Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460 review: twice the blades equals twice the cutting power

When it comes to lawn mowers, there are few names more well known than Flymo, with that immediately recognisable orange hue, which is why I was keen to get my hands on the latest Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460.

I’m a big fan of cordless lawn mowers, because they’re free from the complexities of petrol mowers, and there’s no risk of running over the cable of a wired mower – something that I find more risky the smaller the garden.

In my Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460 review, I find out if the flagship member of Flymo’s cordless range is the mower to choose if you have a large lawn and want finer clippings for quicker composting. And if there’s more to the UltraMow Duo than battery interoperability.

Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460 review: price and availability

In the UK, the Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460 has varying RRPs depending on retailer, including £499.99 at Screwfix and £599.99 at B&Q, although I found it online for as little as £417 with SBT supplied with the 4.0Ah batteries I’ve tested here. But do your homework, because some mowers advertised on the likes of Amazon might feature an RRP-busting price tag, but they also come with smaller 2.5Ah batteries, limiting your grass-cutting coverage. The mower, which was launched in the UK in 2025, is yet to launch in the US and Australia.

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Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460: design and features

Open the box, and there’s no doubt you’ve bought a Flymo, with that famous orange flash shining back at you. I was pleased to see assembly was minimal; simply remove the screws pre-installed in the handle, slide each side onto the telescopic arms and replace the screws. Then all that’s required is to snap the handle onto the grass collector and clip in the tongue that smooths grass flow betwixt grass chute and 50-litre collector.

You need to charge each of the 18V, 4.0Ah batteries in turn, because there’s only one charger. Fortunately for impatient gardeners like me, the batteries came part-charged, and only took an hour each to reach their maximum capacity.

I like the serendipity when installing the batteries: lift a flap that’s a little like a car bonnet, and slide each of the batteries onto the terminals. They require a good shove to seat them properly, which I found a little disconcerting the first time. You press a button on each battery to remove them.

The racecar drama continues, because there’s a battery isolator switch between the batteries, which is important if you end up poking underneath to clear clogged grass – more on that later.

At 5’9” tall, I found it most comfortable with the arms folded out at about three-quarters of their total extension. Here, the mower remained flat on the ground; with the arms too long, I had a tendency to tilt the mower upwards, which didn’t deliver a great cut. To operate the mower, you press a centrally-mounted safety release and squeeze the start lever towards the handle, although in practice, it doesn't matter which you do first.

I like the trio of green LEDs which show battery charge, although it’s a shame they only shine for a few moments after you start the mower – I think it would be more useful for them to remain on to judge the remaining charge at a glance. Next to them is a boost mode button which increases the blade speed from 2,800 to 3,400rpm.

The cutting height adjusts at 10mm increments from 25mm to 65mm by pressing a button and lifting the mower using a handle. If that sounds tricky, it really isn’t – it’s easier and more satisfying than manhandling a lever. It’s a shame the height markers aren’t painted, however, because they’re a little tricky to see, especially with the mix of soil particles, pollen and other debris that typically coat a mower after a bit of use.

I particularly like the way the UltraMow can store upright. You fold the handle, the ends of which push through a hole in the back of the mower to serve as legs. It means I could shove it to the side of my shed, with it taking up only a little more space than my pressure washer.

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Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460: performance and features

One of the big concerns I have about cordless lawn mowers is getting caught short halfway through a job. The Worx Nitro addresses this with some innovative battery tech, but the Flymo counters this by using multi-brand Power For All batteries, which are shared by Bosch, Gardena and Husqvarna, amongst others. However, while you may have other devices with compatible batteries, they may be smaller than the 4.0Ah packs I tested.

Of equal concern is that there’s only one charger supplied, so unless you raid another set for a charger, it’ll take twice as long to get going again than it would than using, say, the 4.8Ah battery of the Stihl RMA 443 VC.

Even so, the Flymo only ran out of puff after around 300m2 of mowing, which should be plenty for most typical gardens.

My first run out with the Flymo saw me cutting 50mm grass straight down to 25mm, but I found it to be more effective if you creep up on the desired length in smaller increments. Do this, and the results are impressive.

While that does mean running over the same patch several times, it doesn't require many runs up and down the garden because the 46cm cutting deck is wide, and it cuts close to the edge, too. There are guides on the front of the mower to show the extremities of the cutting area, and I found the wheels provided useful tramlines.

The Flymo has twin blades which contra rotate. The benefit, says Flymo, is more coverage on a charge, a more precise cut and better grass collection, and I’m inclined to agree: the cut was precise even on a bumpy lawn, and the 50-litre grass collector filled at a surprisingly rapid rate.

It’s a shame, then, that the grass-box-full indicator doesn't work brilliantly, and is obscured when the handle was extended to my optimal position. That meant that on my first pass, the mower wasn’t collecting well at all, and it was only after lifting the flap that I saw the grass box was fit to burst and grass was clogging around the blades. Mental note to check the collector frequently, then.

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However, the grass box is easy to install and remove, and there’s an extra handle on the end to make it easier to empty into your bin or compost heap.

The large back wheels make the Flymo maneuverable and easy to turn because I never felt I was battling the small front wheels. Although I wonder if moving the weighty batteries further back might’ve made the UltraMow Duo more maneuverable still.

I found the Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460 fairly sociable to use. With a maximum of 90dB, I didn’t feel the need to reach for the ear defenders, and it didn’t seem to bother my lazy cat, or neighboring dogs for that matter.

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Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460: verdict

The Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460 is an excellent and reasonably cost effective all-rounder for anyone maintaining a typical sized garden. Its wide cutting deck and twin blades allow it to mow more grass more efficiently and in less time than single-blade alternatives, and the interchangeability of its batteries between brands boosts its usability and appeal, too. Foibles with the grass box indicators and the requirement to use two batteries aside, it’s a hard mower to fault.

Flymo UltraMow Duo 36V 460 review: Alternatives to consider

The Worx Nitro WG761E 80V remains the class of the (literal) field, with its innovative battery system, ergonomic handlebar setup and the ability to cover more lawn than the Flymo. But it costs roughly twice as much as the orange mower.

The Flymo is closer to the EGO+ LM2021E-SP 50cm self-propelled in some regards. While EGO+ isn’t the same household name, it has a wider cutting deck, larger grass collector and a greater range of cutting heights. It’s compact when folded and stored, but like the Worx, there’s nothing compact about its price.