If you’ve already upgraded from a vacuum cleaner to a robot vacuum, you’re definitely ready for the next step: A robot lawn mower. Getting an effective robot lawn mower takes some careful decision making and once you get one you’ll save time and energy again and again on one of the most annoying seasonal tasks.
But at the same time, having a semi-autonomous robot with sharp blades running around your yard is scary. Plus, you might worry if robot lawn mowers are worth it, could they get stuck on taller wet grass or destroy their blades on a rock at any moment?
Here, we look at the ins and outs of picking one of the best robot lawn mowers as well as provide you with our top three choice for yards, based on size.
- Best for large lawns:Â
- Best for medium-sized lawns:Â
- Best for small lawns:Â
How to choose a robot lawn mower
If you’re completely new to the concept of robot lawn mowers, it’s best to start by learning how robot lawn mowers work to get a good sense of what they can and cannot do, as well as get a good sense of what you’re getting yourself in to. (You should expect to be burying guide wires around your yard, for instance.) From there, you’ll want to think about these factors to get an even better idea of what you need.
Safety features
Lawn mowers are dangerous when people are involved, so it makes sense to be wary of a robot lawn mower. However, a robot lawn mower can be perfectly safe and doesn’t require an operator, which means one less person to injure with the blades. All of the best robot lawn mowers have object detection or specialized child detection features to keep you, your family, neighbors, and local wildlife safe. Be sure to investigate what is being offered with a careful, skeptical eye.
Environmental handling
If you’ve ever operated a push mower before, you know that hills, tall grass, and wet grass are the bane of a mower operator’s existence. Don’t necessarily expect that any robot mower can handle them. When purchasing a robot lawn mower, look for explicit indications from the manufacturer about what conditions it can handle. Some can go up hills as steep as 22-degrees or more, for instance. If you have a lot of tree coverage, see if the robotic elements of the mower need a clear path to the sky to operate.
While on the topic of environment, check out your robot lawn mower’s water resistance as well. An official rating of IPX5 or better is a good sign your mower can get through some trouble, for instance.
Size and storage
Where will you house your robot lawn mower? For most, you might be able to get away with housing them under a table or workbench in your garage as they don’t have the same vertical space riding or push mowers have.
