Allett Kensington 20H Mower Unboxing and First Use
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ต.ค. 2024
- To help bring my lawn to the next level, I purchased an Allett Kensington cartridge (reel) mower. I'm excited to start using this and sharing my progress here! Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions, thoughts, or suggestions!
Even though at this time with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and isolation, we can still (and should) go outside and enjoy nature. What better way than to get out and do some yard work? Who knows, you might even see some other humans who are getting out as well...just be sure to keep a "safe distance!"
Music by José Cabrera
#inthemoodtomow #lawntherapy
I have this very mower here in the UK - great to see others abroad starting to see that it's not all about chemicals (we don't use them in England)... it's about using the correct tools. Forget the rotary mower now, stick to the the Allett. Take the scarifying cartridge right down to "S" (don't worry, it's very gentle) and use it often. I use mine every other month to keep thatch from building up... the secret to an outstanding lawn is to prevent it from building up in the first place rather than ripping it all out in the spring or fall. I find that my lawn stripes best between height "2" and "3"... 20-30mm. You now have everything you need to blow your neighbours into the weeds... don't be tempted to make it complicated! ;-)
Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I plan on using the scarifying cartridge often. I'm a big believer in keeping the debris out in the first place so the water and everything can get down to the roots. My lawn is almost green, but I mowed it yesterday and exposed some more dead grass, so I need to scarify again. Nice to hear from you across the pond! Take care and be safe and healthy!
Dennis West How big is this company? You’re the second youtuber I’ve seen say they’ve connected directly with their CEO. Y’all get a big discount on your purchase?
@@FalconiNixon Allett are one of the main producers of cylinder mowers here in the UK... their managing director (or CEO) is very much into his lawns (as are many of the staff there). He often appears in tuition videos and really knows his grass, sometimes demonstrating on his own lawn at home. I think their customer service is so top notch because they're all into it as much as you are... they hold striping competitions and hand out free mowers to those who win. I had to replace a part on my scarifier cartridge recently (after hitting a tree root, stupidly)... I dropped them a line on Facebook and had their chief engineer on the phone within an hour, talking me through the process of sorting it out. There's a reason British lawns look so good!
Thanks mark I am inbetween getting the allett Liberty 43 battery ang this one
@@leejones7803 Depends on the size of your yard... and how the stripes sit - i.e. not too narrow. The Liberty is lighter and a plus point for many people, but I like the weight of the petrol mower... you want weight for stripes! However, it's nice to not worry about fuel (although I love the smell when I open my shed!).
Great video!! My back slipped a disc watching you pick that bad boy up! Wow! 💪🏻 Hope you enjoy your machine as much as I’ve enjoyed mine! 😀
So far, it’s awesome! Still rotary cutting until I get my height down. Hopefully soon I’ll be breaking out the reel.
I love all the attachments they have. Not just a mower. Now to convince the wife.
The attachments definitely make it much more than just a mower. I only have the one right now so it’ll be nice to continually upgrade the machine as I add to it. Good luck with the wife!
This is fantasic! I bet it felt like christmas when you were unboxing her!! 🎁🌿
Thanks! Yeah, it sure did!
Great to see an english product in the states, Allett are regarded as a high-end mower over here. I once fixed the machine that makes those reels, they are welded by robot. Their factory is built on an old WW2 Bomber Base. BTW your driveway is bigger than most modern british houses
That’s funny, yeah and I think our lawns (gardens) are bigger over here too. I’m really happy with the machine and agree that they are high end. Someday I’d like to visit the UK and see their factory in person!
Great video Dennis! I love my Kensington!!
Thanks! Yeah they’re great machines. I live the grass mowed low. I’m at about 3/4” right now and it looks great! Mowing every 2-3 days.
Nice mower. I’ll be following your progress.
Thanks! I'm hoping to get a new video out soon!
Great looking machine. I love that it comes with the Honda engine as an option. Those things are bullet proof and are not nearly as loud as Briggs. Keep the videos coming.
Thanks! More videos coming soon!
