Robotic Lawn Mowers Reviews

Robotic mowers mow the lawn on their own, covering an area within perimeter wires that work much like an electronic dog fence, and charging themselves at a charger that stays plugged into an outlet. Although clearly an expensive niche product, some reviews say that a robotic mower can pay for itself compared with hiring a lawn service. Robotic mowers are the safest type of lawn mower available, and run quietly without polluting the air, but perhaps their main appeal is as a "gee whiz" gadget. Many reviews include accounts of just having fun watching the robomower glide around in the yard. Standard gas-powered mowers, electric mowers and manual mowers (which cost far less) -- are covered in our main report on lawn mowers . Riding lawn mowers are covered in our report on lawn tractors .

Owners say that one of the main advantages of robotic mowers is simply that they're so much fun. Neighbors come over to watch a robotic mower, and the mower often ends up with an affectionate name, like a pet. Instead of running it completely on automatic, you can guide it with a remote control, just for the fun of it.

We found the best review of robotic mowers on a retail site, Bamabots.com, where Kerry Clabaugh provides in-depth reviews of the main two brands of robotic mowers. Based on his years of experience with robotic lawn mowers, he has calculated a chart comparing the total seven-year cost of the five most popular robotic mowers – including maintenance and repairs. Clabaugh is surprised to discover that the LawnBott LB2100 Professional (*est. $1,950) is actually the least expensive robotic mower in the long run, with the best repair record.

Most robotic mowers shut off the blades very quickly. The Robomower RL1000 (*est. $2,000) stops its blades within one second, and LawnBott has designed its newer model, the LB3500 (*est. $3,250), with a touch-sensitive handle that stops the blades. When the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) examined the LB3500 they approved it right away. LawnBott and its Italian manufacturer, Zuccetti, are voluntarily working with the CPSC to add extra safety features to the older LawnBott models, which have blades that don't stop quite as fast. No safety standards exist for robotic mowers, so the company is also working with the CPSC to establish a set.

Meanwhile, with over 70,000 robotic mowers sold worldwide since 2001, not a single accident has been reported. Robotic mowers are designed to back away from an obstacle when they encounter it, and the blades don't send objects flying out the way most lawn mowers do. By contrast, about 80,000 emergency-room visits each year are the result of accidents from standard lawn mowers.

Robotic mowers are still unusual in the United States, so part of their appeal lies firmly in their luxury gadget status. Though they can be fun, they do require initial setup time (setting wires to define mowing areas). Since wheels can be stuck in ditches or potholes, robotic mowers perform best on lawns with relatively few obstructions and irregularities. Keep in mind also that some models do a better job on sloping lawns than others.

The Bamabots.com site previews the new four-wheel-drive LawnBott Spider (*est. $1,400), which doesn't need any peripheral wires laid down; see The Buzz section in our Full Story. This section also reports on the Husqvarna Automower Solar Hybrid (*est. $4,000), the first solar robotic mower available in the United States. Husqvarna Automowers are more popular in Europe, where lawns tend to be smaller, with grass that takes less power to cut.  ... Continued

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We found quite a few additional reviews recommending specific robotic mowers, but only a few reviews are based on testing or even actual usage. Note that Robomower models have been promoted in the United States by both Toro and Hoover, so they've received more attention than other brands.