How Do Robot Lawn Mowers Work And How Much Do They Cost?

Owning a home can come with a pretty lengthy list of chores that isn't just limited to your house's interior. Alongside vacuuming, dusting, and other similar to-dos, yardwork can take up a fair amount of your free time as well. With a riding or push mower from one of the most reliable brands out there, cutting the grass isn't too bad, but it's still time-consuming. Thankfully in this age of innovative home and lawn care technology, we now have the robot lawn mower.

As the name suggests, robot lawn mowers are small, self-propelling, Roomba-like mowers that cruise around one's yard and cut the grass. They typically run on rechargeable batteries and can sense when they're in need of a charge, so they return to their charging station automatically. They use an internal navigation system to go about cutting the grass, doing so in a pattern that leaves the lawn looking trim and fresh. For it to work effectively, boundary wires are placed to mark the edges of the lawn and denote obstacles, which a GPS or sensor system on the unit detects and tells the machine to avoid.

There are some great robot lawn mowers on the market these days, but if you want to buy one, what should you expect to pay?

On the whole, lawn mowing equipment isn't cheap, especially if you're only looking to buy brand new. Push lawn mowers can run a few hundred dollars depending on which brand you go for. They can be self-propel-capable, gas-powered or electric too. As far as riding lawn mowers, things get even more expensive. The average rider can run thousands of dollars, with that amount only increasing depending on its bells and whistles. When it comes to a typical robot lawn mower, it fits into the price mix somewhere in between, typically.

To put it lightly, robot lawn mowers aren't inexpensive. More often than not, they can cost quite a bit more than a lower-end push mower. For instance, a model like the LawnMaster Ocumow, which is best for smaller lawns, can be purchased brand new for around $500 or so. Meanwhile, there are models that cover more ground like the Luba 2 AWD 10,000 that can set you back between $2,000 and $4,000 based on where you buy and the specifications you opt for. Regardless of which kind of robot mower you need, shopping around for reduced-price, working used models isn't a bad call before dropping a fortune on a new one.

There are plenty of reasons to check out a robot lawn mower. The name of the game is convenience with these little gadgets. Not having to get messy mowing, namely. Also mentioned before is the rechargeable battery, so you don't have to worry about gas. That said, there are some drawbacks to these little landscaping droids that might not make them the clear-cut best option for everyone.

Aside from the price and costs of routine maintenance, which could turn away many prospective buyers, the biggest disadvantage of robot lawn mowers is that not all models are the right fit for every yard. Some are best suited for smaller lawns, while others can handle much bigger one, so you need to do your research. Running a mower on a massive yard that's not designed to do so can take longer than just mowing it yourself. And it's more likely the battery will run out before it's done and need ample recharge time before continuing. In a similar vein, certain mowers are better at handling steeper slopes than others.

Robot lawn mowers are a major advantage in the world of lawn care. At the same time, for as astounding as they are, they're not for everyone in terms of needs or budget.