Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V lawn mower review: a lightweight, budget buy

Despite offering a number of ‘wheeled’ models, the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V mower is the product that most people probably associate with Flymo. Hover mowers literally ‘float’ on a cushion of air, making them incredibly light and easy to move around as there are no wheels to cause friction with the ground. Flymo’s latest offering, the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V has been designed for small to medium gardens, with a 33cm cutting width and a powerful 1700W motor running on mains electricity. 

I tested the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V on a variety of different lawns and came back with somewhat mixed results. While I was happy with the quality of the cut on a variety of different grasses and thought it excelled when it came to lawn edges, I found it blew grass all over the place and a 10m cable is nowhere near as long as you think it’s going to be. 

See our best lawn mowers guide for more recommendations when it comes to cutting your grass with ease.

Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V: product specifications

• Watt: 1,700
• Cutting width: 33cm
• Adjustable height settings: 4
• Cutting height: 1 - 3cm
• Grass collection box: 20L
• Power cable length: 10m
• Weight: 8.5kg (grass collection box empty)
• Guarantee: 2 years

 First impressions

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was how complete it looked. The body of the mower fills the box with the handlebar laid on top. 

Compared to other models I have tested, there are very few components in addition to the main body of the mower (only 8, including spacer washers). I already knew I wasn't going to be attaching wheels to this one but it was nice to have something that felt like it would need so little assembly.

Everything felt well packed and the few bits and pieces that did come with it were secured in a clear plastic bag, tucked away in the grass box. 

 Getting started

I put the mower together in a very short time and would estimate that the average person will be up and mowing within about 10-15 minutes, even if they have never assembled any type of mower before. 

In line with other models, such as the Flymo Easistore 340R, the instructions are clear and easy to follow. Everything was presented in the form of easy-to-follow diagrams. The few steps that were involved in putting the mower together were all very straightforward. 

However, putting it together is where I found the first problem with build quality. There are two hooks that attach to the metal handlebar to allow you to store the electric cable when the mower is not is use. A good idea in theory! 

However, when tightening the hooks, I found that the metal bar was squeezed to such an extent that the paint split. Not a great start and considering the force of pushing the mower is transferred through this apparently quite thin metal bar, I do feel this may be a potential concern in terms of the longevity of the machine. 

I stopped tightening before doing any more damage, but this left the cable hook looser than I would have liked. 

Before you start mowing the lawn with the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V, you have the option to adjust the height of cut. This is done by turning the mower upside down, removing the blade and adding spacer washers (three are provided) between the motor and the cutting blade.

Adding more spacer washers means a lower blade and therefore a shorter cut. I found this the most complicated part of the set up and would recommend you wear gloves to protect your hands and to do this stage on grass to save scratching the machine. 

 What is the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V like to use?

The first thing you notice when you start mowing with the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V is how light it is to push. This really is the benefit of a hover mower; it quite literally glides along when you push it. This makes using it easier on your shoulders and wrists if you are mowing over a larger area. It also means that bumps and uneven ground are not a problem.

The Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V also does very well when you reach the edge of the lawn, provided the border or patio are lower than the grass. Simply push it slightly over the boundary and you have short grass right up to your lawn edging without having to worry about wheels going down and grounding the mower (and scalping the grass). 

Another plus point is that the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V is a relatively quiet machine with most of the noise coming from the fan that lifts it up. It certainly won’t be loud enough to upset the neighbours on a Sunday afternoon.  

It’s not all good news, however, and one big drawback I found was grass collection. Hover mowers never perform brilliantly in this area because the air cushion pushing them up also tends to take some of the grass with it, so some errant blades in the borders are to be expected. 

However, I estimated that it collected only half to two thirds of the grass it mowed and sadly the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V left a mess wherever it went. If grass collection is a high priority then I would recommend you avoid a hover mower entirely and go for a Stihl RMA 235, which actually vacuums it up as it goes. 

What does make it to the grass box is easy enough to dispose of, although here is where I found another build quality issue. An orange flap (lid) connected to the main body of the mower is supposed to clip to the top of the grass box. I found that the plastic it is made from is so flimsy that it is virtually impossible to connect it on both sides without it springing out of position. 

