DIY Rechargeable Electric Robotic Lawnmower Waterproof Grass Cutting Robot Mower
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Best Robot Lawn Mowers on the Cheap (2023)
There aren’t a ton of cheap robot lawn mowers out there… yet.
The main reason why these robot lawn mowers are cheaper is that they are specifically designed for smaller lawns (-500 m²). And that means, as you can imagine, in contrast to a large lawn, it takes less effort for these little gardeners with wheels to handle a smaller and usually less complex of a lawn in terms of their requirements for performance, computing and battery power.
Regardless, there are quite a few gems out there on the cheap even for the bigger lawns. They just needed to be found.
Along with this Robot Lawn Mower Buying Guide (which I really suggest you quickly skim through), let’s have a closer look at those cheaper ones I’ve come across. See which you fancy more and check out the corresponding review.
Top 10 Actually Cheap Robot Lawn Mowers
Before you go any further, let’s be clear about a couple of things when it comes to cheap robot lawn mowers in general. Wouldn’t want you to make a bad decision.
The robot lawn mower market is still rather new and so the selection is somewhat limited (and somewhat high) even as of 2023.
The so-called “cheap” robot lawn mowers are essentially just lesser versions of the more expensive models with only real difference being how big of a lawn they’re wired to handle. That means buying an expensive robot lawn mower might be counterproductive in case of a smaller lawn where you can (and should) get away with buying the lower cost version instead! But hey, I’m not your mom…
TLDR: cheap is not bad, rather they are meant for smaller lawn sizes (–500 m²) and usually don’t have all the bells and whistles, is all.
#0 Husqvarna Automower 435X AWD
Just to make sure we’re talking CHEAP… Of course you can get yourself one of the most expensive robot mowers like the Husqvarna Automower 435X AWD or an equivalent that pack powerful features such as the ability to traverse around obstacles with no contact, climb steep (35°) inclines with all-wheel driving (AWD) along with a beast of a battery pack, GPS navigation system mapping out the entire lawn so it doesn’t mow randomly, and so much more, but the initial cost would be too much for my monthly salary to handle. And what if it got stolen, or something like that, with no way for me to prove it afterwards…
Something more affordable would be one of the iMOW robot mowers, my personal pick in 2023, or equivalent, but which can still be rather on the heavy side for the wallet compared to these cheap ones here…
My experience tells me it’s much nicer to get into the robot lawn mower game without spending a fortune!
#1 Husqvarna Automower 115H
Lawn size up to around 1600 m² (17222 ft²). Max incline: 17.5° (or 30%). Battery: rechargeable 18 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 60 minutes (avg). Charging time: 60 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 50-90 mm (or 2″ to 3.6″). Cutting blades: 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 22 cm (or 8.7″). Noise level: up to 60 dB. Remote control: yes (Bluetooth, cellular, and manual control panel). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).
#2 Gardena SILENO Minimo 250
Lawn size up to around 250 m² (2700 ft²). Max incline: 20° (or 35%). Battery: rechargeable 18 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 65 minutes (avg). Charging time: 60-75 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 20-45 mm (or 0.8″ to 1.8″). Cutting blades: 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 16 cm (or 6.3″). Noise level: up to 57 dB. Remote control: yes (Bluetooth, cellular, and manual control panel). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).
#3 Flymo EasiLife 500 GO
Lawn size up to around 500 m² (5382 ft²). Max incline: 15° (or 25%). Battery: rechargeable 18 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 70 minutes (avg). Charging time: 75 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 20-50 mm (or 0.8″ to 1.97″). Cutting blades: 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 16 cm (or 6.3″). Noise level: up to 57 dB. Remote control: yes (Bluetooth, cellular, and manual control panel). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).
#4 WORX Landroid M500 WR141E
Lawn size up to around 500 m² (5382 ft²). Max incline: 20° (or 35%). Battery: rechargeable 20 V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion. Operating time: 70 minutes (avg). Charging time: 70 minutes (avg). Cutting height: 30-60 mm (or 1.2″ to 2.4″). Cutting blades: cut to edge 3 razor-like blades attached to a rotating disc. Cutting width: 18 cm (or 7.1″). Noise level: up to 67 dB. Remote control: yes (Bluetooth, cellular, and manual control panel). The package includes everything you need to set it up and the mower has all the essential mowing, safety, and security features (be ware: additional perimeter wire needed in case of a more complex yard layout).
Going Cheap – FAQ
What’s the Difference Between a Low-Cost and an Expensive Robot Lawn Mower?
