Harry Duncton

Home and garden technology journalist · Exeter, Devon

If it plugs in or runs on a battery, I'll find out if it's worth the money.

I'm Harry Duncton. I test robot lawnmowers, garden power tools and smart home technology for BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, T3, Trusted Reviews and Grand Designs Magazine. BBC Radio 4 called me in as their robot mower expert.

Commission me Work with me as a brand
Written for
  • BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
  • T3
  • Trusted Reviews
  • Grand Designs Magazine
  • BBC Radio 4

Latest work

Reviews, buying guides and features

On air · BBC Radio 4, Sliced Bread

Do robot mowers save time, and what happens to the hedgehogs?

Sliced Bread put that question to me as their robot mower expert, alongside hedgehog researcher Dr Sophie Lund-Rasmussen. I cover what the adverts don't: edges, borders, slopes and wildlife.

Listen to the episode

For brands

I know what editors want, because they commission me.

That's useful if you're launching a robot mower, a cordless tool or anything else for the home and garden. I can help you say it clearly, and tell you honestly how it will land.

  • Copywriting

    Product pages, launch copy, guides and manuals, written by someone who has mown a real lawn with the thing.

  • Press and pitch consultancy

    Honest feedback on your product and your pitch before it goes out, and help shaping a story an editor will open. I don't promise coverage.

  • Video and social

    Partnership content on Beard Reviews Tech across YouTube and Instagram, always clearly labelled.

  • Expert commentary

    Radio, podcasts, panels and events on robot mowers and garden tech.

Paid work is always labelled and never buys a review verdict. Editors can trust my reviews, which is what makes my name worth having on your launch.

Talk about a project

About

The spec sheet tells you what it does on a good day.

I tell you what it's like on a real one, when wind, rain and drought get in the way.

My job is to find the next useful piece of home and garden tech, test it properly and write about it in a way people want to read. Robot lawnmowers are my specialism. Over the past few years I've tested dozens of them on a sloping estuary garden full of roots and salt air, plus a couple of friends' lawns that would defeat most mowers. None of them is as forgiving as a manufacturer's demo lawn.

The best home and garden tech gives you your time back, so I'll tell you if it takes a degree in computer science to get it working. I don't have one either.

I came to journalism the long way round: testing computer games, teaching English as a foreign language, managing content, and felling larch in Scotland. That mix is why I can take a 40-page technical manual and turn it into 500 words a reader might enjoy, and why my work isn't only about robots. This year the Royal Forestry Society commissioned me to profile the winners of its Excellence in Forestry Awards.

Editors like me because I know the products and the industry well enough to explain what matters to a reader, and I file clean copy to brief and on time. I'm also the person people text before they spend a grand on a robot mower.

Contact

Commissions, brand projects and interview requests