Scythe vs strimmer on allotment/jungle

[EagleRay]

I'm sat in despair on my plot, knee deep in weeds and small children hanging off me. I had a petrol strimmer which was a bastard to start (and utterly impossible post c-section) but then the cord snapped and it's pretty unrepairable.

I'm thinking its time to invest in a scythe - does anyone else use one? I've got fairly large sections of couch grass to keep under control plus some paths and borders.

Do I get a branded one, or a vintage one? If anyone has any experiences to share I would be grateful!

Btw, I know it's a skill and need to learn to do it properly. I had a go at a local open day last year and got on reasonably well but will need some more help I think!

[shovetheholly]

Personally, if you're clearing ground I would just chop the stuff down with a pair of bog standard shears, pile it up out of the way, then get in and dig! I think unless you are planning to mow a meadow regularly, a scythe isn't that useful a piece of kit.

For mowing - what about an old-fashioned, non-powered manual mower?

[EagleRay]

I've got a manual mower in the garage but even if it was sharpened it wouldn't touch the grass! Part of my plot is grassed and looks ok when it's kept reasonably short but t gets unmanageable very quickly.

Looks like I'll be going to scythe demo at weekend so will see if they think it's feasible

One day when the kids let me have more than 5 minutes before kicking off, I'll dig the bloody weeds out!