Biggest robot lawn mower. Best Cheap Robot Lawn Mowers (2023)

Best Robot Lawn Mowers on the Cheap (2023)

There aren’t a ton of cheap robot lawn mowers out there… yet.

The main reason why these robot lawn mowers are cheaper is that they are specifically designed for smaller lawns (-500 m²). And that means, as you can imagine, in contrast to a large lawn, it takes less effort for these little gardeners with wheels to handle a smaller and usually less complex of a lawn in terms of their requirements for performance, computing and battery power.

Regardless, there are quite a few gems out there on the cheap even for the bigger lawns. They just needed to be found.

Along with this Robot Lawn Mower Buying Guide (which I really suggest you quickly skim through), let’s have a closer look at those cheaper ones I’ve come across. See which you fancy more and check out the corresponding review.

Top 10 Actually Cheap Robot Lawn Mowers

Before you go any further, let’s be clear about a couple of things when it comes to cheap robot lawn mowers in general. Wouldn’t want you to make a bad decision.

The robot lawn mower market is still rather new and so the selection is somewhat limited (and somewhat high) even as of 2023.

The so-called “cheap” robot lawn mowers are essentially just lesser versions of the more expensive models with only real difference being how big of a lawn they’re wired to handle. That means buying an expensive robot lawn mower might be counterproductive in case of a smaller lawn where you can (and should) get away with buying the lower cost version instead! But hey, I’m not your mom…

TLDR: cheap is not bad, rather they are meant for smaller lawn sizes (–500 m²) and usually don’t have all the bells and whistles, is all.

#0 Husqvarna Automower 435X AWD

Just to make sure we’re talking CHEAP… Of course you can get yourself one of the most expensive robot mowers like the Husqvarna Automower 435X AWD or an equivalent that pack powerful features such as the ability to traverse around obstacles with no contact, climb steep (35°) inclines with all-wheel driving (AWD) along with a beast of a battery pack, GPS navigation system mapping out the entire lawn so it doesn’t mow randomly, and so much more, but the initial cost would be too much for my monthly salary to handle. And what if it got stolen, or something like that, with no way for me to prove it afterwards…

Something more affordable would be one of the iMOW robot mowers, my personal pick in 2023, or equivalent, but which can still be rather on the heavy side for the wallet compared to these cheap ones here…

My experience tells me it’s much nicer to get into the robot lawn mower game without spending a fortune!

#1 Husqvarna Automower 115H

Lawn size up to around 1600 m² (17222 ft²). Max incline: 17.5° (or 30%). Battery: rechargeable 18 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 60 minutes (avg). Charging time: 60 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 50-90 mm (or 2″ to 3.6″). Cutting blades: 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 22 cm (or 8.7″). Noise level: up to 60 dB. Remote control: yes (Bluetooth, cellular, and manual control panel). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).

#2 Gardena SILENO Minimo 250

Lawn size up to around 250 m² (2700 ft²). Max incline: 20° (or 35%). Battery: rechargeable 18 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 65 minutes (avg). Charging time: 60-75 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 20-45 mm (or 0.8″ to 1.8″). Cutting blades: 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 16 cm (or 6.3″). Noise level: up to 57 dB. Remote control: yes (Bluetooth, cellular, and manual control panel). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).

#3 Flymo EasiLife 500 GO

Lawn size up to around 500 m² (5382 ft²). Max incline: 15° (or 25%). Battery: rechargeable 18 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 70 minutes (avg). Charging time: 75 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 20-50 mm (or 0.8″ to 1.97″). Cutting blades: 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 16 cm (or 6.3″). Noise level: up to 57 dB. Remote control: yes (Bluetooth, cellular, and manual control panel). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).

#4 WORX Landroid M500 WR141E

Lawn size up to around 500 m² (5382 ft²). Max incline: 20° (or 35%). Battery: rechargeable 20 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 70 minutes (avg). Charging time: 70 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 30-60 mm (or 1.2″ to 2.4″). Cutting blades: cut to edge 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 18 cm (or 7.1″). Noise level: up to 67 dB. Remote control: yes (Bluetooth, cellular, and manual control panel). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).

#5 Lawnmaster L12

Lawn size up to around 800 m² (8611 ft²). Max incline: 20° (or 35%). Battery: rechargeable 20 V 4.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 120 minutes (avg). Charging time: 100 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 20-60 mm (or 0.8″ to 2.4″). Cutting blades: 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 18 cm (or 7.1″). Noise level: up to 62 dB. Remote control: no (only manual control panel). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).

#6 Einhell FREELEXO 1200 LCD BT

Lawn size up to around 1200 m² (12917 ft²). Max incline: 20° (or 35%). Battery: rechargeable 18 V 5.2 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 100 minutes (avg). Charging time: 120 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 20-60 mm (or 0.8″ to 2.4″). Cutting blades: 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 18 cm (or 7.1″). Noise level: up to 59.4 dB. Remote control: yes (Bluetooth, cellular, and a manual control panel). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).

#7 Flymo EasiLife 400 Go

Lawn size up to around 400 m² (4306 ft²). Max incline: 15° (or 25%). Battery: rechargeable 18 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 70 minutes (avg). Charging time: 75 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 20-50 mm (or 0.8″ to 1.97″). Cutting blades: 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 16 cm (or 6.3″). Noise level: up to 58 dB. Remote control: yes (Bluetooth, cellular, and manual control panel). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).

#8 Lawnmaster L10

Lawn size up to around 400 m² (or 4306 ft²). Max incline: 20° (or 35%). Battery: rechargeable 20 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 40 minutes (avg). Charging time: 45 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 20-60 mm (or 0.79″ to 2.36″). Cutting blades: 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 18 cm (or 7.08″). Noise level: up to 62 dB. Remote control: no (manual control panel only). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).

#9 Landxcape LX796

Lawn size up to around 400 m² (4306 ft²). Max incline: 15° (or 25%). Battery: rechargeable 20 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 30-60 minutes (avg). Charging time: 240 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 20-50 mm (or 0.8″ to 1.97″). Cutting blades: 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 16 cm (or 6.3″). Noise level: up to 65 dB. Remote control: no (only manual control panel). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).

#10 Landxcape LX799

Lawn size up to around 300 m² (or 3229 ft²). Max incline: 15° (or 25%). Battery: rechargeable 20 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 30-60 minutes (avg). Charging time: 240 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 20-50 mm (or 0.79″ to 1.97″). Cutting blades: 3 pivoting razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 16 cm (or 6.3″). Noise level: up to 65 dB. Remote control: no (manual control panel only). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).

Going Cheap – FAQ

What’s the Difference Between a Low-Cost and an Expensive Robot Lawn Mower?

Assuming we’re talking about at least normal quality robot mowers from reputable brands, in my research I’ve determined that the low-cost robot lawn mowers aren’t all that much different from the more expensive models in how and what they do.

