Robotic mowers have made their big debut, but with a price tag in excess of the smartest petrol mower, very few have taken the plunge. Could you be tempted to buy a robotic lawn mower or is mowing a pleasure?
Honestly, I don’t mind mowing the lawn. It’s a quick and satisfying job for my 1930s semi garden which makes a huge difference to how my garden looks. My lawn’s mossy, weedy and lumpy but I can still get a decent stripe with my corded electric lawn mower in less than 30 minutes.
But when I tried out the John Deere Tango E5 and then the Honda Miimo robotic lawn mowers it did get me thinking. Obviously the price of these machines, both around ÂŁ2,000, makes them ludicrously expensive for anything other than massive lawns. But if the price came down, would I be tempted?
Robotic mowers – fuss-free lawn maintenance
Robotic lawn mowers are quiet and fuss free. They trundle around your garden on a schedule to suit you and keep your lawn under control come rain or shine. They don’t use much electricity, making them cheap to run and if you have flat lawn edges, you wouldn’t need a grass trimmer either.
The only downside for my lawn would be the loss of stripes, as these mulching mowers mow randomly to avoid making wheel ruts in the grass. Still, I’m sure I could bear the deprivation.
Robotic mowers – neither cheap nor convenient
But how far would the price have to come down before I would consider a robotic mower? Well, it would have to be at least half the price before it was even close to the price of a top-end petrol mower.
Then if I really want to make the most of it, I’d have to get rid of my front lawn and get a new flat border around the lawn so I didn’t get left with messy edges. And then I’d have to get a mower flap installed in the shed so it wasn’t a permanent feature of my garden, like an overgrown lawn ornament.
Actually, the more I think about it, the more likely I’ll be mowing for some years yet!
Would you be tempted to give up the pleasure of mowing your lawn for the convenience of a robotic mower?
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