In 2024, a top-tier robotic lawnmower in the UK is distinguished by its ease of use and value, as well as its ability to navigate complex garden layouts with intelligent guidance systems. The LawnMaster L10 Robotic Lawnmower is lauded for its simplicity and value, making it the best overall, while the Flymo EasiLife 350 stands out as the best all-rounder, the WORX Landroid Vision M600 WR206E leads with its cutting-edge camera/vision guidance technology, and the Flymo EasiLife 150 GO is the optimal choice for small lawns.
What Are The Top 5 Robotic Mowers?
Best Overall – WORX WR142E M700: The WORX WR142E M700 leads the pack with its capability to maintain lawns up to 700m², featuring a 18cm cutting width and AIA technology for intelligent navigation and efficient mowing paths.
Best Features/Value – Flymo EasiLife 500: The Flymo EasiLife 500 offers an impressive array of features for medium-sized gardens up to 500m², including LawnSense and FrostSense for adaptive scheduling, and a convenient cutting height adjustment from 20mm to 50mm.
Best Camera/Vision Guided – WORX Landroid Vision M600 – WR208E: The innovative WORX Landroid Vision M600 – WR208E is designed for lawns up to 600m² and utilises a patented camera-based navigation system to deliver precise and reliable cutting, with a 20cm cutting width that ensures efficient operation.
Best Budget – LawnMaster L10 Robotic Lawnmower: The LawnMaster L10 is an economical choice for smaller lawns up to 400m², providing a no-frills, user-friendly experience with its single-button start and a 18cm cutting width, all while being capable of handling slopes of up to 35%.
What Is A Robotic Lawn Mower And How Do They Work?
A robotic lawn mower is a lawn mower that requires no input from the user other than to set it up. When it comes to actually mowing, the device is programmed to do everything for you which is great for people who are too busy to mow, have mobility issues or simply want to make life easier for themselves.
These robotic mowers work using boundary wires and sensors which allow them to detect the mowing area without going astray. They are battery powered so when the charge runs low, they’ll return to their charging station to refill the power, mowing again when they are sufficiently charged.
Unlike your regular lawn mower, a robot mower tends to cut little and often, so it’ll normally run over the lawn everyday. While there are mowers that use GPS to cover a specific path over the lawn, most models mow in a random pattern, covering the entire lawn over the course of time.
1. Best Budget Robot Lawn Mower
LawnMaster L10 Robotic Mower
When it comes to buying a robotic lawn mower, you are going to have to be prepared to invest a significant amount of money. Owing to the technology involved in creating these machines, you would expect to pay at least £400 on the lower end. However, while you might think that spending less money won’t get you a good mower, that isn’t always the case.
The LawnMaster L10 is my top pick if you are looking for a robotic mower that does a great job, is simple to install and set up, and while may lack some advanced features it is a budget model that is excellent value for money.
Buying a robotic lawn mower likely means that you can’t, don’t want to or don’t have the time to spend maintaining your lawn. This means that you’ll want as little work as possible once the mower has done its job. The closer it cuts to the edge, the less you’ll have to do.
The WORX WR142E M700 Landroid Robotic Mower has its blade offset to one side, meaning it does a much better job at cutting up to the edge of the lawn over the boundary wire. This results in minimal, or no trimming required around the edges and is why it is my top pick robotic for cut to edge.
Our gardens are an extension of our homes so there’s bound to be things, people and pets on the lawn. In order to avoid accidents, it’s important that a robot lawn mower has obstacle avoidance to prevent it from bumping into things. Some robotic mowers, like the one I am about to discuss, are incredibly reliable when it comes to this feature. Most robotic mowers simply bump into the obstacle and then reverse, they do not actually “see” the obstacle and avoid it completely.
The WORX WR130E S300 with its additional collision sensor module means its ultrasonic sensor sees the obstacle and changes direction before actually making contact. This results in no damage to the mower’s blade and obstacles, such as plants and garden furniture, and focuses purely on the lawn cutting itself.
4. Best Robot Lawn Mower For Easy Installation And Set Up
Flymo EasiLife 250 GO Robotic Lawn Mower
If the idea of having to familiarise yourself with new technology scares you, there’s really no need. A lot of robotic lawn mowers are beautifully simple to set up, although there are some that require a little more technical know-how and input. The Flymo EasiLife 250 GO Robotic Lawn Mower is part of the “GO” range, and has been specifically designed for those who simply want to install the perimeter wire, press a button and let the robotic mower get on with what it does best.
If you’re looking for a robot lawn mower that has everything going for it, then this is going to be right up your street. The best robotic lawn mowers have a range of features, deliver an even cut and don’t require a lot of work from the user. This Flymo robotic mower has really impressed me, it is well built, reliable, has an excellent smart phone app, gets great customer feedback, has UK support and spare parts, and in addition is great value for money.
Questions To Consider When Buying A Robot Lawn Mower
The robotic lawn mowers I have discussed in this guide are all excellent products. However, what might suit one person may not suit the next. Before you choose the right robot lawn mower for you, I would recommend asking yourself the following questions.
How Does The Battery Perform?
The battery life between robot lawn mowers varies massively. However, you would expect that your mower would be able to cover at least one pass of your lawn on a single charge. That said, this very much depends on whether you’re using a multi zonal mower and the size and power of the battery.
