Challenge Xtreme 40cm Self Propelled Rotary Mower Reviews

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Challenge Xtreme 40cm Self Propelled Rotary Mower
★★☆☆☆
2.4
41.0% of users recommend this
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Latest Reviews

“Poor cheap useless ”

★☆☆☆☆

written by stealanfaulkner on 13/05/2018

Absolutely joke after a year parts breaking off then the pull cord .. never will I buy this product again !! Straight to the tip

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“Load of rubbish (won't buy cheap again)”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Loomispt453 on 09/05/2018

It's the manual push one (not the self propelled) Worst mower ever, OK, it was chea,but I expected it to work properly, even for a cheap mower First of all, it was difficult to start, but when I got it going, and when I was ready to empty the grass box When I put the grass box back on the lawnmower, it still doesn't start ,! It leaked from the fuel tank cap ,. Every time I had to remove the spark plug and clean it. And finally,the pull mechanism packed in. I noticed it was made in China on the label

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“rubbish”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 05/08/2017

bought one 2 years ago, had nothing but trouble. can't even get spares now. had it two weeks & magneto went, repaired under warrenty. give them due sending back & return was easy. just never ran properly.now runs too rich.

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“great value for money”

★★★★★

written by BradenBlack on 27/08/2016

Had mine for in excess of 7 years. Cost about £120 from Argos & came with a free petrol strimmer. Strimmer lasted about 6 months but the mower goes on and on. I give it an annual service and replace the spark plug every 3 years. Really robust tool for the reasonable price I paid.

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“Great cheap mower ”

★★★★★

written by on 29/04/2016

Had this mower now 7 years as long as you follow the instructions it runs and cuts like a dream starts every year on the first pull every time couldn't ask for more. As long as it's stored properly and serviced like any mower there's no issues with this. Pro's Cheap, easy to use, easy store, easy to start Con's The self propell is a bit fast

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“Cheap and cheerful”

★★★★☆

written by Larkybhoy on 28/04/2015

Mower starts every time. Petrol on, choke in, gently pull start chord until you fell the compression build up. I.E. it feels tight, then a steady strong extended pull. Empty petrol tank at end of season, run engine with carb cleaner until it is dry and stops, change the oil. After three years it needed a service, now runs like new again. Get one with a central height adjustment. Parts may be a problem later on.

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“beaut”

★★★★☆

written by 1965Johnston on 24/04/2015

bought this model three year ago , had no trouble what so ever, put away last september got out of shed april23rd thinking doubt very much if this will start,low and behold two pulls and away she went!! bit smokey and smelly but fine again after five minutes

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“Poor starting”

★★★☆☆

written by ikConley352 on 03/03/2015

This is a good little mower ONCE IT STARTS. I bought it last year, used it twice, stored in shed, when I tried to start it this week it refused point blank to start, I'm a mechanic by trade and it looked like the primer pump wasn't working, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME but the only way I could get it to start was by removing the air cleaner cover and manually spraying in petrol !!! Guess I'll have to order a new pump, but it should last more than one year

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“horrible”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Sharpe431 on 06/08/2014

the worst thing i ever bought !! would never buy again,

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“Absolute heap of junk”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Brownedoff999 on 01/06/2014

This is my second summer with this heap of Chinese made junk. I can't believe I got rid of my trusty old mower and brought this into my house. I should be ashamed of myself. The main problem is that the poxy thing never starts. You pull the cord over and over again and nothing happens. I must admit it is an excellent work out but it makes me want to do what John Cleese once did to that car. Admittedly once the temperamental heap of junk kicks in to life it does actually cut the grass but that is not the point. DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER BUYING ONE OF THESE. THEY ARE RUBBISH. Well tonight the cord eventually went. Not surprising as it's seen more work in one and a bit years than the old cord did in ten. RUBBISH RUBBISH RUBBISH

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“cheap mower to cut the grass”

★★★★☆

written by Cali119 on 18/05/2014

I have had a challenge mower for at least 5years. The main thing with these mowers are you must take time with starting. Make sure the lever is in start position,and the petrol is on and away you go. I use mine on a very big allotment and it has plodded on ok. The plug is very important if you have problems take out the plug clean it this will also help get rid of any petrol as it as flooded. I treat this mower like a very old type , if you just take your time it should give years of service. Always drain old petrol off in the winter and give it an oil change . Plus what do you expect for the money,? Fave

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“RUBBISH TAKES ABSOLUTELY AGES TO START!!!”

