When you purchase a high-end garden tool like a robotic mower, you will want your feet up, just watching the little fellow mow the lawn for you all year long.
A robot mower that results in you having to get your strimmer out after you have paid $600 or $1,000, for example, could be seen as a massive disappointment.
If you’re looking for a truly hands-free experience mowing your lawn, then a robotic mower with edge-mowing and other detail features will keep your lawn neat and tidy, without the hassle.
In This Article – we will explore the available robotic lawnmowers that mow closest to the edge, as well as tips for you to enjoy a beautifully mowed lawn every time.
Robotic Lawnmowers save You Time but Don’t Always Get Everything Right
While employing a robotic mower over the growing season will save you a lot of time caring for your lawn, there still may be some edges or other areas the robotic mower had a tough time with that you will want to touch up.
Grass that is growing at the edge of your lawn typically looks straggly or ragged, which brings down the cut lawn’s overall appearance.
That could also be true for narrow corridors or corners requiring you to grab the string trimmer or shears to increase the cut lawn’s aesthetic appeal.
Why Can’t Robotic Mowers Cut Edges Well?
Due to the design of these mowers, edges often remain with robotic mowers.
Because of the position and operation of the cutting blades on the very bottom of the mower.
For Reasons of Safety – Since the razor-sharp blades are located underneath the mower, their effective cutting surface does not reach the outer edge of the mower chassis. Also, if the cutter blades become exposed, they will cease their high-speed rotation and will not be able to cut the grass bordering the outside edge of the mower.
How close you get to the edge of the lawn is determined by the size of the gap between the blade and the mower housing, which can be as much as 20cms wide (it all depends on the blade width and size of the mower). This can leave a similarly messy looking fringe along that edge of the lawn.
This gap is very noticeable when the mower drives down a wall, leaving a straight green strip of untouched grass.
Some Robotic Mowers Have an Edge Cutting Function
The collection of robotic lawnmowers below has an edge cutting capability.
This feature helps eliminate width of the uncut edge strip that is often less than 6 centimeters. There generally is a strip left behind but it is not as pronounced and is quicker to clean up.
The edge cutting design is slightly different from standard design of the robotic lawnmower.
The blades are somewhat arranged on the side of the robot, and depending on the design, they may even protrude beyond the tire base on one side.
Manufacturers develop the programming the mowing plan, knowing the side that may be highest, or have the blades that are in the clear partly without protections, to mow the edge.
Some even have a specific mowing cycle that mows the perimeter of the lawn on different days with the goal of reducing the height of the edges faster.
Here Are Two Examples of Robotic Mowers with Edge-cutting Function
These mowers, one for small and one for larger gardens, specifically offer edge-trimming as a feature and you can program them to mow your edges regularly.
WORX WR165 Landroid S Robotic Lawn Mower
Technical Specifications
- Cutting width/height: 8 in/ 1.5 in to 3 in (20.32 cm/ 3.8 cm to 7.6 cm)
- Maximum lawn area mowed: 5445 square feet (506 square meters)
- Maximum gradient: 20 degrees
- Battery: Lithium-ion
- Working time: 3.5 hours
- Weight: 49.9 pounds (9.07 kilograms)
- Warranty: 3-year limited warranty
Description
The WORX Landroid is a recognized robot lawn mower that is well suited for medium and large size yards with uneven terrain.
This tough little guys does a fantastic job mowing your edges since WORX designed the Landroid with offset cutting blades for maximum edge-cutting.
A guard protects the blades for your safety, and the blades also automatically adjust cutting height for uneven or sloped terrain so you achieve an even cut.
Also, run the edge-cutting program to closely mow wild grass at the edge of your lawn. And, it has an AI algorithm too for mows through narrow paths.
Other great features in the Landroid S Robotic Lawn Mower to be aware of include:
- A brushless motor enhances the mower’s efficacy and power: The high efficiency of a brushless mower provides longer mowing time, along with improving the power of the robotic mower’s motor.