The main difference between them is how large of a lawn they’re designed to cover, which means the requirements for performance, computing and battery power are lower and thus ones come out cheaper. However, the really really cheap ones that are not just lesser versions of the more expensive models do cut corners in how complex of a lawn they can handle in comparison (depth of slopes, narrowness of paths, etc). Additionally and naturally, those really cheap ones might have less options to configure because of that. As such, there might only be a few buttons which would allow you to, for example, stop the mower, send it to recharge, set a password and/or the amount of time it should mow per day. I’d argue that there’s actually beauty in simplicity as they end up being more robust and practical with no gimmicks driving up the price unnecessarily.

They are otherwise, both the cheap and more expensive robot lawn mowers, all very similar in that they mow autonomously by mulching grass in the designated area.

How Do Budget Robot Lawn Mowers Work?

they cut, ahem, mulch grass (there’s a difference between cutting and mulching) autonomously and the cheap ones usually in a random pattern… “Yeah, no shit,” you’d no doubt say to that. You probably already get the gist of how they work (and if not, check with this article on How Robot Mowers Work), and no, they won’t do your dishes.

The dishes in this analogy would be some of the edges of your lawn, the odd hard to reach patches of grass due to narrow paths, the other side of your fence unless you’ve dragged a perimeter wire there as well and manually brought the mower there for the time being, the weed among your flowerbeds, though it might do a number on your kids’ toys (“learning the hard way”), and so forth. Even the most sophisticated breeds of robot lawn mower wouldn’t do all the work for you in this day and age. And I wouldn’t really want them to do it all anyway, come to think of it (AI takeover).

IMPORTANT: Robot lawn mowers they are designed to work often. They are not like your manual mowers that you push around for an hour and call it a day. These things operate all day long in a cycle of mowing and charging, e.g mowing for 50 minutes, charging for 60 minutes (varies per model). The number of times a lot of people have returned their brand new robot mower saying it left patches of grass uncut after finishing that first cycle is baffling. Here’s to hoping you’re now informed enough to not become that person. ^^

How Should I Choose a Robot Lawn Mower?

Here I can only really give you very generic sounding advice even after leaving out the super obvious like your lawn size or slope angles which tend to directly reflect in a higher price. You can get more insights from this article: Robot Lawn Mower Buying Guide (link opens in a new tab).

• Anti-theft features – if you don’t have a fence and fear your new robot lawn mower getting stolen, look for one with configurable password, alarm, and maybe even a GPS system. Here’s an insightful story: “Had someone try to steal my auto mower” (link opens in a new tab, source: Reddit).
• Compatible spare parts – try to make sure those aren’t available to you only on the other side of the ocean in advance (spare blades, extra perimeter wire, battery pack, etc).
• Weatherproofness – if it’s constantly raining in your area throughout the year then you might want to double check how it’s designed against humidity feature-wise.
• Ease of use – for example, where is the cutting height dial located (with some mowers you ought to bring out your screwdriver and flip the thing to even just raise or lower the blades… others have a dial right next to the control panel as a simple knob), does the control panel have a screen or just buttons, is there maybe remote control option, etc.

What if My Lawn Size Is Bigger Than What’s Recommended for a Given Unit?

It won’t be the end of the world, but you might end up with patches of uncut grass, especially in times of faster growing grass.

It’ll still be cut for the most part with a patch of uncut grass being an exception if your lawn didn’t exceed the recommended lawn size by too much. I know in this example the lawn size is way bigger than what the cheap ones can handle, but let’s say your lawn was roughly 5000 m² and the mower was designed for 4000 m², it’ll still be mostly cut (source). Again, and in my case at least, it wouldn’t equate to the end of the world.

Are the Cheaper Robot Lawn Mowers Safe?

Here’s the short version: NOT SAFE FOR PETS AND CHILDREN!

Here are some typical safety features (even the cheap ones tend have these):

• STOP button – it’s a manual highly visible red button which makes the mower stop in it’s tracks the moment it’s pushed
• collision detection – the mower comes to a full stop upon hitting something (though it might take a second for it to register the bump);
• lift and tilt sensors – the mower comes to a full stop when tilted or lifted (though, again, it might take a second for it to register the event);
• less powerful motor – they’re mainly designed to cut grass along with some odd branches at most (though this may wary across brands);
• low ground clearance – the space between the mower and the ground is narrow (say it did drive up your foot, it would likely trigger a tilt stop);
• clearance between chassis and blades – coupled with the latter, there’s also extra space between the edge of the mower and the blades;
• blades slice rather than cut through – when the pivoting razor-like blades come in contact with something hard, they slice rather than cut;
• blade exposure preventative plastic shield – a plastic shield around the blades that only let grass get in blades’ way (not all mowers have it).

For more info: Robot Lawn Mower Safety (link open in a new tab).

Is a Cheap Robot Lawn Mower Worth It?

It would feel very cliché for me to answer “yes” to this question for you. So instead I’ll say: “Probably.”

I mean, in my experience: money saved, timed saved.

The whole idea of a robot mower is that it would save you from the manual labor, right? Of course the downside would be the initial cost of buying one, which is slightly lessened by buying a cheap one, but then again the running costs would be pleasantly low afterwards. And then we’d only be left with the hassle of setting it up plus the maintenance (…and the worrying thought of it getting stolen, breaking down, or it running over your neighbor’s old and blind Tigger). Clearly there are pros and cons to everything.

And who knows, maybe you’re one of those people who love manually mowing their lawn, perhaps you’re simply just not aware of it yet.

What About the Running Costs?

As was mentioned earlier, the running costs are low, averaging out to about 50 per year overall (rough overestimate).

• Electricity – varies from mower to mower from 2.5 kWh to 34 kWh per month, costing roughly 2.
• Replacement battery pack – every 2 to 6 years the battery might wear out too much, replacement costing around 100.
• Replacement blades – it’s generally recommended to replace the blades twice per mowing season and 1 set of blades costs around 8.
• Extra boundary wire connectors – whatever comes with the package is usually never enough and a pet or what have you might chew on the wire that’s already there on top of that, so another payment of around 50 per 100 meters of wire whilst the connectors are sold similarly to the blades, in bulk, and priced about the same as the blade set.

PS! As is always the case, the numbers vary wildly depending on many things. In my case, the mowing season generally lasts for roughly 4 months only. The robot lawn mower usually mows for around 10 hours per day, half of the time charging at roughly 80 Wh (1000 W = 1 kW). That way it uses 12 kWh per month whilst electricity costs 0.13 kWh. That’s just 1.56 per month on electricity in my case. 4 months of mowing amounts to 6 on electricity fees in total. If that’s not low cost then I don’t know what is…

For more insights on costs, check this article (link opens in a new tab).

How Long Does a Cheap Robot Lawn Mower Last?

Given the initial cost, the low running cost means nothing if the mower went wheels up after just a couple of months. That’s how I’d think.

