The
Robotic Mower
By Neil Pope GARDEN NEWS EDITOR
WOULD you trust a robot to cut your lawn? I did last year and was extremely pleased with the results.
Unfortunately, the robotic mower had to be returned to the manufacturer after testing so it was back to manually mowing.
But when I was invited to give its latest model a test, I obviously jumped at the chance.
The Robomow 400 is much smaller than the model I tested last year. Instead of three blades it has one and is over $299 cheaper.
The mower I tested came with its own base station. It's designed to depart from the base station at the pre-set days and times, and at the end of each session it returns for charging until the next scheduled operation. In other words, once the initial set-up is complete, you don't have to do a thing. Your lawn will be cut - even when you are away from home.
Robomow requires a one-off simple set-up. A standard electric wire is laid around the outer edges of the lawn with pegs every few meters. The wire, which is connected to the base station, will eventually be covered by grass and become unnoticeable within a matter of weeks.
The Robomow recognizes the wire using a special sensor and makes sure it always stays inside the perimeter.
I did have one or two minor hiccups
- on one occasion it careered off into a flowerbed, and on another it crashed into the base station and somehow became wedged against a side panel.
But since these things were sorted out, the Robomow has performed well. The cut is exceptional and the grass clippings are mulched back
Positives: I was a little concerned that with only one small mower blade, the cut wouldn't be very impressive. But I was soon proved wrong on that score. The cut is exceptional. Another plus point is there are no clippings to collect, and the mulched grass provides nutrients to keep the lawn looking green and healthy. It also takes away the hassle of mowing the Lawn, allowing you to get on with other garden tasks.
Negatives: You need to spend a little time to set things up in the first place - putting the perimeter wire in place, positioning the base station and connecting everything up. It's worth taking time because once everything is running smoothly, the Robomow takes over.
Verdict: It has to be five out of five even considering the initial setup problems which were minimal.
What is the costs: The Robomow 400 (with base station) costs $1699.
How to find it (US): Call 406-687-2687 or visit the website www.envi-ro-botics.com
