This Tech FINALLY Makes Robot Lawn Mowers Worth it 

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I live in the UK and have had a robot mower since 2013 and can say it is the best thing since sliced bread, a couple of things Matt didn’t mention is when you are on holiday your lawn gets mowed. I am retired and go away for six weeks at a time in our Motorhome. The mower is also so much quieter than petrol mowers. The main thing now is I am disabled in a wheelchair and my robot mower christened “RON” does the business. I would highly recommend a robot mower. 👍

We got rid of our grass completely and replaced it with raised garden beds and native flowers. Helps with my grass allergies and produces tasty food. Now my manual push mower sits lonesome in the back of the garage.

I have a 3000H as well and I never had to do the hoops you did during setup. Mine was: Remove from box, attach bumper and camera, place base station and RTK, update firmware on the robot, map. If yours shipped around the same time mine did, you might have had GPS issues with the solar storms that was preventing you from mapping. I didn't even realize the RTK could be connected to WiFi for updates until about 2 weeks after I set everything up. For people that say that battery tech isn't there yet, you need to realize that unless you're mowing 5+ acres, it doesn't matter. It's on robot time, not human time. Mine rolls off its base station every other day at 10 am, mows for 3 hours, then charges for an hour, mows 2.5 hours then another charge, then finishes with another hour of mowing. I don't really care that it took 8.5 hours to mow my lawn because I didn't have to be involved. I left to do some graduation parties, get groceries, live my life, and I came back to a mowed lawn. If you're able to let a robot mow at least twice a week, you're likely getting a better cut than you would have with a traditional mow once a week because a robot wouldn't be "mowing" at that point, it's more shaving the grass. You end up mulching tiny fragments of grass rather than the 1/3rd of the blade most people mow down to. It mulches faster and stresses the grass less and you end up with a healthier lawn. I also did the math elsewhere and it really isn't all that much more expensive than a lawn service. In my case I mow 1/3rd of an acre, and it takes ~900 watt hours to complete the mow. I'm about 37% of the way through the blade life (4 cutting surfaces per blade since only one edge cuts per blade). If I mow every other day, skipping rain days, I'll end up running the robot ~105 times in an 8 month mowing season. One season will eat a three pack of blades ($45) and use 94.5 kWh of power. Power is only ~$0.12/kWh where I am, so a mowing season only costs me $56.34 in operating costs. Assuming the mower has an absolutely terrible life span of 3 years, it still ends up costing me ~$170 in operating costs + $2,600 for the mower: ~$923/yr or ~$26.37/week to purchase and operate the mower. That said, I don't know that I'd recommend any robot mower for anyone that isn't comfortable tinkering with stuff. You *can* get perfect mowing and essentially never worry about the robot getting stuck if you are comfortable fiddling with your zones and no-go zones. I've found the editing of zones to be more pain than it's worth, so if there are any edits I've wanted to make, it's honestly easier to just delete the zone and re-map it. You just have to be willing to put in a little more work in the first couple of weeks to learn what your specific mower can and can't do well and be willing to adapt to it. If you aren't willing to do that, you will likely end up frustrated and unhappy.

I tried making a robotic lawn mower years ago as a thesis for my Bachelor's degree. I was trying to use ultrasonic sensors to detect the position. The GPS with base station looks soooooo much better! And the cost will probably go down a little with volume and competition.

The entire neighbourhood has gotten way better thanks to robot mowers. Going out in the sun to eat lunch? Not without someone mowing the grass for. Thinking about a pleasant time sunbathing? Not with on my watch, mowing it is. But that was in the past. Now everything is quiet... and it's so good

i thought the Elephant in the Room was the fact that they require a proprietary app that can remove features on a whim, or simply get delisted so now you have a mower that's inaccessible

I’ve got a Luba and it takes care of my 1.5 acre grass yard. 10 stars

My robotic lawn mower is now seven years old, and still going strong. Complex lawn, and yes, a guard wire, but that is a memory that is seven years old, and I've had no issues with it. In terms of cost, they are more expensive up front, but require no gas, almost no electricity and minimal maintenance. So, overall, over that period of time it is cheaper by far compared to a gas powered lawn mower. Also, the lack of noise is amazing. Side note, watching it cut is quite the ASMR experience... hehe

I can't believe you missed the opportunity to say "robot MOWERlords"

I want to go in with a neighbor or two on one of these robo-mowers... but I feel like they aren't quite there yet. But if it hits 3 of our yards 2x a week then it would keep things way better managed that each of us attempting to mow our lawns once a week and sometimes being too busy or sick to actually do it. Maybe another year or two :) They seem to be improving quick, and dropping in price every year!

