We’re often asked, “Are robotic lawn mowers any good?”. Robotic lawn mowers have become more and more popular over the past 10 years and they’re becoming more advanced. The question of whether they are any good comes down to what results you’re after. If you want a “well-manicured”, clean, green look, then how a lawn mower’s blades cut of the grass matters. You will want a machine which doesn’t fray or tear the blades of grass (which can cause browning and drying), so in this case, we would still recommend one of our range of push lawn mowers in Cork.
Push and ride-on lawn mowers have more powerful engines and higher RPM. This cuts the grass cleanly, which tends to keep it green and soft. Manual mowers also allow you to give your lawn that clean ‘striped’ appearance. A robotic lawn mower like the iMow cuts in a random pattern. But if you want an almost entirely automated management of your lawn, which never overgrows, we recommend a robotic lawnmower. Here’s a breakdown.
The Stihl iMow
We stock Stihl’s iMow lawnmowers, and the higher range model, the Stihl iMow 632 PC can cut an area of grass up to 4,000 square metres. You can remove the keypad so it’s easy to program (you don’t have to be crouched down to set it up). We currently have this model on sale.
The iMow RMI 422 P is the smaller model than the 632. It can cover up to 1,000 square metres — perfect for most homes. All Stihl iMowers run off Lithium-Ion batteries and are completely self-sufficient once they’re installed. This means that, theoretically, once they’re set up and properly programmed you shouldn’t have to touch them again. They have a timer scheduling system that’s very similar to that of a water sprinkler, so you can choose the days and times you want it to start cutting your grass.
The iMow knows its own battery life and will automatically return to its charging dock without your help. Once recharged, it can resume cutting if needs be.
Safety
One of the chief concerns with robotic lawn mowers is their safety. Are they safe to run unsupervised? The simple answer is yes. The iMow has built-in safety sensors. If it hits an obstruction like a rock, football, or tree or something left in the garden, the lawn mower will bump into it and then turn away in the opposite direction.
If someone tries to reach under, sensors will instantly stop the blades, and then the iMow will turn around 180 degrees and move 10 feet away before re-activating the blade.
The blade is deep inside the unit and is surrounded by a safety skirt so that the sensors can detect danger long before anything is at risk of ever touching the blades. To increase safety, rather than the blade itself being height-adjustable, the entire unit raises or lowers closer to the ground.
Adjustability
The eight adjustable heights (from 1-8) are adjusted by simply turning a knob on the panel. This raises or lowers the entire deck rather than the blade. You can also set it up to go to up to 4 different zones, and have it go to some zones more often than others. If you see one area needs more attention than another, you can change the plan so that it spends more time in that area than other areas. This ensures that your lawn can look good all of the time.
Parts
The iMow is the only robotic lawn mower that uses a standard lawnmower blade. Both sides of the blade are sharp, and to increase the lifetime of the blade, every time the iMow hits an obstruction it stops, then automatically reverses the direction of the blade until it hits another obstruction. This means that over time, wear and tear is evened out and the blade lasts twice as long.
Results
So, is a robotic lawn mower any good? It’s a question of the results you’re after. It depends on what you are personally after. If you want a well-maintained garden with no work on your part, we recommend the iMow hands down. If you want lush, green grass, you may prefer a regular lawn mower.
I hope this answers some of your questions. If you have any other queries don’t hesitate to check out our range, or call us on 021-4965132.