens, prized for its aerodynamic build, light weight, and air-cushioned hover technology that promises effortless manoeuvrability. Priced at roughly £130 to £160, it's being sold as an easy option for small to medium-sized lawns, particularly where there are slopes or complex shapes.
British company Husqvarna UK manufactures the Flymo, and Flymo's decades-long reputation for offering affordable, easy-to-use lawn equipment gives legitimacy to this mower's popularity.
Critics
However, as with any mass-market item, the Flymo EasiGlide 360V Plus is not immune from criticism. While many users have a good experience, more and more reviews contain repeated criticisms—anything from patchy performance to build quality. This article looks at the dark side of customer feedback, providing an unbiased opinion of where this popular mower might be falling down on the job.
Key Features
The Flymo EasiGlide Plus 360V is constructed from a 1800W motor and a 36cm cutting width, designed to effectively manage fine and thick grass. It uses hover technology, floating over lawn through the use of a cushion of air, which is designed to minimize physical exertion and improve navigation - particularly across uneven ground. It also features four adjustable cutting heights (10mm to 30mm), a 26-litre grassbox with built-in vision window, and a dual-lever handle system for added control.
Storage & Cable
Storage has been approached with care: the mower arrives pre-assembled and has quick-fold handles for wall-mounting or upright storage. A 10-metre cable gives decent range for most garden settings, and the compact, fold-flat footprint makes it ideal for homes with tight storage space.
Negative Reviews
Despite its promising feature list and solid heritage under the Flymo brand, the EasiGlide Plus 360V has attracted a substantial number of critical reviews in recent months. From build quality concerns to usability frustrations, the volume and consistency of negative feedback suggest a number of design and manufacturing issues that may affect long-term user satisfaction.
Collection Box Frustrations
The most common complaint is the poor grass collection performance. A number of owners complained that the mower collects less than half of the grass clippings, and users are forced to sweep manually patios, borders, and walkways following mowing. For the majority, this defeats the use of a mower with an inbuilt collection box.
"You'd be lucky if it collected 5% of the clippings… took me longer to sweep up than cut." / "Scattering lawn clippings all over… more time sweeping than cutting."
Notably disappointing for consumers upgrading from earlier Flymo models, which are reported to have had much greater collection efficiency.
Excessive Vibration and Noise
A few reviewers were surprised at the amount of vibration the mower produced. Some even had tingling or numb hands afterwards - questioning both user comfort and long-term safety.
"The vibration is too much… you could be left with vibration white finger." / "Hands tingling due to vibration… it's back in the box already ready to return." / "Much noisier than previous Flymos… not at all pleasant to use."
The high noise level also elicited complaints from users who experienced the ride as jarring or humiliating when mowing residential neighbourhoods.
Construction Quality and Durability Problems
Another common criticism is the mower's plastic-dominant build. Numerous users characterized the materials as "cheap" or "flimsy," and a few reported parts shattering or bending upon initial use.
"Handles bent on first use… blade scuffed after one mow in small garden." / "Cover broke on first use… Flymo never responded to my query." / "All but blade is plastic… I don't think this will last long."
In several cases, the parts broke off or loosened soon after, and many customers raised an eyebrow regarding the stability of the mower to survive even a season of half-use.
Mechanical Breakdown and Short Lifespan
Worst of all are the reports of total mechanical failure - sometimes after a few uses. These range from inexplicable power issues to complete part failures.
"Used once, second time just stopped… no fuse issue, no cable failure." / "Impeller/blade flew off over the garden… nearly hit my dog!" / "Came on and then stopped… only used eight times, stored in watertight shed." / "Broken in first year… replaced."
This kind of unreliability was especially disturbing to Flymo owners who had been long-time customers and had developed faith in the brand's previous models.
Inconvenient Blade Height Adjustment
While the mower itself has four blade heights, the method of changing the blade was awkward, unintuitive, and even hazardous for consumers.
"Need to remove blade and put in spacers… not so great for rough lawns." / "Changing height is a pain… cut my finger severely doing that." / "My old mower just had plain side handle, now I've got tools and spacers."
This mechanical system is different from modern, lever-type height change mechanisms found on other mowers at the same cost.
Storage and Handling Problems
While the mower was marketed as compact and easy to store, a few customers had the opposite experience. The grass box was particularly panned for poor fit and inconvenience when emptied.
"Grass box unscrews when emptying… grass is everywhere." / "Lid doesn't fit snug… grass takes flight around garden." / "Collector box doesn't fit snug… puts on too much workload."
Despite its comparatively light frame, others protested that the mower was heavy to manoeuvre—especially on slopes or uneven terrain where hover mode should be at its best.
"Doesn't glide smoothly at all… too heavy, can't use it." / "Sticks uphill… you have to push it uphill to get it going."
Declining Brand Reputation
One of the sadder trends in reviews is the habitual sense of brand disillusion. A number of buyers purchased the EasiGlide 360V on the basis of years of positive experience with earlier Flymo models. Their view was that this model fell short of expectations.
"Worst Flymo I've ever had—and I've owned them since the 70s." / "Used to cut the lawn and be proud of the finish… not now." / "Flymo are not as good these days… flimsy plastic, poor cut." / "Flymo products seem best avoided if you don't want to be disappointed."
Some have even declared that this will be their last Flymo purchase, opting to try other brands like Mountfield in the future.
Summary of Key Issues Highlighted by Reviewers
- Poor grass collection leading to manual clean-up
- Excessive vibration and noise
- Flimsy plastic construction and fragile components
- Short product lifespan, sometimes failing within months or weeks
- Cumbersome blade height adjustment with safety concerns
- Difficulty on slopes or uneven terrain despite hover claims
- Inconsistent customer service and return experiences
These trends do tell a clear story of disappointment for a significant share of recent buyers. While the EasiGlide Plus 360V can still perform adequately satisfactorily for some, particularly on small, flat lawns with dry grass, the repeated nature of these complaints suggests that maybe it's not for everybody - especially those who have grown to expect Flymo's earlier standards of quality and ease of use.
Conclusion: A Warning for Potential Buyers
If you are considering the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 360V, then go into it with your eyes wide open. Although the mower is light, convenient to store, and from a reputable company, a high percentage of recent reviews - many from long-time Flymo owners paint a different picture.
The most common and recurring issues are:
- Completely atrocious grass pick-up, with clippings dispersed everywhere and requiring extra tidying up.
- Unusually high levels of vibration and noise, which some users found physically uncomfortable or even dangerous to their health.
- Poorly constructed plastic parts that broke or bent even with the first use.
- Frequent mechanical breakdowns, often after just a few uses, with limited customer support responses.
- Frustrating blade height adjustment, which could be clumsy and even risky.
What’s most concerning is not just the frequency of complaints, but their similarity - indicating potential flaws in the mower’s design and construction, rather than isolated incidents.
Meets Basic Expectations
For small, flat lawns and very light use, it may still meet basic expectations. But if you’re looking for durability, reliable grass collection, or ease of maintenance, this model may fall short.
In short: the majority of buyers expected the good old Flymo quality of yesterday but were disappointed. If Flymo addresses these shortcomings, you may want to look at other makes that offer better build quality and after-sales service.
If you do happen to buy, inspect it early and have the returns time limit to hand - don't linger over whether it actually meets your needs.
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