In my experience, these little gardeners tend to last a very long time if properly taken care of. I’m talking 10 years or more. Though, obviously, anything can happen in the meantime (flood, lightning, electrical malfunction, software bug, theft, tree falling accident, tornado, quick swim in the pond, severe case of overheating, shark attack, wait, what, and so on) and all of a sudden what would have been a decade becomes just a few years or even just months instead. Mine’s been going for 3 so far. My neighbors have had theirs for much longer.

Here’s a longer take on this topic: How Long Do Robot Mowers Last (link opens in a new tab).

Is It Hard to Install a Robot Lawn Mower?

It’s not hard, but it can be tedious.

You’re looking at installing the charging station, which is the easier part, where the only thing you ought to check beforehand is if you’ve got an outdoor power socket for it. the next thing is the installation of boundary (a.k.a perimeter) wire all around the area you want cut. The more complex the yard layout, as in flowerbeds and the like, the more time it will take to lay the wire around these things so that the mower wouldn’t go where it shouldn’t. There will be a lot of trial and error in the process when it comes to the perimeter wire unless things are well documented and the instructions clear enough (installation instructions manual is usually included in the package).

PS! Usually the package never includes enough perimeter wire to cover the entire lawn, especially if you had to take a little detour to exclude flowerbeds or the like from the mowing area [Psst! Essentially you could DIY the wire for much cheaper by buying a copper wire (only make sure it’s singular line and about the same in diameter as the original wire from the package) and using that. You could also just connect the DIY wire with the original and make it longer that way …But you didn’t hear that from me].

There are 2 ways to install the wire:

• using pegs – you’d lay the wire tightly against the ground and lock it down with pegs (over time the grass will grow over it making it all invisible);
• burying the wire – you’d cut a V-shaped mini ditch and place the wire in it (the robot mower will still sense it through the ground).

PS! Ideally you’d use the pegs first so as to see if everything works out over a few days or weeks. It’s easier to make adjustments to the installation this way, though you do run the risk of the mower cutting through the wire. Assuming the wire was not broken during that trial period and you’re happy with the results with no more adjustments needed for the layout, only then you might want to bury the wire (note that it’s not mandatory to bury the wire).

Is a Cheap Robot Lawn Mower Weatherproof?

All commercial robot lawn mowers along with their charging station and perimeter wire tend to be weatherproof by design (to a reasonable extent).

Robot lawn mower – given that these things work autonomously outdoors, they have to be weatherproof to some extent. They all have a shell that protects the more sensitive inner parts from weather elements, such as rain. The underside of the robot lawn mower is also fairly well covered leaving just the blades exposed. However, and obviously, the robot mower is not protected against extreme weather conditions, such as, in some cases, severe case of humidity, flat out flooding, overheating (plastic melting levels of heat), lightning, etc. Submerge your car in a pond and see if it comes out brand new with no negative effects down the line… You lucky bastard, you’ve found yourself beyond holy of a water (would it even be “water” anymore?). Just a reminder to practise some common sense.

Charging station – this one’s exposed to those same weather elements. I’d say flooding and severe case of overheating can do a number on it. I’ve left mine out for several snowy winters and it’s working fine (the waterline would have to reach the top of the charging station where the wires connect while electricity was running for it to break down).

Perimeter wire – boundary wire is exposed to corrosion much in the same way pipes are. That’s to say that the wire might actually outlive you unless you cut through it by accident, a rodent had a feast on it, or stuff like that. It’s safe to leave the wire out there even for winter.

PS! This all assumes you’re doing some maintenance from time to time and have set things up correctly to begin with (the instructions manual that comes with buying a robot mower tends to have ample information on that stuff).

How to Take Care of a Cheaper Robot Lawn Mower?

Relatively low maintenance:

• clean regularly;
• replace cutting blades when need be;
• replace rechargeable battery when it seems almost dead;
• install charging station in shaded area to protect the mower from the elements;
• don’t forget to unplug the power supply connected to the charging station you left outside for winter;
• when storing the robot mower, charge fully, turn off, clean, and place in dry indoor conditions, and avoid leaving in freezing temperature.

For deeper insights: Robot Lawn Mower Care Maintenance (link opens in a new tab).

How Much Noise Do Cheap Robot Lawn Mowers Make?

Most robot lawn mowers are said to operate at around 60dB or lower range (example).

60dB is most often referred to sound level a normal conversation would generate from a meter length which may sound loud depending on who you imagine is speaking. Like one of those toy cars that make a sound when you move their wheels. Something like that. Plus the whirling sound from blades slicing grass as they rotate.

Mine’s and my neighbors’ mowers you won’t hear them from further than few meters were you to walk by them. You really need to see them in order to connect the faint sound they make (the whirling and slicing of grass). If there was a hedge and the mower right next to you on the other side of it, you’d think you hear something coming from far away when in fact the mower making the sound is right next to you. That’s how “loud” they are.

Best Robot Lawn Mower – Tested and Reviewed

Today, we’ll recommend 4 different robot lawn mowers for you and tell you everything you ought to know about them so you can make a buying decision you don’t regret.

Quick Look: 4 Best Robot Lawn Mowers

Husqvarna 430X

• Good for nearly football field size lawns.
• Deals with garden beds, trees and other obstacles the best.
• Great security features to prevent theft.

WORX Landroid WR150

• Good for mowing lawns up to 1/2 the size of a football field.
• Great phone app to control your robot mower remotely.

Gardena Minimo 15202-41

• Good for up to basketball court size lawns.
• Half the price of the Husqvarna #1 pick.
• All the features you need.

Husqvarna 435X AWD

• Good for up to 3/4 acre lawns.
• Good for up to 35 degree slopes (best-in-class).
• All wheel drive.

Why Buy A Robot Lawn Mower (Benefits)

There are many benefits (and some downsides) to the best robot mowers on the market.

Keep your lawn thick and green.

An automatic robot lawn mower keeps your grass at its ideal height for max airflow and sun exposure. Also, by mulching the grass it returns those nutrients from the top 1/3 of the turfgrass to the lawn.

• Keeps grass at healthy height. Just like push mowers, you can adjust how high you want to cut your turfgrass. Usually the options are from 1″ – 3.5″. Some robot mowers like the Husqvarna XH models only allow cutting down to 2″. Regardless, the robot mowers mows daily keeping the grass at exactly the height you want and is the healthiest for it.
• Mulches grass, returning nutrients. Robot mowers don’t have huge 16″ – 19″ cutting blades. They have 3 – 4 tiny razor blade size blades sitting below the cutting deck at the edge of its cutting wheel. These razor sharp blades only cut 1/10 of an inch (3mm) at a time. Those tiny/fine grass clippings easily return to the soil and boost the nutrient level.

You will still need to water your lawn and fertilize seasonally for best lawn results.

You don’t have to do anything but install the guide wire.

The only bad part about owning a robot mower is the initial install.

You can hire a professional to install the guide wire in 1/4 of the time but that adds more cost.

