RoboMower – RL850

RoboMower – RL850 Review

First of all, you need to understand the limitations of the Robomower and determine if your yard is right for it or not. I've had my RL800 for 3 seasons now and while I still fuss at it every time it cuts the grass, I don't know what I'd do without it...Except get another smelly gas mower and grind it out like before Robomower.

It doesn't do hills well. Think about how you divide up your yard into zones before installation. Keep the battery continuously charging. And "supervise" it while it's cutting the grass. If you're yard is relatively flat and you send Robomower out every week during the summer, you should be pleased with the results, mechanical/warranty problems aside.

Our entire front, sides and back yards are all 1 zone. As such, after completing the perimeter cut, Robomower usually leaves the front yard before it's completely cut and sneaks into the back yard. While this can be frustrating, it's how it's supposed to work if everything is 1 zone...I simply walk it back up into the front yard and let it start zig-zagging back and forth again. If it looks like rain or I'm in a hurry, I'll manually touch up any missed patches before walking it to another part of the yard...Otherwise I just let it run and run and run and it usually gets just about every spot (eventually). I got an extra new battery that I switch out mid-week so both stay charged.

I have it set to take off about 1/3 of the grass with each weekly cut and our Bermuda has never looked better. It truly is a "sea of green" once Robomower is finished and the blades have been clipped from every direction. It looks as good or better than the 0/visit professional landscaping crew does across the street. We have four 20" x 20" recessed drainage holes throughout the yard that can be a problem. Most of the time Robomower goes down and comes back out OK...Sometimes it just sits and spins the wheels trying to climb out. Hence, the supervision part of the job. Keeping an eye on Robomower and intervening when needed is still much better than the old blood and sweat that I see falling off the neighbors when they go out and cut their grass the old-fashioned way.

Next to the PC and HDTV, Robomower gets my vote for best "life made easier" invention of the past 20 years. It's not perfect, but neither are you when you cut the grass. It's just much more convenient watching the grass be cut by Robomower. Understand it's limitations, plan your yard zones like you want it to operate and you should be equally pleased with the results, provided you don't get the inevitable lemon. I have extra tires and extra blades, but haven't needed to replace them after 3 seasons of weekly mowings. Great product!!

RoboMower – RL850 Feature

• 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”

RoboMower – RL850 Overview

The green colored Friendly Robotics Model RL850 Robomower - Fast is a fully automatic lawnmower designed to mow your lawn entirely by itself. Just press the button, and it begins circling your yard, cutting and mulching the grass. This can handle any lawn, regardless of shape, slope, and obstacles. The Robotic Lawn Mower mulches the grass as it mows and creates a more healthy lawn. It travels on the lawn in a systematic criss-cross pattern, covering the lawn several times from side to side to ensure that the entire yard is covered and the grass is cut from several angles. This safe, quiet, and environmentally friendly Robotic Lawn Mower does not require gas or oil and provides the highest quality of mowing. It features solid construction and comes with everything needed to set up safety features like sensor-equipped bumpers, mower lift detection, and child lock.    

RoboMower – RL850 Specifications

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

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Customer Reviews

Great idea..... - Cool S - NJ, USA
Great idea for a product......Horrible follow through...

I purchased the robomower and brought it home to set up. I spent a full day pushing stakes in the ground setting up a zone. When the time came to realease the robo, it kept going off course...hmmmmm. I call the comapny and they have no idea (also no idea how to speak English) what is wrong. Then after ten call backs they figure out that my zone is too large (not in the instructions). So, I spend another day to set up a three zone configuration. It works for one day and the next day my robomower is in the middle of the street, while my neighbors laugh at me...

In summary, this a great idea with potential but the company and support are horrible...

Think of it as Windows 3.0.



This is not a lawn mower! - viking driver - Denver, CO USA
Everyone has stated good things about this product, but there have been a few criticisms. Rather than rehash the good stuff (I have had an RL1000 for almost 3 years and love it) I want to make some comments.

1. The RoboMower is not a lawn mower. It is a cutting system. Comparisons are constantly being made to conventional lawn mowers. With this way of thinking one can equate a fire hearth to a Kitchen stove. It just doesn't make sense. They are apples and oranges.

2. Many have stated they can cut their lawns in 1/3 the time. This is true, but how long would it take to cut the lawn in several different directions. Again, comparing it to another appliance, why would you take an hour to wash your dishes in a dishwasher when you can get the job done in 15 minutes in the sink. When you start the robomower you are basically finished cutting your grass.

3. Rearding the cost of blades and batteries, the expense is more than offset by the cost of fuel, tune-ups, blade sharpenings and oil changes on a gas mower.

4. Set up is tedious and you have to get it right, but you only have to do it once. After that you can forget about cutting your grass.

The product is amazing. Yes, there is a bit of trimmimg, but that is really a minimal task compared with what I was doing before. I don't have to bag grass every few rows, the unit does an amazing job of mulching, and if I put lawn care products on the lawn they stay on the lawn. I don't bag them up and send them out with the trash.

I think this thing is the next major "appliance" that we wil see in the future. If you don't have one now you will have one in the next few years as long as your property is compatable.



After Two Full Seasons - Kevin M. - Minnesota, USA
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 - expense per year, not including the cost of electricity to recharge, and new blades periodically, maybe every 2 or 3 years, another - 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.