I just hope its durable!!!
Written: Nov 05 '03 (Updated Apr 11 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good cut, quiet, easy, attention getter, very very cool.
Cons: Will it be durable? I hope so. (Looking good so far)
The Bottom Line: If it's durable, I'll never mow again. I'll review again next year.
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| peterb123's Full Review: Friendly Robotics Robomower |
Well, after you wash your car it rains, and after you mow your lawn your robomower arrives.lol.
Of course this gave me a week and a half to set up my first zone, read the manual several times and charge the mower for 9 days while the grass grew.
As other people have written, the key is setting up your zones. Keep in mind that the smaller the zone, the more efficient the mowing will be.
The first zone I set up was very large (used about 350 feet of the perimeter wire). I just decided to set up one zone to see how well it worked and to get an idea of the best way to set up other zones.
I let it mow (is that how you spell mow) for about 2.5 hours, and it got nearly everything. At first, I was real concerned because it seemed too random to get the whole thing, but it almost did. I had to take about 5 minutes to manually drive it over 3 little areas that it didn't get. No big deal at all. I'm certain that once I divide that zone in half, there won't be a blade of grass missed.
Keep in mind that you can't just run the robomower and expect to never do anything. You still have to weed, edge, etc.
Since my yard goes up to a curb that drops off to the road, I set it up so that there is a 8 inch strip running around the edge that doesn't get mowed. I think I could have set it up to leave no grass uncut, but with a $700 mower, I'm not that brave. I plan to run my gas mower each time for about 8 minutes to get that strip. But I did suspect this going in, and I don't regret it.
In my opinion, the robomower did a great mowing job. No straggling blades of grass (of course the robomower blades are still new and sharp) were left. You don't get the stripes your used to, but I could care less.
Get used to people stopping to check it out and want to know how it works and how much it costs.
At this point, I'm extremely satisfied, but the real test will be its durability.
If this thing lasts, I'll be singing its praises to my friends and telling my enemies (I guess non-friends may be better) that it sucks - make them mow themselves or pay someone, lol.
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Update 2/27/04
I had a slight problem in that I was unable to figure out why I couldn't get something to work on the menu. Since the instruction book didn't give me any insight, I send an email explaining the problem to Friendly Robotics. Within an hour I received a reply, not a "Thanks for your inquiry, we'll be getting back to you" reply, but a real person answered my question and explained exactly what I needed to do. It's rare to receive such prompt responses that are not only from a real person, but also accurate. Friendly Robotics, give Roy a raise.
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Update 6/8/2004
So far so great! I'm still amazed by two things: 1. How well it works. 2. How many people still stop to check it out.
Quick story:
I was laying on the couch watching TV as I was mowing the yard (I love that) when my doorbell rang. I answered the door, and a woman in her early 50's was standing there. I said, "Yes, can I help you?"
She asked, "I hate to disturb you, but do you know what is in your front yard?" She glanced at my robomower.
"That's my lawnmower," I answered.
She then stated, "That's what my son said, but I wasn't sure if it was a UFO or not?"
It was all I could do to keep from laughing, because by the way she said it, I knew she was serious. So I just repeated, "No, that's just my lawnmower."
Then she said, "Well, I saw it going towards the street until it saw me, then it turned around and drove off. So I figured I should say something to be on the safe side in case it was a UFO."
I thanked her, and she left.
Now, I'm not sure how many UFO's have wheels and mow peoples' yards, but I do know now how Ms. Cleo made so much money.
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Update 3/11/2005
Well, because of all the rain lately, I just now got a chance to fire up the Robomower for the first time this year.
My initial concerns, after a long ciesta in the garage, would it take off mowing and what condition will the battery be in?
No worries, it was business as usual and the battery still lasts for about 4 hours. Even though the cut is still great, I've decided to purchase new blades for it. A little reward for this great little mower.
I also discovered we have new residents in our neighborhood, because several cars were once again stopping and watching in amazement.
How is it that you don't see these things in every other yard? Did washing machines and dishwashers take this long to catch on?
I'll be back in October to let you know how we did this summer...
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Update 4/11/2006
Looks like I'll be purchasing a battery. Mine is down to about an hour and fifteen minute run time. Well worth the cost I think.
I'll also be replacing the blades in a few days (the ones I bought last year and never installed, lol).
I believe when I sell my house, I'll sell my Robomower with it and upgrade to the dockable automatic one.
I'd buy this product over again in a heartbeat.
Why do I not see these everywhere? It's like not having an automatic dishwasher.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
peterb123
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Reviews written: 3
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