WiFi motorized unmanned lawnmower- product of shame

[dougstash]

I was at Lowe’s to pick up some concrete and other building supplies to fuel my recent hobby; building concrete tabletops. While I was there I saw perhaps the most antimustacian lawnmower ever invented. A lawnmower that does not even require you to drive it. It’s self propelled and WiFi enabled to connect to your phone. It costs 1600 plus tax and can only mow up to 0.4 acres or rougly 132’x132’. I really can’t comprehend why someone would pay so much to avoid getting out in the sun for an hour. It seems sad.

[ChpBstrd]

Let’s say there’s a $1200 difference between this mower and one that requires walking, and both last 8 years until they are put on the trash pile. Let’s say the buyer mows 15 times per year.

15*8=120 uses
$1600 mower: $13.33 depreciation per use
$400 mower: $3.33 depreciation per use

The answer is $10 to avoid exercising an hour and to instead play on one’s cell phone. Presumably one must also get a gym membership to make up for the lost exercise.

[Just Joe]

I kind of think the same way when a few folks I know say they need a $15K ZTR mower. But it is fast! The fastest! 20HP and more.

Or they could find a low hour lawn tractor. Or a pair of them. Or a trio so the whole family is mowing together for max time savings.

Still 90% cheaper than the ZTR option. 

[NorCal]

You are not nearly imaginative enough.

I've had neighbors that pay over a thousand dollars a year to have their lawn mowed.

I bet they'd pay me $10/week to mow their lawn with a wifi mower.

This could be the laziest side-hustle ever.

[Just Joe]

The next electric scooter rental scheme - you just drive around to place and pickup robot mowers. What's next Roomba service? A slot shaped flap on the back door. You slip in the Roomba and later return to pick it up...

[DadJokes]

I absolutely hate having to mow. I think it's proof that I am not meant to be a homeowner. I don't hate it enough to spend extra money on a lawnmower that will mow on its own though.

[partdopy]

While lazy, still pretty neat.  I remember wondering when this would be a thing as a kid when I first saw little 'robots' navigating around obstacles in a little square arena, since this is basically what an automated lawn mower would be doing (just without the walls).

[ChpBstrd]

I suppose now that lawns are decoupled from labor, the masses will want bigger lawns.

Don’t laugh. Cars and highways incentivized sprawl so that commuting times remained constant and all that money, effort, and sacrifice didn’t make travel any less of a risk, cost, or time suck than it always was. We routinely convert technical advances into a worse lifestyle. Look at Facebook.

[ducky19]

Let’s say there’s a $1200 difference between this mower and one that requires walking, and both last 8 years until they are put on the trash pile. Let’s say the buyer mows 15 times per year.

15*8=120 uses
$1600 mower: $13.33 depreciation per use
$400 mower: $3.33 depreciation per use

The answer is $10 to avoid exercising an hour and to instead play on one’s cell phone. Presumably one must also get a gym membership to make up for the lost exercise.

I don't know where you live, but in central IL we have to mow twice a week for about 24 weeks out of the year. I would still guess ant mower worth anything should last at least 5 years. The math for me would be:

48*5=240
$1600 mower: $6.67 depreciation per use
$400 mower: $1.67 depreciation per use

I don't know about you, but my time is definitely worth more than $5/hr. I dunno, I don't see this as being that unmustachian myself. Thankfully a moot point for me as my wife is off in the summer and loves to mow. I also love to mow, and will sometimes have to fight her for the privilege.

[driftwood]

Both automated and manual are wastes of your life energy... you're farming an inedible plant. Let it grow, your feet will make pathways where you normally walk.

[daffodil2001]

My coworker came home to a huge mess once because his cat had an accident on the carpet and his Roomba tried to clean up after it. I’d have similar concerns about an autonomous mower running over something it shouldn’t. I imagine you’re supposed to check your yard for large branches etc. before you run it but we get a lot of wildlife through our yard and I’d hate for a critter to be injured or killed due to my laziness.

[boyerbt]

Both automated and manual are wastes of your life energy... you're farming an inedible plant. Let it grow, your feet will make pathways where you normally walk.

 I understand the sentiment but some people, including me, actually like the look of a well-maintained lawn. Also, overgrown lawns can lead to unwelcomed critters.

