This Tech FINALLY Makes Robot Lawn Mowers Worth it

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00:00 - Electric Lawn Mowers are Great
01:27 - Why an Autonomous Mower?
03:11 - How's the Setup?
08:25 - What About the Features?
10:52 - What's the User Experience Like?

[andyl]

I live in the UK and have had a robot mower since 2013 and can say it is the best thing since sliced bread, a couple of things Matt didn’t mention is when you are on holiday your lawn gets mowed. I am retired and go away for six weeks at a time in our Motorhome.
The mower is also so much quieter than petrol mowers. The main thing now is I am disabled in a wheelchair and my robot mower christened “RON” does the business.
I would highly recommend a robot mower. 👍

[konstagold]

I can't believe you missed the opportunity to say "robot MOWERlords"

[JL_]

I have a 3000H as well and I never had to do the hoops you did during setup. Mine was: Remove from box, attach bumper and camera, place base station and RTK, update firmware on the robot, map. If yours shipped around the same time mine did, you might have had GPS issues with the solar storms that was preventing you from mapping. I didn't even realize the RTK could be connected to WiFi for updates until about 2 weeks after I set everything up.

For people that say that battery tech isn't there yet, you need to realize that unless you're mowing 5+ acres, it doesn't matter. It's on robot time, not human time. Mine rolls off its base station every other day at 10 am, mows for 3 hours, then charges for an hour, mows 2.5 hours then another charge, then finishes with another hour of mowing. I don't really care that it took 8.5 hours to mow my lawn because I didn't have to be involved. I left to do some graduation parties, get groceries, live my life, and I came back to a mowed lawn.

If you're able to let a robot mow at least twice a week, you're likely getting a better cut than you would have with a traditional mow once a week because a robot wouldn't be "mowing" at that point, it's more shaving the grass. You end up mulching tiny fragments of grass rather than the 1/3rd of the blade most people mow down to. It mulches faster and stresses the grass less and you end up with a healthier lawn.

I also did the math elsewhere and it really isn't all that much more expensive than a lawn service. In my case I mow 1/3rd of an acre, and it takes ~900 watt hours to complete the mow. I'm about 37% of the way through the blade life (4 cutting surfaces per blade since only one edge cuts per blade). If I mow every other day, skipping rain days, I'll end up running the robot ~105 times in an 8 month mowing season. One season will eat a three pack of blades ($45) and use 94.5 kWh of power. Power is only ~$0.12/kWh where I am, so a mowing season only costs me $56.34 in operating costs. Assuming the mower has an absolutely terrible life span of 3 years, it still ends up costing me ~$170 in operating costs + $2, 600 for the mower: ~$923/yr or ~$26.37/week to purchase and operate the mower.

That said, I don't know that I'd recommend any robot mower for anyone that isn't comfortable tinkering with stuff. You *can* get perfect mowing and essentially never worry about the robot getting stuck if you are comfortable fiddling with your zones and no-go zones. I've found the editing of zones to be more pain than it's worth, so if there are any edits I've wanted to make, it's honestly easier to just delete the zone and re-map it. You just have to be willing to put in a little more work in the first couple of weeks to learn what your specific mower can and can't do well and be willing to adapt to it. If you aren't willing to do that, you will likely end up frustrated and unhappy.

[CNCmachiningisfun]

I have a number of these on my farm.
Each one is fitted with curled, front mounted antennas, and forward/peripheral vision systems.
They all have tiny antennas at the back, too.
What's even better is that they are powered by the grass that they mow :) .

[ryancoody]

I’ve got a Luba and it takes care of my 1.5 acre grass yard. 10 stars

[nathanbanks]

I tried making a robotic lawn mower years ago as a thesis for my Bachelor's degree. I was trying to use ultrasonic sensors to detect the position. The GPS with base station looks much better! And the cost will probably go down a little with volume and competition.

[ATXJA]

We purchased a Worx Landroid 4 years ago and I can honestly say it is my favorite tech purchase of all time. I have seen those on eBay from $400-600 and new for about $1200. Totally worth the price!

[ZirothTech]

The shot at 7:38 really got me laughing Matt - I want to see an extended version of you taking it out for a walk round your local park 😂

[timonix]

The entire neighbourhood has gotten way better thanks to robot mowers. Going out in the sun to eat lunch? Not without someone mowing the grass for. Thinking about a pleasant time sunbathing? Not with on my watch, mowing it is. But that was in the past. Now everything is quiet... and it's so good

[alex.mcintosh]

Thank you for the honesty. It’s rare to hear a man be honest about their experiences. I’m still young and sometimes I get confused by all the “talk” out there. We need more honesty in this world.

[ohrosberg]

My robotic lawn mower is now seven years old, and still going strong. Complex lawn, and yes, a guard wire, but that is a memory that is seven years old, and I've had no issues with it. In terms of cost, they are more expensive up front, but require no gas, almost no electricity and minimal maintenance. So, overall, over that period of time it is cheaper by far compared to a gas powered lawn mower. Also, the lack of noise is amazing. Side note, watching it cut is quite the ASMR experience... hehe

[wholmes]

Purchased a Bosch Indego 350 5 years ago for £300 now costs £600 (760 USD), needs a perimeter wire but is idea, monitors the weather forecast which is a must have in the rainy England, alternates pattern and even leaves strips for a professional finish. Bang for the buck it can't be beaten. Looked at more modern alternatives but just can't justify the additional cost, yes the setup of the perimeter wire takes a couple of hours but relatively simple, my 10 year old enjoyed banging in the pegs. Highly recommended.

[Selieca]

We've had a Husqvarna robot mower for years. We bought a very old model, that was on sale at the time as part of a clearence sale of old models. Absolutely brilliant thing! Regarding the wire, we had ours burried, nice and safe, by the people we bought it from. These machines have been worthit for years in my oppinion.

[thisbymaster]

We got rid of our grass completely and replaced it with raised garden beds and native flowers. Helps with my grass allergies and produces tasty food. Now my manual push mower sits lonesome in the back of the garage.

[__-pljg]

I dreamed of having this when I was 15yrs old reading popular science magazine. I hated yard work with the fiery passion of a thousand suns! As an adult I still do. I'd either zero scape the yard or hire a robot.

[ThaRyddla]

I love my LUBA! I love the debate with my gashead friends, my maintenance is minimal, and I love having coffee with a fresh overnight cut in the AM while I watch the neighbors sweat.

[CaedenV]

I want to go in with a neighbor or two on one of these robo-mowers... but I feel like they aren't quite there yet.
But if it hits 3 of our yards 2x a week then it would keep things way better managed that each of us attempting to mow our lawns once a week and sometimes being too busy or sick to actually do it. Maybe another year or two :) They seem to be improving quick, and dropping in price every year!

[Jawlf]

I have a Worx landroid and had to fit a wire around the garden. I have an injury that makes these tasks more difficult, so it is great to have robots that help. Downsides as you say are rescuing from a hole it has dug whilst being stuck. Then repair hole and try to stop it happening again!
It is great having a much better looking back lawn and far less hot and sticky.

[moon_wobble]

They’re taking our jobs!!!

I have one and it is ok. 1 acre lawn with trees, it can’t do the whole thing because it loses GPS in areas. But it does help keep the grass near my house short so I only have to do about half myself. Saves time and keeps the backyard neat.

[southsidesmoka]

I've had my LUBA 2 AWD 1000H since April and I love her!

Someone said kids are cheaper, but LUBA never talks back or complains it's too hot.

For a man a lazy and cheap as me with a little Texas size yard, the cost was a benefit.