CUTTING the grass is a spring time task few gardeners look forward to.
Getting your lawn in shape can be exhausting and time-consuming, and with the price of petrol going through the roof it’s also more costly.
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Veronica Lorraine tested cutting-edge robot lawn mowersCredit: Olivia West
So, perhaps now’s the time to invest in a robot lawn mower.
They’re a big-ticket purchase, and can cost anything up to £4k.
But they’re also a huge time-saving device and remove a thankless job from the weekend chores list.
It’s worth remembering, they can’t tackle a hugely overgrown lawn, but once you’ve done the first cut of the year with a standard mower, the robot will whizz around your outside space as often as you like.
Sun Gardening Editor Veronica Lorraine puts her feet up as she tests six of the best budget robot mowers and awards marks out of five.
Best robot lawn mowers uk:
Parkside 20V Robot Lawnmower
This Lidl mower has three adjustable area modes and a rain sensorCredit: Supplied
Parkside 20V Robot Lawnmower – Lidl, £150
AT this price you can’t really go wrong – if you can get your hands on it.
It covers up to 500m², and you’ll get 45 minutes of mowing time for a 60-minute charge.
But it does struggle with bumpy terrain – which is an issue with nearly everyone’s lawns right now.
The trickiest part, as with all ‘wire-led’ mowers, is installing the boundary wire around your garden.
It’s got three adjustable area modes, a rain sensor and Lidl claims it’s quieter than a hairdryer.
Rating: 3/5
Yard Force EasyMow 260B Robotic Lawnmower
This mower is controlled by an appCredit: Supplied
Yard Force EasyMow 260B Robotic Lawnmower, £299.99 £244.99
COVERING a space of up to 260m², this mower is controlled by an app.
It’s another one needing a boundary wire, which can be fussy to install – and it starts and ends at the base unit, where the mower returns by itself after its shift.
It does a good job of sticking to the template.
That said, it’s a good idea to play around with your border because while it suggests placing the wire 35cm away from the boundary, you can get 5cm or more.
It’s noisier than other devices, but there’s nothing wrong with the cut.
Rating: 4/5
Lawnmaster Drop and Mow
A one-hour charge of this gives four hours’ running timeCredit: Supplied
Lawnmaster Drop and Mow, £289.99 £274.99
THIS one doesn’t need a boundary wire – instead it will cut in a random pattern in gardens up to 150m².
It manages to navigate using a camera and sensors, but if you don’t have defined borders or overhanging plants, this probably isn’t one for you.
There’s a good choice of cutting heights and an easy-to-use control panel.
A one-hour charge gives four hours’ running time but the difference here is that you charge it indoors – so you’ll need enough storage space.
Rating: 3/5
FLYMO Easilife Go 150 – Amazon, £360
This mower’s boundary wire was really tricky to set upCredit: Supplied
FLYMO Easilife Go 150, £579.99 £467.08
ANOTHER one using a boundary wire – which was REALLY tricky to set up – then the mower ran over its own wire and broke it.
It’s very compact and quiet though – designed for gardens up to 150m² on a one-hour charge.
There’s an option of a guide wire – and I recommend you use it – otherwise the mower runs out of battery.
Another bugbear is you have to manually adjust the cutting level.
Rating: 2/5
STIGA A 6V Automatic Robot Mower
This mower has loads of different cutting levels and it’s really quietCredit: Supplied
STIGA A 6V Automatic Robot Mower, £1,199 £999
IT’S a lot more expensive – but the difference is huge.
There is no need for a boundary wire, this mower is perfect for small to medium gardens of up to 600m², and is completely controlled through an app and AI-driven camera.
So it avoids obstacles (apart from your dog’s toys) and just gets on with the job once you’ve registered the perimeter.
It has loads of different cutting levels, it’s really quiet, looks good and you can even name it on the app.
In addition, you can get it to mow the lawn in ‘stripes’ and it can handle slopes. This one is my favourite.
Rating: 5/5
Eufy E15
This mower has anti-theft technology and it’s really quietCredit: Supplied
Eufy E15, £1,499 £1,099
THIS is the only one I tested that broke the £1k price band – and amid a cost-of-living crisis I didn’t dare go any higher.
But as with the STIGA model, you’re paying for quality and it shows: no boundary wires or satellite GPS needed – instead it relies on front-facing cameras – a bit like a driverless car.
It’s controlled by an app (you’ll need wifi) and it has a charging station with a little roof, which is a nice touch.
There’s anti-theft technology and it’s really quiet.
My only issue is that its not very nice to look at.
Rating: 4/5
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