What a difference 4 years makes.
Not just in the technology, but also in my own opinion of robotic vs. standard walk behind mowers.
Back in 2013, I had a few choices to make regarding which mower to buy. If this report of robot mower trends to 2020 is to be believed, the field is going to widen a bit, despite the various legal challenges brought by Husqvarna in trying to protect their technology, but back then, my choices were limited to:
- Gardena (Husqvarna / Flymo / Gardena are all the same group)
- Bosch (Indego)
- Worx (Landroid, since subject of a patent infringement case)
Regular readers will know which I chose, and will have followed the last 4 years of blade changes, wheel replacement, repairing rubber bumper supports, and repairing broken perimeter wires...
...and yet despite the various trials and tribulations, I'd willingly go through it all again.
The Lawn Has Never Looked Better!
Okay, so you'll have to take my word for it, but having a robotic lawn mower has led to a greener lawn.
Why? Because the grass, when cut, is mulched.
Mulching basically reduces the clippings to a fine mist that falls back into the lawn, between the blades of grass, and helps to nourish it. Hence: a greener lawn.
The lawn is trimmed daily, regularly, and at a constant level.
It all contributes to a better looking lawn.
Yes, I still have to trim the edges, but that's more a design choice than anything else. I could have replaced the edging with little paving stones that the mower would roll over and trim right up to the edge, but I like my wood effect edges that separate the raised flowerbed from the lawn.
Once the wood rots away, as it will, I might rethink, but until then, I'll just have to do the edges myself.
Choosing the Right Robot Grass Cutter
I think that, reading the reviews on Amazon, that the biggest issue that people have is in choosing an appropriate robotic lawn mower for their lawn and level of expertise.
For example, almost without exception, robot mowers use a perimeter wire to prevent them going outside your lawn and chopping up the flowerbeds. One of the biggest ownership bugbears seems to be installing and maintaining the perimeter wire.
However, it needn't be the case.
Just be prepared to spend a little time designing the perimeter boundary, and a little more time checking that you made all the right decisions by observing the mower in action, and then relax for the rest of the season.
- Don't dig it into the lawn; just let the wire sink in naturally.
- Don't have sharp turns at the corners; either cut them or round them, checking as you go along that the mower still reaches into the corner as required.
- And don't forget that if you have height changes, pin down the wire with a peg so that it always follows the gradient of the lawn; otherwise it might just get clipped!
Make sure you choose the right mower: if you have a complex lawn shape, pick one that is designed to cover an area just a bit bigger than the actual lawn.
At the same time, if you like lines, and have a regular, rectangular lawn, then pick a mower that cuts in stripes, like the Bosch Indego, for example. It's a bit more expensive than some of the Flymo and Landroid rivals, but it does a good job provided you have a regularly shaped lawn.
In my case, the Gardena R40Li (Flymo 1200R) was more appropriate, just because of the shape of the lawn, size of cutting area, and price.
More modern mowers also exist now, complete with WiFi connection to your mobile phone and GPS to help monitor the job that they've done. I'm not convinced that app connectivity is anything more than a gimmick, but I'll admit that there is a part of me that is attracted to the idea of controlling my mower with my phone.
However, I think that it will be a while before the tweaking that you can do with such a connection actually brings something new to the party. Meanwhile, for £600, the Flymo 1200R remains my personal recommendation.
The Cost of Ownership
Another potential bugbear is the cost of owning and running a robot mower.
Sure, you don't need to spend hours actually cutting the lawn, but that's not much of a saving if you then have to spend hours in maintenance.
Luckily, most robot mowers only need seasonal maintenance, and that's mainly about replacing blades. These vary in cost: from the cheap but slightly flimsy blades used by Bosch, Flymo and Gardena that wear down often and need replacing at least twice per season and can be broken if they so much as clip a bit of gravel, to the solid traditional style blades used by John Deere robot mowers which are expensive but durable.
In between there are all manner of spinning cutters, such as those used by Robomow and Worx in their Landoid mowers, which have multiple cutting edges and spin independently.
It's worth checking, before you buy, which type of blade is needed, and the replacement cost, as well as picking the right kind of blade for your lawn. Rougher lawns with tough grass will benefit from a more solid blade, whereas lawns that have finer grass will benefit from multi-edged blades such as Bosch, Flymo and Worx use.
The important point is that, if the ends of the grass seem to be tinted slightly brown, and a ragged cut, it's time to replace or sharpen the blade. Just like with a regular mower.
One thing people forget is that a regular, walk behind mower, also needs maintenance!
So, in the final analysis, and after 4 years of robotic mower ownership, I would say that robotic lawn mowers have come into their own in 2017, and will no doubt continue to grow in popularity.
Are robotic lawn mowers any good? Yes. But, as with all purchases, be prepared to do your research, hunt down the best deal, and compromise on features that don't bring any real benefits.
To find out if a robot mower is right for you, check out our free robot mower buyer's guide, or, for a summary of all the makes and models on the market, take a look at our robot mower brand and model guide.
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