RoboMower - RL850

RoboMower - RL850

RoboMower - RL850
List Price: $1,999.99
Category: Tools
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Product Details

Manufacturer: Systems Trading Corporation
Product features:
  • RL850 is suitable for any small and medium size garden up to 10,800 sq. ft.
  • Automatic operation, mower is self-operated without user interference. No more spending your weekends mowing the lawn
  • Child Guard to help prevent children from operation the mower; sensor-equipped, touch sensitive bumpers all around the mower
  • Peg wire around the edge of lawn and connect perimeter switch, press"go" then the RoboMower mows, you don't
  • 35Hx26Wx12-1/2D"

Tools and Hardware Reviews of RoboMower - RL850

Customer Review: After Two Full Seasons
Summary: 4 Stars

I've now used my RL800 for two full seasons, and I'm still pleased with it. It does a decent job, and it has advantages, but it isn't perfect.

Some of this has been said in other reviews, but I'll add my two cents. The pros:
- it mows while you relax, out of the heat
- it only takes a couple of minutes of your time to start it mowing, and another couple to put it away afterward
- it mows in multiple directions, a tip recommended by many lawn care advocates
- it doesn't get tired; you can mow your entire lawn two or three times a week if you want
- it is very quiet compared to a gas mower; about as loud as a cordless string trimmer

The cons:
- pricey
- expensive for consumables (battery pack every 3-5 years, a $25-$40 expense per year, not including the cost of electricity to recharge, and new blades periodically, maybe every 2 or 3 years, another $20-$30 per year)
- very slow compared to a gas mower - expect 2 hours to mow what you could easily do in half an hour yourself
- misses spots on a single session (but more frequent mowing makes up for this)
- recharge with included trickle charger can take more than 24 hours (about 13 hours per hour of use in my experience)
- won't mow yards over 5,000 sq ft on a single charge
- yards over 5,000 sq ft must be split up into zones
- can take multiple days to mow your entire yard
- perimeter wire layout is time consuming and tedious, especially if you have to wire around many obstacles
- the supplied wire and stakes aren't enough for any but there very smallest yards
- it can't handle especially small sections (narrower than 5')
- it doesn't mow close to obstacles or walls
- you'll still want a standard push mower (much as you would if you had a riding mower)
- it sometimes gets stuck or stops spontaneously (in my experience this happens one time in 15, so not too frequent)
- it's not suitable for rough or especially steep lawns
- blades need frequent cleaning for maximum performance (they gut gummed up), I'd recommend once every three-to-five session

I've rated this a four because I expected most of the above, and within it's limitations the Robomower performs as expected. But bottom line, unless you have some special reason you'll probably be better served spending your money on an inexpensive lawn tractor.

Description of RoboMower - RL850

Early Adopters Pick: May 2003. The first fully robotic lawnmower that can learn parts of your yard.

The Robomower is convenient, easy, robotic, and clean--and it transforms the world of yard work! Set up (once), turn on, and the Robomower cuts the grass on almost any surface--all by itself. Getting the system set up in your yard can take most of an afternoon, but the well-written manual makes the job easier. The biggest part of the set-up task is stringing the perimeter wire around your yard, marking the boundaries the Robomower will stay within. Once you're set, and the mower is on, the machine simply senses the perimeter wire and uses three mulching blades to cut down everything inside the wire. Thanks to the onboard computer, the Robomower can even learn parts of your yard as it mows, making it quicker next time. The mower is quiet, automatic, and the mulching blades mean that when it's done you don't need to bag or rake.

The Robomower is outfitted with safety features. It won't run at all if it's flipped over with the blades exposed. Likewise, it turns tail and backs off if its soft 360-degree bumpers encounter any foreign object (like a pet or toy or favorite rose bush). A theft deterrent system keeps the unit safe. The Robomower is very quiet compared to other lawn mowers, although because it takes longer to get the job done than a human with a walk-behind mower, what noise there is lasts longer. The mower works best on level yards smaller than 3,200 square feet, with the grass reasonably tame to begin with. It does not work well on hilly or overgrown yards. While it takes a full day to recharge the battery, a full charge is enough to mow most lawns. (The mower is definitely no lightweight, either; it takes two people to remove the machine from the box when it arrives.) The Robomower is definitely a smart idea for folks with physical conditions that make strenuous activities like mowing difficult, but it's also a great product for anyone who feels like there's always something better to do with a weekend afternoon than lawn mowing. Rechargeable power pack comes included.--Brian Trinen

Lawn & Landscaping

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