I have a number of these on my farm. Each one is fitted with curled, front mounted antennas, and forward/peripheral vision systems. They all have tiny antennas at the back, too. What's even better is that they are powered by the grass that they mow :) .

The shot at 7:38 really got me laughing Matt - I want to see an extended version of you taking it out for a walk round your local park 😂

Some of the people out here in the country have automatic mowers. They are called " Horses, Cows, Sheep or Goats ".

What do you mean finally? I haven't mowed my yard in 5 years. I'd say it's the second best investment I've made to make my time outside more pleasant.

As weird as it sounds I actually enjoy mowing my lawn. That being said I did buy an electric lawn mower(not automated) and it has been great over the past 5 years, not dealing with gasoline, on top of it being quieter. I am intrigued by automated mowers though, maybe in the future I will make the switch, just like I did from gas to electric.

We purchased a Worx Landroid 4 years ago and I can honestly say it is my favorite tech purchase of all time. I have seen those on eBay from $400-600 and new for about $1200. Totally worth the price!

Purchased a Bosch Indego 350 5 years ago for £300 now costs £600 (760 USD), needs a perimeter wire but is idea, monitors the weather forecast which is a must have in the rainy England, alternates pattern and even leaves strips for a professional finish. Bang for the buck it can't be beaten. Looked at more modern alternatives but just can't justify the additional cost, yes the setup of the perimeter wire takes a couple of hours but relatively simple, my 10 year old enjoyed banging in the pegs. Highly recommended.

My parents got one that required a guiding wire 5 years ago, and while it's been performing great when operational, the wire had to be fixed every spring because it breaks from ground frost and curious rodents. Finding the points where it's been broken has been difficult even with the right tools, so we've replaced the whole wire 3 times now. Yesterday my dad finally snapped and decided to buy a wireless model, we'll see how it does. In US dollars it cost about $4000 and is the second lowest tier option. For comparison the wired model that we're replacing was about $1700 and had roughly the same capabilities, so we're paying a ton extra for just the wireless feature.

They’re taking our jobs!!! I have one and it is ok. 1 acre lawn with trees, it can’t do the whole thing because it loses GPS in areas. But it does help keep the grass near my house short so I only have to do about half myself. Saves time and keeps the backyard neat.

As long as I have dogs, I don't see how a robot mower will be useful. There's just some "prep work" that needs attention in the yard before mowing.

I dreamed of having this when I was 15yrs old reading popular science magazine. I hated yard work with the fiery passion of a thousand suns! As an adult I still do. I'd either zero scape the yard or hire a robot.

We've had a Husqvarna robot mower for years. We bought a very old model, that was on sale at the time as part of a clearence sale of old models. Absolutely brilliant thing! Regarding the wire, we had ours burried, nice and safe, by the people we bought it from. These machines have been worthit for years in my oppinion.

Wow, those are expensive. I own a Landroid Worx WR165, bought last year for $1200CAD ($877US) and I love it. Yes I did have to install a boundary wire but it was totally worth it compared to the more expensive GPS models out there. Installed properly, the boundary wire is a non-issue. I absolutely love watching the mower mow, doing the painfully arduous task I once did weekly. I 3D printed a larger cutting disk so it’s more efficient when it goes out to mow, but I agree, the mowing duration is not really a selling feature. Mine goes out for 1 hour every second day. I can schedule a longer time or have it go out daily or more than once per day if needed (it only takes a hour to charge).