Assuming we’re talking about at least normal quality robot mowers from reputable brands, in my research I’ve determined that the low-cost robot lawn mowers aren’t all that much different from the more expensive models in how and what they do.
The main difference between them is how large of a lawn they’re designed to cover, which means the requirements for performance, computing and battery power are lower and thus ones come out cheaper. However, the really really cheap ones that are not just lesser versions of the more expensive models do cut corners in how complex of a lawn they can handle in comparison (depth of slopes, narrowness of paths, etc). Additionally and naturally, those really cheap ones might have less options to configure because of that. As such, there might only be a few buttons which would allow you to, for example, stop the mower, send it to recharge, set a password and/or the amount of time it should mow per day. I’d argue that there’s actually beauty in simplicity as they end up being more robust and practical with no gimmicks driving up the price unnecessarily.
They are otherwise, both the cheap and more expensive robot lawn mowers, all very similar in that they mow autonomously by mulching grass in the designated area.
How Do Budget Robot Lawn Mowers Work?
they cut, ahem, mulch grass (there’s a difference between cutting and mulching) autonomously and the cheap ones usually in a random pattern… “Yeah, no shit,” you’d no doubt say to that. You probably already get the gist of how they work (and if not, check with this article on How Robot Mowers Work), and no, they won’t do your dishes.
The dishes in this analogy would be some of the edges of your lawn, the odd hard to reach patches of grass due to narrow paths, the other side of your fence unless you’ve dragged a perimeter wire there as well and manually brought the mower there for the time being, the weed among your flowerbeds, though it might do a number on your kids’ toys (“learning the hard way”), and so forth. Even the most sophisticated breeds of robot lawn mower wouldn’t do all the work for you in this day and age. And I wouldn’t really want them to do it all anyway, come to think of it (AI takeover).
IMPORTANT: Robot lawn mowers they are designed to work often. They are not like your manual mowers that you push around for an hour and call it a day. These things operate all day long in a cycle of mowing and charging, e.g mowing for 50 minutes, charging for 60 minutes (varies per model). The number of times a lot of people have returned their brand new robot mower saying it left patches of grass uncut after finishing that first cycle is baffling. Here’s to hoping you’re now informed enough to not become that person. ^^
How Should I Choose a Robot Lawn Mower?
Here I can only really give you very generic sounding advice even after leaving out the super obvious like your lawn size or slope angles which tend to directly reflect in a higher price. You can get more insights from this article: Robot Lawn Mower Buying Guide (link opens in a new tab).
Watch these short videos for Step-by-Step Instructions on Installing your Automower /h2>
No, the wire can also be stapled to the surface of the ground with the staples included in the installation kit. In a few weeks, the wire will disappear into your lawn.
Yes, we recommend mowing your lawn prior to installation. Cut the lawn short around the perimeter so the wire can lay as close to the ground as possible.
Yes, first plug the power supply into the low voltage cable and then plug the low voltage cable into the charging station. Next, plug the power supply into a 110V outlet. Set the mower’s main switch to position 1 and push Automower into the charging station.
Yes, an island can be added after the initial install by splicing into the boundary wire. You can purchase a splicing kit and additional wire here.
It is always best to install a guide wire to help Automower get home more quickly when needed. Note, the 115H requires a guide wire to return home.
While you can purchase your own wire, we recommend using the wire included with your Husqvarna installation kit as it’s tested and proven for optimal performance.
Raspberry Pi and Raspberry Pi Pico Team Up for Robot Lawnmower Project
This may look like a normal robot lawnmower, the sort that trundles mindlessly around suburban lawns all over the country, but OpenMower is more than that, thanks to the clever use of two Raspberry Pi boards. The brainchild of German tech entrepreneur Clemens Elflein, and reported on by Hackster, OpenMower upgrades the internals of a standard robot mower to make it smarter using a Raspberry Pi 4, and the 4 Raspberry Pi Pico.
Little more than weaponized robot vacuum cleaners, most robot mowers operate using a perimeter wire that they may not cross. They stay inside the area defined by the wire, and if they run into something, or otherwise detect an obstacle in their path, they will randomly change direction and head off until they encounter another obstacle or wire. This way, they cut all the grass, but can produce a random pattern and potentially an uneven cut.
To fix this, Elflein took apart an off-the shelf robot lawnmower. He discovered that it used standard connectors to fit together, so kept the shell, motors, chassis, and blade, but gave it a heavy electronics upgrade in the form of a Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi Pico, custom speed control system, and an Ardusimple RTK (real time kinematics) GPS board. The RTK GPS board provides both coarse GPS location data, along with a correction stream (RTK) which sharpens the accuracy from meters to centimeters.