- You can track your valuable mower thanks to integrated GPS: GPS is a great security feature, as you can receive notifications regarding location from your robotic mower via the “Find my Landroid GPS function.”
- You can connect to your Landroid robotic mower using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi: You can program and control this robotic mower using your smartphone and the WORX proprietary app via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi if you are within 100 meter of your robot.
Robomow RX20 Automatic Mower
Technical Specifications
- Cutting width/height: 7 in (17.8 cm) adjustable cutting height
- Maximum lawn area mowed: 180 square feet (16.7 square meters)
- Maximum gradient: 8.5 degrees
- Battery: Lithium-ion
- Weight: 27.9 pounds (13.5 kilograms)
- Warranty: 1-year warranty
Description
This clever little green robot is a fantastic mowing solution for smaller gardens with lots of tight spaces – nimble enough to fit in crevices and corners!
To keep on top of edges, use the “edge mode” that includes a special “cut beyond the wheel” feature that will get your lawn looking perfect.
Here are some excellent features to look for when considering a Robomow RX20 Automatic Mower:
- Control by voice command: Connect your Alexa or any other personal assistant to the Robomow app so you can program the mower using voice command.
- Silence: This robotic mower is remarkably silent – you can run your mowing schedule during the day or at night without anyone knowing!
Here Are Some Other Things That You Can Do to Achieve a Better Lawn Edge with Your Robot Mower
There are things that can help you get a better cut along the edges of your lawn with a robot mower.
Some require more work than others, but it may be worth it for the awesome look of your lawn.
Meticulous Installation of Your Boundary Wire Can Earn You Pristine Edges
The boundary wire will also affect the size of your messy lawn edge.
The more distance you have between the perimeter wire and the edge, the larger uncut edge.
Place the perimeter wire as described in the instruction of your robot mowers specific manufacture. Some robot mower manufactures will supply you with a ruler to make the measurement.
The manufacture may also describe the perimeter wire and peg position by the wall or fence.
Just Remember This: You want to peg the wire down on the grass edge as opposed to being on the lawn so the mower cut as much grass as it can. It’s important to be as precise as you can, especially when the robot mower has an edge-cutting feature.
Maintain a Clean Lawn Edge by Edging Your Lawn with a Row of Stones
You can do some creative landscaping to achieve a nice clean lawn edge with any robotic lawnmower.
Barriers continue to be an effective means of controlling your mower, and with this tried and true stone technique you can create natural barriers and boundaries that allow the mower to keep the edges of your lawn in check.
The idea is to create a border of stone or paving blocks around the outer edges of your lawn and also around flowerbeds.
Simply set the stones flush with the ground to allow the mower to pass over them.
Works best – Place your boundary wire at the outer edge of your stone border and your mower will run onto the stones as it cuts, reaching and cutting the edge of your lawn.
You can achieve the same thing with wood, metal, plastic or even just bare soil that is kept weed and grass free (maybe you can keep it covered with mulch or some other means).
Make Sure That Your Mower Can Cut Grass Well
If you choose to overlook the edge problem, you should at least make sure your mower cuts the majority of your lawn well.
Look for a robotic mower that has excellent cutting patterns and high quality sharp blades, which will make clean cuts to the grass.
Dulling blades damages the grass and causes deviant scrubby brown and yellowing blade ends.
Good traction on the mower’s wheels also ensures that you get a good cut on slopes and irregular terrain.
…and Yes You Can Always Tidy up with the Strimmer
Bagging up those last few bits using the strimmer you thought you’d never have to use is a bit of a demotivating task, but if you’re the kind of person who wants every bit of your lawn to be perfect this is one of the best ways of getting everything in order.
Rounding Up
While it may not matter if the edges of your yard look good or not, the time you will save with a robotic lawnmower is hard to ignore.
If edge trimming is a priority in your lawn care, choose a robotic mower that allows you to trim close to the edge.
There are also some practical steps you can take to guarantee that your mower goes right to the edge of your lawn for a good cut every time.