If your yard is straightforward then it should only take 1 – 2 hours to setup. Adding in obstacles quickly increases install time.

Once the hard part is done you program the robot mower cutting height and mow frequency and you done.

You can make adjustments within the app but you really do just sit back and watch the robot mow your lawn.

You save money long term vs. lawn mowing service.

To justify the cost (600 – 3,000) of a robot lawn mower you should think of it as a lawn mowing service – not a lawn mower.

A professional lawn mowing service is around 50/hr per person. Assuming you have a basketball court sized lawn and they mow once a week (not including winter) you are paying at least 1,500 per year.

No matter how you play with the numbers an automatic robot mower costing 2,000 pays for itself in 1 – 2 years.

The Best Robotic Lawn Mowers For Most Peoples’ Needs

Best overall. Runner up. Budget pick. Best on hills.

Husqvarna dominates the automatic robot mower market. They make 3 of our top 4 picks (Husqvarna owns Gardena).

Robot mowers are the 2nd largest seller of household robots behind robot vacuums.

If you would rather not mow your lawn but don’t want to hire a lawn mowing service then a robot mower is for you.

Here are the 4 best, according to our testing and field notes:

Best Overall: Husqvarna 430X

Husqvarna 430x in docking station.

We found the best overall robot mower to be the Husqvarna 430X.

The installation was easy including the charging station, boundary wire and guide wires.

The mower didn’t have troubles navigating around permanent obstacles (trees, garden beds, fire pit etc.) by following the installed wires.

And it dealt with temporary obstacles (large kids toys, bikes) with its collision sensor with ease – turning in another direction and mowing forward.

After 4 weeks of watching it work the only real complaint we have is the robot mower can’t be programmed to mow stripes in your lawn – it only mowers randomly.

Husqvarna 430X field notes:

• Cutting height. It’s nice how the Husqvarna 430X cuts the turfgrass down to 1″. The other Husqvarna – the 430XH – only cuts down to 2″ (The 430XH stands for high cut). If you have a Bermuda grass that needs to be cut down to 1″ then the XH model won’t be good.
• No issues with simple lawn layouts. The automower works great on wide open flat lawns. Our 1st testing lawn (diagram shown) was about as easy as it could get for a robot mower. None of our recommended robot mowers had trouble with this lawn.
• Complex lawns. The automower had plenty of trouble on our 2nd testing lawn (a complex layout as shown in the diagram). We had a go of setting up the boundary wire as instructed in the many YouTube videos and in the installation manual included from Husqvarna. But there were many times the robot mower just seemed to have no idea what to do or where to go – basically bumping into the same things over and over again. We spent hours trying to fix problem areas (between the kids play area and veggie garden beds) but the Husqvarna needed manual intervention in this area each mow. Note: Setting up more guide wires may help. Husqvarna recommends at least 1 guide wire to help the mower find its charging station. But adding 3 or more in the complex areas will help.
• Apps. The Apple and Android apps from Husqvarna were top quality and easy to learn how to use.
• Software. The firmware/smarts within the Husqvarna seem to be several years away from being foolproof.

If you have a flat and simple lawn then the Husqvarna 430X robot mower is an awesome investment. If you have a hilly complex lawn then we recommend you hire someone to install/troubleshoot the boundary wire so the automower can find its way around better.

Runner Up: Worx Landroid WR150

WORX Landroid automatic robot mower mowing our neighbours lawn.

The next best robot mower is the Worx Landroid WR150.

It is designed for lawns up to 1/2 acre and mows flat, simple lawn layouts with ease.

As with most robot mowers it has some troubles with slopes at the boundary wire and uneven areas like tree roots or divots in the grass.

All-in-all it eventually cuts your turfgrass and once you have troubleshooted the boundary wire locations it will get it done with little effort on your part.

Let take a look at some of our field testing notes.

Worx Landroid WR150 field notes:

• Installation is easy. The instructions on how to install the boundary wire and charging station were easy to follow and perform. The included boundary wire spool was plenty long and everything seemed to work without any troubleshooting (on the simple lawn layout. Troubleshooting was required on the complex layout.
• Works great on short grass. The Worx robot mower cut our well manicured lawn no troubles. We keep it around 2″ and programmed the Worx to cut to 1.5″ (the lowest height setting) and it had no problems. It does mow randomly and takes a full day to mow 1/3 an acre. This is no issue since it does its mowing while you are doing your daily routine.
• Cuts flat, level lawns with ease but has troubles with declines at the boundary wire. The main complaint we have is the mower had great trouble dealing with a 20 ft boundary section of our lawn that has a decline to a retaining wall. We set the boundary wire a foot away from the retaining wall but the back wheels of the Worx would still get stuck and dig up the grass in this 20 ft section when trying to turn around. No matter what we tried we are now left to weed wack that 20 ft x 1 ft section as we have moved the boundary wire an additional 6″ away. Note: the Husqvarna did not experience this same trouble.
• Has troubles with thick, long grass. All robot mowers are not powered by Honda engines and are not meant to deal with long, thick grass. They maintain your lawn and work almost daily to keep it looking great.

If you have a flat, level lawn with no obstacles and is free of divots and tree roots then this Worx robot mower is a great investment.

Budget Pick: Gardena 15202-41 SILENO Minimo

Setting up the Gardena Sileno Minimo for testing.

Our budget pick is the Gardena Minimo.

It is a fraction of the price of the Husqvarna’s and Worx and works fine for smaller lawns up to basketball court size.

The app to control the robot mower was worse than the Husqvarna and Worx apps and you need to do most programming from the onboard LED screen.

It was quiet and cut the simple lawn layout no problem but greatly struggled with obstacles, inclines and any area that wasn’t perfectly level and flat.

For the price it is worth it if you have a small, simple lawn.

Best For Your Hilly Lawn: Husqvarna 435X AWD

Having a look at the Husqvarna 435x AWD robot mower.

Husqvarna makes the best robot mowers for residential use.

And their top model is the 435X all wheel drive.

It performed better on declines and uneven ground than the other automowers and wasn’t too much more expensive.

Check it out if you have hilly/uneven lawn.

Things You Ought To Know About Robot Lawn Mowers Before Buying

Just like with a regular walk behind lawn mowers, all robot mowers cut your lawn.

The reason to buy a certain brand or model (other than cost) is because of the below features, which may differ between brands and models.

Let’s check out the 9 robot mower features that matter.

Ease of Installation (Can you install yourself)

All robot mowers can be installed by you, if you want.

All robot mowers come with an installation pack which includes a length of wire, lawn staples and some connectors and couplers.

Most areas now have the ability for you to hire someone to come and install the boundary wire.

How long will it take to install?

Your installation time will depend on your lawn size, complexity and how quickly you learn how to do it.

It took us 2 hours to install 200 ft (59 m) of boundary wire on our 1,700 square foot nearly square backyard.

