Gtech has sorted out my lawn for summer 2024

Introduction

One of the biggest plus points from being buried deep down the rabbit hole of smart home reviews for these past few years since we started The Ambient, is that I’ve been able to test a vast array of robot lawnmowers and not had to worry about the chore of cutting the grass every week or so.

Almost… there have been times where I’ve been without a robot to test, or let the lawn grow too long for a robo to handle, and I’ve had to revert to the manual method.

Cue getting the extension lead out and playing a dangerous game of hop skip with the various cables for an hour or so.

But no longer, as the cordless Gtech Lawnmower CLM50 has come to save my summer.

I’ve been using the CLM50, and its partner in crime – the Gtech Grass Edge Trimmer GT50 – through their paces for the past few weeks, read on for my full review.

Design and components

The CLM50 is a good looking mower. Its green, white and black color scheme look modern and stylish, and will add a bit of flair to your garden tools.

It’s a colour scheme that is consistent across the Gtech range, so any other kit you pick up from the Worcester-based brand will match it nicely.

It arrives in its folded-down position, and mostly assembled, which is a blessing for those who dread the usual setup hassle… Ikea has a lot to answer for. 

You only need to fit the handles together and attach the grass box, a process that’s straightforward and quick. The grass bin itself is designed to be flexible, making it easy to fold down and store after use.

The handles lock into place via a couple of tension levers that are easy to manoeuvre, but does leave the handle element feeling a touch flimsy. 

I suppose that’s the price to pay for having a mower that folds down into such a compact form factor; my regular corded mower is sturdy as heck but it also takes up about five times the space in my shed. 

At just 13.5kg, the Gtech Lawnmower is an incredibly lightweight affair and it’s no hassle at all moving it around – both to and from the shed, and around the garden during operation.

On the former, when it’s all folded down, you use a handle on the main body itself rather than the handle to carry it around. 

The battery, a pretty bulky black block, slots into the top of that main body, underneath a tinted transparent flap and there’s an LED battery indicator that keeps you informed about the remaining charge.

Features

The mower’s 42cm cutting width and 50-litre grass box make it ideal for both small and large lawns; I’ve been testing it in my back garden, which has a lawn around 225 square metres and, even when the grass was at its longest, a complete cut didn’t empty the battery.

One of the standout features of the CLM50 its intelligent omniblade cutting technology cutting system, which automatically adjusts the motor speed from 2,800rpm to 3,500rpm when it encounters tougher grass.

Basically this means that you shouldn’t notice any extra effort needed on longer patches and you’ll get efficient and thorough mowing without manual adjustments.

You can actually feel the motor ramp up when the higher revs are needed, it’s a bit like when a handheld vacuum kicks into boost mode on dirty patches.

With a cutting range from 30mm to 80mm, you can customize the height to suit your lawn’s needs; this is actually done via a gear-stick looking toggle on the side, which has 6 settings for each 10mm increment between that minimum and maximum. 

This flexibility means you can easily adapt to different grass conditions and personal preferences, whether you prefer a shorter, manicured look or a slightly longer, natural appearance.

There isn’t a roller though, so that means it’s much harder to achieve those classic football pitch-esque lawn stripes.

While there’s obviously not the extra-danger of accidentally cutting the chord, as there isn’t one, a lawnmower is still a dangerous beast and I did have concerns about having an ‘always-on’ mower on my lawn; with the risk that my 6-year old may take it for a spin when I had my back turned.

However, you actually have to pull a safety handle to initiate the power in the first place and the CLM50 also features a safety lock to prevent accidental starts.

Performance

Using the Gtech CLM50 is a breeze. Its ergonomic design reduces the strain on your hands and back, which is a significant plus during prolonged use. 

This makes it an excellent choice if you need to navigate uneven terrain or slopes.; my garden is bumpy as heck and it navigated all the nooks and crannies with no problems at all. 

The handles are comfortable, and the overall build is robust, albeit with the slightly flimsy handles, giving you confidence in its durability. 

The grass bin is easy to attach and detach, making it easy to dump grass into your green bin or on your compost as you go and, because it’s flexible, it’s easy to shake down at the end of a mowing session. It also features a handy indicator flap so it’s easy to see when the bin is full and needs emptying. 

The quiet motor is an added bonus, allowing you to maintain your lawn without annoying your neighbours. 

The blade underneath is a solitary affair but with a wide 420mm cutting width, it’s more than up to the job; I found it cut well from wheel to wheel.

Battery life

Battery life is a critical factor for any cordless mower, and the CLM50 doesn’t disappoint, with a 40-minute runtime on a full charge, it should cover most garden sizes without interruption.

If it takes you longer than 40 minutes to mow your lawn then you can probably afford a gardener (or a robot mower.)

It also features a rapid one-hour charging time, so that even if you do run out of power, you’re not left waiting long to get back to work. I also noticed it only took about 15 minutes of charging to get 2 lights on the battery LED lit up, meaning you’ve got half a tank in no time at all.  

One thing to note though, is that the battery for the CLM50 isn’t a battery that is interchangeable with other Gtech products, it’s solely for the biggest mower in the Gtech’s range.

Grass Edge Trimmer GT50: The perfect companion

To complement the CLM50, Gtech offers the Grass Edge Trimmer GT50, which I’ve been using in tandem with the mower. 

This trimmer is perfect for those hard-to-reach areas and finishing touches that the mower might miss. 

Lightweight and easy to handle, the GT50 boasts a telescopic handle and an adjustable head, making those tricky spots around paving slabs, borders and flower beds much easier to maintain.

Rather than a wire spinning, the GT50 uses little plastic blades which simply pop on or off. Gtech gives you a little pack of around 20 blades in the box and, word of warning, you’ll go through these quite quickly as the blades wear-down, or snap, pretty quickly. I usually use at least two per trimming session.

The good news is that you can pick these up cheap as chips online… albeit non-official Gtech ones.

Like the CLM50, the GT50 is super lightweight, cordless and easy to manoeuvre.

The battery simply pops into the top of the handle and it’s also the same battery that can be used on Gtech’s hedge-trimmers and Gtech’s smaller range of mowers too.

Final thoughts

The Gtech Lawnmower CLM50 is a fantastic cordless lawnmower that makes cutting the grass a much smaller chore than ever before.

The extra bells and whistles, such as the adjustable speed and cutting heights, alongside the portability prowess, make the CLM50 easy to recommend. 

How we test

When we publish our reviews, you can rest assured that they are the result of “living with” long term tests.

Read our guide on how we test to learn more.