[jps]

I saw one of these at a winery last summer. It was fun entertainment to watch a robot lawnmower while we drank wine on the patio. The best part was they had secured a trucker hat to the top of it. I got a little chuckle.

Both automated and manual are wastes of your life energy... you're farming an inedible plant. Let it grow, your feet will make pathways where you normally walk.

 I understand the sentiment but some people, including me, actually like the look of a well-maintained lawn. Also, overgrown lawns can lead to unwelcomed critters.

I'm with you.

I find yard work incredibly relaxing, and I find a nicely groomed lawn to be a very pleasing site both to look at and hang out in. But, I use my trusty Fiskars StaySharp Max Reel mower to make it happen.

[Turnbull]

I don't know where you live, but in central IL we have to mow twice a week for about 24 weeks out of the year.

What do you mean you have to mow twice a week? Who mows their yard twice a week?

[driftwood]

I don't know where you live, but in central IL we have to mow twice a week for about 24 weeks out of the year.

What do you mean you have to mow twice a week? Who mows their yard twice a week?

Had to mow ever 4-5 days in GA during part of the year when it's growing fast.

[boyerbt]

I saw one of these at a winery last summer. It was fun entertainment to watch a robot lawnmower while we drank wine on the patio. The best part was they had secured a trucker hat to the top of it. I got a little chuckle.

Both automated and manual are wastes of your life energy... you're farming an inedible plant. Let it grow, your feet will make pathways where you normally walk.

 I understand the sentiment but some people, including me, actually like the look of a well-maintained lawn. Also, overgrown lawns can lead to unwelcomed critters.

I'm with you.

I find yard work incredibly relaxing, and I find a nicely groomed lawn to be a very pleasing site both to look at and hang out in. But, I use my trusty Fiskars StaySharp Max Reel mower to make it happen.

I used a Reel mower for a few years after buying my house but was happy to upgrade to an electric push mower. The reel mowers are great but even the smallest twig would always make it catch.

[honeybbq]

I don't know where you live, but in central IL we have to mow twice a week for about 24 weeks out of the year.

What do you mean you have to mow twice a week? Who mows their yard twice a week?

Spring and summer in Seattle. If you don't - it'll be too long and wet to mow with a push mower.  Our lawn grows at least 6" a week if not more.

[Turnbull]

I live in the South where we get plenty of rain and sun and warm weather. I try to let it go two weeks between mowing haha. Good thing I don't live in a fancy HOA neighborhood.

[slugline]

I suppose now that lawns are decoupled from labor, the masses will want bigger lawns.

Don’t laugh. Cars and highways incentivized sprawl so that commuting times remained constant and all that money, effort, and sacrifice didn’t make travel any less of a risk, cost, or time suck than it always was. We routinely convert technical advances into a worse lifestyle. Look at Facebook.

Judging from the number of lawn service trucks plying my neighborhood streets, I'd say that lawns have been largely decoupled from their owners' labor already.

[dougstash]

I live just outside Pittsburgh. Once a week seems to do it around here. I don’t have any HOA to deal with but it is a township ordinance to maintain ones lawn. If I don’t cut the grass the landlord will tack on a $30 fee per cut. My house is right next to his office so not much choice there but I do love the smell of fresh cut grass.

[Turnbull]

I don't know where you live, but in central IL we have to mow twice a week for about 24 weeks out of the year.

What do you mean you have to mow twice a week? Who mows their yard twice a week?

Spring and summer in Seattle. If you don't - it'll be too long and wet to mow with a push mower.  Our lawn grows at least 6" a week if not more.

Let me rephrase my question. Who mows twice a week in Illinois for 24 weeks per year?

[ducky19]

I don't know where you live, but in central IL we have to mow twice a week for about 24 weeks out of the year.

What do you mean you have to mow twice a week? Who mows their yard twice a week?

Spring and summer in Seattle. If you don't - it'll be too long and wet to mow with a push mower.  Our lawn grows at least 6" a week if not more.

Let me rephrase my question. Who mows twice a week in Illinois for 24 weeks per year?

During peak growing season, if I don't mow it twice a week I can't get through it - it's that thick and it grows that fast. July it might be once a week or at least every 5-6 days, but otherwise it needs it more often. I live in a small town (no HOA), but also have a village ordinance, though it's not strictly enforced. I too like the look of a nicely manicured lawn - not enough to pay someone else to do it, but enough to mow it to keep it looking nice. If I lived in the country, we'd probably keep it a little taller than we do and would need to mow it less. To each his/her own, my point was just that 15 times a year is no where close to the average I see anywhere in my area.