If your lawn has many obstacles or is 1/2 acre then expect it to take a full day at least.

Battery Capacity (Know your lawn size)

Since the robot mower returns to its docking bay to charge itself this is not a huge issue either way. However, most robot mowers will be able to mow for 1 – 3 hours on 1 charge. The more expensive robot mowers meant for larger lawns will have larger battery capacity and be able to mow for 3 – 4 hours.

Your Lawn Layout (How many obstacles)

Robot mowers do not do great with narrow passes and many obstacles.

If you have a simple lawn layout like the below example a robot mower will work great.

The boundary wire is simple to install and the robot mower will have no trouble mowing this simple lawn.

If you have a complex lawn layout like the below example you may run into problems with certain robot mower models.

The installation of the boundary wire is going to take you 3-5x longer and the robot mower may still have trouble navigating the narrow passes like between the kids play area and veggie garden beds.

However, with correct installation and some troubleshooting our top picks should be able to mow a complex lawn like pictured above.

Your Lawn Terrain (How flat or hilly)

Our automatic robot mower picks above can mow all but the most insane of hills. If your hilly lawn has been mowed with a push mower before then a robot mower will have no problem mowing it too.

Anti-theft Features (Alarms)

The purpose of a robot mower is to set and forget. You set everything up and leave it to mow – even when you are sleeping.

For this reason all robot mowers come with some anti-theft features so someone walking down the street doesn’t just go and pickup the mower and walkaway.

Here are the most common security features:

• Login code. Requires you to login to start the mower or make any changes.
• Alarm. Makes a loud noise when robot mower is lifted and taken from the setup geofence area.
• Charge station pairing. Robot mower will only charge with a specific charging station.
• GPS locator. You can see where the robot mower is at all times via the phone app. If it leaves your property you will be able to see where it is currently.
• GeoFence. You can instruct the automower to alarm when it leaves your preset geofence area.

How Good is the App

The Husqvarna Automower Connect, Worx Landroid and Gardena Smart System phone apps help you control your robot mower and tell it what time of day to mow, how often and how short to cut the turfgrass.

How Smart is it (Does it learn your lawn)

Although Husqvarna and Worx claim their robot mowers are Smart and learn your lawn we don’t see any evidence they do.

Safety Features

Robot mowers have different features to protect themselves and others from damage.

• Rain detection. If the mower sense rain it will return to its charging station and not mow until it has stopped raining.
• Lift sensor. The lift sensor will stop the blades rotating and turn the mower off if it is lifted by you or your family. This will usually send a message to your phone app so it acts as a theft/security protection as well.
• Collision sensor. If the robot mower bumps into something then it will reverse and go a different direction.

Other Minor Things To Consider

• Where to put charging station. The charging station needs to be close to an electric outlet and ideally in a central location.
• Ease of cutting blade maintenance. All robot mowers have 3 small razor blade style blades which are easily changed with a single bolt.

Other Robot Lawn Mower Brands We Looked At

Mammotion

Mammotion makes a perimeter-wire-free robot mower that looks like an 4WD Indy car. It can cut in lanes or randomly and detects obstacles on its own. No guide wires needed. We have not got our hands on one yet but the reviews look promising.

EcoFlow

EcoFlow is a Smart devices brand that makes portable power stations, fridges, portable AC unit, solar panels and now a robotic lawn mower. It is newly released in spring 2023 and we have not had a chance to properly test it yet. However, it does look promising.

MowRo

MowRo is an outdoor power equipment brand making lawn mowers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers and string trimmers. Their robot mower targets the budget entry level market. We decided not to bother testing the MowRo because we could only find bad reviews of it.

Remote Control Mowers vs. Automatic Robot Mowers

DareDevil remote control mower with 9.5HP Kohler engine.

An automatic robot mower is a battery powered guide wire following lawn mower. It is small and used by homeowners who want their lawn mowed without them thinking about it.

A remote control lawn mower is usually a commercial-use mower used to get to places dangerous for humans. For example: zoo enclosures, highway shoulders and medians and steep slopes beside cliffs or water – especially in the southern states to mow inclines beside snake infested ponds.

The remote control mowers you can easily buy online are about 3 ft wide x 3 ft deep x 2 ft tall and cost a few thousand dollars.

The DareDevil mower pictured above is 290 lbs and can be controlled from as far as 650 feet away (200 metres).

Is a remote controlled mower right for you?

A battery powered robot mower is the mower to buy for most homeowners. It cuts your lawn without you doing anything.

A remote control mower is a more heavy duty commercial use machine.

However, there’s no reason you can’t get one and mow your lawn from you deck while having fun.

How Much Does a Robotic Lawn Mower Cost and Where Should You Buy?

Cost

• Professional. Husqvarna has the most expensive residential-use robot mower and it costs 6,000. It is suitable for acreage and has a 4 hour mow time before charge.
• Prosumer. The majority of robot mowers fit into this category and cost 1,600 to 3,000.
• Entry Level. The Husqvarna, Worx and Gardena entry level robot mowers cost between 650 and 1,000.

Where To Buy

• Amazon. The best online retailer to buy your robot mower is Amazon. They have the largest selection, fastest shipping and offer easy returns.
• AcmeTools.com. We partner with AcmeTools.com because they seem to offer better on select lawn mowers compared to Amazon. We often include a link to both Amazon and AcmeTools for you to choose from.
• Big Box Stores. The Home Depot, Lowe’s, WalMart and AceHardware often carry select robot mowers. If you prefer to buy in person then the big box stores are your best option.

FAQs

Are robot mowers safe around pets and kids?

Robot mowers have collision and lift sensors to protect your kids and pets.

If the mower is lifted the blades will immediately stop turning and the mower will shutoff.

If it bumps in your kid – who may be sitting in its path – it will back up and turn to mow in another direction.

How do you install the perimeter wire for a robot lawn mower?

First up: Follow your User Manual as it will give brand and model specific instruction how to install the boundary and guide wires correctly.

All robot mowers will come with a long length of wire and lawn staples.

You lay the wire along the boundary of your lawn and secure it flush to the soil with the lawn staples. The wire eventually disappears into the lawn.

To install wires to help the robot mower avoid permanent obstacles you need to come off the outside boundary wire with another length of wire and go around the obstacle and back to the exterior boundary wire.

Where does the grass go? Does the robot mower mulch?

Yes, they all mulch and have no bagging capability.

Robot mowers cut the turfgrass very fine so the grass clipping settle at the bottom layer of the lawn returning nutrients and promoting a healthy, thick green lawn.

What is the biggest size robotic lawn mower for golf courses and farms?

The biggest robot mower is made by Graze Mowing.

See it in the image above.

It has a 6ft cutting width and can mow at walking speed.

• Robot Lawnmower – Everything you need to know before buying. YouTube.com.
• Gardena Minimo. Gardena.com.
• Husqvarna Automower 430X. Husqvarna.com.
• Worx Landroid 150. Worx.com.
• Automower Connect. Play.Google.com.
• Worx Landroid. Apple.com.
• Gardena Smart system. Apple.com.

