A little advice, if I may....
The strimmer shown in Reply#7 is of the better design, and worth preserving. The engine is 'two-stroke' and, as such, self lubricating. The casing at the bottom of the shaft contains a bevel gear which MUST be kept well greased. There should be a 12mm (or thereabouts) hex bolt head on the side of the casting, just above the three-pointed flange, which should be removed regularly, and grease inserted. It is worth checking immediately, as I have seen these come from the factory without grease (possibly because grease/oil are regarded as 'hazardous' for shipping purposes). Beware of a build-up of old vegetation around the rotating shaft behind the cord reel. Because of the power available from the petrol engine, it's possible to get a serious build-up without really noticing - until the engine or clutch overheats, that is.
The 'hand-push' mower (Reply#13) will probably disappoint. these modern (usually Chinese) push mowers are not heavy enough to operate the blade reliably, and tend to just slide across the surface of the lawn with the wheels/blade stalled. If you have a good, short, very flat/even surfaced lawn, a 'proper' heavy push mower with a rear roller (e.g. Qualcast) will give you a beautiful striped finish
I would strongly suggest that you invest in a proper one from a 'car boot' sale before condemning push mowers altogether... ;-)
I have an old one here which you could have, but I have no way of getting it to the East Midlands.. :-(
All best
Dave T
P.S. if you are in any doubt as to the lubrication status of the bevel gear on your strimmer, a few drops of the thickest oil you can find (Gearbox oil, ideally) applied through the hole won't do any harm, and may do a lot of good.
