Instead of mowing the lawn, I am writing about a robot mowing my lawn. I have more time to write as I am saving at least 30 minutes each week in the summer because a robot is mowing my lawn. I am now a complete convert to robot lawnmowers, and the Anthbot M9 is the fifth robot lawnmower I have tested.
Now you may be thinking, “it would not work in my garden, it’s too complicated, and it won’t do as good a job as I can do”. My back lawn is buffalo grass, which is difficult to cut; it has a 1-in-6 slope, and it has never looked as good as it has since I started using robot lawnmowers.
A lawn cut with a robot mower looks better because it is cut more often, with less removed each time, by sharp razor blades, compared to a dull blade on a conventional lawnmower. Regular cutting encourages sideways growth rather than vertical growth, which makes your lawn look lusher. The tiny offcuts fall into the lawn unseen, creating mulch for future growth.
Comparing Anthbot lawnmowers
Anthbot has a number of models using different navigation technologies and suitable for different lawn sizes:
- M5: $1,199 GPS navigation — 500m²
- M5 LiDAR: $1,279 LiDAR navigation – 500m²
- M9: $1,349 GPS navigation — 1,000m²
- N8: from $2,249 GPS or LiDAR — 1,500m² with a catcher — great for a garden with lots of leaves
Even the smallest model will suit most suburban blocks in Australia. The GPS models use a GPS base station and a receiver in the mower, improving accuracy and enabling the mower to navigate your garden precisely.
My backyard has lots of trees, so I was worried I would have issues with GPS reception, but the M9 has worked flawlessly. If you spend the extra for LiDAR, the lawnmower has a laser which maps your back garden and then uses that laser and the map it has created to work out where it is. The LiDAR model does not require a clear view of the sky, unlike GPS.
Beyond the navigation technology, the mowers also have a set of cameras that further help them navigate to identify obstacles and surfaces. When you first set up the mower, an auto function can determine the edges of your lawn to create your initial map. Ongoing, the camera system will stop the lawnmower from running over the cat or a favourite toy and avoid the clothesline.
We have fruit trees in our garden, and I have noticed the lawnmower does not avoid small, immature green fruit that has dropped from the tree. Small toys may be an issue.
Mowing the lawn automatically
I initially set the lawnmower up in the auto function. The setup time was under 10 minutes, assuming you have an accessible power outlet. This setup is assembling the base and mounting the GPS base station. Once you have registered your app and paired your mower, you likely press go to start the auto-mapping. Once this is complete, you press mow. Lawn cutting height is also set via the app.
The next step is to set a schedule. I have mine mowing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I will likely change this to twice a week or once a week during winter. The net result is that the lawn always looks freshly mown, there are no excess lawn clippings, and the wife loves this gadget. (She does not like a lot of the tech I bring into the house).
If you have a larger property with multiple zones, you can program the mower to travel along paths between zones and even mow them on different days. In my situation, a steep, slippery brick path meant the mower could not get traction, so it could not reach my front lawn for mowing. I also found that the auto perimeter setup did not get close enough to my lawn edges, so I reprogrammed the map manually to get closer. I still find I need to whipper snip the edges every few weeks, and it only takes me five minutes.
The M9 is super quiet, and you hear just a faint whir as it navigates your lawn. The mower is IPX6 waterproof, which means it is rainproof and can be cleaned with a hose. A rain sensor, however, returns the mower to its base when it rains. For extra safety, the mower will stop if lifted, and a big red stop button on the top can also be easily pressed.
I am very pleased with the Anthbot M9 running around my back garden, knowing it’s one less chore that I have to do. If you’re still apprehensive, Anthbot offers a 30-day return policy, which might make the decision easier.
The post This robot lawnmower can even tackle hard-to-cut grass appeared first on GadgetGuy.
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