About your guide: Jamey Kramar is a certified Lawn Care Manager (NALP) and a Mechanical Engineer by trade. He has been writing about outdoor power equipment for 11 years and has been quoted in NYTimes, Popular Mechanics, HowStuffWorks, iFixit, Realtor.com, and more. He spends his spare time disassembling things and also building an off-grid cabin at his 200-acre property.

Best robot lawn mowers 2023: Lawn maintenance made simple

The best robot lawn mowers are the future of lawn maintenance if you don’t like spending time doing it yourself. These Smart little bots are able to head out and cut your grass without you needing to lift a finger. That should keep your green spaces looking well cared for all year round.

Despite these robots still being a relatively new category in the mower world, they already come in many shapes and sizes. These are to suit the task required of them, meaning you’ll need to work out how large your cut area is before picking the ideal model to suit your needs. That could save you money up front as the largest model may not be needed.

Where, in traditional mowing, larger meant a wider cut area meaning fewer passes and a quicker cut. that’s less relevant here as the robot lawn mower will do all the work, so how long it takes it less of an issue. However, you may need to spend more on a model that can handle slopes if your area isn’t flat.

Lots of these robot lawn mowers are Smart, allowing you to control them with your phone, scheduling cuts, setting areas that are off limits. like flower borders. and getting alerts for any issues that may require your attention. Largely though, since these charge themselves, you can just leave them to it and enjoy the well maintained results.

While robot lawn mowers cut little and often to keep grass maintained, you may find you want a traditional mower too, in case your robot has the winter off and you miss that first cut in time before it gets long. In which case a look at the best cheap lawnmower deals could help. It’s also worth thinking thinking about borders, using the best lawn edgers and unwelcome guests where the best electric weed eaters can serve you. But for now read on to find the very best robot lawn mowers you can buy right now.

Husqvarna Automower 315X: Best robot lawn mower overall

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Reasons to avoid

The Husqvarna Automower 315X is our top pick of the best robot lawn mowers as its packed full of features. As you would expect from the Swedish manufacturer, this X-line model is loaded with all the features any robotic lawn mower could need. This includes a GPS tracking system, LED headlights, and its own app: Automower Connect. It also has voice control, a spot cutting mode, and anti-theft features.

The Husqvarna Automower 315X is one of the smallest in the brand’s X-line series. But its small size doesn’t mean it has a small capacity. It can cut large gardens up to 1,600m2, plus handle inclines of up to 40% – which is pretty steep!

But all these amazing functions means the model carries a steep price tag. It’s worth noting that this is the most expensive model in our line-up, costing around 2,500. You can find some great other robotic lawn mowers for cheaper, but the price won’t include all the added extras you get with the Husqvarna Automower 315X, like the installation of the boundary wires or LED headlights.

MowRo RM24A: Best affordable robot lawn mower

Reasons to avoid

The MowRo RM24A is the cheapest lawn mower in this guide at 900 but handles the steep inclines (up to 30 degrees). It might not have all the fancy high-tech features other robotic lawn mowers come with, but it does ensure your lawn is consistently cut using its 48-hour cycle.

You could say safety is of the MowRo RM24A’s best features. It has three blades which are tucked away in a protective Mowing Blade Guard. This guard allows grass to pass through but protects against foreign objects. It also has a bump sensor and automatic safety sensors which means the MowRo will reverse and stop the blades if it comes into contact with anything other than grass.

Performance-wise, the MowRo RM24A robotic lawn mower takes 90 minutes to charge fully and can cut for two hours. You can also set a custom cutting height anywhere from 1 inch to 2.5 inches. If you have a medium-sized lawn with some slopes to it, this is the best robot lawn mower for you.

Worx WR153 Landroid Robotic Mower: Best robot lawn mower for large gardens

Reasons to avoid

The Worx WR153 is a great choice if you’ve got a medium or large-sized lawn. Thanks to its clever AIA intelligent navigation technology, this robot mower can cut narrow passageways with ease.

Because this robot mower is Smart-enabled, you’ll be able to set it to work via your phone using the app. The Worx WR153 doesn’t mow in straight lines, but instead, works its way across your grass using a zig-zag motion so that the grass is evened out and looks uniform.

Suitable for gardens up to half an acre, this Worx robot mower is also fitted with safety features which mean the blades stop if the mower is picked up or tilted off the floor. great for if you have animals or small children. One fault we did find with this mower, however, is that it’s not great for reaching right to the edges of the lawn.

GARDENA 15201-41 SILENO Minimo: Best quiet robot lawn mower

Reasons to avoid

One of the quietest robot lawnmowers on the market, the Gardena 15201-41 is great for those who spend ample time in their yard. It operates at 57dB which is quieter than their old model, and less than the noise level of a normal conversation. This new model also features the upgrade of a Bluetooth-controlled app, so you can now configure the settings and auto-schedule from your mobile phone. great if you want to adjust your lawn mower from the comfort of your couch. It’s worth noting, however, that this only works from a radius of up to 10m, so it can’t be controlled while on vacation.

It’s also versatile for use in all different weather conditions. It keeps mowing come rain or shine and can navigate slopes of up to 35 percent, so you can rest easy knowing that it won’t run into any problems. Collision settings also ensure that it avoids any furniture or toys, preventing damage to itself and your belongings. With a run time of 65 minutes and automatic charging, it can run with virtually no human assistance which is a win for keeping on top of your lawn with minimal effort.

Worx WR140 Landroid M 20V: Best robot lawn mower for small lawns

Reasons to avoid

If you are looking for the best robot lawn mower for small lawns that have narrow passageways, you’ll find it in the Worx WR140 Landroid M 20V. That’s because the small device comes with patented AIA technology. This tech enables it to manoeuvre around narrow passageways with a minimum width of 60cm.

This robot lawn mower also doesn’t cut grass in straight lines, but instead, cuts the grass in a zig-zag motion so that the lawn is nice and even. Because of this motion, Worx also claims it can cut your 30% faster than other robot mowers.

The Worx WR140 Landroid M 20V robot lawn mower is also ideal for cutting right up to the edge of flower beds and borders thanks to its 7-inch offset blade. This blade is positioned towards the side of the device meaning that there is less tidying up of the borders for you to do.

With a typical mow time of 50 minutes and a cutting capacity of up to 700m2), the Worx WR140 Landroid is a great option if you have a small lawn with a little incline to it.

How to choose a good robot lawn mower

First of all, you’ll want to factor in the area you want your robot lawn mower to tackle. Most devices can handle around 0.25 to 0.3 acres, ideal for small to medium size lawns. If you have a bigger plot you may want to consider one with an extended range. Our top pick can mow up to 0.4 acres.

