Even with the most advanced of lawn mowers there is still a certain amount of effort involved getting the machine out of the shed and pushing it or walking behind.
But just imagine if all you had to was to sit at home in the deckchair with a glass of something and watch a robot do all the hard work.
With the latest machines from Robomow this is exactly what happens as your own little robot trundles across the lawns when you tell it to and cuts as often and as long or short as you select.
Take it easy: Robomow RM 310 robotic mower
Running a cable to the base station is simple and the perimiter wires don’t need to be let into to the lawn but simply pegged down. Within a couple of weeks these wires will be absorbed into the turf and be invisible.
The machine cuts right up to the lawn edge so there is no need to return with the strimmer.
The clippings are mulched and returned to the lawn so no worrying about trips to the compost heap and no need to fuel up for the Robomower parks itself at the end of the session and recharges its battery.
The Robomower can handle slopes and complicated lawn edges and the manufacturer’s say that if a lawn takes an hour to cut it will take an hour and a half to peg down the guide wires and fit the base station.
Cutting heights are from a very short 20 mm up to 80 mm and are very simply adjusted. It also has an anti-theft device and a tilt sensor which stops the blades should the machine for some reason invert itself.
The cutting width is 20 cm.
This mower costs £1049 and comes with a 15 metre power lead for the base station, 150 metres of perimiter wire and 150 pegs, a special ruler for ensuring you are the correct distance from edges and water hazards, and metal pegs for the base station and batteries for the mower.
The Robomow RS630 Automatic Robot Lawn Mower is a slightly larger machine which is designed to deal with large lawns up to 3000 sq metres and is a true alternative to a lawn tractor.
For big lawns: Robomow RS 360 robotic mower
And remember there is no need to let the wire into the lawn edge, after a couple of weeks it will be absorbed into the turf and be invisible.
This one has a high-powered motor and the machine is programmed to trundle back home if it senses the battery is getting low or if it starts to rain.
The battery allows it to run for one and a half hours and the charging time is two hours.
Shredded clippings, about the size of tea leaves are quickly absorbed into the lawn acting as a lawn feed.
This too cuts right to the edge of the lawn as the cutting blades are inside the line of the line of the wheels. Cutting heights are between 20 and 80 mm.
A pin code protects the machine against theft – if it is stolen it simply will not work.
There are three sensors on the machine, one which sends it back to base it it detects damp conditions or rain, one which re-routes it if it encounters an obstacle and a tilt sensor which stops the blades turning.
A remote control is available as an optional extra.
The package includes 450 metres of perimiter wire, 500 pegs, 20 metres of power cable to connect to the base station and six metal pegs for the base station.
It costs £2499, has free next working day delivery and a two year manufacturer’s guarantee.
