When Global Machinery Company (GMC) took to retailing garden products, it probably did so with more than a few sets of managerial eyes watching. And these eyes would have been from rival garden product manufacturers. Why? Well, GMC played a large part in capturing the budget power tool market with some innovative and cost effective tools for woodworkers, DIY enthusiasts and even tradespeople. Will they do the same in the garden tool market too? Well time will tell but we thought we'd take a look at some of their garden power tools, starting with a review of one item you don't often see reviews of, a lawn mower!

GMC RL534ES Lawn Mower
Out of the box, the mower requires some assembly. The dust/grass catcher needs to be assembled from two parts, and the handle and controls need to be assembled and attached to the main mower components. Everything else basically comes assembled and ready to use. You should check the blades are secured and make an initial glance over all other components before using the mower for the first time.

It is vital that owners read the included instructions and safety warnings before using the mower. You can damage the mower if not set up or used correctly, and more importantly, you could cause personal injury if correct use is not undertaken.

Engine
Given that the engine is the primary working component of any mower, and the most expensive part too, you will want it to be of good quality for the money you pay. It is no secret that most of GMC's power tools are manufactured in China, and some may question the quality of these Chinese made components. However, with the RL534ES mower, GMC has gone for a quality Briggs and Stratton engine, a name synonymous with outdoor petrol powered engines, and a name that has been around for around 100 years. The engine on this model mower is the QX50. It is a 5HP, 4-stroke engine (separate oil and petrol tanks) so no need to pre-mix petrol and oil as you do with 2-stroke engines. At 5HP, the RL534ES has plenty of power to tackle even long or overgrown areas of grass. The engine takes unleaded petrol and requires 4-stroke oil, both of which must be purchased separately. Briggs and Stratton do make a 4-stroke engine oil, but any good brand 4-stroke oil as specified in the included documentation will suffice. It is important to use the right type of oil given the temperature ranges experienced in your area. A throttle control mounted on the yellow control bar on the handle provides engine power adjustment. Depending on the height of the lawn, or thickness, the user should adjust engine power appropriately. There is no need to run at full power if you are cutting short, light grass as you will shorten the life of the engine. Conversely, try to cut through long, dense grass patches at low engine power and it might stall.

Key Start Feature
The feature of this mower that first got me interested in reviewing it was the key start option. Regular lawn mowers are started via a yank on the starter cord, and often you really have to put some muscle into pulling on this cord to get the engine rotating and kicking over. Needless to say, it can be a bit of a pain in the neck, and arm, literally. This model lawn mower takes away that need by offering a battery powered key start option, eliminating the need to flex muscle unnecessarily. A small rechargeable battery pack is located behind the main engine assembly, and a power pack is supplied to connect to the battery pack to recharge the battery when it runs out of power. An electrical cable runs from the battery pack up to the key hole component on the yellow control bar attached to the handle of the mower. To start the mower, you simply insert the key supplied into the key hole and turn it to start the mower. No more back breaking cord yanking! The engine cord prior to this is extended and secured to the mower handle via a small catch, and is held in the open position to allow the key feature to control the mower's engine operation. Having a key start feature is a great addition to a mower, especially if you have difficulty starting the mower via the cord or do not have the strength or vitality to do so, for whatever reason. It does introduce the added chore of ensuring the battery pack is in a charged condition before you begin, so there is a small sacrifice for this added feature, however, you can also manually start the mower via the cord if needed.

Quick Release Safety-cut Lever
The safety-cut lever located just forward of the top of the mower handle provides the means to quickly cut power to the mower should you need to. It retains a cut-off cable that runs down to the mower to cut power to the mower when the safety lever is released by the user. In use it works as it is designed to do, but I'm not convinced totally the way it is implemented is the best way it could be. The issue I have with it is that you are required to pull this lever against the main handle while using the mower. At any time you release the lever, the mower stops, whether intentionally or accidentally. So, you have to mow your lawns holding this lever in constantly while going about your mowing task. Now, any safety feature added to a tool is not a bad thing in my opinion, however, I would have liked the lever to work in the opposite way if it was possible to do so. I.e. to cut the mower power you pull the lever toward the handle rather than holding it in constantly and then releasing it when you want to cut power. Regardless of opinion, the lever works as it is designed to do each and every time.