Another consideration is whether you’ll need a mower that can handle inclines. This is important if you have a hilly yard as you’ll want one that can make light-work of slopes. Out of the mowers we reviewed, there was a range of between 22 and 30 degrees. The dealers we spoke to say they’ve seen some mowers handle bigger slopes, including up to 45 degrees.

With the best robot lawn mowers, a great perk is that you don’t need to remember to charge them. The mower will return to its base when it needs a top-up so you may not even notice. Even so, it’s worth considering the length of time to charge and how long the machine can run with a full battery. Our top picks last about an hour on a full charge and take slightly longer than that to recharge completely. While it may not have much impact on your experience, it gives you an indication of whether the machine is well designed.

Multi-zone capability

Looking to mow more than one space? You’ll need a mower with multi-zone capability. This applies if you want to mow a front lawn and back lawn that are not directly connected. The robot views these as separate zones so look out for one with multi-zone capabilities. This means you can program the mower to remember more than one set of boundaries. You’ll find that most multi-zone robot mowers can cover between two or four zones which should be sufficient for most households.

Looking for the ultimate convenience? You’ll want to choose a mower you can schedule to run on particular days at specific times. This saves you the faff of having to remember to set the robot lawn mower to work. Consider how you’ll want to program the device. With some robot lawn mowers, you do this from the base while you can set other models remotely over a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection.

Advanced features

While all robot lawn mowers offer convenience, some models have additional premium features that give them the edge over the competition. If you have a large yard, a model with GPS might be a good choice so you can track its progress. You could also easily trace the mower if it was stolen so there’s no need to worry about it.

If you want to take convenience to the next level, why not consider a robot lawn mower that you control via an app? Some models allow you to control, configure and monitor the robot remotely via a mobile app so the robot doesn’t even need to be in sight.

Another handy feature is rain-detection technology, ideal in a wetter climate. Thanks to this clever tech, the mower can tell when it’s too wet to mow. You can even find some models which are designed to continue mowing during a shower.

What warranties do robot lawn mowers come with?

Worried about reliability? You’ll want to prioritize a good warranty so you can put your mind at rest. The best robot lawn mowers are an investment so this is especially important as you’ll want it to last.

Our round-up includes models with a range of warranties. Typically, the more expensive models come with a better warranty, so there’s a trade-off between saving money and having peace of mind. In our review, the warranties range between one and five years. The length of the warranty can also give you a sense of whether the manufacturer considers the robot is built to last.

Which is the best robot lawn mower for small gardens?

If you have an outdoor space that’s on the smaller side you’re probably looking for a robot mower that’s more specialized in tidying up corners. If that is the case, then the model that you should primarily be looking at is the Gardena 4069 R80Li. This quiet, well-designed robot lawn mower is ideal for tackling the complexities of smaller spaces, as well as providing top-tier cutting results.

The Gardena 4069 R80Li is ideal for keeping on top of your smaller garden all on its own, with a sensor that can detect how quickly your lawn is growing and how frequently it needs a trim. It also only takes 50 minutes to charge up, meaning even if it can’t manage your whole garden in one session, it can easily be charged up before it’s sent out for another mow.

Do robot lawn mowers actually work?

The big question, when you’ve never tried one of these models, is do robot lawn mowers actually work? And the answer is largely yes, if you’re talking about keeping your grass looking trim. These will make short and low cuts regularly to keep your lawn looking consistent, like it’s always just been cut. Like all robots, you may need to come and help every now and then, perhaps to clear a blockage or pop the mower back on its charger if it got stuck.

The areas that you may not have thought about are cutting around the robot lawn mower’s limits. So along borders, or sharp edges, where the mower may not be able to gain access, you might be needed to trim edges using an edge cutter. The other instance, where you may need to mow manually, is at the start of the season where the robot has had its time off and the first cut may have been missed. This could leave the grass too long for the robot to tackle before getting back into its routine of keeping grass short and manageable.

The mower is limited by its width, as are all mowers, but can move in and out of spaces based on this. So if you have a large open space, it should be simple work. However, if you have lots of slopes and tighter spots, it may be more difficult for your robot lawn mower to move about. That said, many of the best robot lawn mowers can tackle most lawns making them a very capable option for those that want to save time by letting the bot do the manual work for them.

Commercial Robot Lawn mowers

Commercial Robot lawn mowers are one of the next steps in automation for the landscaping and greenkeeping industries. They are what happens when you apply robotics, automation, and AI to the field of gardening and lawn maintenance. Many businesses have the potential for large savings in money.

There aren’t a large number of them available at the moment but innovation in the area is ongoing and better more refined machines are being produced all the time.

Robot lawnmowers are designed to work together to cover large areas so that they can do the work of 1 or several greenkeepers at golf clubs, stadiums, public parks, and many other areas where maintaining a great lawn is important.

Robotic lawnmowers accelerate the mowing of large areas such as football fields and golf courses, so you can get through more clients in 24 hours without manually doing the backbreaking work of mowing a lawn. Most importantly, it gives you the freedom to attend to other pertinent tasks. These robot mowers have a quiet operation, which is perfect for facilities that require their lawn to be trimmed frequently, especially during business hours.

Benefits of Commercial Robot LawnMowers

When it comes to lawnmowers, commercial robot lawnmowers hold several benefits over conventional residential mowers:

Cost Savings

Commercial robot lawn mower cuts on time, labour, and manual maintenance. It also cuts down on air and noise pollution.

Savings on labour costs

In business, time is money. For service-based companies like landscaping, the working hours are mostly spent doing the physical work, which leaves little to no time for other tasks, such as finding new clients. Robot lawnmowers, though, are autonomous and can mow the lawn with little to no supervision.

You can operate this machine through the app on your phone, and you don’t even need to hire additional workers to meet the demand. This means workers can do other tasks like trimming the trees or bushes, and do other things while the robot handles the bulk of the manual work. You get the same result with less cost also without compromising on quality.

Consumable cost reductions

Commercial robot mowers don’t use gas, they don’t need oil, filters, or hydraulic fluid. On top of this, there is no danger of spilling any of these products and there is no need to store or manage any of them.

Robot mowers don’t have bad days, they don’t get tired, and they don’t care if it’s raining or it’s 3 am. As long as they have a charged battery and sharp blades they will do the job.

They will also do the same great job every single time, no issues no compromises. When you ask a computer to do a job you know that it will be consistent and unchanging. With GPS and all the other sensors commercial robot mowers have they are adaptable to the situation and this allows them to reliably do the job time after time after time with no variation.

Robot Mowers are Better for the Environment and Community

Needless to say that robot mowers are better for the environment. They produce much fewer greenhouse gasses. This also reduces the direct pollution released into the air and as we show in a recent article we posted about the number of deaths caused by the pollution from gas-powered lawnmowers, they have a real impact on the health of everyone.

If your business has environmental goals, as all businesses should have these days, then changing over to robot mowers is a great step to take toward meeting those goals. They really do reduce the impact a business has on the environment and improve the health of everyone around you at the same time.