You know what’s even more convenient than a robot lawn mower? Not having a lawn to mow. :)

There's something nobody considers. What's the difference between a house and a home? The effort and care you put into it. For me a robot lawnmower solves a problem I don't have. Mowing provides exercise and is an investment of care by me in the house helping to make it a home. I spend about 2hr of yard home/external care a week and could just pay somebody which is probably more cost effective, but the personal satisfaction of caring for my home and the free exercise are worth more than the time/money of getting the lawn done. (I use all of the greenworks 80v stuff - mower, hedge trimmer, string trimmer, blower and chainsaw which all work great).

My elephant in the room was it mowing the lawn in the front yard by itself. Even though I live in a nice neighborhood, pretty confident it was safe, I never felt comfortable leaving a $2k - $4k mower out in the front lawn, where anyone could just walk up and take it. I know it wouldn’t work for them but that is the main reason it got returned.

Get dog houses for mowers! Put the charging stations inside the dog houses for added security and slap some solar panels on top to power them.

I'm finalizing my house build. Had the outside put up by a contractor. Did/doing everything else myself. All electric geothermal heating and cooling. Bumping up my solar to19,920kw and installing 71.5kwh of batteries. All infloor heat and fan coils for cooling 3400sqft. On 1 acre. I just installed 8000ft of pex and 2" of insulation. Then had 11 cement mixers of concrete poured over it for my driveway. Now hooking pv direct/DC to water heaters. And pv direct pumps to heat my driveway so no snow shoveling. In Wisconsin. Also to cover a lot of the yard with concrete. So less mowing. Next purchase the biggest zero turn lawnmower that will fit in my garden shed. Has 73 inch door. But maybe the rider I do have will last a few more years and the robots will improve enough and be cheap enough. So I can buy one instead... I might have to get the robotic snowblower. The city wouldn't let me heat the sidewalk. WTH.

Love the Paul Hibbert call out.

I've had my LUBA 2 AWD 1000H since April and I love her! Someone said kids are cheaper, but LUBA never talks back or complains it's too hot. For a man a lazy and cheap as me with a little Texas size yard, the cost was a benefit.

I have a Worx landroid and had to fit a wire around the garden. I have an injury that makes these tasks more difficult, so it is great to have robots that help. Downsides as you say are rescuing from a hole it has dug whilst being stuck. Then repair hole and try to stop it happening again! It is great having a much better looking back lawn and far less hot and sticky.

"Don't want to put a string around your yard? Then simply set up a GPS satellite connection!" lmao

One aspect I wish you'd cover is the cost over time aspect. Would these units drop in cost as sales climb and capabilities between brands standardize? Let's hope the evolution continues! Fingers crossed. 🤞

I LOVE my robot mower. I've had it for 3 years and it's called Jason (Jason, me-mower). Mines basic with a perimeter wire which is annoying. But I've not mowed for 3 years and the lawn always looks perfect. Not only that but because it mulches immediately there is nothing to pickup and the nutrients stay on the lawn. Because the amount of so small each day you never see clippings

Dude, I literally started researching this last week. Couldn't have had better timing! Great video as always. Can't wait for the Yarbo review. That thing looks awesome.

While the tech is cool, and I like it, it's still far cheaper to put in native plants that don't need mowing. Plus you get tons of butterflies, hummingbirds and other wildlife.

Kids are still cheaper

I’ve been using a husqvarna Automower for the past 5 years. The only issue it has ever had was when the guide wires were cut by landscapers working on my neighbor’s lawn. Absolutely has been 100% worth the initial cost.

I have a Gardena robot mower, the kind which has a guide wire. It's working mostly okay now, but when I got it I had issues like a) before using it you have to close cut the lawn without any clumps or grass more than 1" high or the thing will get stuck *everywhere* and if you lay down the guide wire it's too late to mow it, b) there weren't anywhere close to the right number of pegs provided with the mower but luckily I have a 3d printer and printed about 40 more, c) it *will* cut guide wires if they're not staked all the way (see b), d) it still leaves tufts next to the guide wire which need occasional strimming, e) it will get stuck if you leave stuff on the lawn, e.g. tennis ball etc. I think if I were to get another mower it would be one without a guide wire but they're really expensive. Maybe in the course of time the price will come down. I'm kind of surprised someone isn't selling modular DIY kits for people to make their own and attract a modding community.

i actually enjoy mowing my lawn so wouldnt ever get one unless i had mobility issues

SouthPark - "They took err Jubes!"