[hops]

I could see this being useful to people who can't mow for medical reasons, although it would need to come down a lot more in price for most of them to be able to afford it.

[fattest_foot]

I used a Reel mower for a few years after buying my house but was happy to upgrade to an electric push mower. The reel mowers are great but even the smallest twig would always make it catch.

We bought a reel mower when we bought our house about 4 years ago, thinking we were making the environmental and "non-lazy" approach.

I've just about had it with it though.

It's just become a giant pain to mow at this point. It's not even just twigs that stop you in your tracks (and when it snags, it's a very jarring stop, by the way), but even dense grass or weeds.

The cheapskate in me will probably keep it, but it's really been trying my patience this year.

[I'm a red panda]

Let’s say there’s a $1200 difference between this mower and one that requires walking, and both last 8 years until they are put on the trash pile. Let’s say the buyer mows 15 times per year.

15*8=120 uses
$1600 mower: $13.33 depreciation per use
$400 mower: $3.33 depreciation per use

The answer is $10 to avoid exercising an hour and to instead play on one’s cell phone. Presumably one must also get a gym membership to make up for the lost exercise.

Yes, it's fortunate that all people are similarly able-bodied and everyone can mow their lawn manually with no trouble at all.

My husband enjoys mowing. Doing so would have me in physical therapy for months.   

I did get a roomba as a gift though, and I hate that thing. So I don't know if a mower would be feasible or not. The problem with the roomba is dog hair and toys on the floor. Neither are an issue in our backyard. We live on old farm land. There aren't branches to pick up.

[roomtempmayo]

The next electric scooter rental scheme - you just drive around to place and pickup robot mowers. What's next Roomba service? A slot shaped flap on the back door. You slip in the Roomba and later return to pick it up...

As a semi-enthusiastic Roomba owner, applying the same concept to an appliance with spinning blades seems terrifying.

[GuitarStv]

The next electric scooter rental scheme - you just drive around to place and pickup robot mowers. What's next Roomba service? A slot shaped flap on the back door. You slip in the Roomba and later return to pick it up...

As a semi-enthusiastic Roomba owner, applying the same concept to an appliance with spinning blades seems terrifying.

I'm surprised they didn't put a turret on top and use for double duty as an automated security guard.

:P

[Prairie Stash]

For commercial buildings with large grass areas so the receptionist can mow while answering the phone its cheaper than paying for yard service or an employee. Its one of the smartest ways to save money for a business owner.
https://www.husqvarna.com/ca-en/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/

On a personal level, its the Roomba of lawns. Its cheaper than a riding mower, since you can scale down and increase your frequency to mowing every day. It needs to mow often to keep the grass short enough to mulch it as opposed to collecting the grass. This means all the grass clippings become mulch instead of garbage, much better environmentally than a person bagging the grass. No matter how you cut it, auto mowers are friendlier on the environment than any gas mower.

I still use my reel mower though, I think its been 5 years without paying for gasoline or new batteries on an electric. The trick was getting a nice Fiskar model, it makes it easier to mow so that you don't end up hating reel mowers. I pair it with grass shears to trim the edges.

[Turnbull]

I don't know where you live, but in central IL we have to mow twice a week for about 24 weeks out of the year.

What do you mean you have to mow twice a week? Who mows their yard twice a week?

Spring and summer in Seattle. If you don't - it'll be too long and wet to mow with a push mower.  Our lawn grows at least 6" a week if not more.

Let me rephrase my question. Who mows twice a week in Illinois for 24 weeks per year?

During peak growing season, if I don't mow it twice a week I can't get through it - it's that thick and it grows that fast. July it might be once a week or at least every 5-6 days, but otherwise it needs it more often. I live in a small town (no HOA), but also have a village ordinance, though it's not strictly enforced. I too like the look of a nicely manicured lawn - not enough to pay someone else to do it, but enough to mow it to keep it looking nice. If I lived in the country, we'd probably keep it a little taller than we do and would need to mow it less. To each his/her own, my point was just that 15 times a year is no where close to the average I see anywhere in my area.