While this does not particularly affect the functionality of the mower, I found this to be very unimpressive. I fully understand the need to to keep weight down on something that hovers, but this seems to be a compromise too far. 

I think it is probably fair to say that the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V does not feel like a premium product in any way, but to be fair, the price reflects that. 

Flimsy components and scratchy plastics meant that it felt like it was designed to be aimed solely at the budget end of the market. I actually thought that this was a real shame because this mower offers some clever features that feel overshadowed by just a few too many compromises.   

Ease of use

Overall, I found the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V fairly easy to use in a variety of different settings. It is light to push when you are mowing and the handles are comfortable to hold, even for prolonged use. When it comes to the edges of the lawn, a hover mower does have clear benefits over a wheeled one. 

One area where the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V mower does do well is when you come to pack it away. There are rollers at the front that allow you to push the mower back to the shed. Unfortunately, these only work on completely flat ground and you will still need to lift it up if you have a step, but it is still a big improvement on carrying the mower the entire way. 

The handle then folds down and the mower stands on its end. I liked this design because it means that it takes up a very small amount of shed storage or space in  the garage. I also liked the way the cable stores on the side of the machine, I was just disappointed the hooks weren’t better. 

Sadly, there is no escaping the fact that compared to battery mowers, a mower with an electrical cable is a pain. You have to be aware at all times where the cable is, how much you have left and (crucially!) whether you are in danger of chopping through it. This is probably not an issue for someone who is already using a mower with a cable, but if you are used to using battery power, I am pretty sure this will annoy you. 

However, the biggest single drawback of the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V is the grass cut adjustment and it is a very big drawback. Having to turn the mower upside down and then remove the blade with a special tool is both time consuming and irritating. There is also the risk of injury by being that close to sharp blade. 

This is in stark contrast to many wheeled machines such as the Mountfield Electress 38Li Kit or the Cobra MX41 that simply have a handle on the side that allows you to select a setting within a few seconds. If you frequently have to change cut length, we would strongly suggest that this is not the machine for you. 

 Additional features

I couldn't find any accessories to go with the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V. However, the main additional feature that anyone who buys this mower will want to consider is an extension cable. 

Unless you have a very small garden, ideally with an outdoor power outlet, you are going to find the 10m cable too short. We would urge anyone considering buying this mower to factor in the cost of an extension lead with an RCD, that cuts out if you mow it by mistake, as part of the purchase.

How do we rate the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V overall?

We checked other reviews after we had tried out the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V ourselves, to get some idea of what other people thought of it and found the feedback to be quite mixed. Many users praised the mower for its ease of use and storage. There were also positive comments about the value it represented at its price point. This is an opinion that we would be inclined to agree with to a large extent as, compared to a battery powered mower, it is a lot cheaper. 

However, there was also quite a bit of criticism about the build quality. A number of people complained that they too found parts of the plastic flimsy. Users also mentioned the grass pickup, or lack thereof, as being a problem. One user even stated that he found it picked up around 20% to 25% as much grass as another mower he had used. I didn’t think it was quite that bad but I was not impressed. There was also some criticism about the weight of the machine. I had mixed feelings about this because while just over 8kg is heavy to some people, others will find it very light. So this point is probably quite subjective, but worth considering depending on how much you feel like lifting. 

Amazon showed the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V as having an average 4 out of 5 stars across 500 reviews. I actually thought that 4 out 5 was very much on the generous side. While I did think that it was an easy machine to use and that some of features were clever, the number of build quality issues, compared to other mowers I have tested, meant that I was not prepared to give it any more than 3 stars. If it had been better made, I would have rated it higher. 

Overall, I think that the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330V would be best suited to people with small garden who is looking for a cheap and cheerful mower for light to moderate use. However, anyone with a bigger garden who is looking for something to take on more demanding tasks should look elsewhere. I certainly wouldn’t bet on this mower still being around after even a couple of years of heavy use. 

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