If you’d prefer to spend your time this summer relaxing in the garden, a robot lawnmower is a huge time-saver. It’s also a handy option if you have older relatives who are starting to struggle with gardening chores.
The snag is that they tend to cost well over £500, with most domestic models clustering between £1,000 and £1,500.
But prices are coming down. Still, nothing we’ve seen is as well-priced as the model available from Aldi. The Yard Force Robot Mower costs just £199.99 (although the website notes that prices may vary in store, so check before you buy).
Like all of Aldi’s SpecialBuys, you can’t get one online – although you can check it out on the Aldi website .
The Yard Force mower is suitable for gardens up to 400m² and it’ll connect to your phone by Bluetooth, so you can schedule mowing and change the settings in the app. You can, for example, adjust the grass cutting height between 20 and 55mm.
Aldi
There are also simple controls on the body of the robot itself, so you can perform basic commands without opening the app.
Aldi
The Yard Force mower can go for up to an hour, and then charge from flat to full in 100 minutes.
One of the things to consider when buying a robot lawnmower is the slope of your garden. This mower can handle slopes of up to 30%, which means that for every 100 units of distance, the height rises by 30 units: that’s moderately steep but if parts of your lawn are steeper, you’ll still need to get out the Flymo.
This robot lawnmower needs a boundary wire, which means setting that up before you first use it – and it is a bit of a hassle. Most people prefer to bury the wire by creating a channel with the edge of a spade, but you can peg it along the edge of your lawn if you prefer. It comes with 100m of boundary wire and 120 boundary pegs.
You’ll also get a garage for the mower, and spare blades.
The Yard Force mower comes with a two-year warranty, and you’ll get another year if you register the robot.
Instead, it’ll use sensors to detect edges, which is a big time-saver when setting up. Still, this does mean it’s unsuitable for certain types of garden. The same model is also available for £300 from Argos .
For more options, see our reviews of the Segway Navimow and the Husqvarna Automower 310 Mark II . These aren’t budget models – but they are excellent.
Author: Emma Rowley, Deputy Editor, Tech Advisor
Tech Advisor’s Deputy Editor, Emma has been a journalist and copywriter for over 20 years and has been testing and writing about home tech and appliances for seven years. She tries out every appliance she writes about at home, and aims to recommend time- and energy-saving products that will last.
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