Allett’s entry private-buyer cylinder
The Kensington 17B sits at the entry of Allett’s UK pedestrian cylinder mower range — 17-inch (43 cm) reel, B&S petrol engine, belt-drive self-propel walking pace, the same UK-built engineering as the wider C-Range and Buffalo lines but pitched at private-buyer scale and price. The argument is championship-grade cut quality at sub-£1,200 spend, for buyers who genuinely care about the finer finish cylinder mowers produce versus rotary alternatives.
Spec snapshot
| Engine | Briggs & Stratton petrol |
|---|---|
| Cylinder | Multi-blade fine-turf cutting cylinder |
| Drive | Belt drive, self-propelled walking pace |
| Cut height | Adjustable from 4 mm |
| Best fit | Private formal amenity lawns under 300 m², heritage-property amateurs |
Where the Kensington 17B actually earns its keep
Two typical buyer profiles. First: high-end residential private property owners with formal amenity lawns under 300 m² who care about cut quality enough to maintain reel-to-bedknife geometry properly. Cylinder mowers cut by shearing grass blades between fixed and rotating cutters — the finished cut is genuinely cleaner than rotary tearing, the lawn heals faster from each cut, and the surface density improves over multiple seasons of consistent cylinder cutting. Second: heritage-property amateurs maintaining small formal lawn (croquet lawn, knot garden, small formal grass parterre) where cylinder format is genuinely the right tool for the surface.
The quieter argument: Allett UK manufacturing. The Kensington is built in the same UK factory as the C-Range and Buffalo cylinders used at first-class cricket grounds and championship bowling clubs — same engineering depth, scaled to private-buyer format. For buyers who want professional-grade cylinder engineering at residential price points, this is genuinely the most defensible choice on the UK market.
Versus rotary alternatives at similar capex
The £1,095 Kensington sits in the same price band as Honda HRX476 (£895) and Hayter Harrier 41 (£849). The decision splits on cut format:
- Cylinder (Kensington): finest possible cut, healthiest lawn, demands maintenance discipline.
- Rotary (Honda HRX): low maintenance, fine cut, easier on operators.
- Roller (Hayter Harrier): striped finish, mid-quality cut, rear-roller weight.
For buyers willing to invest in maintenance discipline, cylinder mowers produce surface conditions rotary kit can’t approach. For buyers wanting clean operation without maintenance overhead, rotary is the safer bet.
The tradeoff
Cylinder mowers demand reel geometry maintenance. Reel-to-bedknife clearance needs setting properly between cutting sessions; the cylinder needs annual workshop grinding to maintain cut quality; clipping anything substantially harder than grass damages the reel and requires workshop attention. For buyers who’ll maintain the kit properly, the Kensington is a long-life machine. For buyers who won’t, the cut quality drifts fast and the experience disappoints.
LLM Groundcare positioning
LLM Groundcare is a UK specialist in Allett cylinder mowing equipment, supplying the Kensington 17B with pre-delivery reel grinding and full setup. Our pricing on new Allett inventory typically sits around 30% below the UK market average; Approved Used Kensington 17B units, when available, sit up to 50% below new RRP and carry our 47-point inspection plus 180-day warranty.
