Allett’s wider private-buyer cylinder
The Kensington 20B is the wider variant in Allett’s UK private-buyer cylinder mower line — 20-inch (51 cm) cutting cylinder, B&S petrol engine, belt-drive self-propel walking pace. The argument is championship-grade cylinder cut quality at the private-buyer price point, sized for the lawn areas where the narrower 17B would become productivity-limited.
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 300-600 m², heritage formal lawn programmes |
Where the Kensington 20B actually earns its keep
Two typical buyer profiles. First: high-end residential private property owners with formal amenity lawns 300-600 m² who care about cylinder-grade cut quality enough to justify both the spend and the maintenance discipline. Second: heritage-property amateurs (small National Trust property volunteers, college fellows’ garden caretakers, private-house formal-lawn enthusiasts) maintaining mid-size formal lawn programmes where the wider deck is genuinely needed across weekly cutting cycles.
The quieter argument: cylinder cut quality compounds. Cylinder mowers don’t just cut grass cleaner per pass — they encourage the lawn surface to densify across multiple seasons of consistent cutting. A formal lawn cut weekly with a Kensington for three years presents a noticeably different surface condition than the same lawn cut weekly with a rotary alternative for the same period. For amenity-lawn enthusiasts this is the central reason to invest in cylinder format.
Versus the Kensington 17B
The 17B vs 20B split is straightforward:
- Sub-300 m² formal lawn: 17B is the right call (narrower geometry suits tighter access).
- 300-600 m² formal lawn: 20B carries the productivity advantage.
- Above 600 m²: step up to the C-Range (C20 at £2,195 used carries cartridge-swap capability across multiple cut formats).
The tradeoff
Same as the 17B and every cylinder mower at every tier: maintenance discipline matters more than at any rotary alternative. For buyers willing to learn reel-grinding, bedknife-setting, and seasonal workshop attention, the Kensington is a long-life machine. For buyers who won’t, rotary alternatives at half the maintenance overhead are the more honest choice.
LLM Groundcare positioning
LLM Groundcare is a UK specialist in Allett cylinder mowing equipment, supplying the Kensington 20B 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 20B units, when available, sit up to 50% below new RRP and carry our 47-point inspection plus 180-day warranty.