Do you fertilize and/or water it?

[I'm a red panda]

I don't know where you live, but in central IL we have to mow twice a week for about 24 weeks out of the year.

What do you mean you have to mow twice a week? Who mows their yard twice a week?

Spring and summer in Seattle. If you don't - it'll be too long and wet to mow with a push mower.  Our lawn grows at least 6" a week if not more.

Let me rephrase my question. Who mows twice a week in Illinois for 24 weeks per year?

During peak growing season, if I don't mow it twice a week I can't get through it - it's that thick and it grows that fast. July it might be once a week or at least every 5-6 days, but otherwise it needs it more often. I live in a small town (no HOA), but also have a village ordinance, though it's not strictly enforced. I too like the look of a nicely manicured lawn - not enough to pay someone else to do it, but enough to mow it to keep it looking nice. If I lived in the country, we'd probably keep it a little taller than we do and would need to mow it less. To each his/her own, my point was just that 15 times a year is no where close to the average I see anywhere in my area.

We have the same issue in Iowa. It has to be mowed twice a week, or mowing it with a push mower is just too difficult. It's why most weekend only mowers have riding mowers.

We do not fertilize or water. The sky waters it.

But, we don't have to mow at all in the winter. It's covered in snow and dormat.

[SunnyDays]

I could see this being useful to people who can't mow for medical reasons, although it would need to come down a lot more in price for most of them to be able to afford it.

Exactly!  I saw this item recently in a flyer and thought "What a great idea!"  I cannot mow my lawn myself without ending up in hospital (okay, a bit of an exaggeration), and so have hired someone for many years to the tune of $40.00 a pop.  But he's reliable and uses his own equipment and does a great job, so worth it me me to not even have to think about it.  Luckily, we have short summers.  But then there's the snow .....

Red Panda may be onto something - never thought of covering it with doormats, haha.

[I'm a red panda]

Doormats. Lol.
*Dormant :)

Although we just covered a huge patch to get it to die so we can put in a no mow rock garden :)

[SwordGuy]

I ran my own yard mowing business when I was a kid.   I appreciated the money, which came in handy for college and after graduation. 

But I developed a deep and abiding hatred of doing yard work.   I like building things, not maintaining them.  Doesn't matter how good a job you do, next week you have to mow again.   That's awesome if it's your business and terrible if it's your free time.

I had one and only one condition before I would get married.  That was that I did not have to do yardwork after I turned 30.   I lived in an apartment until I was 30 so I wouldn't have to mow then either.

First house had an acre.   2nd house had a 1/2 acre.   3rd house had .23 acres.   My wife landscaped the yard (I helped, that's building not maintenance) and got the mowable area down to the same foot print as 2 cars.   Squirrels, cats and birds loved it because there were lots of natural bushes and trees, the kind that don't need much in the way of trimming.   She's working on our 4th house now ( .35 acres. ) to do the same.   I'm helping with the landscaping.

It really keeps yardwork to a minimum.   Plus all the stuff in the yard makes it a great place to play with my grandkids.  Lots of places to hide and ambush each other with our light sabers, swords and nerf guns.  Way more fun than plain old grass lawns.

[Just Joe]

Both automated and manual are wastes of your life energy... you're farming an inedible plant. Let it grow, your feet will make pathways where you normally walk.

Where I live nature eventually overruns the home and destroys the house.

[Just Joe]

I used a Reel mower for a few years after buying my house but was happy to upgrade to an electric push mower. The reel mowers are great but even the smallest twig would always make it catch.

We bought a reel mower when we bought our house about 4 years ago, thinking we were making the environmental and "non-lazy" approach.

I've just about had it with it though.

It's just become a giant pain to mow at this point. It's not even just twigs that stop you in your tracks (and when it snags, it's a very jarring stop, by the way), but even dense grass or weeds.

The cheapskate in me will probably keep it, but it's really been trying my patience this year.

Mulch the yard occasionally. Or rake it (same result). I keep a gas mower and mow with a reel when I can, push mower when I can't.

[WhiteTrashCash]

The extra-fun part of owning that lawnmower is filling out the police report when someone steals it from your yard while you aren't looking!

[I'm a red panda]

Both automated and manual are wastes of your life energy... you're farming an inedible plant. Let it grow, your feet will make pathways where you normally walk.

