SPEEDY GONZALES FOR LATE-NIGHT LAWN CUTS

EGO 2102E-SP, £729 IF IT’S speed you’re after, the EGO certainly delivers. At top whack I can barely keep up as it whizzes across my lawn — great news when all you want to do is escape the midday sun. The EGO is one of the new generation of battery-powered mowers that promise to deliver the performance of a petrol mower without the fuel costs and pollution. But it is a subtly different beast. The design is chunky and muscular, but it’s largely made of plastic rather than metal, so much lighter. No doubt this is essential to achieve the 50-minute run time it boasts from each battery charge, but I worry about how tough it really is. The front wheels look a tad flimsy and while it is much quieter than a petrol mower, some of the bodywork rattles are alarming. That said, it does a great job of cutting the grass. Push a button, squeeze the handle and off it zooms. I was particularly impressed by its ability to tackle thick clumps of foot-high grass. As well as having a mulching option, it also has headlights. Which is all the excuse I need to sunbathe by day, mow by night. RATING: 7/10