Robot Lawn Mower Shelter Reviews

It had to happen: there's now an active market for robot lawn mower shelters.

Although each make usually sells its own shelter to go with a specific mower, these can be quite expensive. Not to mention the fact that, since prices are coming down, and anything mechanical will eventually fail, you might not necessarily want to replace your existing lawn mower with one from the same manufacturer.

Even if you did, the chances are good that the existing shelter wouldn't be compatible.

The following selection of robot mower shelters are designed to work for most brands. While it's also possible to make your own DIY lawn mower shelter, for most of us, it's just easier to buy one off the shelf.

However, let's start with one that almost looks as if it could be made by measuring up, buying wood, and spending a weekend in the shed with an array of power tools...

This German made wooden mower shelter looks a bit like the first one that I knocked together for my own Gardena/Flymo/Husqvarna (same model, different country variations).

It's also not cheap, either, at around £90 including delivery, and much the same effect could probably be achieved by a skilled weekend DIY-er.

For the rest of us, though, it's a viable option: but you will need to drill some holes or even cut some of the rear away to accommodate the mower's charging station and connecting wires.

At least with wood, that's an option. However, take a look at the next example, again German-made, but this time a stainless steel robot mower shelter, priced at £230 to £260 depending on delivery options.

This puts it at a price point slightly ahead of the competition, including branded options. On the plus side, though, it is built to last, and can be bolted down to the ground.

Where I'm a bit concerned is with those charging stations that need space at the rear for wires. The steel probably wont't be easy to cut through, and the overhang may leave the mower partially exposed unless the charging station can be pushed right up against the back.

Next is the slightly cheaper Robohome Universal Garage.

This is a £200 self-assembled, low profile shelter that is designed to blend in rather than stand out.
br/>The effect works, and is pictured here housing the ubiquitous Gardena/Flymo/Husqvarna entry-level mower.

One advantage with this model, and others like it, is that since it isn't fully enclosed, there's plenty of access to the rear plate of the charging station, so installation should be that much easier; especially if the charging station was installed some time ago and has become part of the lawn!

This is even more apparent with the next model, pictured here, from WilTec, a standard robot mower carport with sun protection.

It's even more low profile than the Robohome, but is a little larger, designed to accommodate all sizes of robot mower. To give you an idea, the roof is 103cm x 77cm and it stands over 40cm tall.

Luckily, it comes with some long nails to help hold it down! It is also democratically priced at £95.

However, take a look at the final item -- the VidaXL weather resistant lawn mower garage -- doesn't it look somewhat similar? The measurements are also pretty much the same, as is the styling. The roof may be made of a different material -- it looks more opaque -- and the unit is listed as self-assembly.

With all that said, the one thing you can't quibble is the price: at £40 it's the cheapest one here, and for light weather-proofing looks to be the ideal solution. Now, where did I put my credit card....?

Ambrogio L60 Review, Manual, and Comparison to Flymo, Miimo and Yard Force Automatic Lawn Mowers

The Ambrogio L60 is a different kind of robot mower.

It's a mower for people who don't want to mess with full-on automation.

There's no boundary wire, for example. Nor is there a charging station.

In essence, this is a mower that replaces a person, even down to the fact that it can only really mow when you can be bothered to take it out of the garage.

Ambrogio L60 Features

For all that, it's a clever box.

It can tell the difference between grass, and not grass; coupled with bumpers that help it figure out if there is an obstacle such as a family pet, small child or tree.

The mower has 4 wheel drive, and can mow for about 3 and half hours on a three hour charge. It just can't get back to it's refuelling point by itself.

That means that if your lawn is big enough that 3:30 of cutting leaves some areas untouched (bearing in mind that the mower covers the ground at random), you have to pick it up, take it inside, and charge it up.

The advantage is that installation is easy. You just drop the mower in the middle of the lawn, press a button, and go about your business.

Ambrogio L60 Manual

The Ambrogio L60 Manual is one of the clearest, and easiest to follow that I think I've seen.

However, that's not surprising, as the robot mower is pretty much plug-in-and-go. There's no messy perimeter wire installation, and for those with a simple garden, not much extra landscaping to do.

On the other hand, it is clear from the manual that if you have ponds, walkways, and flower-beds, that you need to make sure your garden is up to the job.

There are some pretty tight guidelines for things like the height of delimiting curbs, and the kinds of materials that the Ambrogio will recognise as 'not grass'.

The screen needs very little explanation: it's so basic that there's nothing more than some descriptions about starting, stopping, and charging the mower.

The manual, is, in short, as complicated as it needs to be for a device that is clever, yet pretty dumb.

Ambrogio L60 Price

Here's where I have a problem. Price-wise, the L60 sits somewhere between the Flymo 1200R (which I own) and the es of the Honda Miimo or Yard Force machines.

The blades are non-standard, making them more expensive to replace.

For a machine that needs so much manual intervention, I find that the £1,500 plus price tag is a bit excessive.

However, the manufacturer would probably cite the admittedly clever technology that powers the robot in their defence. I have a friend with an earlier model, and for what it's worth, it works.

I just think that, for me, I'd rather have the mower on-call 24/7 than have to haul it around between charges.

Then again, I enjoy messing around with the perimeter wire, too. That's not for everyone; perhaps the Ambrogio L60 will find a market with the less technically inclined gardener whose garden is large, with complex shapes, and yet with well defined boundaries...