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Gardening

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Original poster

A robot mower it will be, but which one?

27 replies

waddlemyway · 16/04/2018 15:12

The gardeners are on day 6 and say they will be finished tomorrow lunchtime (seeing is believing)! After our lawn (finally, woo!) gets a growin', we'll be shopping for a robot lawnmower. Now they have come along a bit in recent years.... is it too much to hope that one exists that might do stripes...??
Or do I have to console myself with the fact the grass with be luscious (based on a random stealth survey of the neighbours' lawns). That is compared to if we mowed it ourselves (which would be about once a month - DH is lazy with all things maintenance and I am defintely not in charge of mowing, I've enough household chores on my list as is)!

Or any other tips as to what to look out for in buying one of these things? Happy to pay a bit more for one that works well and will last. Gawd knows we've shelled out enough for the landscaping already, might as well keep it looking good! What are your experiences?

OP posts:
JamMakingWannaBe · 29/04/2018 23:09

Watching....
It's DH's birthday soon and I'm very tempted... Not normally so generous with my present buying but our lawn looks shit cos he lets it grow and then scalps it! Flymo 1200 on my radar. Has great Amazon reviews. Be interested to hear any MN experience.

TERFragetteCity · 29/04/2018 23:13

I love mowing.

I have a petrol mower at the allotment and a rechargeable one in the garden, which is so light you can pick it up one handed.

I love mowing mainly for the mowings - it makes a great compost accelerator.,

With a robot one, it trims constantly so the trimmings are left on the surface, die back and add nutrients to the soil.

ILikTheBred · 30/04/2018 17:18

Watching this with interest although may wait until the toddler is a bit older as he may not be able to resist the temptation to mess with a robot mower !

The Flymo 1200r seems to be on sale on Amazon at £529.99 at the moment.

haba · 30/04/2018 18:17

Terf- is that a good thing, that the clippings are left on the grass? I am also looking at robot mowers, as my DH has become incapacitated, and I work ft. The husqvarnas start at £1k... eek.

JamMakingWannaBe · 30/04/2018 18:39

Flymo 1200r also on sale at B&Q for £510.
DH says it's not worth the expense but I'm seriously tempted. Just measured my lawn and I reckon its 90sqm so according to the Flymo website my little robotic pet would only need to be out for a couple of hours 4 times a week. Have been watching youtube videos of the little critters and the credit card is twitching...

TERFragetteCity · 30/04/2018 18:43

Yes the tiny cuttings left on the grass are fine - it is when you leave clumps that it kills off the grass beneath.

Some people spend that on handbags, personally I wouldn't but everyone has their own budget. I believe the idea is that it comes out every day and recharges at night.

SurfnTerfFantasticmissfoxy · 30/04/2018 18:46

You really get what you pay for when it comes to robot mowers - for a big area I wouldn't have anything but a Husqvarna.

ISeeTheLight · 30/04/2018 18:47

DF has a Bosch for his large lawn and is very happy with it. We're thinking of getting the same.

haba · 30/04/2018 22:22

Hmm, our garden isn't enormous, the lawn is probably 30ft by 30ft max. Does anyone one know about long-term reliability and how long they last? (Considering it's a rechargeable battery).
Also, can they cope with dewy/damp grass, or must it be dry? (Haha- it would never get used in England then)

perhapstomorrow · 30/04/2018 22:52

Watching with interest. Dh is after a Husqvarna one. It's so expensive but the lawn in our new house is rubbish and big. I'm not convinced the lawn will improve significantly.

SurfnTerfFantasticmissfoxy · 30/04/2018 22:54

The smallest Husqvarna 105 should easily manage a garden that size - I've ordered / used dozens of the huskies for work and they have been very reliable and robust, wet weather not a problem at all and they just buzz around quite happily. The after sales service from their dealers is very good as well

SurfnTerfFantasticmissfoxy · 30/04/2018 22:55

Perhaps - they do a great job improving poor lawns. The only thing I've found they struggle with is if the lawn is boggy or badly drained, they can leave muddy tracks all over the place

haba · 01/05/2018 13:47

Can they cope with hummocky bits? Do you have to put a wire around the lawn with pegs? Do they do neat back and forth paths, or is it more random?
Sorry for all the questions!!

almondfinger · 01/05/2018 14:03

We have a half acre of flat grass lawns and have the Flymo; bought based on the Amazon reviews.

Of everything we bought when building our house, this is the best investment we made.

It doesn't do stripes but the way it cuts haphazardly is supposed to keep the lawn from getting mossy.

He has a name, is much loved and saves us hours and hours cutting the grass in the summer time.

Yes laying the pegs and wire was a bit more time consuming but my God the time saved since....

DH said when he opened up the charging unit a lot of the parts were Husquvarna.

He cuts in both wet and dry weather.

SurfnTerfFantasticmissfoxy · 01/05/2018 18:42

Haba ours operate on little wires buried just below the surface of the lawn (dealer installed it) they cope ok with small tussocks and it's a haphazard pattern which does help with moss

FreudianSlurp · 02/05/2018 01:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

QueenofWhatever · 02/05/2018 09:27

I’ve been wanting one for ages as I have a 70ft garden which is mainly laid to lawn. What I don’t understand is how they charge. Do you need to leave them plugged in to a socket the whole time like a Roomba?

I’ve got external plugs on my outside wall which has decking, so I would have to have the cable lying across the deck and onto the lawn. How do the rest of you do it?

Also can they live outside in the rain? I’ve seen little houses for sale which seems a bit daft.

FreudianSlurp · 02/05/2018 10:32

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Luckingfovely · 02/05/2018 10:39

Can highly recommend these guys, based in the SE but cover midlands too I think.

Brilliant advice and after-service, and our Husqvana is fantastic.

QueenofWhatever · 02/05/2018 19:20

David Mowie - love that, I may well steal that. I already love my Roomba which has been life changing. Although DD(13) reset it to Italian, so no idea what it says now.

I have electricity in my log cabin, so could plug it in through the window there. I guess in the winter months it can live in the shed as the grass doesn’t need cutting then.

They’re expensive, but the endless mowing is such a heart sink.

UnaOfStormhold · 02/05/2018 21:13

I have just gone from "what's that" to "I must get one" in about 30 seconds... why have I not come across this idea before?

haba · 02/05/2018 22:39

I am heartened by the fact they can cope with some hummocks. Freudian- how long was your grass to begin with? I assume I'll need to strim first?

Do they actually have to charge outside? We don't have a power point outside...

WhiteVixen · 02/05/2018 23:00

I have just gone from "what's that" to "I must get one" in about 30 seconds... why have I not come across this idea before?

So glad I'm not the only one! 😂

FreudianSlurp · 03/05/2018 10:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.