I'd like to get one of these http://theoriginalfactoryshop.co.uk/Shop/Outdoors/Flymo-Range.html since a friend of mine works for them and can get me a discount :-); but, I know very little about lawnmowers (I live in an apartment) - can anyone recommend one of them?

Obviously I'd rather spend less than more but I equally want to get here something that's good quality and will last.

From my recollections of the models I had

Pros.
No wheel groves and you can cut in any direction, so corners and recesses are easier to manage, no having to go backwards then forwards to cut the strip next to the bit you just cut. Very handy if you have lots of obstacles in your garden, much easier to mow around things.

They were electric so no engine maintenance, starting problems, fuel cans, oil or air filters to worry about. Just keeping the housing clean after cuts and blade service. Not suggesting that the motors last forever.

Cons.
It was electric and you had to keep moving the extension cords out of the way. Not being restrained by wheels the free flowing movement means you have to be way more aware of where the cord is.
As far as cuts go they did just as good a job as any wheeled rotary mower.
There are no wheels, so you have to carry it back to wherever you store it, bear this in mind when you choose a model size for your mother.

I cannot comment on the reliability of today's models or the suitability of a rotary mower for the kind of grass you have, all I can do is pass on a consumer review.

Wow this brings back memories, like summer 1976, Sussex, England!! We had a few of these mowers and they were really good. As Nigel mentions these hovered on a cushion of air.
The only safety was that the metal frame handle was longish so that the cutting head was kept away from you. No blade brakes, dead man handles etc. The engines were two stroke and extremely easy to start. Especially when the engine was warm. So it is essential that you remove the spark plug clip prior to any maintenance.

On the flat they were extremely easy to push around and were pretty good on slopes too so long was you were up slope from them. If you slipped and the mower ran down the slope into you that would be bad. Remember no safetys!!! So I always had the mower below me. If you let go, you would loose the mower but at least it ran away from you.

The only thing that was bad was when you had a curve surface, e.g. golf berm, then the mower would not hover and sort of run a ground. The other exciting surface was a flintstone driveway. I thought I could just hover over that. But it was a bit rough, the subsequent sparks were *really* exciting.

The other great thing about them was that the were real simple, no gears pully etc. Just a motor on a plastic hover platform. Hence they were pretty tough and reliable.

I think these are no longer available due to the safety concerns, and from what I see on the web site, the current ones are not what I remember.

Best, Mike. (Now in USA).