Summary
How good is the Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 cordless lawnmower? The Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 cordless lawnmower is a cordless lawnmower that charges its battery in around 125 minutes and produces a 50 minutes run time. It has a large 40 litre grass box, a 36 cm cutting width and 6 cutting heights that range from 25mm to 70mm. The Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 cordless lawnmower is best suited to lawns up to 550m² in size.
In my Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 review, I will take you through the features and benefits of this cordless lawnmower while also pointing out the few potential drawbacks. This will help you decide if this is the perfect solution for your lawn maintenance needs.
Bosch is by far one of the largest and most reliable manufacturers of electric lawnmowers in the world today. The combination of high quality, rugged, beautifully designed and competitively priced machines, put them leaps and bounds above their competition. If you’re looking for a reliable lawnmower that won’t break the bank and will give you many years of happy service and freshly cut lawns, Bosh may very well be the brand for you. With the Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 cordless lawnmower, they’ve taken things even further and released one of the most feature-packed, user-friendly, high performing machines on the market today. This just may be the lawnmower you’ve been waiting for all along.
So, lets get on with this Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 review…
Main Features
- Rating: 9.6/10
- Covers areas reaching 550m² in size
- Charge Time: 125 min
- Free Run Time: 50 minutes (Depending on Conditions)
- Battery: 4Ah – 36v
- Grass Box Capacity: 40L
- Cut Width: 36cm
- Number of Cutting Heights: 6 (25mm to 70mm)
- Weight: 15kg
Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 Video
To get a visual representation of this Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 lawnmower see the video below. (Not English)
Features In Detail
Power System
The Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 is a workhorse of a lawnmower. It’s efficient, yet powerful lithium-ion battery, which clocks in at 36 V/4.0 Ah, takes all of the stress, strain and effort out of maintaining your lawn. It has an impressive Powerdrive LI+ motor, which it uses to drive its mighty blades (more on them shortly). Better yet, it’s completely cordless. Allowing you to tackle even the biggest and most unruly of lawns without having to worry about getting tangled up in its cord, or relying on extension wires to reach the nearest available plug socket.
This mower is supplied with either 1 x 4Ah battery or 2 x 2Ah batteries that charge in 125 minutes for the 4Ah and will give a free run time of around 50 minutes to enable you to cover a lawn up to 550m² in size. Naturally this run time will depend on the condition of the lawn, however the Powerdrive (Efficient Energy Management) feature adjusts the power so you only use what you need. This is a great feature from Bosch and definitely helps to preserve the life of the batteries.
Also, another benefit is the ability to charge the 4Ah battery to 80% in just 96 minutes, ideal if you have a smaller lawn and don’t require the full run time to get the lawn mowed.
Another great feature of the Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 is its patented “ProSilence” sound reduction system, which reduces the noise of the mower by a whopping 30%, allowing for a more relaxing, chilled out, working environment and year-round saving on those pesky little earplugs.
You may see a model UniversalRotak 36-560, this is an identical mower to the 36-550 apart from the battery supplied. The 36-550 model normally refers to the bare tool model or to the model supplied with 2 x 2.0Ah battery. A single 4.0Ah battery will cover slightly less lawn with a single charge than that of the 36-550.
Bosch UniversalRotak 36-560 = 2 x 2.0Ah batteries and charger – lawn up to 560m²
Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 = No battery or charger or 1 x 4.0Ah battery and charger – lawn up to 550m²
- The Universal garden tools from Bosch – versatile and strong with intelligent solutions for bigger projects
- Easily adjust grass cutting height: simply set grass length between 25 and 70 mm in 6 stages with just one click of a button
- Comfortable work: healthy working posture for every body size due to height adjustable ErgoFlex handles
- Quiet mowing: pleasant garden work with the cordless lawnmower due to the reduced noise by up to 30% and balanced acoustics thanks to the ProSilence Technology
- Collecting and shredding leaves: easily collect, shred and dispose leaves thanks to the LeafCollect Blade
Last update on 2024-04-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Blades
The Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 has ground steel rotary blades. They are hard, sharp, and above else, strong, guaranteeing you one of the most high-quality cuts on the market and, with a cutting width of 36cm, it will get the job done, quickly, effectively and efficiently, every time. Like a hot knife through butter.
The blades are durable, but they will need to be sharpened from time to time, which you can do yourself at home with a file, relatively fuss-free, or get done at your local lawnmower service store for a small fee. With proper maintenance though, your blades should last you for many, many years. If you do find that you need to replace them, you can easily pick up a replacement from your local DIY or hardware store for a reasonable price. They are easy to install, and instructions for this will be in your user manual.
The Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 also comes with “LeafCollect” blades. An impressive feature that shifts the focus away from this being a taxing and laborious task, that many people put off time and time again, into something much more pleasant and manageable. What LeafCollect does is pretty much what it says on the tin, it collects the leaves for you in a bag so that once you’ve finished cutting the grass, you don’t have to get out the rake and collect all of the chopped and mashed up leaves from a lawn. A great little problem solver!
Height Adjustment
It’s crucial that whatever lawnmower you chose has height adjustment. This is, unfortunately, often overlooked by consumers, in favour of battery life and power. Still, it’s really important. It plays an essential part in maintaining a healthy lawn and being able to accommodate to different seasons and different lawn types, so make sure you consider this when choosing your next lawnmower. Thankfully, this is an area in which the Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 also excels. With a whopping six adjustable cutting heights, ranging from 25-70mm, this machine will give you a year-round, all lawn type, perfectly adaptable, mowing experience. One that most competitors in this price range fail to meet, with the majority of mowers, offering only three height settings. Oh, and did we mention, that it’s all done by the push of a button?
Cutting Diameter
The cutting diameter of the Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 is especially suited to gardens ranging from medium to large in size. Couple that with its Ergoflex handles, which fit like a glove in hand. It’s overall ergonomic and comfortable design, encouraging a healthy posture, and silky smooth-running wheels, and you’ll find that you can cover even the most unruly of garden’s quickly and efficiently, with minimum effort. Turning what many consider to be a chore into a much more enjoyable experience.
Roller (Stripes)
To stripe or not to stripe? That is the question, and the eternal debate wages on. While stripes may not be to everyone’s taste, some people aren’t content with a freshly cut lawn without them, which is understandable, they are the epitome of a well-cut, neat, and well-maintained lawn.
If you happen to fall into this category, unfortunately the Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 does NOT have a rear roller
Grass Box Capacity
The Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 has a grass box capacity of 40 litres, ever so slightly smaller than its big brother, the Bosch UniversalRotak 36-650, which comes in at 50 litres. It has plenty of space to tackle most medium to large gardens without continually having to stop and start to empty the box, which is always a drag, and something you often find compulsory with lesser mowers.
Practicalities
The Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 is the epitome of practicality. From its Ergoflex handle, that keeps you in the optimum driving position for your mower, allowing you to make practical and proper use of your work and time. To the Integrated carrying handle, ensuring that you can transport your mower in and out of the garden shed, or in and out of the boot of your car, safely and securely. Every little detail has been thought out and designed with YOU in mind, in a way that only German engineering can do and do so well. It’s one of the most practical and well thought out lawnmowers in its price bracket, leaving the hard work and heavy lifting to the mower instead of you.
Safety Features
As you would expect with a lawnmower from Bosh, the UniversalRotak 36-550, is chock full of safety features. With responsible use, as detailed in the manual, it’s one of the safest models on the market. The manual comes with full safety instructions and to get the best out of your lawnmower; it’s good practice to give this a good once over before firing her up and heading out into the great big green.
The Bosh UniversalRotak 36-550 is double insulated mitigating any risk of electric shock during normal operation or servicing. It also comes with a protector, designed to stop mower from overheating, something that is a serious problem with lawnmowers of lesser quality. It acts as a “kill switch”, shutting off the motor until it returns to a stable, cooler temperature.
Mulching
Unfortunately, the Bosh UniversalRotak 36-550 does not come with mulching ability fresh out of the box. If you need this functionality, you can purchase a Multimulch separately which you can attach to the lawnmower, allowing you to mulch away until your heart’s content. Problem solved.
To learn more about the benefits of a mower that has the ability to mulch the lawn, please see my article “The Benefits of Mulching Grass – Complete Guide with Pros & Cons“.
Bosh UniversalRotak 36-550 User Manual
You can download the Bosh UniversalRotak 36-550 user manual guide here.
What’s Included in the Box?
Inside you’ll find the Bosh UniversalRotak 36-550, lawnmower, of course. A 36 V/4.0 Ah lithium-ion battery (or two 36 V/2.0 Ah) pack and a charger. Make sure to give it a full charge before you take out to ensure that the battery is correctly conditioned. And that’s it, oh, and the box, which you can use to safely store your mower when the rain, sleet and snow inevitably set in.
- Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550
- 1 battery pack 36 V/4.0 Ah lithium-ion battery (or two 36 V/2.0 Ah)
- Charger AL 3620 CV
- User Guide
- Cardboard box
Pros and Cons
Right off the bat, this mower is an impressive machine, with a host of great features to make your life easier. Here are the pros:
Should You Buy This Model?
If you’re looking for a reliable lawnmower that will easily handle most mid to large range gardens, that’s safe, easy to operate, easy to lug about and is available at a great price point. Then, yes, this is the mower for you.