★☆☆☆☆

written by blake-63 on 01/05/2014

Purchased this lawnmower 3.4.14 after reading good reviews. It is the worst one we have ever owned, it takes a lot of work to get it started I cannot get it going at all, my son has to hold it down while my husband pulls the cord so many times its unbelievable! Then when we stop to empty grass box we cant get it going again. The frustrating part is Argos wont refund unless manufacturers admit it is faulty but according to them as long as it starts theres no problem but the person my husband spoke to admitted that it is hard to start them but cant seem to see it is no good to me if I can't start it. I must say once its going it is very quick and cuts well but thats no good when it takes longer to start than to actually use it. My advice is don't even think about buying one.

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Davidinoxford's Response to blake-63's Review

Written on: 05/05/2014

I found that even when its hot after a stop put the lever to START and a quick pull on the start pull cord and move the lever straight back to run or half way between run and start before it chokes itself. The run and start lever is just a basic choke like on old cars.

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“I think it's good value”

★★★★☆

written by KaneDonnelly140 on 29/04/2014

Not sure what some people expect from the cheapest petrol mower on the market....that's why it's cheap, it's never going to win a trophy for the best petrol mower in the world but personally I think it's good value, easy to assemble, starts first time - indeed every time, cuts the mowing time in half compared to a hover type. very good in my opinion, wish I'd brought one years ago. Nothing I don't like about it really.

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“4 years on and still going”

★★★★☆

written by devonshirelass on 13/04/2014

I don't understand peeps reviews here who are trashing this machine. For the price it is a robust machine which, if used properly, does the job! Yes the first start of the season can be a pain - but once you get it going it goes and goes and goes. Treat it right and it is a good workhorse. I've never had much problem with mine. I don't get it serviced. At £130 if it lasts another few years it's worth it just to go and buy a new one rather than pay for a service every year (put the money aside each year, sell the old one, buy the new one without dipping in to your pocket!). Have a fair sized non-standard garden and it takes 1.5 hours to do it all to a good standard. I'd buy another one! The only downside as far as I am concerned, the pull cord is too long, and the plastic start/run handle broke too easily when it became entangled in the rambling rose - but otherwise all is good!

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“Rubbish”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 28/09/2013

Still haven't managed to get this mower to start. Can't bring it back because I left it in the box 2 months before I assembled it! The only reason it gets one star is because you have to give a star. should have researched other sites rather than Argos before I bought it. Would not recommend anyone to buy this

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Ahick1's Comment

Written on: 29/01/2014

Remove the air filter cover and the foam filter. Now pour a couple of teaspoons of FRESH petrol down the air intake. Push the choke level full on and try to start the mower. It worked for me.

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Blake-63's Comment

Written on: 01/05/2014

Totally agree with everthing you say we struggle getting ours to start wished we never brought it!

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“Terrible product - impossible to start”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Wigan2000 on 16/07/2013

I have used this mower about 5 times and it is now impossible to get it started, let alone running long enough to cut my lawn. I changed the spark plug with no effect and the instructions are VERY poor and don't give you any hints on fixing standard faults. If you search online you can't find any help (or better instructions)from this company (or Argos) ... they just want to take your money and then take more of your money when you have to buy yet another new mower

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Ahick1's Response to Wigan2000's Review

Written on: 29/01/2014

The throttle/choke mechanism is not set correctly on these things when they come out of the box. The choke doesn't come fully on and starves the engine of fuel at startup. Try the trick above. If it works then slacken the cable clamp bolt, release the cable from the clamp and reposition the end of the throttle cable into the hole on the throttle lever that is the furthest away from the cable clamp. Put the cable back in the clamp and position it so that it is just pulling on the throttle lever when the control level is in the 'tortoise' position and tighten the clamp bolt.

