The idea of a robot that will maintain a perfectly cultivated lawn is highly appealing for a lot of people. There are a lot of factors to weigh up prior to making the decision to purchase one. This article will highlight the benefits that I have seen since switching from a traditional lawn mower, to an automatic robot lawn mower.
Robot Lawn Mowers Are Much More Convenient Than Other Types Of Lawn Mower
Once installed, a robot lawn mower will cut your grass automatically, without requiring any intervention from the user unless you wish to change the cutting schedule or settings.
I enjoy maintaining a well kept lawn, but used to find it quite time consuming. Cutting, raking, scarifying, fertilizing, strimming and edging your lawn all take time. Automatic robot lawn mowers allow you to sit back and let the machine look after your grass while you do other things.
Most models are entirely configurable via a user friendly control panel that lets you adjust cutting height, frequency and duration, allowing you to tailor the look of your lawn. Some more advanced models can even be controlled via a smartphone or tablet.
Your Grass Will Look Better And Your Lawn Will Be Healthier With A Robot Lawn Mower
I initially purchased my robot lawn mower to save me the time and effort involved in cutting my grass and maintaining an attractive lawn.
One of the unexpected benefits for me has been the improved look and condition of my lawn.
Previously, I had to fertilize my lawn multiple times through the growing season and manually remove weeds to keep the lawn looking well. This was exhausting and frustrating.
The most significant benefit is that robot lawn mowers actually help to fertilize your lawn, which makes it look vibrant and green. This reduces the amount of added fertilizer needed to maintain a green and healthy lawn.
This is due to the way that robot lawn mowers handle the grass clippings. Robot mowers are mulching mowers. This means that the grass is cut into fine clippings and scattered on the lawn so that the nutrients are returned to the soil.
As the cuttings are so finely chopped, you won’t see the cuttings on your lawn, spoiling the look of your garden. I had previously tried leaving the cuttings on my lawn using a conventional lawn mower, but due to only cutting the grass every 5-7 days, the cuttings clumped on the grass, looking unsightly.
Another great thing is that your lawn will look freshly cut all the time. Robot lawn mowers are designed to mow frequently, even every day if desired. This maintains the height of the grass over time, so your lawn will constantly look freshly cut.
Robot Lawn Mowers Are Much Safer
The robotic lawn mower is safer to use than a traditional mower for a number of reasons.
Traditional lawn mowers are dangerous pieces of machinery which must be operated correctly to avoid injury. They have large, fast moving blades which can catch debris and expel then from the mower or malfunction and cause injury. They are also very dangerous for small children and some very serious injuries have been known to occur.
I remember countless times reaching in between the blades of my lawnmower to clear excess grass while the engine was running but the blades were off. It always used to run though my head what could happen if the blades suddenly turned, even for an instant.
In contrast, robot lawn mowers usually use surprisingly tiny blades, that are fully enclosed under the mower.
They have sensors to detect when they are lifted or tilted and the blades automatically stop.
Although I would always recommend keeping small children well out of the way of a robot lawnmower, I think it would be very difficult for even the most inquisitive youngster to hurt themselves. Robot lawn mowers can also be scheduled to only run when no one will be using the lawn.
Personally, I schedule mine to run while my wife and I are at work and my children are in nursery, so there is no risk of injury. When not in use, robot lawn mowers stay in their dock at the edge of the lawn. They usually require a pin code to be entered to turn them on, so this prevents it being used by anyone other than the owner or authorized individual. This is also a security feature, as it renders the unit useless to thieves. For more information about robot lawn mower safety, I have written a detailed article here.
Very Low Maintenance
Robot lawn mowers require very little maintenance. Check out this article for more information.
The model I own has three blades, which need replaced once or twice per year. This takes less than 5 minutes to do and the blades are very inexpensive.
To clean the robot mower, I simply give the underside a quick clean with a stiff brush, followed by a damp cloth once per month. At the end of the growing season, I ensure the battery is charged, give it a quick clean and store it for winter.
There is no oil or filters to change. For the vast majority of people, there is no need to have a robot lawn mower professionally serviced.
The batteries typically last for about 500 charge cycles. The frequency of replacement will depend how often your mower is scheduled to run. However, when it does come time to change the battery of your robot lawn mower, this can be done in less than 5 minutes. Most models simply have a battery hatch that is secured with a number of screws. Once this hatch is removed, the old battery can be unplugged and the new battery inserted.
No Grass Cuttings
All robot lawn mowers are mulching mowers, which means they cut the clippings into very small pieces and return them to the lawn to provide nutrients for the growing grass. The bonus of this is that there are no cuttings to deal with.
I live in a house with limited space for a compost bin, and my garden waste bin just isn’t big enough to handle all the clippings from my grass during the growing season, as well as all the other garden and biodegradable waste from the kitchen.
This meant that I had to make regular trips to the recycling center through the growing season to dispose of grass clippings, which was a job that I could do without. The fact that leaving the clippings on the grass makes the lawn healthier and greener is an added bonus.
More Environmentally Friendly
Compared to the electric lawn mower that needs to be plugged in all the time or the conventional lawn mower that releases gas emissions and harmful toxins, robot lawn mowers are much more environmentally friendly, and will help you limit the effect on the environment.
Almost all robot lawn mowers are powered by lithium ion batteries. These are charged from your mains electricity supply. Mains electricity is generated much more efficiently that the power produced from a conventional lawn mower. As main electricity generation moves towards renewable sources, the environmental credentials of robot lawn mowers will only increase.
I was also amazed by how little electricity robot lawn mowers use in operation. As they move slowly and typically have very small blades, they can use as little as 30 watts of power, which is less than a domestic light bulb.
More Time For Yourself
Lawn maintenance tends to be quite time consuming. Most people have busy lives, and would rather be doing more enjoyable activities than mowing the lawn. Once the initial setup is complete, you shouldn’t need to have any input to maintain a great looking lawn all year round.
Personally, I tend to just tidy up the edges next to flower beds around my lawn about once per month, but otherwise, my lawn looks after itself.
Avoid Hayfever With A Robot Lawn Mower
If you have grass allergies or hay fever, the robotic lawn mower is what you need for lawn maintenance because it will minimize your close contact with the grass. I generally get quite bad hayfever symptoms for about 6 weeks from the start of June to mid July. Although it wasn’t part of my purchasing decision, my symptoms always used to flare after cutting the grass, so I have seen a significant improvement.
Some people worry that a robot lawn mower might make allergy symptoms worse as a robot lawn mower will cut your grass much more frequently than you would otherwise. I certainly haven’t found this to be the case. In fact, my allergy symptoms have never been better, as I don’t have close contact with cut grass anymore.
Since making the switch to a robot lawn mower a few years ago, I have been delighted. In my opinion, robot lawn mowers really do live up to the hype, and I don’t think I could ever go back to a conventional lawn mower. Having said this, robot lawn mowers aren’t perfect. They do have a few drawbacks and disadvantages, such as requiring a lengthy installation, and not doing a great job at cutting the very edges of most lawns. However, these are minor issues and I feel the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. If you want to read more about all the features to look for in robot lawn mowers, as well as my recommendations for the best ones to get, I’ve got a useful article here.