As my first review featured the basic push cylinder mower, I am following up with the ultimate lazy gardeners mower, a robot. This is a review of the Flymo Lithium-Ion Robotic Lawnmower 1200 R.

OVERVIEW

All the standard mowers require some effort, and time, to cut the lawn. With the robot though, after the set up is complete, you can just sit back, or do whatever you need to do, while the robot does the work for you.

There are many different models on the market, so I am starting with one of the cheaper versions from the well known Flymo brand.

FLYMO LITHIUM-ION ROBOTIC LAWNMOWER 1200 R

This robotic mower  is a very competitively priced model at around £600, and does exactly what it says on the tin. It only weighs 16.5 kilos, so is easy to move by hand if required. Find flymo mowers here.

The power source is an 18 v 1.6 Ah Lithium-ion Battery, with a claimed maximum cutting area of 400 square meters  per charge, but the automatic return to the charging station when the battery runs low makes this fairly irrelevant. The cutting speed is very slow at 30 square meters per hour, so worth taking into consideration if the lawn is fairly large.  

It has an irregular mowing pattern, meaning it cuts in random directions, and can be set to cut as often as you wish. It also has a soft movable top shell which minimises damage if bumping into objects, or the owner.

As with all robotic mowers, a boundary guidance system is required to control the mower. This can take a few hours to set up, and in this case would not be easy for someone not technically minded as some of the connections are quite fiddly.

ADVANTAGES

• The first, and biggest advantage, is that the robotic mower, once set up, will work away on its own, freeing the owner up from the task of mowing
• The price is very competitive as these mowers can be priced way above the normal house holders budget
• This Flymo robotic mower has a good quality battery with a large area capacity
• As I am always saying, grass benefits from cutting more often, using this mower means the grass can be cut very regularly, and with the three blades and no wheel marks, leads to a better looking lawn
• The operation is very quiet, so no annoyance if you or the neighbours are relaxing in the garden
• It has good safety features with the movable soft top shell, and sensors that stop the blades immediately if lifted
• It is light weight, so is easily lifted and moved to a separate lawn if required

DISADVANTAGES

• A real down side is that separate lawns have to be set up with their own guidance wires, and the mower manually moved from one to the other
• There is no remote control, so can`t be controlled from a phone or computer, or used outside the guidance system, as is a common feature on more expensive models
• As there is no rain sensor, it will cut even in heavy rain if not stopped manually, not the best conditions for producing a good lawn
• The grass clippings are not collected so can be a bit messy in damp conditions, and certainly conducive to thatch formation and moss production
• It is very slow at 30 sq meters per hour, so can take a long time on larger lawns

CONCLUSION

For anyone who wants a decent looking lawn, without the effort usually required by manual mowing, this is a good quality robotic mower, at a very good price. Although not having the extra features of some other robotic mowers it is well worth consideration. Find it here.