Cheap RoboMower | Friendly Robotics For Best Buy - Review | Compare Price To Decision

I bought this RoboMower at the start of last summer, calculating that if it lasted a year and a half or more, I'd break even on what I was paying a lawn service to mow my yard.

I have an fairly uneven yard, with some steep parts. Set to the highest mow, RoboMower easily navigates the rough spots, and manages the slopes well. RoboMower takes a lot longer to mow a lawn than it would take you to do it manually, but since you are off doing something else, and RoboMower can work in the dark, that doesn't matter at all.

Be prepared to experiment with the perimeter wire. I found dividing my front, side, and back yard into three zones was the best choice for me. Do the final complete pegging after you've run the mower a few times and know the wire is in the right place. If you have multiple zones and live in a part of the country where mowing days are limited by frequent rain, get an extra battery and/or the fast charger, so you can mow more than one zone per day when you get the chance.

The mowing pattern is not up and down in lines, but in angled criss-crossing, leaving lots of gaps at first, so you won't see a clean mow until it's done. But when it is, the cut is very nice: a smooth buzz cut with no lines, mulched finely leaving no clumps. My neighbor, who bought a riding mower just before he saw my RoboMower, agrees. After watching it all summer, he came over to say, "This thing does a really nice job. And you don't have to be outside with the mosquitos...."

So, now, when I get home from work on a dry day, I put the mower out in the next zone that needs done, and go in and let my cats out. Later in the evening, I go out and fetch the mower and let the cats in. My lawn gets regularly mowed and has never looked better.