Cutting Capacity, Blade and Deck Features
The RL534ES is somewhat of a wide-body mower. In fact, it has a width cutting capacity of 500mm, meaning you will need to make fewer passes to cut your lawn than a smaller mower would need. The blade on this mower is actually a one-piece component instead of several smaller blades attached to a central metal disc. The single blade component provides the equivalent of two smaller blades in use, and the blade edges are almost sharp out of the box. They have a beveled edge but are not knife sharp as to cause a cut when you run your finger along them. This is better than some other blades you buy direct from the shop, some of which have square edges, and, many people put these right onto the mower without even sharpening or putting some kid of edge on them... gulp! Using square edge, or blunt blades puts more strain on the engine, shortening its performance and life expectancy. Keep those blades sharp! A bench grinder is perhaps the best tool for sharpening mower blades. You want them to slice through grass blades rather than punch through them. One advantage of the single blade component is that it is fixed securely at only one point (the securing mechanism is very sturdy) , allowing quicker removal of the blade for sharpening, and quick re-attachment too.

Mower height is adjustable from 30mm to 75mm to suit a wide range of grass types and finishes allowing you to set the height of cut on the grass to suit your needs. Grass should never be cut too low as this encourages shallow root depth growth and makes grass more susceptible to drought or irrecoverable damage. There are only 5 depth settings in which you can engage the mower height within this range. I would have liked to have seen a few more to provide a more adjustable range with closer tolerances in setting height, however, you can generally find a suitable height setting that will do the job.

The deck itself is all steel construction, is very sturdy and should offer a good level of rust and corrosion resistance over time. Four large hardened plastic wheels seem durable and provide good mobility to the mower. Their size make them useful for all types of terrain, and are especially good for damp conditions. The mower's handle can be folded down to consume less space for transport.

The catcher on the RL534ES is two part plastic construction. It's most notable feature is the aerated construction. There are plenty of small holes to allow air flow to be maintained, even when the catcher starts to fill up. This maintained air flow helps direct grass clippings into the catcher rather than have them be directed downward or from the undersides of the blade guard which can happen with some other mowers with poorer catcher aeration design. Capacity of the catcher is 55L which is sufficient for the size of the mower.

In Use
A lawn mower is a very useful tool, but they are also among some of the most dangerous to use. Before using the mower you should consult all documentation provided to ensure you are using the mower correctly. Also make sure you you read the engine documentation to ensure prolonged engine life and correct maintenance is maintained. The mower weighs in at 30kg, and while this sounds heavy, it is not terribly bad, and is a testament its build quality. Once petrol and oil have been added and the engine primed, the mower can be started via the key or cord (with cut lever held against handle and throttle adjusted correctly). Cutting depth should be pre-adjusted, preferably while the engine is off and blade is no longer spinning. Adjust throttle as needed for grass length and thickness and begin making passes across the lawn. Depending on the slope or any garden edges, you may need to physically lift one side of the mower to keep the blades level to avoid hitting a low spot and having the blade cut down into the dirt. Empty grass catcher as required. Because of the aeration holes you can visually see when the catcher is full. You should continue to operate the mower with a full catcher as grass clippings will begin to fall out from under the blade and not be collected. Also avoid mowing over stones or other large debris. The blade will dull if it contacts stones or branches etc, and avoid mowing over long reed-type weeds would could wrap around the blade arbor.

Holding in the safety cut lever can be a bit uncomfortable during use. I actually ended up using a small velcro band to hold it in during use. I then found the mower more comfortable to use, particularly when mowing large grass areas where mowing time is extended. Despite this, the handle is still comfortable to use for shorter mowing periods holding in the safety-lever manually. Its a bit of a personal thing I guess. You may have no problem with it.

There is not much more to say on the operation side of things. A mower is fairly easy to use and operate but do take care in use and read those manuals!

Conclusion
GMC have produced a very powerful and well built lawn mower with the RL534ES. The added key start feature is a nice inclusion, and its wide body design and aerated catcher works well to maximize mowing efficiency. Backed by GMC's standard 2 Year warranty and 30 day satisfaction guarantee, we would recommend this mower to anyone who struggles with starting their current mower, or for anyone with a smaller mower looking to upgrade to a larger, more powerful model. At AUD$599, the mower is priced in line with competitor's models, but GMC have not sacrificed any quality in producing this 5HP key start mower. It should last a long time if properly maintained and used. Recommended.

GMC RL534ES Photos
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The RL534ES 5HP Key Start Mower