I love my robot lawnmower and highly recommend them. Another thing to keep in mind with the cost is you could easily split the cost with your nextdoor neighbors and maybe even your back neighbors and have it mow everyone's lawn which would also cut further back on neighborhood noise. Even if you can't split the cost the older models are cheaper and well worth it. I spent ~ $500 and about 5-10 hours in set up for the old fashioned perimeter wire robot lawnmower and I'd never go back. Saving me about 2 hours a week of mowing time while keeping my lawn always looking great.

Matt, the timing of your video is PERFECT! 😍 I'm literally right in the process of a robotic mower decision. Thank you!!

When you said that it can't be stolen because "it's locked to your account" all I heard was the company has taken steps to ensure you don't resell the device on secondary markets.

MAX HEIGHTS ARE *FAR* TOO LOW FOR DROUGHT RESISTANCE. In spring, the taller over 4" your lawn is, the more the roots grow. Instead of no mow May, let it get 9" tall, then mow down to 5.5 inches. These robot mowers have a max height at 3.9 inches, a full inch and a half too low to ever get root growth or drought resistance. Lawns 5 inches & taller can "self shade" and protect moisture in the soil. Mowing shorter allows the sun to burn & irradiate the soil & the root crown, browning and forcing constant watering. Never mow in heat over 85 degrees, or before/during a drought! No weed killer; clover is good, let wildflowers bloom.

Got my Luba 2 this march. Looooooove it. Runs like a champ. a little finicky to setup the mowing areas. I have a lot of fiddley corners and what not in the lawn. Its been working great for months now. Love the safety features. Whether it is my dog, the neighbors or the little bunnies in the area the mower spots them, slows down, maybe stops and then goes around them. We are the first and only ones in our town.

Definitely want the Luba 2 for my hilly lawn in NH. But not at that cost! In the meantime I'm loving my Ryobi electric lawn mower. Was hoping to see more about that snow blower - perhaps when winter rolls back around 🙂. Much appreciate your level of insight and review in all your videos. You explore/explain the technical aspects at precisely the right level for a RU-vid video. I'm hooked on your channel!

A lot of money for mowers that need a lot of set up and specific lawn requirements. I'm a gardener and I've thought about how robot tech can affect the industry. Realistically we are a very long way from fully automated gardening. A gardener can do so many different jobs, whereas you would need a different robot for each job. A mower bot, a hedge cutting and topiary bot, a cleaner bot, a digging/planting bot, a weeding bot. That $4,000 could pay someone to visit regularly and do all the different jobs in your garden for years, without you having to spend time setting up and maintaining something that only does one job.

Very cool. But I just removed my lawn for drought tolerant plants. Lawns are archaic and wasteful. A nice landscaper yard is cheaper, less maintenance, less water and chemicals, and far more beautiful

Before Luba came on the scene, the only option for hilly yards was Husqvarna, which was a minimum $5k cost, let alone installation of perimeter wire. We've come a long way on price, despite it still being $2.5k.

I have the same luba 2 3000H. It works really well. I upgraded from a worx landroid that just pinballs the way around the yard and gets stuck weekly. I have only had to help out the luba once in the past month, and it was because of how I setup my yard. I will say the app needs a lot of work, feature adjustments and such. I also feel like the 3d vision module doesn't really work, but overall I think the luba 2 is great.

Looking forward to the scifi DUST movie of your lawnmower looking into your neighbors' windows

My lawnmower is a marsupial cartel.

I have a very basic robo lawnmower in the UK, its cost me £300. It only has visual sensors, no app and is somthing you have to set to go manuall however i have to say its been amazing so far. Granted i do not have a huge lawn and its pretty uncomplicated in its shape, but it just works. It does get stuck on occasion (mainly on trees and a small drop and due to it being small and rear wheel drive its struggling that i didnt mow the lawn for the past two weeks due to vacation. But when it doing the daily maintenance ive gone 3/4 months with perfect consisten grass. I love it and recommend them highly.

I’ve had a Worx for four seasons. It works well, covering 90% of my lawn. The shortcoming is that it doesn’t pick up debris like a traditional mower. Leaves, “helicopters”, small twigs, etc just collect on the lawn.