For larger robot mowers, you will get a larger, more powerful battery with a longer running time. If you have a big lawn, then this is imperative. Also keep in mind that the grass conditions will determine how long the battery lasts on one charge. For example, if the mower is having to tackle longer grass or steep inclines, this is going to eat up power more quickly.
It’s also worth looking at whether the battery can be swapped out or replaced. It isn’t going to last forever and batteries often give up long before the tool itself does. For this reason, it’s important to be able to replace a battery so that you get the longest life out of your new robotic mower.
What Size Is Your Lawn?
When choosing a robotic lawn mower, one of the most important questions to ask yourself is what size lawn you have as it needs to be compatible with the robotic mower you are considering purchasing. Again, the deck size of your robotic lawn mower will also depend on the size of your lawn, so by measuring the lawned area and any narrow paths will help you determine what is required before you buy anything. If the mower is too small, it’s going to struggle to cover all of the lawn efficiently. On the other hand, the bigger the mower, the more features and smart tech it’s likely to have which means the price will be higher. For just a small patch of grass, it’s not really worth investing a small fortune.
When considering your lawn, you should also think about whether there are any steep slopes. Most robot mowers are designed to handle inclines, but different models have different capabilities in this area. There is no point in buying a robotic mower that cannot handle the steep slopes in your lawn as it simply won’t be able to mow this area.
What Security Features Does The Mower Have?
One of the main concerns for people who are new to robot mowers is that somebody will simply come into the garden, pick up the mower and walk off. Fortunately, this is something that manufacturers have kept in mind and as such, robot mowers come with a range of security features.
Some are fitted with alarms that will be activated when the lawn mower is moved out of the mowing zone, immediately notifying the owner via the app. Most robot lawn mowers come with a PIN which you need to input in order for the mower to work. Even if it was stolen, the thief wouldn’t be able to use it and most people are aware of this so probably wouldn’t bother trying to steal the mower in the first place.
There are even some robot mowers that are kitted out with tracking devices, so even if you were the victim of theft, you’d be able to locate your machine in no time.
Does It Have Rain Detection?
Rain detection is a feature that pretty much all robotic lawn mowers benefit from. It’s no good trying to mow the lawn while it’s wet as it doesn’t do the grass any favours. Moreover, moisture could damage your robot mower. Rain detection sensors tell the mower that the weather has turned, and the robot will automatically return to its charging station until conditions improve.
Will The Robot Lawn Mower Cut To The Edge?
You’re never going to get the same edge cutting out of a robot lawn mower as you would when doing it manually. But that doesn’t mean that some robot mowers aren’t able to have a good go at it. Robot mowers with offset blades tend to do a better job at cutting to the edge, so will reduce the amount of manual work you have to do after the mow.
How Well Does The Mower Avoid Obstacles?
For most of us, there is at least one obstacle in the garden whether this be toys left by the kids, garden ornaments and even children and pets playing on the lawn. It would be incredibly dangerous for a robot lawn mower to be wandering around without being able to detect when something was in the way. You’ll find that most robot lawn mowers have an object avoidance feature, but you’ll want to look at how reliable this is and what types of objects it is able to avoid.
Is The Robot Lawn Mower Easy To Use?
A lot of people might be put off the idea of using a robot lawn mower because they are worried that the technology will be too challenging, especially when it comes to getting set up. Now, I won’t lie, there are some robot lawn mowers that are a little more complicated than others to get started with and even use. However, there are also plenty of robot mowers that are simple and incredibly user friendly.
What you choose will largely depend on your level of experience with this type of technology. But you’ll also want something that’s fast to set up; nobody wants to spend a lot of unnecessary time where they don’t have to.
Most robot mowers come with some sort of smartphone app, so you’ll need to make sure that your device is compatible with this. These apps allow you to set mowing schedules, zones and alter your security settings and much more, but everything should be clear and be able to be done in a few hassle-free clicks.
Does The Mower Have A Multi Zone Feature?
For smaller lawns, you won’t need a multi zonal mower. However, if you have a bigger lawn that is separated by things like beds, paths, fences and other things, your mower will need to have this feature if you want it to cut both areas without owner intervention.
Depending on the layout of your garden, you may need to manually move the mower to each zone, whereas others may travel there by themselves. But this is also a handy feature if you want the same robotic mower to maintain a front and back lawn, for example.
Conclusion
In this modern day, we all lead incredibly busy lives and mowing the lawn often falls to the bottom of the priority list. If you find it difficult to keep up with garden chores, then a robot mower is a tool designed to help you stay on top of things.
There are a lot of models to choose from and it’s certainly worth weighing up the pros and cons of each as well as comparing the features to your needs. This selection of robot lawn mowers has something for everyone and I’m confident in recommending these high-tech tools that are bound to make your life easier and give you a great looking and healthy lawn.
As a seasoned expert in the field of garden power tools, I have dedicated over a decade to working with and reviewing a wide variety of lawn mowers. My extensive experience has allowed me to gain a deep understanding of the benefits and limitations of different types of mowers and garden tools.
Over the years, I have honed my skills in writing informative articles and creating helpful videos for various blogs and publications. This has given me the ability to not only recognise what makes a good lawn mower, but also to help you choose the perfect garden tool for your specific needs and requirements.
With my wealth of knowledge and expertise, I am confident that I can provide you with valuable insights and recommendations when it comes to selecting the right lawn mower for your lawn. So, whether you're looking for a battery cordless, electric, petrol, or robotic mower, you can trust in my expertise to guide you towards the best option for your garden.
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