EmailExperts say to consider the following features when choosing an automatic mower:
- Choose a mower capable of handling the size and slope of your lawn. Some owners say it's possible to exceed manufacturers' recommendations, but experts say this can lead to repair problems. Experts say it is better to buy a robotic mower with a bit more range than you actually need, to minimize wear and maximize the mower's life.
- Make sure the cutting height fits your lawn. Lawn experts recommend cutting grass fairly high in hot weather to avoid sun damage, but robotic mowers vary in maximum cutting height.
- Knobby or spiked wheels add traction. Unless your lawn is pretty flat, the extra traction will help keep the mower from sliding instead of rolling.
- Consider the most desirable weight. This depends partly on the weight you can handle (in case you need to fiddle with it or ship it back for repairs), but also on your lawn. Lighter mowers can typically cover more area, but one owner notes that a heavier robotic mower sinks better into thick grass than a lighter model.
- Make sure the mower width fits your lawn's layout. Most robotic mowers are about 19.5 to 20.5 inches wide. Wider lawn mowers cover area fast, but if your lawn has some narrow areas, they may not be able to fit.
- Lithium-ion batteries are better than lead-acid batteries. These minimize the weight of the robotic mower and last up to five years thanks to smart chips. Lithium-ion batteries also keep their charge well during the off-season. (It can be tricky to keep lead-acid batteries in good condition over the winter.) Most robotic mowers use lead-acid batteries (the same type cars use), which create air pollution during their manufacture, and need careful recycling.
- Choose a brand for which you can get technical support, plus parts and service when needed. One review after another urges checking out service availability before making your purchase. Weight and distance both factor into shipping costs, so sending a heavy mower halfway across the country is going to be expensive. Ideally, you'll want good technical support over the phone so you can avoid shipping a mower back at all.
- What convenience features do you want or need? Some robotic mowers need more attention than others. If you plan to keep your lawn mowed while you're away, or you have significant disabilities, look for a more expensive mower with better automatic programming features.
- You may need to fill in some holes. Robotic mowers can get stuck in yard potholes and depressions, so you might want to fill in these irregular spots.
- Budget for a surge protector too. Not surprisingly, owners report that lightning and power surges can damage a robotic lawn mower. So consider plugging it into a surge protector.
- Plan to do some trimming. As with most lawn mowers, robotic mowers leave some spots along the edge of the lawn that need trimming.
Experts say it's unusual right now to have problems with interference, but if robotic mowers get too popular, this could occur. If one lawn has perimeter wires laid down for a Friendly Robotics mower, but a neighbor places wires close by for a LawnBott robotic mower, the mowers can get confused. It's possible that even an electric dog fence can interfere with a robotic mower's performance. So before buying a robotic mower, you might check to see what wiring neighbors have close to the property line. Bamabots.com notes that the LawnBott models are much less apt to respond to other wireless devices than the Robomowers.
All robotic mowers use very little electricity - with costs estimated at about $5 to $10 per year. All the models contribute far less to global warming and air pollution than gasoline-powered mowers, but some robotic lawn mowers are "greener" than others. Lithium-ion batteries are more environmentally-friendly than lead-acid batteries, and the Husqvarna Solar Hybrid robotic mower (*est. $4,000) discussed below is partly powered by solar energy. In addition, its components are 90-percent recyclable at the end of its life.