I'm more worried about someone stealing a robot mower.

If the high end models were $2k and could mow like 2 acres, I’d get one. Everything hinges on battery tech improving lol

Thanks for the review! It still feels like we're 3-5 years out from the products maturing enough for me to get one.

I've been keeping a close eye on this technology, and it's exciting to see such significant improvements from the first generation models. Although I enjoy mowing my lawn, I currently spend about $160 per month on a mowing service, because I'm to busy right now. Which means the cost of these newer models could be justified within just two years. However, I'm planning to wait a bit longer, perhaps another 18-24 months, to see what further advancements are made. Additionally, we're considering a move soon, and I'm not sure if our new place will even have a lawn-it might just be trees and rocks!

Our lawn service costs $25 a week which includes weed whipping and edging the sidewalk. That means it would take a 3-5 years of paying the lawn service to equate to the cost of this machine, and I would still have to go out and do the weed whipping and edging every couple weeks AND that doesn't include the cost of electricity or the cost of new blades which im assuming are expensive and last no more than a month because they are so small. I get it, but it doesn't seem like a time or money saver, it feels mostly like a tech toy, which hey if thats what you are into great have at it.

My EGO electric mower has gone through two batteries and a charger in 2 years ($350). When it works I really liked the electric mower much more than gas, I could mow as early or as late as I wanted.

I’ve had my Luba for over a year now. Wet grass seems to clog it & I get motor overheating warnings so I don’t mow at night when I’d like but during the day when the grass is dryer. Other than rinse it & free up the blades once a week I pretty much ignore it. The lawn always looks great. My neighbor watched it all last summer & now he has one as well

Your videos always have so mulch information.

In the UK there's a movement opposed to regular mowing to promote bio- diversity. 'No mow May' started a few years ago but has been criticised for cutting summer flowers. Personally I cut once in April, once in May and a couple of times in the autumn. Allows me to have plentiful flowers through the summer and the longer grass needs less watering. There's nothing quite like sitting out listening to the bees buzzing around your feet. So a robot mower will not be on my shopping list as it would only be needed 3 or 4 times a year.

Very timely vid. Currently in a project with my grandson to convert a push mower to a Radio Controlled, FPV mower. I hate mowing, but have a riding mower that allows me to zip through 95% of the job in about 40 minutes. The R/C mower will allow me to get under the pine trees & the overhang of the deck. 1st iteration is a conversion of a gas mower. But if the proof of concept works, I hope to get a EGO electric mower, and remotely drive that li’l tank around while smoking my pipe in my easy chair. And yes, I am that nerd who would watch the robot mower’s FPV camera feed at least some of the time. Oh, and I’m also a Ham, so I’ve got expensive antenna cables that sometimes move to different positions, so that’s my main reason for wanting manual control.

Good video, though, mowing the lawn is my "me" time... it's surprisingly soothing and don't want to trade it for an automated process.

If you grow native clover instead of non-native grasses you won’t have to mow at all, and it’ll provide small white flowers that bees loves

I cant understand the lawn passion. A yard with some medium trees and nicely arranged bushes is far more beautiful , provides shade and saves water use. I don't get all those 'eco' friendly guys which have such a lawn passion. Water in the near future will be tha same as oil in the past or more important.

Fair review of the Luba, I have been running mine all season in a large hilly garden and its transformed my summer !

Robo lawn mowers have always been really hilarious for me as a software engineer, because it's always been a "Oh you're rich and wanna spend your money on things that are silly, eh?" kinda thing. Hey it's great that you hate mowing lawns and this is an option, but honestly I'd just tell yuh to hire a lawn care company instead. They'll cut it quick, it'll be done correctly, you'll have no part to play in it, and you get your precious time saved. I also like that hiring a lawn crew keeps people employed, using their hands, and outside being active for work.

Although it may seem unpleasant, pushing a lawn mower outside has its benefits. Being sedentary under artificial lighting for long periods of time isn't good for your health. Yard work gives me a reason to step outside and soak up some Vitamin D. It's also great way to get some steps in walking back and forth. So I'm going to have to pass on robot mowers for now purely for my health.

