T3's Titan Petrol Lawn Mower review in a sentence: Worth a try for the ease and power offered by using fuel instead of electric for propulsion.
I’ve owned my current Flymo lawn mower for a few years now and, for the size of my garden, it does the trick. The downside? It’s electric and has a cable, which means extra faff especially when compared to this, the Titan Petrol Lawn Mower, which is a very decent new model from Screwfix in the UK and sits very nicely up there alongside the best petrol lawn mower options on offer currently.
That’s the thing with the best cordless lawn mowers, there’s much more freedom both from cables and, in many cases, means you don’t have to keep your eye on those rain clouds compared to mains-powered models with a cable. It’s not advisable to keep using a battery-powered lawn mower if things do start to get damp though, in which case petrol power is perhaps the better option if you’re keen to just finish up and then clear away.
Naturally, buying a petrol lawn mower is a slightly different kettle of fish. There’s a little more to it, both initially and if you’re planning on not mowing for a while, a degree of minor faff when the mower needs to be stored away for longer periods. However, the upside is unlimited mowing time (just as long as you’ve got fuel onboard), generally more power on tap and, best of all, the hardiness that comes with a combustion-powered lawnmower.
Titan Petrol Lawn Mower review: price and availability
I think this lawn mower is produced primarily for the UK market and I got my test unit from Screwfix, where it's officially listed as the Titan TTLMP300SP40 41cm 125cc Self-Propelled Rotary Petrol Lawn Mower. It has a RRP of £199.99, although at the time of writing was being sold with a 10 per cent discount, bringing the asking price down to just £179.99.
Titan Petrol Lawn Mower review: design and features
The Titan Petrol Lawn Mower is a self-propelled rotary petrol-powered lawn mower and feels like it’s ideally suited for cutting average to large areas of grass. Central to the attraction is its 125cc Briggs & Stratton petrol engine, which is four stroke so it’s smooth and reasonably quiet during operation. It’s got a 41cm cutting area and the cutting height can be adjusted between 25mm and 75mm.
I think the overall design and build of this model seems very good considering the reasonably low price point. There are some compromises though, with the moulded plastic wheels feeling like they might not be the most durable. However, they are of a lightweight construction, which helps reduce of bit of the overall bulk as this model weighs in at 26.8kg. As a result, it’s a bit of a lump to lift even when using the built-in carrying handle.
On arrival, there is some minor assembly needed to get up and running. This mainly surrounds fixing the main push handle in place although this is very straightforward just as long as you get it the right way up. I didn’t, so had to undo it and rotate then secure. There are quick release toggles though, which make the task that bit easier. This being a petrol engine, there’s also oil and petrol to add, which requires careful examination of the instruction booklet.
Overall, the design is well thought out, with all the controls falling easily to hand. The grass box has a slightly weird way of fitting to the back of the machine though, but once I’d got it in place was relieved to see that it could handle up to 50 litres of cuttings. That allows me to basically do my front and back lawns without emptying it.
All of the components seem quite durable in their construction, and everything is either painted metal or heavy-duty plastic so I’d say the Titan should have a reasonable lifespan if it’s cared for.
Titan Petrol Lawn Mower review: petrol system
Using a petrol-powered lawn mower is certainly different to using one that works with mains electricity or a battery. Initially, I had to run through a series of things that included adding some oil and petrol to their dedicated fillers. However, the upside to this is the Briggs & Stratton four-stroke engine, which is a brand that sits in many other mowers across the land. It’s a simple but effective setup that works without fuss.
Getting the engine going is done by pulling the starting cord, which fires it up, while power controls sit up on the push bar and are very easy to master. One thing to note, though, is that unused fuel should be drained from the tank prior to storage as it doesn’t last that long but Titan has included a pump for getting it out easily enough. My machine ran on standard unleaded, so that was easy enough to get hold of.
Titan Petrol Lawn Mower review: performance
My lawn hadn’t been mown at all when I got to try the Titan Petrol Lawn Mower, so it was perfect for this machine. Cutting long grass works very well, especially if the cuttings box isn’t attached, just to initially get through the thickness. Being early in the year mean the grass was also quite damp when I did my first pass, put having the 125cc’s of petrol power really did make this a breeze. This is where a mower like this has the edge over battery appliances, I think.
I found the Titan had plenty in the tank too, quite literally, as it seemed to sip fuel even though I’d put very little in to begin with. Of course, start piling on the power and that will slip, so thicker grass that needs more power over a protracted period of time will drain the tank more quickly. Once I’d done my first pass though, I found that four-stroke great for just sauntering across the lawn with the box attached and barely having any revs at all.
The Titan stats suggest this model has an operating sound of 96dBA and when idling it is pretty quiet. Get into the long grass and it’ll make more noise for sure, but that, plus the emissions, aren’t bad enough for anyone to moan about.
Naturally, there’s the inevitable clean up afterwards, which is necessary to prolong the life of the machine but it’s worth noting that unlike an electric mower, care needs to be taken when lifting the mower up to clean the blades (when it is off obviously), so that petrol and oil doesn’t leak out.
Titan Petrol Lawn Mower review: verdict
The Titan Petrol Lawn Mower makes perfect sense if you’ve got quite a lot of grass to cover, especially if it’s a bit uneven and less than pristine. There’s enough grunt from the four-stroke petrol engine to maneuver over most terrain, plus I like the versatile cut height options, which can be altered with a quick click of the side lever. Controls are quick and easy to master and fuel economy, noise and emissions all tick the right boxes too.
For the money, the Titan Petrol Lawn Mower is a very commendable machine.
