Flymo or Makita: the best mower for your lawn and your wallet?

Cut width and lawn coverage

The Makita wins on paper here, but only narrowly. Its 38cm cutting width is slightly wider than the Flymo’s 36cm, so it can cover a medium UK lawn a little faster, especially if you’re mowing weekly through spring and summer. That said, the difference is small enough that it won’t transform the job; both are best suited to typical suburban lawns rather than large, rough gardens. For pure efficiency, Makita edges it, but not by much.

Performance

This is where the comparison becomes more about power source than raw numbers. The Flymo’s 1500W mains motor delivers consistent power all the time, which is a real advantage if your grass is damp, slightly overgrown after a wet spell, or you’re cutting thicker perennial ryegrass common in UK gardens. You don’t have to think about battery charge, and torque stays steady from start to finish. The Makita’s twin 18V system gives cordless flexibility and enough power for routine maintenance cuts, but performance depends on battery capacity, battery age, and whether you’re using genuine LXT packs. For reliable, uninterrupted cutting power, the Flymo wins.

Build quality and design

Makita wins here. The DLM382Z is part of Makita’s LXT ecosystem, and the mower typically feels more robust, with a more premium chassis and better overall engineering than a budget corded mower. The Flymo is perfectly practical and has the advantage of simplicity, but it is very much a value-focused machine. Makita’s cordless design also removes the obvious snag risk of a trailing mains lead, which improves safety and makes the mower feel easier to handle around trees, borders, and awkward corners. If build feel and refinement matter, Makita takes the point.

Battery life and runtime

This category only really applies to the Makita, and it is both a strength and a weakness. Because the DLM382Z is sold without batteries and charger, runtime is entirely determined by what you already own or buy. With a pair of decent 5.0Ah LXT batteries, you can expect sensible runtime for a small-to-medium lawn, but heavy spring growth or wet grass will drain packs faster. The Flymo wins on convenience because it has unlimited runtime as long as you have mains access; there is no charging delay, no battery degradation, and no need to budget for extra packs. If you want the least hassle, the Flymo is the more dependable choice.

Price and value for money

The Flymo is the clear value winner on upfront cost. At £115.99, it is £84 cheaper than the Makita’s £199.99 asking price, and that gap is before you even factor in batteries and a charger for the Makita. For anyone starting from zero, the Makita package cost can climb sharply once you add battery hardware, making it poor value as a standalone purchase. The Flymo gives you a complete, ready-to-use mower for a much lower outlay. If you are buying purely on pounds spent per cut, Flymo wins convincingly.

Features and ownership experience

The Makita wins for users already in the LXT ecosystem. If you own Makita 18V batteries for drills, blowers, hedge trimmers, or saws, the DLM382Z becomes much more attractive because you can share batteries across tools. That ecosystem benefit is a genuine long-term advantage and can make the higher price easier to justify. The Flymo, by contrast, is plug-in-and-go: no battery management, no charger clutter, and no need to coordinate charging before mowing. For first-time buyers, that simplicity is hard to beat. For existing Makita owners, the cordless convenience may outweigh the extra cost.

Overall user experience

For a typical UK homeowner with a small or medium lawn, the Flymo is the easier recommendation if the main goal is to keep costs down and mow reliably. It is especially sensible for gardens with easy mains access, regular weekly cuts, and users who don’t want to think about battery runtime. The Makita is better if you hate cables, mow around lots of obstacles, or already have Makita batteries and want to expand a cordless tool collection. In practical terms, the Flymo is the better mower for most buyers, while the Makita is the better system choice for committed cordless users.

Overall summary: the Flymo Speedi-Mo 360VC is the stronger buy for most people because it is cheaper, simpler, and delivers consistent mains power with no battery worries. The Makita DLM382Z is the more premium and flexible machine, but only really makes sense if you already own Makita LXT batteries or strongly value cordless freedom enough to justify the extra spend.