Best Reviewed
Robotic Lawn Mowers
- Best-value robotic lawn mower Friendly Robotics Robomower RL850 *Est. $1600
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- Li-ion batteries
- Keeps grass at height you set
- Handles slopes (of up to 27 degrees)
- Handles up to three separate areas
- Can mow up to 1.25 acres total (with extra battery)
- Price
- Requires setting perimeter wires
- Can get stuck
- Earlier models recalled
Li-ion batteries give the LawnBott LB 3200 a longer run time and wider coverage, and it can handle slopes of up to 27 degrees. You can also program this robotic mower to automatically cut grass at a particular height or to mow three separate areas. A second battery (*est. $300) can be added, allowing it to mow up to 1.25 acres. Like all robotic mowers, it requires setting up perimeter wires. But after that, it requires little attention. If you need a robotic mower for four separate areas or to handle a bigger lawn, consider the high-end LawnBott LB 3500 (Discontinued), which can accept extra batteries to mow 2 or 3 acres. Note that earlier LawnBott Evolution mowers were recalled; new models are not affected.
We found the best review of the LawnBott LB 3200 Evolution at Bamabots.com, a retail site, where Kerry Clabaugh compares it in detail with other robotic lawn mowers, describing drawbacks as well as estimated repair and maintenance costs. Tests at the Christian Science Monitor are more detailed than those at ConsumerReports.org, but both reviews cover safety and performance. Owner-written reviews at Grit.com and Amazon.com are also useful for getting a sense of what it's like to set up and use the Evolution.
Our Sources
1. Bamabots.com
This detailed, well-illustrated review of the LawnBott LB 3200 Evolution is only one of several detailed articles here -- including a 10-year cost comparison of various robotic mowers and a comparison of the LawnBott Evolution with the Robomow RL1000.
Review: Lawnbott Evolution Review, Kerry Clabaugh, Updated November 2007
This brief review tests the LawnBott LB3200 Evolution by staking perimeter wires around a 20-by-40-foot lawn area, then seeing how the Evolution fares. The wires had to be re-staked 3 feet apart to account for unevenness, after which the Evolution performed flawlessly, finishing in 35 minutes.
Review: LawnBott: A Roomba for Your Backyard?, Clayton Collins, Aug. 17, 2007
3. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
ConsumerReports.org tests two robotic mowers but gives no details about initial setup or test conditions. The LawnBott Evolution performs better than the Robomow RL1000 (*est. $2,000), but it earns severe criticism for not stopping the blades instantly if the user lifts the mower (as if to turn it over) -- criticism that led to a temporary recall and improved safety features.
Review: Robotic Mowers: Close Up, Contributors to Consumer Reports, May 2008
4. Grit.com
This detailed review reports that programming the LawnBott Evolution (via touchpad) is easy, and that the few hours required to set and tweak the boundary wires pay off with a nearly maintenance-free lawn.
Review: Let the Robot Do the Lawn, Oscar H. Will III, September/October 2006
Without documenting any testing, this brief review recommends three robotic mowers -- including the LawnBott Evolution for medium-size lawns -- noting that the initial cost is less than the cost of one season of lawn service in many cities.
Review: Easy Mowing, Sal Vaglica
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