I am retired and I love to mow. I jump on my 60" Toro Zero Turn and mow my 3 acres with my AM/FM/BT headphones on, listening to music and smoking my pipe. I get to inspect the grass as I mow and can avoid obstacles like mud ruts my son puts in the field. It is 3 times faster than my old Craftsman Garden Tractor. I have 6 blades on it in an X configuration, 3 for cutting and 3 for mulching and it does a fantastic job.🏎

Matt, Great video. In addition to saving time, you're not out in the sun as much. I enjoy mowing my lawn, but it is a time-sink (not a huge one, but one nonetheless). For me, the biggest reason I would look to getting a robot lawn mower like the Luba 2 is so I have to spend less time in the heat. I have legitimately gotten so hot from mowing the lawn that I felt physically ill. And it was only 11am! Also, and you touched on this, sometimes a lawn should be mowed more often (northern lawns' growing seasons are spring & fall, while it is peak summer for southern turfs). I really should be mowing 2x per week in June, July & August, the hottest months of the year for the US. Having a robot mower would not only save time, but significantly reduces the risk of heat illness.

I know I’m off topic, but living in a city, I’m wishing they’d reverse the safety features and instead hunt rats

I'm so terrified of these things hurting some poor little animal, I don't even want to risk it by using one.

Got an electric mower some 15 years ago, love it! Filed the blade ONCE!!!

I have always classed mowing the lawns as exercise so its not a bad thing but can see the uses with the right system in place. One thing i noticed is how small the blades were compared to normal mowers which for me a big concern (if my 2 stroke mower struggles, then i am sure a robot would too) Thanks for the video and glad you enjoy yours

How do they handle dog poop? Can't imagine those short blades lasting long against the droppings of man's best friend

I hardly have any grass and have pretty much planted over my entire yard.

I bought a Robomow RL800 in 2003. Robot mowing isn't for everybody but it has worked for me and "Rover" is in the process of delivering its 21st year of service. I especially enjoy watching this grind fall leaves into a fine mulch with its high speed food processor type mowing blades. I'd love to get one with modern tech. However, I can't justify it. This just keeps running. Worth every penny.

Lawns are inherently stupid. A bit is nice for chilling or playong frisbee. But the modern obsession is rooted in a shorn lawn being a demonstration of wealth from the past. It meant you had a lot of graazing animals. Now we just maintain it so people can admire our house from the street. It is a completely absurd practice. Growing a food garden in that space with permaculture principles by mulching with waste carbon biomass like fallen leaves, cardboard, wood chips is a much better use of the space. Robotisizing an absurd process doesn't improve it.

There is a lot more to lawn care than just mowing. There is edge trimming, weeding, leaf raking, branch pickup, feeding, etc. And for us here in the West there are sprinkler systems, drip irrigation, etc. maintenance. For all these items I just pay someone $150/mo. The only thing we have to do is put the green waste can on the street.

I got a Automower 430x back in 2017. I love the thing, but it is far from hands off. My yard is difficult to mow, lots of different slopes, bumps. I've done what I can to try to improve it, but it struggles in certain spots. In the spring my yard is very wet and I have to block off one area where a big mud puddle forms. After a couple years I found there are Rough Terrain wheels available for my mower. They definitely helped. I will look at awd models when ready to replace. My biggest dislike with mine is the markup on replacement parts. over $400 to replace the battery. I've also replaced two drive motors and currently looking for a replacement front caster wheel. When tou take one apart and look inside, you can't help but feel you over paid. However the time ive gotten back is worth it. Bought one due to haveing a kid and not wanting to take time away from her to mow the yard.

We recently got a Segway Navimow i Series which is cost reduced compared to the H series as Blade height is manual, but comes with built-in vision sensor. It has been great and covers 600m^2 of grass with very little intervention

when i built my house i designed my yard to not need to be mowed..... i am all natural.

Get rid of your lawn and plant native plants!

I'd highly recommend putting a lightning rod on that outside pole mount for your antenna before you fry everything in your house :>

I love my EGO mower. I used to loath mowing the lawn and only done it when I really had to. Now I do it every week. I don't know what size of lawn that would take you a couple of hours to mow. I can do my own lawn, my neighbors front and back and across the road in 20 mins. That includes tidying with the string trimmer (also EGO).

