The Remote-controlled Mower That's Changed The Way I Cut Grass Is $400 Off Right Now

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Mowrator S1 remote-controlled lawnmower costs $3,999.
• This mower makes nosy activity of gait maintenance; cleanable for personification pinch mobility issues, has a long-lasting battery, and accelerated RC response.
• Unfortunately, it is an costly device, astatine $3,999, and it's not meant to execute wholly hands-free cleaning for illustration a robot mower can.

The Mowrator S1 remote-controlled lawnmower is connected waste astatine $400 off, truthful you tin get it for $3,599 for a constricted time.

The family robot marketplace is saturated pinch robot vacuums, robot mops, and, much recently, robot section mowers. I've tested respective robot mowers connected my section and bask watching them autonomously execute an different tiring task that utilized to inhabit portion of my weekend. However, though my current robot mower has proven accordant and dependable, it still relies connected a representation and GPS boundary, giving maine small power erstwhile it gets mislaid aliases randomly leaves a area unmowed. 

Also: This robot mower looks for illustration a racecar but mows a gorgeous lawn

I'd alternatively not excavation beingness bound ligament on my spot line, and I dislike having to remap a robot nan occasional clip it gets lost. I besides bask gait work, truthful nan Mowrator S1 mower was much useful and nosy than I expected.

The Mowrator S1 is simply a remote-controlled section mower, not your run-of-the-mill robot mower. While it doesn't autonomously execute gait attraction for you, it uses sensors to debar obstacles intelligently and tin almost gamify nan gait activity experience.

What's nan lawsuit for a remote-controlled mower complete a robot mower? The Mowrator S1 doesn't reinvent nan wheel. It resembles a accepted push lawnmower, pinch a akin metallic chassis and a 21-inch blade. It besides includes a mulch container pinch nan aforesaid system arsenic a accepted mower. The biggest quality is that it's remote-controlled, has sensors to debar mowing down bushes aliases people, and it's battery-powered. 

Robot mowers thin to person a different leaf system than accepted mowers. They usage mini blades that each rotation to trim nan grass. These blades must beryllium replaced each fewer weeks to support nan mower's usefulness. While effective, this strategy can't ever trim precocious writer aliases mulch mini twigs aliases ample leaves.

Also: I changed these 10 things to maximize my robot vacuum's artillery life

The Mowrator S1 useful for illustration a accepted mower but has a smart component. In summation to mowing nan section from a chair, I tin usage it to mulch gait discarded without hassle, for example. I precocious did a large trim of immoderate holly bushes astir my yard, and aft disposing of nan ample branches, it was easy to whip retired nan Mowrator S1's distant power to mulch nan remaining leaves and mini twigs. This capacity was a invited reprieve aft a agelong time of trimming and tiring gait work.

The mower features a group of sensors, including beforehand bumper sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and a writer outlet screen sensor. The sensors observe obstacles, for illustration bushes, truthful you don't accidentally tally nan mower complete bushes, though you tin disable them erstwhile necessary.  

Also: This robot section mower is truthful awesome my neighbors travel to watch it mow

The mower has a removable artillery connected nan apical that you tin transportation wrong to recharge. The artillery is ample capable to mow complete an acre connected a azygous charge, which seems meticulous from my experience. The mower takes astir 90 minutes to complaint from depleted to 100%, and each complaint has a tally clip of astir 2 hours and 15 minutes. 

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

I person a 0.3-acre batch and person utilized nan mower arsenic needed aggregate times earlier recharging. I've mowed nan full lot, going complete half of it doubly because nan writer was excessively high, utilized nan mower to mulch gait discarded aggregate times, and had it spell complete nan areas my robot mower missed a fewer times -- each connected a azygous charge. 

Also: I tried a robot vacuum that has a side-mounted handheld cleaner - and can't spell back

The Mowrator S1 remote-controlled lawnmower tin grip up to 75% slopes. I tested it connected a elevation successful my backyard that leads to a wooded area. The mower dealt pinch this area beautifully, and it's since go nan solution to controlling nan hill's growth.

You tin usage nan Mowrator S1 pinch a container to clasp nan writer clippings, which tin beryllium automatically dumped pinch a touch of a fastener connected nan distant control, almost for illustration a dump truck.

ZDNET's buying advice

Before testing nan Mowrator S1, I thought nan thought of a remote-controlled mower sounded a spot strange, but location are galore scenarios wherever nan mower has been a cleanable fit. Navigating pinch a distant power lets maine get it adjacent to bushes without accidentally annihilating a plot bed, for example. It's besides tin of mowing underneath a deck, if necessary, and its ample leaf tin grip sucklings, which are an annoying consequence of character removal.

Aside from being useful, it's downright nosy to use. It's cleanable for mulching gait discarded and vacuuming clippings and leaves, making cleanup easier and much reliable than a accepted robot mower.

Also: Don't break your backmost while you heavy clean. Use these gadgets instead

The biggest downside to nan Mowrator S1 remote-controlled mower is its precocious price, astatine $3,999. For that price, you tin get a Mammotion Luba 2 (my go-to robot mower) and still person $1,500 to spare. It besides relies connected a personification to power it pinch nan remote, truthful nan Mowrator S1 isn't for those looking for a wholly hands-off experience.