This last component is crucial, as it allows the OpenMower to do away with the clunky perimeter wire and know precisely where it is within the lawn, supporting multiple mowing areas and moving back and forth in a regular pattern instead of randomly turning. It still will have the ability to avoid obstacles, as the Raspberry Pi Pico acts as the low level controller, interfacing with sensors and reporting back to the Raspberry Pi 4.
All of OpenMower’s instructions and software can be found on GitHub, and there’s even a Discord channel to discuss the project.
Husqvarna Automower 115H Robotic Lawn Mower with DIY Installation Kit
The Husqvarna Automower 115H Robotic Lawn Mower is ready to maintain small or medium-sized lawns up to 0.4 acres. Efficient battery-powered mower returns automatically to recharging station as needed. Unique cutting system safely clips grass a little at a time, returning clippings to the soil for a natural fertilizing effect. Quick and easy adjustment of the cutting height from 2 to 3.6 inches. Advanced navigation allows robotic mower to handle obstacles and narrow passages. All-weather mower works in the rain and is fully hose washable. Bluetooth-enabled mower receives inputs via Automower Connect at Home. Model: 115H.
Standard features
Bright LCD display
The control panel features a large LCD display. For operating convenience, the control panel can also be removed on the RMI 6 series models. This provides an intuitive way of recording all settings, and a convenient way of viewing all functions and performance data of the automatic lawn mower. The high-contrast, bright display is easy to read even in sunlight.
Movable hood
The movable hood with sensors protects the STIHL iMow robotic mower from weather and obstacles. If the iMow robotic mower comes up against an obstacle during automatic mowing, the integrated sensors detect contact with the object and changes direction.
Standard equipment
As standard, the STIHL iMow robotic mower includes the machine, the docking station with four pegs for securing to the ground as well as an iMow ruler as an aid for laying the perimeter wire. An installation kit is also required to install the iMow robotic mower.
Docking station
The docking station is included as standard equipment for the STIHL iMow robotic mower. It is both the robotic mower’s home and where it charges its battery. At the same time, it is the starting point for every mowing operation. When driving, the automatic lawn mower is guided by the signal transmitted by the perimeter wire at the edge of the lawn. This signal is fed via the docking station. If it rains or the battery runs down during mowing, the iMow robotic mower independently returns to the docking station and recharges its battery. Thanks to its intelligent charging system, the iMow decides independently whether an express charge is necessary due to another imminent mowing operation or whether the battery should be charged more gently in normal mode. The docking station can be placed within or outside the lawn area.
Mulching mowing deck
The sturdy iMow mulching blade ensures a precise cutting pattern even on higher grass growth. Its rotational direction changes automatically every time the blade stops. This means that the blades of the automatic lawn mower wear evenly. The blade can be changed without the need for tools.
Offset drive home
By default, the iMow robotic mower travels back home to the docking station along the perimeter wire. If required, and depending on the condition of the edge of the mowing area, the iMow can also travel to its docking station with an alternating offset to the perimeter wire.
Removable control panel
The control panel with integrated and bright display is used on all STIHL iMow robotic mowers for easy setup, manual control and fast display of machine information. The high-contrast display means the control panel can also be used in sunlight. The panel is flush-mounted in the housing of the automatic lawn mower and can also be removed for convenient access.
iMow robotic mower drive
The STIHL iMow robotic mowers feature a drive that enables them to mow hilly terrain with consistently high quality. The RMI 6 series models can handle lawns with a gradient of up to 45.
Adaptive slope speed
Using the adaptive slope speed function, the STIHL iMow robotic mower adapts its speed on uneven terrain. The integrated tilt sensor constantly analyses the position of the automatic lawn mower and adapts its speed accordingly.
Dynamic mowing plan
Using the STIHL iMow robotic mower interactive mowing plan, individual time Windows during which the machine can be in operation can be defined for each day. Within these active times, the automatic lawn mower automatically determines the best times to mow for an optimum result. If it has to interrupt mowing because of rain, it automatically catches up later within the specified time window. The dynamic mowing plan can be called up and amended via the control panel.
Wheels with traction pattern
The smooth-running wheels with traction pattern ensure that the STIHL iMow robotic mower moves with precision. Especially on hilly lawns with a gradient of up to 45 and dense grass. The robotic mowers wheels are self-cleaning.