If your garden is especially large, more than the 560 m² that the UniversalRotak 36-550 is designed to cover this might not be the one for you. You would probably find its big brother, The Bosch AdvancedRotak 36-660, a better choice. This is a slightly more pricer model, but for that extra price tag, you get a slightly better spec. Here’s how the two models, and larger Bosch cordless mowers, stack up against each other in the ring:
Bosch Cordless Comparison Table
Last update on 2024-04-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This mower is ideal for those that
- People with lawns up to 550m² in size.
- Those who want the latest ProSilence Sound Reduction System.
- People who like an ergonomically designed mower to help mowing the lawn that bit easier.
- Please who like a striped lawn.
- Those who like their mower to also collect the leaves whilst mowing.
- People that appreciate a very easy central one touch height adjustment.
- Their garden does not have very narrow strips of lawn.
- People who require the ability to mulch the grass cuttings (optional extra).
Conclusion
This is an impressive, well built, sturdy machine, that with the right maintenance and care should last many, many years. The attention to detail with the Bosh UniversalRotak 36-550 is astonishing. Every little thing has been taken care of from, the ergonomic design, to the one-touch height control, the seriously impressive, ProSilence sound reduction system and to the most important part of all, the cut, which it makes mincemeat out of. It will deliver a great cut to you lawn, exactly to your specifications, each and every time. The Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 CORDLESS lawnmower really is the one to beat.
Not sure about this mower? Click here to see more Cordless Lawn Mower Reviews.
Where Should I Purchase This Model
1 x 4.0Ah battery and charger
- The Universal garden tools from Bosch – versatile and strong with intelligent solutions for bigger projects
- Easily adjust grass cutting height: simply set grass length between 25 and 70 mm in 6 stages with just one click of a button
- Comfortable work: healthy working posture for every body size due to height adjustable ErgoFlex handles
- Quiet mowing: pleasant garden work with the cordless lawnmower due to the reduced noise by up to 30% and balanced acoustics thanks to the ProSilence Technology
- Collecting and shredding leaves: easily collect, shred and dispose leaves thanks to the LeafCollect Blade
Last update on 2024-04-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Bare Tool Model (no battery or charger)
- The Universal Garden Tools from Bosch – flexible and powerful for a wide range of tasks
- Easily Adjust Grass Cutting Height: Simply set grass length between 25 and 70 mm in 6 stages with just one click of a button
- Comfortable Work: Healthy working posture for every body size due to ergonomically designed ErgoFlex handles
- Quiet Mowing: Pleasant garden work with the cordless lawnmower due to the reduced noise by up to 30 Percent and balanced acoustics thanks to the ProSilence Technology
- Collecting and Shredding Leaves: Easily collect, shred and dispose leaves thanks to the LeafCollect Blade
Last update on 2024-04-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Additional Specifications
| Additional Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Working Area | 550m² |
| Cutting width | 36cm |
| Cutting height steps | 6 |
| Cutting height max | 70mm |
| Cutting height min | 25mm |
| Cutting height adjustment | Central |
| Collector volume | 40L |
| Battery Type | 1 x 36V 4.0 Ah battery |
| Typical Charging Time | Charge time: 125 minutes |
| Typical Mowing Time | 50 minutes (550m²) |
| Vision Window | No |
| Right or left start switch | Left and Right |
| Foldable handles | Yes |
| Battery power indicator | Yes |
| Grass bag filling indicator | Yes |
| Roller | No |
| Handle type | “Ergoflex-System” |
| Weight | 15Kg |
As a seasoned expert in the field of garden power tools, I have dedicated over a decade to working with and reviewing a wide variety of lawn mowers. My extensive experience has allowed me to gain a deep understanding of the benefits and limitations of different types of mowers and garden tools.
Over the years, I have honed my skills in writing informative articles and creating helpful videos for various blogs and publications. This has given me the ability to not only recognise what makes a good lawn mower, but also to help you choose the perfect garden tool for your specific needs and requirements.
With my wealth of knowledge and expertise, I am confident that I can provide you with valuable insights and recommendations when it comes to selecting the right lawn mower for your lawn. So, whether you're looking for a battery cordless, electric, petrol, or robotic mower, you can trust in my expertise to guide you towards the best option for your garden.
Hi,
These reviews have helped me out a lot as am currently looking for a new lawnmower for my new house.
With the 560 model? Is there anyway that you can buy a Bosch roller and attach it to this model instead?
Thanks
Hi Josh, no unfortunately I don’t believe you can add a roller to the Bosch UniversalRotak 36-560. If you want a mower with a roller you will need to upgrade to the AdvancedRotak range. You can see a comparison table with all the features below –
https://easylawnmowing.co.uk/bosch-universalrotak-36-560-review/#Bosch_Cordless_Comparison_Table
Hope this helps, let me know if you have any further questions.
Mark