The Pros and Cons of Robotic Lawn Mowers

Pros and cons of robotic lawn mowers. Ok, sure, we get it, there is a lot of talk about them but are robot lawn mowers any good? Well, there are some significant advantages to having one and any one of them is good enough on its own.

Are Robot Lawn Mowers Safe

Firstly are robot mowers safe? Yes, they are very safe. You may not think that letting a mower run free on your lawn would be the safest thing but really when you think about it, it does make sense.

Safer for you

So, to start with they are safer for you or the person that would be mowing the lawn. This is mainly because they will be out of a job as there is now a robot mowing the lawn. But I am sure you are like most people in that you are happy to let a robot take this job from you.

Safer for kids and bystanders

This one is two-fold. Because the blades that most robotic mowers use, even though they spin just as fast, are much smaller. This means that they don’t launch things like rocks or sticks from under the deck of the mower.

I don’t know about you but getting hit in the leg by a rock that has just gone supersonic from under the deck of a mower is really not a fun experience trust me.

Just because the blades of a robot mower are much smaller and lighter means that they just don’t have the energy to launch big objects like a classic mower does.

Lastly, for your kids, they are very safe too. A lot of automatic mowers have sensors to detect people moving around them and will stop automatically. Even if your kids do manage to sneak up on the robot it will stop the blades as soon as they go to tilt the mower. So, the blades will be stopped and harmless long before any small hands get anywhere near them.

Sound

Ok, so some people don’t mind the sound of the lawn mower on a Saturday or Sunday morning from a neighbor. It has become a normal occurrence and almost everyone alive now has grown up with this sound and has nostalgic thoughts of their father mowing the lawn in the morning on the weekend.

Nonetheless, if we could all have a nice quiet Saturday and Sunday morning just hearing the birds rather than the drone of a mower going for an hour, I am sure we would. This is where these self-mowing lawn mowers come into their own. Because they are completely autonomous and quiet, they can do your lawn in the middle of the night. Leaving you with the most peaceful and relaxing weekends.

There is and Article on Robotic Mower noise HERE from Robomow.

Maintenance

So, there must be a catch, right? They are super expensive to run, or the blades are super expensive or something like that right?

Not at all…

Autonomous lawnmowers just win in every way here too. They beat classic mowers in every way here.

• Cost of Fuel – They don’t use fuel, no need to mix 2-stroke or even buy fuel ever again
• Blades hard to change or expensive – Smaller, easier to change, and cheaper
• Servicing – There is no servicing, ever…
• Hard to start – it starts itself.
• Cost a lot to run – $30 PER YEAR!!!

Seriously they are better for maintenance in almost every way. You can’t really go wrong here.

Cost

Ok, I am sure you are asking this question. What about the cost? Am I right? Well yes, they usually are a bit more for a robot mower than a normal mower. But there are some pretty good models on the market now for very reasonable prices. You can get a decent robot mower for around $1000 and this is not even the cheapest.

Also, as we mentioned in the last point the running costs are much less. So, a classic lawn mower costs around $650 – $800 per year in running costs. Compare this to the approximate yearly running cost of $50 for an automatic mower and it’s a no-brainer. Spend a bit more upfront and get a good quality Automower then save money over the life of the robot.

Cut Quality

Ok, we get it. You only trust Joe as he cuts your lawn exactly the way you like it and no robot will ever do it as well as he does. Well if you love Joe that much then stick with Joe but really for most people. Unless you, or Joe, are mowing your lawn with a laser scalpel every day the robot mower will out-mow even the most dedicated greenskeeper. The reason we know this is because of how often a robot can mow your lawn.

Mowing your lawn often is the single best way for you to have the perfect golf course-like lawn. Keeping your lawn trimmed every 6-7 days trains the grass the get thicker and not just grow high. This gives you that amazing carpet-like coverage. This is one thing you can trust the robot to do perfectly for you.

One other thing autonomous lawn mowers are very good at doing is getting the height right. Lots of models have very good height adjustments, and the more expensive models have several cutting discs that all follow the surface of the lawn perfectly giving you the best cut.

Convenience

I don’t think there is a lot to say here. Once you get over the initial setup of the mower the convenience is amazing. You could go for months without ever thinking about your mower and it would just do its job. There isn’t something much more convenient than it just doing the job for you without even being asked.

Or if you are having friends over and want to have the lawn freshly mowed then you just ask your smart home to mow the lawn and away it goes. A little while later it’s done.

Space Saving

Ok so if you have a garden shed or even if you just keep your gardening equipment in the garage, we all know how much space a petrol mower takes up. The mower manufacturers have tried to help you out with this with the AMAZING FEATURE of being able to fold the handle down. That really does almost nothing to save space…

Well, robot lawnmowers just eliminate this altogether by living outside in their own little garages. No folding handles, nothing to worry about.

Really, it’s just win after win for these things, I might have to go and get one myself. hahaha

Environmental impact

With more and more information coming at us about climate change and the big impacts that we are all having on the planet, I am sure we are all wanting to find ways that we can do something. Well, this is where a drone lawn mower gives us a clear way to help. These really do make an impact. Using electricity that can be gotten from purely clean sources rather than burning fuel really does help. This isn’t going to change the world on its own, but it is a good start.

Conclusion – Are robot lawn mowers any good?

So, there are many awesome reasons you should buy a robot lawn mower, safety, noise, maintenance, convenience, and many others. We really think that they are a major replacement option for a classic mower as they do everything a traditional mower does but better.

But there are a couple of small caveats to this, one being the setup. It can take a little while and be a bit complex. But like the purchasing cost, this is a one-off, and once it’s done it’s done. So not really that bad.

All in all, we think that soon apart from people that want to do their own lawn as a hobby or people with some special reason to buy a petrol mower, everyone will have robot mowers. They are just the way of the future and are better in every way.