A great video. Here in the UK we use both types of mower, rotary is more common as they are cheaper unless you go for a Hayter which are great. Cylinder mowers are extensively used on sports turf and for serious home owners who like a nice lawn. Loved watching this, I have the same mower on order. Take care fella 👍🏻
Thanks! Sorry it took a while for me to respond. Have you received your new mower yet? How do you like it?
@@DennisAroundtheHouse not got it yet, ordered it in April 🤨
What a great video, I have ordered the same mower and am looking forward to trying it out 👍🏼
Awesome! Let me know how it goes!
I love mine, had it since last August.
Awesome!
Did you adjust the blade to knife bed? Is that an easy adjustment? Can you send them back the blade for sharpening? Looks like a great machine!
Adjusting the blades is really easy. there's a flathead bolt that has clicks to indicate your adjustments. One on each side of the blades. I love it.
@@DennisAroundtheHouse I am leaning towards the Allet. The bed knife to reel adjustment was my only worry on this unit. Swardman has an adjustment that breaks the adjustment in three locations, 2 edge and center adjustments. Allet uses just two I believe. How is the bed knife secured on the Allet? (sorry to ask, I have not gotten a call back from Allet USA )
I love how many lawn nuts are in Utah 👍🏻
Me too. Must be the altitude or a sprit of rebellion against the desert climate!
Dennis West will you be reviewing the other cartridge as well? I just put down a bunch of top soil that wasn't screened very well and now I have. Bunch of Little rocks in my lawn. I wonder if that other cartridge could pick those rocks and put it in the catcher? If so, I'm sold!
Joey Crane the Turf rake does a good job at scooping up debris, pebbles and branches, but if you have loose dirt on top it may pick a bit of that up as well. If you set it to the high setting, though, then it should do well getting the stuff that is still on the surface. Right now I only have the turf rake/scarifier, but for what you’re referring to, I bet the brush cartridge would do nicely to clean all that up!
Did you consider the Cali Trimmer before choosing the Brit? If so what made you go this way?
It was the customer Service that made me decide on getting the Allett mower. I contacted some other mower companies and they just never got back to me
The closest dealer to me is about 120 miles. How many hours before you need the blades sharpened? Can you do it yourself?
I haven’t had to get the blades sharpened yet but I hear you do it every year or two depending on how they perform. You can extend the time by “backlapping” the blades with a grinding compound as needed. I try to keep the blades clean between mowings and sprayed with WD-40. That seems to keep them moving freely and free of corrosion.
To avoid that slight barking sound when engaging the drive roller, push forward on the handle bars just a tad. When the belt grabs the pulley you won’t have such torque transfer from one to the other.
Thanks for the tip! I've had quite a while to get used to it, and I've discovered that what you said is true. It's also good to adjust the tension on the drive cable to fine tune the pick-up.
Rad
No doubt a quality mower, but I'll stick with my Suffolk Punch- chain drive, no plastic gears, proper grease nipples. Does a fantastic job. Wish it had cartridges though, I have to use an electric scarifier which is not as fun to use, but does mean no messing around with tools to swap over.
I'm always looking for a new gadget, I've never heard of a Suffolk Punch before. I'll have to look it up!
@@DennisAroundtheHouse every gardener of a certain age knows the Suffolk Punch mower in the uk, a very famous brand and very quiet low-revving engine like a vintage sewing machine!. I did hear that Allett owns the designs to those or the patents or something.
Hi Dennis, how did you get it with Honda engine? It’s actually powered by a 127cc XR550 Briggs + Stratton. I’ve just ordered one and if you have some tips I could request from them. Thanks
I know in the US it’s available with both B&S and Honda. I have a friend who has the other. I thought I heard that in the UK they were making the Honda available but I don’t know what their lineup is like right now.
@@DennisAroundtheHouse does your friend have any issues with B&S Or ist just who likes what. If I wait for the H I’ll miss this season and have to start only next season.
Nice I’m hoping to get one of these bad boys in Canada
Let me know how it goes. I'm really liking it so far!
does this model also come with a Brigs and Straton engine because that's the only engine listed on their website
Sorry for the delayed reply. I think the engine choices have to do with the region you’re in. For some reason Honda and B&S was available in the US but I think only B&S was in the UK. I think that may have changed recently but I’m not sure. They are easy to work with so you could contact them directly to find out.