This would cost more than the automated lawnmower in city fees...

[ChpBstrd]

Both automated and manual are wastes of your life energy... you're farming an inedible plant. Let it grow, your feet will make pathways where you normally walk.

This would cost more than the automated lawnmower in city fees...

Kinda funny how architecture and politics lock in wastefulness that continues for decades. Because most homes are oversized SFH's with yards, few of us have a choice about owning a lawnmower or wasting time mowing. Because suburban sprawl is patriotic and bike trails or public transit systems are communism (I mean, obviously), few of us have a choice but to spend thousands of dollars a year on car ownership. Next thing you know, the long commute breaks you down and you become one of those people idling your SUV at the Hardee's drive through with your next stop being the Walgreen's drive through where you get your insulin. Then a wifi remote controlled lawnmower product comes along...

It's a slippery slope that is awkward to climb out of.

[RetiredAt63]

It struck me that this mower might be useful on a steep slopes that are hard to mow, but where you need grass to control erosion.

Long grass encourages ticks.  We have Deer ticks and Lyme disease moving north, and I am being extra careful now about tick habitat.

[Poundwise]

Both automated and manual are wastes of your life energy... you're farming an inedible plant. Let it grow, your feet will make pathways where you normally walk.

This would cost more than the automated lawnmower in city fees...

Kinda funny how architecture and politics lock in wastefulness that continues for decades. Because most homes are oversized SFH's with yards, few of us have a choice about owning a lawnmower or wasting time mowing. Because suburban sprawl is patriotic and bike trails or public transit systems are communism (I mean, obviously), few of us have a choice but to spend thousands of dollars a year on car ownership. Next thing you know, the long commute breaks you down and you become one of those people idling your SUV at the Hardee's drive through with your next stop being the Walgreen's drive through where you get your insulin. Then a wifi remote controlled lawnmower product comes along...

It's a slippery slope that is awkward to climb out of.

+100!  (and that exclamation point is a factorial)

@SwordGuy, that's an interesting story.  My teen has a lawn business (just a couple of clients, he hates to market himself) so it will be interesting to see what his attitude is in the future.

It's amazing to me how much other people are mowing their lawns. We have at most 1000 square feet of lawn, partial shade, grows slowly, so we get by with mowing (electric mulching mower) only every other week. Takes 15 minutes.

[DadJokes]

I just spent three weeks out of town for work and came back to a mess of a lawn. Due to the substantial amount of rain we get, the grass was well over a foot tall (sorry to my HOA) and absurdly thick. Our yard is about 1/3 acre and very uneven.

Even if I mow weekly like I should, it still takes 2 hours to mow and weed-eat everything. That's a lot of weekend time wasted. Since my wife loves the suburban life so much more than me, maybe I need to make her mow until she dislikes it as much as I do. However, then she would just say that we should pay someone to do it.

[I'm a red panda]

I think where you live has a good impact on how much you mow.

I live in an area where grass grows fast and thick.  It's also an area where food grows. It's not a surprise grass grows in the climate that crops grow.

[Just Joe]

I love to mow. Sort of like washing and vacuuming the family car - these chores just leave me in a good mood. Neither are strenuous tasks. I just put on my music ($30 wireless headphones, Android device) and get to work. I pick a pace that doesn't cause a sweat. Stop if I want a drink of something cool. I have a hilly 1/3 of an acre and often mow it with a reel mower unless I need to mulch the yard with the gas mower to grind up leaves and the tiny sticks that stop a reel mower dead. With a reel mower I can even mow barefoot. No dust, no noise, no supersonic debris thrown at me by the blades.

I mowed grass as a teen and during college to earn spending money. It was sometimes hot, sometimes hard (b/c of the pace need to mow multiple yards per day around classes) but it beat restocking at some clerk job hands down (which I also did at the same time).

[MayDay]

I think where you live has a good impact on how much you mow.

I live in an area where grass grows fast and thick.  It's also an area where food grows. It's not a surprise grass grows in the climate that crops grow.

Ha! Good point.

I don't mind mowing our nice flat back yard. Our hilly front yard is difficult. Last year we just skipped mowing the hills for a few weeks and got a visit from code enforcement. Oops.  We are slowly working on landscaping the hills. The chickens keep their part of the yard pretty short.