No way ever am I going to have an unattended machine with spinning death blade in my yards where kids and pets can wander into it.

The biggest problem I have with all current robotic mowers si that they don't do grass catching and disposal, our lawn is Kikuyu which is drought tolerant and stays green all year round without watering, But it grows so fast at times that you can't just cut and leave the clippings or the lawn will drown in its own waste. Also in some places it's so thick and spongy that you need 5" plus wheel diameter for the mower to roll over it without bottoming out. It makes for real good exercise sometimes. They would work on our front lawn OK but it only takes 15 minutes to mow that.

I like the idea of a network of these to mow the small grass areas of urban yards, cutting several yards weekly, both front & back without every neighbor needing their own mower, relying on each neighbor to remember to cut, etc. A new service to lease these, maintain them, replace blades, etc would also make use of the camera feature to scrub the video by AI to see where issues arise-offering services to repair the yard, upgrade lawn, redesign, etc.

I too am testing some robot lawnmowers for an article I’m working on, I’ve found they do a relatively good job but have run into similar annoyances. Another thing to note is if you’ve got a fence or a gate you’ll either need to buy two or move them around. With two going I’m probably saving 45min a week, factoring in our long winters it may take a few years to justify the cost

I LOVE my Husqvarna 430XH. I have a complex yard and after I tweaked the boundary wire location in a few spots I rarely need to rescue it.

I've owned a Husqvarna Automower 450 XH for a little over a year now. It uses the perimeter wire but so far I am completely in love with my mower. My son named it Cortana and it is almost a part of the family. There is nothing like seeing that little dedicated mower working every single day rain or shine mowing the lawn so I don't. It used to get stuck often but if you try to work on addressing each spot it eventually become fairly dependable. Buying a robot lawnmower $$$$, having it installed $$$, not having to mow the lawn each week? Priceless.

My lawn is 1900 m2. A robotic mower was the same cost as a ride-on, and there is little time investment. I have had issues with replacement parts when it's broken down, but overall the time saved is well worth it! If I had to do it again, I'd definitely go with one with no boundary wire. Troubleshooting the breaks never went as smoothly for me as it does for those demonstrating it on this platform. My next project is a robotic weed zapper.

The i series Navimow released the year is only $1k, or $1.3k for the one with a bigger battery. Cost was definitely a big factor on when we chose that option: it doesn't take very long to realize $1k in savings (realistically less b/c we didn't have to buy a traditional mower) vs paying a service every week (or putting a value on your time). It works amazing with large flat areas and gradual to moderate slopes. My biggest complaint is I can't get it as precise along the edge as I'd like. We've had to bring in the mapped edge near the street a good 6+ inches because it kept falling off the curb, so I have some extra area to trim every week or two. Still WAY less work than manual mowing though.

got an electric mower years ago that I push, not that I like to mow, but I see it as necessary exercise, lord I need it

I'm loving my Luba 2 3000H so far. I have .5 acres with some STEEP slopes and thick fescue. The three biggest usability concerns are 1)bluetooth connectivity between the app and the mower fails when I am in the house, so I need to step outside to give the Luba new commands. 2) I have the charge station inside a gated backyard for added security. This does mean I need to let this guy in or out to charge or do a job. 3) It misses small amounts or single blades of grass pretty often. As I've only had it a few weeks, I am experimenting with its travel speed, path width/overlap, and cutting patterns to address this. The app gives you a lot of control which is nice. I also need to keep the blades clear of grass in their pivots so they can swing freely. Yes. The mower was expensive, but I save 2+ hours a week and the hill was very hard to mow even with a self-propelled mower. A gas riding mower would have cost as much or even a little more, and then I have to use gas, do maintenance, and do the actual mowing.

when I owned a house, the mower services wanted $100/per mow, every other week. It was really hot and humid where I was during the summer (120+ heat index) and would get really bad heat stress trying to mow my lawn myself. getting a robot mower for $2k would pay for itself in less than a year (1/3 acre, minimal terrain issues, just a LOT of grass)