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“FANTASTIC VALUE FOR THE MONEY!!!”

★★★★★

written by on 26/06/2013

have used this mower 4 - 5 times now, and it starts perfect every time without any hassle. it appears to be well built and sturdy too. my garden is at least 100m2 and it doesn't use very much fuel and cuts the grass without any struggle, the speed it travels at is just right I think. very easy and straight forward to assemble. the engine runs quiet for a petrol and is actually more quiet than some electric mowers that my neighbours have. I did look at the much more expensive branded models and too be honest couldn't really see much difference apart from the price and a few gimmicky add-ons.

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“Don't do it! Challenge Xtreme 40cm Self Propelled Mower”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 28/05/2013

Cheap in price and cheaper in quality! This is a terrible product and shame on Argos for stocking it. The response from their so called "experts" is unbelievably bad and reflects badly on Argos. After 2 cuts the mower started cutting out during mowing and then made a noise as if it was hunting for fuel. At this stage it was also leaking fuel. The first phone call to the "experts" was laughable. "Let me teach you how to repair it", as if it was the most common call of their working day. However, we attempted the repair but all that happened was the leaking fuel became worse, it still cut out during cutting and then eventually failed to start at all! The second call to the "experts" was even worse. Lots of detail and then "leave it with me and I will see if I can get a manager to call you and see if he is willing to agree a repair or replacement". I really felt I was disturbing them but clearly I was one of many similar calls. After three days (and with little surprise) no call was received. After two more mails they wanted me to call to discuss repairs although I was explaining that the mower had leaked a whole tank of fuel by this time! No further replies were received and as such I returned the mower to Argos for a full refund which, to their credit, they did straight away. Oh, I didn't mention the starter pull cord became very tight and feared the cheap plastic was about to break! Be careful!!

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“Couldnt't have expected anything better for the price!”

★★★★★

written by on 28/04/2013

It took all of 10 minutes to assemble. Seemed well put together and did a great job of mowing my medium to large sized garden. I had a rechargeable cordless mower before this and it took three charges and a lot of careful manoeuvring to avoid stalling to do what this mower did in 15 minutes, without fuss and to a better standard! I am a little puzzled by the negative reviews, it makes me think that some people's expectations are very much out of kilter with their budgets. I paid bottom dollar for this lawn mower and honestly could not fault it so far! The lawn mower requires regular unleaded petrol to run and some engine oil. Halfords horticulture oil (4 stroke 10/40) at 5.99 did the job, and 1 litre bottle will be more than enough.

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“challenge xtreme”

★★★★☆

written by on 19/04/2013

had for over 3 years and always started, ok for the price.

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Asked by oceanman on 25th June 2015 Report this content
When replacing the mains cable the return spring fell out. Can you advise on replace position please? Thank you

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Asked by gowusu on 29th July 2014 Report this content
Where can I have my Challenge Xtreme SLM40C repaired? I am in Nottingham.

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Answers (1)
Report this content Honestyisbestpolicy Written on: 30/07/2014
If I remember rightly (I can't find my owners manual to refer to) the mowers are made under licence by Qualcast (I think so anyway), I'm sure I saw it on the owners book, they also make them under a different name/colour for Homebase. I'm sure its in the book, I'd start there.
Asked by Davjenn on 11th May 2014 Report this content
Help please, belt keeps falling off pully after a few minutes mowing. Fit pully,pin and belt back on mower. Works until belt falls off again. After loud noise discovered that belt has now come entirely off the mower (belt is undamaged). Cannot understand how it came entirely off, and appears very difficult to refit. What should I do?

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Answers (1)
Report this content Chris1999 Written on: 12/05/2014
Honestly think you should pack it up and bring it back to the shop and get any other lawn mower bar this one. Can't believe how bad they are. I exchanged mine for a fly mo and haven't looked back
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