Commercial vs Retail Robot Mowers – What’s the Difference?

So what makes a robot mower a commercial model?

Well, it’s mainly about capacity, normal consumer robotic mowers are designed to be used in yards of a house rather on large stadiums or parks.

Some of the biggest differences that set commercial robot mowers apart from retail modes are,

• They have much larger batteries, for longer run times and are able to run more cutting heads for the bigger cutting width of commercial robot mowers.
• Much wider cutting width, to cut larger areas of lawn in shorter amounts of time.
• Designed to work together with other robotic mowers to cover large areas.This is important for very large areas like golf courses where it is important to have multiple robots working together to cover the large area as it is too much for a single unit.
• The management software is more sophisticated for controlling multiple robots together.With more management features and also designed to control groups of robots rather than just a single unit.

Best Commercial Robot Lawn Mowers on the Market

What is the most popular robot lawn mower? There are several high-quality commercial robot mowers available on the market right now and also others currently in development, we have included the top options here so you can choose the best robot mower for your business.

Husqvarna Automower Commercial Robotic Lawn Mowers

Husqvarna is one of the pioneers of robot lawnmowers. The group introduced the first robotic lawnmower— solar-powered at that— in 1995. To date, they’ve sold more than 1 million autonomous mowers.

The Automower range is Husqvarna’s collection of commercial-grade robotic lawnmowers explicitly designed to handle large properties. They help you increase productivity by freeing up hours that you can allocate elsewhere. Its efficiency is designed for landscapers looking to reduce their labour and equipment costs, campuses wanting a quieter and eco-friendly way to maintain the lawn, commercial properties that want an affordable way to get good-looking turf at all times, and home builders who want to bring in new home buyers by using Smart home equipment.

Automower Commercial Comparison Table:

Commercial user interface

Commercial user interface

Pivoting rear body design

Commercial user interface

About Commercial Automowers

The commercial Automowers are basically the same as the retail models that you can buy the main difference they have is the ability to connect to the Husqvarna fleet services platform for central management of the robots.

Here are some screenshots of the Husqvarna fleet webpage. You can see the dashboard view above and the map showing all the units below. This really is a perfect interface and gives anyone all the control and feedback they need to manage a fleet of robot mowers.

Echo Robotics TM-2000 Commercial Robotic Lawn Mower

The Echo Robotics TM2000 lawnmower is designed to mow up to 6 acres. It’s geared to make turf management easier. It can swiftly and efficiently fulfill the grass-cutting needs of sports fields, driving ranges, schools and municipalities, and more.

They will also provide you with a customized solution if you’re in an industry that hasn’t yet, adopted the wonders of automated lawnmowers. This model is actively used to maintain over 1,200 soccer fields in Europe. It’s autonomous, emission-free, leaves behind healthier— stripe-free— terrain, and can be monitored and controlled through an app.

This model has a basic version too, TM1000, but its area covered is limited to 3 acres.

Echo Robot Mower Specifications:

About the Echo TM-2000

The Echo Robotics TM2000 trims turf to the designated height, which can be anywhere from 0.8 in – 3.9 inches. This mower can handle daily trimmings throughout the year, which is excellent for the turf. The finely clipped grass is left behind on the ground, which decomposes and becomes natural fertilizer to propel further grass growth.

The Belrobotics Bigmow is a commercial robotic lawn mower designed to tackle yards up to 5 acres in both commercial and residential spaces. It has a cute, cartoonish bullfrog-like appearance thanks to the flat front and back wheels, which look like bulging eyes. Bigmow is ideal for sports fields, schools, and any facility with uneven terrain.

BelRobotics Bigmow specifications:

BigMow Operation

BigMow is preinstalled with 5 sonar and touch sensors that detect obstacles over 16 inches, enabling navigation without collision. If it detects an object on its trajectory, the sonar sensors will trigger it to slow down, stop, reverse, and change direction.

BigMow is designed to run autonomously within zones defined by a buried, low-voltage perimeter wire. The mower will return to its base station when it needs a charge then it will go back to work by following the peripheral wire to commence work once recharged.

Cut Pattern and Quality

It moves in a random pattern to leave no tracks behind. But there is also a systemic mode which is designed for areas with little to no obstacles. In this mode, the mower will turn concentrically following the shape of the lawn until it reaches the center, at this point, it will mow the center randomly and work in a concentric pattern again but this time, outwards.

It’s designed to adapt to any terrain and automatically turns off its cutting system when it senses an obstacle.

The secret to its perfect cut is 5 floating stainless steel cutting blades that adapt to the contour of the terrain. These sharp blades retract immediately when the sensors detect an object, ensuring no person, pet, or thing is harmed during the operation. If someone were to lift the mower, it would immediately stop operating as a safety measure.

It mulches long grass blades very finely, which decomposes more quickly than tall grass. This reduces the need for external fertilization or even watering need because the way it mows produces little to no grass stress.

Build Quality

Its components are high-quality. Its propelled by a brushless engine, and the chassis and blades are made with aluminum and stainless steel, which compounds its durability, and keeps it light and resistant to corrosion.

It has a whisper-quiet operation, which makes it perfect for use near public and private places. It will silently work in the background without interruption. Along with no noise pollution, this mower works on clean electricity. Plus, one of the striking highlights of this mower is its low energy usage coming out to just 830 kWh or €150 per year.

Technology

Bigmow is equipped with a high-tech security feature. It has an anti-theft feature and also sends you alerts if the mower were to malfunction. This comes in handy if you have many big mowers across several sites operating at the same time. You can check on its location and status at any time through their app.

Additionally, it also saves data, which means you can compare productivity per day, week, or over a specific period of time. This way, you know that if productivity is decreasing, there might be something wrong with the mower.

Bigmow is the perfect replacement for multiple small robots, and it claims to be much cheaper than a tractor. It produces 10 times fewer carbon emissions and slashes energy costs by eight times.

Final Thoughts

Yes, commercial robot lawnmowers have their limitations. It doesn’t prune the roses or trim the bushes. Neither does it water the grass or come attached with a leaf blower. Still, it does the main, time-consuming, leg-work of keeping the grass length always trimmed, without making excuses. You don’t have to wait for your employees to show up or push around a conventional lawnmower for hours at a time. This does the job quickly, only stopping to get recharged to work more. Plus, these bots are tenacious enough to power through behemoth fields without slowing down– a colossal task that’s pretty hard for a single person to do.

Investing in a commercial robotic lawnmower will literally keep you on the cutting edge of business growth driven by revolutionary technology.

Upcoming Commercial Robot Mowers

The Graze commercial robotic lawn mower from Wavemaker labs is an exciting new addition to this space and when it is released it will be interesting to see how it performs.

The Graze has a very different design from the other robot lawnmowers out there. Rather than having a single unit. The graze is designed to be modular allowing it to perform different functions. It also has a large sensor suit making it a very Smart and capable unit.