Do you know what happens when you don’t regularly mow a buffalo lawn? Buffalo grass is a lawn that grows by runners, and if you don’t mow it regularly, thatch can form as new runners grow over the old runners. This is exactly what had happened at my house. I then used a dethatching machine, which literally rakes out the thatch. Now the lawn doesn’t look so good, but it will recover soon, and thanks to the Worx Landroid Vision Cloud robot mower I recently tested, I shouldn’t have the thatch problem again.
Worx Landroid Vision Cloud features
Unlike a traditional lawnmower with a big steel blade, this Worx robot mower uses three tiny razor blades that cut small amounts off your grass often. In summer, you would run a robot mower three times a week, and the grass always looks great.
Gone are the days of pushing the smog-belching Victa around the garden every week or so. Regularly cutting your grass as it grows encourages it to grow sideways, giving you a thicker, lusher result as a side benefit. The tiny grass clippings fall back into your lawn, helping to feed and protect the roots.
I specifically tested the Worx Landroid Vision Cloud WR308EA model, which is a wireless robotic lawnmower designed to cut up to 800m² of multi-zone lawns. User-replaceable blades keep your lawn looking good short-term and long-term; the replaceable battery also extends its life compared to competing brands.
The Landroid Vision Cloud also includes a second two-blade cutting disk designed to cut right up to the edge of your lawn. The main cutting head has a cutting width of 18cm, which is small compared to traditional mowers but fine for a robot, since you don’t have to push it as it navigates and drives itself.
Mower height is adjustable for both the main cutting blade (3-6 cm) and the edge-cutting (5-7 cm) blade via manual controls. You should set the edge-cutting height slightly higher to help avoid ground contact.
This navigation uses satellite navigation (as you use in your car), with extra accuracy from the cloud, plus a built-in camera to identify grassed areas, navigate borders, and avoid obstacles. For the mower to work, you will need an outdoor power point, a clear view of the sky and Wi-Fi coverage out to your lawn.
If you have different sections of grass with access for your robot mower between them, you can set up multiple zones, and the mower will move between them. Larger areas often require the mower to recharge before it can finish the job.
The WR308EA I tested also came with an optional light and garage. The light is user-installed and lets the mower run at night, ensuring it doesn’t hit anything. Because it’s so quiet, nighttime mowing is definitely an option. The garage protects the mower from rain and sun. It is not required, but it also hides the mower, making it less obvious in your garden.
Worx Landroid Vision Cloud specifications and price
| Area capacity | Up to 800m² |
| Battery | 4Ah |
| Slope capability | 30% (17 degrees), 2-wheel drive |
| Dimensions | 57 x 33 x 74 cm 19 kg |
| Price (RRP) | Robot: $1,999 Garage: $289 Headlight: $99 |
| Website | Worx Australia |
| Warranty | 2 years plus an extra year if registered within 30 days |
Using the Worx Landroid Vision Cloud
Having tested quite a few robot lawnmowers, I’ve found that setting up the area to be mowed can be a chore in itself. Older robots required wires to be run in the ground, but now with GPS correction built into the mowers, the accuracy is centimetre-perfect.
Another feature that works exceptionally well, and isn’t widely available, is automatic mapping. I have normally found this a bit hit and miss, but the Worx system works the first time perfectly. This saves you from manually driving or controlling the mower around the perimeter of your lawn. This means installation is as simple as fixing the charging base to the ground, running the power cord, downloading an app, and following the on-screen instructions.
The app is fairly easy to use, and once you set everything up, you shouldn’t have to visit it much unless an issue occurs, and you will be notified. Here, you can set the cutting schedule and choose the cutting pattern. I did find some of the app’s terms confusing, like ‘Party mode’, which I had to Google. Contrary to its name, ‘Party Mode’ doesn’t send the mower into a dancing routine; instead, it suspends all operations while activated, ensuring the mower doesn’t operate during a party.
You can clean the mower with a low-pressure garden hose. Speaking of water, the mower can be programmed not to mow during rain, which, if done, does a poor job.
My garden is a challenge to mow. The buffalo grass is rough to drive on; my block slopes 1 in 10, and most edges are bush rocks that aren’t straight. Fortunately, the Landroid has never got stuck and does a great job. Not having to think about it is a big plus. Although the edge cutting does get reasonably close, even on a perfectly straight edge, a whipper snipper will still be required every few weeks to clean up the edge neatly.
Not every bit of grass on my block is accessible with the Landroid. I have a steep driveway that leads down to the nature strip, which no robot mower so far has negotiated, but I also worry about the mower working by itself next to the road where someone might steal it.
Who is the Worx Landroid Vision Cloud for?
The Worx mower is simple to set up and suits larger urban lawns with worry-free operation. A replaceable battery extends its useful life, meaning years of not having to push the mower around on a hot summer day. Your grass will always look good, and you won’t have to panic about getting the lawn done before your guests arrive.
I believe Australia is about to see a big boom in robotic lawnmowers starting this summer, and as one of the brands stocked by Bunnings, Worx is set to be one of the major competitors.
The post Worx Landroid Vision Cloud review: No more manual mowing appeared first on GadgetGuy.
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