Are robot lawn mowers worth the hefty price tag? Here’s what a retailer says
As fall approaches, the need to mow the lawn still start to dwindle. But it isn't going away. The need to breakout those lawn mowers will arrive again next spring. But is there an easier way?
Robot lawn mowers, similar to robot vacuums, offer a number of benefits, the first is cutting back on those chore hours.
“The biggest benefit is you yourself don't have to go out and mow,” said Ashley Day, owner of Laurelwood Equipment located on West Martintown Road in North Augusta.
Despite the obvious benefit, Day says robot lawn mowers are not yet big sellers.
“I would say it's slow to catch on," he said. "But more and more people have been getting them each year."
In addition to time saved, Day the mowers offer consistency.
"The second benefit is with a robot mower your lawn will never have the look of an uncut lawn," he said. "Your grass will look like it's been cut every single day.”
The robot mower charges on a base that you plug into a standard outlet. Ideally the battery-operated mower will remain outside during the mowing season. Depending on the settings, it will cut your grass and return to the base to recharge after mowing is complete.
Day said the size of your yard will determine how often the robot mower will need to be set to cut the lawn.
“The larger the yard, the more hours have to be allocated for mowing,” said Day.
The mowers are a good alternative for those with health issues or are aging.
“A robot mower is great for people with health issues, elderly, and It can keep you out of the 100-degree weather,” said Day.
Day said there’s minimal maintenance with a robot mowers, noting there is no need for oil changes or air filter replacements.
“There is some human interaction required." he said. "Every once in a while the machine may get stuck on a limb that falls in the way of the path of the mower. Most of the time you just let it do its thing.”
Robot mowers come out on top when it comes to noise level compared to traditional lawn mowers.
A gas-powered lawn mower is about 85 to 90 decibels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If using a traditional lawn mower, the CDC recommends not exceeding 15 to 45 minutes of use.
Laurelwood Equipment carries two brands of robot mowers, Husqvarna and the Stihl. The price tag for these brands ranges from $2,800 to $5,000. Robot mowers range in size from 15 to 35 pounds.
The Husqvarna 415X is suited for small to medium-sized lawns up to 0.4 acres, according to Husqvarna. The Area capacity per hour is 678 feet. The Stihl 422 is designed to cut yards up to one-quarter acre in about 17 hours per week, according to Stihl. It comes equipped with an automatic shut off feature if the device is flipped or lifted.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the robot mower isn’t 100% accurate, said Day.
“In some cases there's a little bit of trimming that you have to do around the perimeter,” he said. “The robot mower will usually leave about a 4- to 6-inch perimeter of grass where you might have to cut it with a line trimmer. But the robot mower is still less labor intensive compared to the traditional lawn mower which requires you to do it all yourself.”
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Funding Partners.
Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at EVanBuren@gannett.com or on Twitter: @EricaVanBuren32.
Meet the new environment reporter: 'Chronicle' welcomes new reporter covering environment, climate change in Augusta area
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Robot lawn mowers offer a number of benefits and are eco-friendly
