GARDEN GADGETS
65
Even with all the spare time in the world, a chore remains just that, so put
your feet up and let the robots get to work on your precious patch of green
esigned to take all
the effort out of lawn
care, the Bluetooth-
connected Automower 305
is ideal for anyone with close
to a tennis court’s worth of
grass to trim (up to 600m²);
but unlike the competition,
this robot loves complicated
layouts. It automatically
senses narrow passages and
finds its way even through the
smallest spaces, varying its
route to avoid making track
marks, while it can also be
set to switch mowing patterns
from random to systematic,FLYMO
EASILIFE 350
Flymo is owned by
Husqvarna these
days, which might
be why this robot
mower for gardens
up to 350m²
benefits from
high-quality guide
and boundary
wires, and reliable
Bluetooth control.
Shame it doesn’t
hover, though.
£750 / flymo.comGARDENA
SMART
SILENO+
A premium choice
for lawns up to
2000m², this stylish
option uses the
Gardena app
for scheduling
with compatible
irrigation systems.
And what are they?
Find out on the
next page...
£1599 /
gardena.comSTIHL IMOW
RMI 422
Stihl’s smallest
cutter is for lawns
up to 800m² and
will mow, charge
and adapt its
schedule all by
itself so it doesn’t
get in your way.
The mulching blade
puts nutrients back
into the soil and
there are 15 height
settings.
£999 / stihl.co.ukHONDA MIIMO
HRM 40 LIVE
Honda has been
in the robo-mower
business for a long
time, and its Miimo
family now has
an Alexa-enabled
member for small
lawns. Capable
of cutting up to
400m², it logs your
garden’s layout and
can even get under
garden furniture.
£850 / honda.co.ukAMBROGIO
L60 DELUXE
This one doesn’t
need perimeter
wires: instead it
relies on bumpers
and a grass sensor
to tell where it
is, so there’s no
installation for
the foxes to dig
up. It’s 4WD and
can cope with
slopes up to 50%.
£899 /
ambrogio.co.ukROBOMOW
RC 308 PRO
An Alexa-equipped
’bot designed for
lawns up to 1500m²,
this all-rounder
can cope with 36%
inclines, cuts from
15-60mm and has
a 60-70min run
time – plus it has
an Edge mode for
leaving no blade
unsnipped.
£1199 /
robomow.comHUSQVARNA
AUTOMOWER 305
LAWN AND ORDER
WE’RE ALSO WILD ABOUT...
£999 / husqvarna.comD
which keeps the cut consistent.
And if it does sense taller
grass, the 305 does a spiral
mowing pattern to make sure
the area is cut as quickly and
evenly as possible.Mow money, no problems
Most robot lawnmowers are
nowhere near as autonomous
as their vacuum-cleaner
cousins, and the Automower
still needs a boundary wire
to prevent it going ballistic in
your begonias. This model also
requires a guide wire to lead
it back to the charging base,
which helps to ensure you
don’t come home to find it
floundering in a corner.
With a 70-minute run time
from a 60-minute charge, this
6.7kg mower will keep working
until the job is done – and the
vicious three-blade cutting
system can trim to any length
from 20 to 50mm. If you
prefer to have more control
over proceedings, the
accompanying app will pass
you the reins to start, stop or
park the 305 from up to 30
metres away.Gardener’s resting time
Just like a real gardener, the
305 adjusts its workload
depending on the weather:
it’ll get out more during periods
of strong grass growth, but
then kick back and relax during
dry sunny periods to reduce
wear on the lawn. And if you’ve
got a hilly garden, this thing will
have earned its rest, because
it’s capable of handling slopes
with an incline of up to 40%.