@@DennisAroundtheHouse they're waiting for more engines from Honda to be able to use them across the Kensington range for the whole of Europe
@@DarthSidious11 Good to know. The Honda has been a really good engine for me, it would be nice if it can be more widely available.
@@DennisAroundtheHouse yea unfortunatelly it only comes with the Honda engine in the US and Australia
Can a reel mower be used in the Midwest with a blue grass/fescue lawn
My lawn is Kentucky blue grass and it works great. I’m sure it would do well. You just need to gradually bring it down to a short height. Not sure about fescue, how that does at short lengths. I’m at about 1” now with my KBG.
Dennis Around the House thanks Dennis
I am going to be purchasing the same mower soon. Can you give me an update how the machine is performing?
I heard some people said the parts are falling apart and not as great as it sounds.. Please give us an update how the parts are holding up??
Thanks
Sure, happy to answer. I haven’t had any “parts are falling apart” issues. The only things that have happened have been from user error. Like once I overtightened the height adjustment knob and it broke. I was able to fix it and it works fine now. It might be better if that part wasn’t plastic but when it happened I knew it was my fault. The other user error moment was when I hit the edge of the concrete sidewalk with my reel and it bent and then jammed and wouldn’t spin. I was able to get it bent back and it’s working well. It could have very easily broken the gear when that happened, but luckily the belt was loose enough that it slid on that. None of the belts or gears were damaged.
I have seen other people talk about issues that they’ve had, but I don’t know, maybe they are more heavy handed than I am.
Does that help?
@@DennisAroundtheHouse Thank you for the feedback. I cringed hearing the part reel vs concrete.. Thank goodness it was fine. How did you bend the reel back? Or did you have someone do it?
@@hendrymuljadi739 I actually did it myself. Not very gracefully i might add. With some light rapping with a hammer. It’s working fine now and I’m much more careful on those concrete transitions. This year I’m going to add some solid to my grass to level and raise it up to be more even with the sidewalk so I don’t do that again.
@@DennisAroundtheHouse What are your thoughts on Briggs vs Honda? My heart is leaning towards Honda
@@hendrymuljadi739 I’m not really sure. Obviously I have the Honda and I like it, but I’m not really an expert on the engines. It’s a little pricier and I’ve been told Honda is better, but I don’t really have a good comparison. I have a friend who has the B&S version of this and I haven’t heard any complaints or anything, but when he was buying it he was wanting the Honda.
where did you order from in the US? UK prices are almost 40%-50% less than US! Even if shipping was $700-800, I think I still come out ahead...
Are you in the U.K.? Freight costs were about $450. I wish there was a local dealer but there isn’t here in Utah. I bought mine through Horizon, but their service was inconsistent as to whether they even knew they carried it. I would have driven to one of their branches in Las Vegas to buy one if they had them there but they didn’t.
@@DennisAroundtheHouse no, i'm in the US. i want the liberty 43 (electric), but the retailers in the US are charging almost double UK prices for the mower and accessories (i.e. mower is 1200 pounds ($1500) in the UK vs. $2200+ from US retailer, cartridges are 100 - 250 pounds ($120 - $300) vs. $300-$600 US)!! i was considering ordering from a UK supplier, delivering it to a freight forwarder in the UK and having it shipped to me in the Midwest. Getting some quotes to see if this is feasible...
I would be fascinated to see how this turns out. Do let me know if you do it. I wonder if you’d be able to find a UK distributor that would ship it to the US because of contractual agreements with regional distributors. Maybe if you buy second hand then someone might be able to ship. Interesting.
Hi there. Looks amazing. What is the highest length that you can cut your grass with this machine and what is the cost for your set up that you bought? Thansk
These mowers cut from .25” to 1.25”. It’s really nice. I think that once my grass is all leveled out I may find my sweet spot at about 7/8”. As for the cost... a gentleman doesn’t tell, but if you contact Roland at Allett US, mention my name and he may be able to arrange a discount.
Great video, may i ask what made you get the 20H over the 20B or the Liberty electric?
I went with the 20H because the Honda is a stronger engine and I was thinking of longevity. My lawn is about 7500 sqft, which isn’t huge but if I’m mowing a few times a week I wanted to get as many hours out of it as possible. I didn’t go with the Liberty because of the narrower cut width and one battery charge wouldn’t be enough to do my full lawn. Are you looking into an Allett?
@@DennisAroundtheHouse Much appreciate the reply. I am yes, you're video was very informative, thank you!
No problem, good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions!
@@DennisAroundtheHouse Curious what your next cartridge would be after the scarifier
F N I think I would get the 10 blade reel. I may try to go really short with my lawn and maybe even make a putting green in one section, and the 10 blade works best for shorter lengths. My lawn is less than a year old so I don’t need any serious Dethatcher or aerator yet. The brush would also be nice because I’m going to do some sand leveling and that would help, I think.
Any regrets on this mower vs another? Thanks for the video!!
None at all! I really enjoyed this mower. I don’t have it anymore because I won the Allett striping competition and as a prize for their Stirling mower, which is an upgraded battery powered version of the Kensington. If I had it to do again with my own money, I’d definitely buy the Kensington again. The Stirling is nice but for the price, Kensington would be all I’d need
@@DennisAroundtheHouse Thank you, I’m trying to decide which reel mower to go with. I’m a fan of the cartridge system but I was not sure if the quality was being compromised in the process. Appreciate the videos.
Used it long enough you want to sell it and upgrade yet? I need this mower for spring.
It is an excellent mower! Actually it has already found a new home. After winning Allett’s new Stirling last year, I recently sold this Kensington.
@@DennisAroundtheHouse awe..sad panda. Bummer.
What happened to the side casing, it looks all scraped
Not sure. It came that way. Just surface scraping so I didn’t worry about it much.
What company and city in Texas
Like to get one if price is right.
Shipping cost ?
Thanks
I bought it through Horizon. I could have gotten better shipping if I ordered the Briggs And Stratton motor, but I wanted the Honda and they only had that in Texas. Freight was around $450. You might be able to negotiate lower costs to offset the shipping. If you speak to Roland from Allett or Tolley from Horizon, tell them I referred you and they might be able to give you a discount.
@@DennisAroundtheHouse thanks, pal, im in south Louisiana , South Carolina wanted 300 to ship, thought horizon or a dealer in Texas might be cheaper to ship and buy.
South Carolina said only have 2 17 inch BS, rest on backorder
Im checking it out, thanks again.
@@waltvancourt5052 Well, keep me posted, I'd be interested to hear how it works out! It's possible shipping from Texas might be cheaper. I think the miles had a bit to do with the cost. Sounds like you're closer.
That Allett mower looks awesome! Just curious, what made you go with them compared to a Swardman? I'm in the market for a reel mower, but just curious what made you go with an Allett?
Honestly, what initially got me was that I sent web forms from both of their sites. Never heard from Swardman but got a personal response from Roland Hall, the CEO of US sales. After quite a few phone conversations with him and realizing that Allett was actually less expensive than Swardman, I decided to go with Allett. I’m glad I did too, Allett has been in the business for over 50 years and I’ve heard from someone who knows that Swardman is starting to cut quality corners.
I don’t think you can go wrong with Allett, but I’d you’re unsure, submit the contact form on their US site and you’ll likely hear from Roland. He’s a great guy. Let me know how it goes!
Late to the party, but the swardman is what led me here. Really not much information about them and it’s hard for me to pay that kind of money for a product from any company with so little info or track record. To go with Allett seems the obvious choice
@@DennisAroundtheHouse Just because Ryan Knoor has a Swardman don't even think it is at the quality level of the Allett. Ryan has 2 Swardman's Swardman is using Ryan Knoor to promote their product so he gets his for free that's way he has 2. How many people do you know that has 2 REEL mowers let alone one. 50 years of production vs a few years. hands down Allett is the only way to go.
I agree, everything I see makes me think that Allett is far superior to them. As for having two, I’m gonna be in that camp soon after winning Allett’s creative stripes competition! But I may sell my old one. Not sure.
Plastic gears? Really
After two years I haven’t had any problems.