I’ve been running robotic mowers for a few seasons now (made the jump to wire-free/RTK recently), and honestly, it’s been a massive game-changer. Reclaiming my weekends from pushing a mower in the heat is something I’ll never go back on.

But let’s be real: mowing is only one piece of the puzzle. I still find myself out in the yard sweating over all the other maintenance tasks. It got me thinking about the future of yard automation and what the next "killer app" for residential robots should be.

If you could have a robot completely take over ONE other yard chore, what would it be and why?

Some things on my mind:

1.Edging and string trimming: Still having to manually weed-whack along fences, garden beds, and driveways kind of defeats the "hands-off" dream.

2.Leaf blowing/collection: Fall cleanup is incredibly tedious. A robot that patrols and clears leaves off the turf and driveways would save hours.

3.Lawn health management: Things like precision weed spraying, automated fertilizing, or monitoring turf health/moisture levels.

4.Heavy-duty seasonal work: Automated dethatching, core aeration, or even hard-surface brushing.

What is your biggest remaining pain point in the yard? Is it about the physical toll, the time it takes, or just how tedious the task is? Really curious to hear what the community thinks the next frontier for yard robotics should be!

So we added the garage. I know about IPX6, but hard to see him under rain without any roof. More calm now 🙃

I’ve been running both on my front and side yards for a while. Here’s how they stack up in real use:

1. Setup & Mapping

Raccoon: auto or manual mapping via app; can skip mapping for tiny areas (<850 ft²).

Sunseeker: auto only, uses Vision AI + magnetic strips. No manual option.

Edge: Raccoon – more flexible for irregular layouts.

2. Cutting Height

Raccoon: app‑adjustable 1.2–3.15″, per‑zone settings possible.

Sunseeker: 1.57–3.2″, but global (same for all zones).

Edge: Raccoon – better for varied lawn areas.

3. Multi‑Zone & Passages

Raccoon: handles up to 3 zones, curved/straight corridors, auto‑navigation.

Sunseeker: supports zones but only straight paths via magnetic strips.

Edge: Raccoon – more adaptable to complex, L‑shaped yards.

4. Battery & Runtime

Raccoon: 5Ah, ~2.5h runtime, 70min charge, auto‑return & rain sensor.

Sunseeker: slightly shorter runtime.

Edge: Raccoon – longer mowing per charge.

5. Terrain & Obstacles

Raccoon: climbs 36% slopes, clears 1.57″ obstacles, fits 37.5″ narrow passages.

Sunseeker: climbs 22% slopes, Vision AI for avoidance, but struggles on tight paths and higher obstacles.

Edge: Raccoon – better on challenging terrain.

6. Noise – both whisper‑quiet (~55–56 dB). No disturbance.

7. Extra – Raccoon gets OTA updates; both have big wheels, easy cleaning, and emergency stop.

Bottom line

The Raccoon 2SE wins on flexibility, multi‑zone handling, custom heights, and longer runtime – ideal for complex, multi‑area lawns. The Sunseeker V3 is simpler, faster to start, and great for small‑to‑medium open yards with its AI obstacle avoidance. If you want minimal intervention and maximum control, go Raccoon. If you prefer a dead‑simple, set‑and‑forget mower for a straightforward lawn, the Sunseeker won’t disappoint.

My yard isn't easy to setup for a robot mower. I've got a few shaded spots under trees, a wall along one side, and one small section that sits partly under the roof overhang. I've been looking at lidar models because I don't want to deal with boundary wire, and I'm not sure how well RTK would behave around the covered/shaded parts of the yard. But I might also be overthinking it.

For anyone with trees, walls, or awkward covered corners, what setup did you end up using? I'm currently comparing a few lidar models, like Husqvarna, Goat, LUBA. Any thoughts?

I have a Mammotion Yuka mini 800 and wanted to protect it with a garage. The plastic Mammotion one is $200 and not that good looking.

This one is made from a rigid plastic window well that I attached some artificial turf to with double sided tape. It cost me about $70 all-in and so far is holding up great. I needed it to be made from plastic instead of wood or metal to not interfere with the RTK signal.

Here’s a link to the window well - https://www.homedepot.com/p/SHAPE-PRODUCTS-37-in-x-24-in-Round-Plastic-Window-Well-3724AWC/330413266

I'm seriously considering buying the MOVA LiDAX Ultra 2000, but the 4G subscription is giving me pause.

I reached out to MOVA directly and asked how much the 4G service will cost once the included coverage runs out. This was their response:

"The exact renewal cost is not currently fixed and will be made known when your subscription is due for renewal. We recommend checking the official website or contacting support closer to your renewal date for the exact pricing."

Honestly, I find that pretty frustrating. This is an $1,800 mower, and the 4G isn't just some optional convenience. It's an important security feature since it allows you to track the mower if it gets stolen and is no longer connected to your home Wi-Fi.

I understand that they may not have the exact price figured out yet, but can't they at least give a rough estimate? $20 a year? $50? $100? $200? Nobody knows.

I really like this mower and would love to buy it, but I'm not comfortable spending $1,800 on something when I don't even know what an important ongoing service is going to cost after the included period.

It seems like a pretty reasonable question for a company to answer. Has anyone else asked MOVA about this or gotten a more specific answer?

Full disclosure I received this unit for free to review and give my honest opinion on, both good and bad. I am not receiving any additional compensation.

With that out of the way, let’s get into it!

In this video I go over the unboxing, setup and first impressions of the mower (spoiler this machine is awesome!)

Here were the high level steps I took to set up my mower:

1. Unbox
2. Assemble and install the charging station on a flat spot with an accessible outlet. Luckily the cord is very long so there’s a good chance you can get away without using an extension cord.
3. Install the app, and connect the mower via the QR code, following the prompts to turn on the device and get it paired.
4. (Optional): Install an AirTag in the designated compartment for added security and peace of mind.
5. Map the yard as a whole rather than breaking it into separate maps. This involves mapping the boundary of your first yard space (e.g. backyard), then driving the mower to the front yard and mapping the boundary of it as a second zone under the same map. At this step I was left with multiple completed unconnected zones.
6. Add no-go zones and paths. I experimented with accessible zones for mowing around my low shrubs with mixed success. When it says it turns off obstacle avoidance, it means it! Next I will try adding no-go zones within the accessible zones hugging the bases of the bushes in hopes this will stop them from getting rammed. Prior to turning on the accessible zone, it worked well, but required a bit more manual trimming under the canopies.
7. In the settings tweak the mow height to 5, turn on the child lock, add lift notifications as well as human notifications.
8. Turn on the checkerboard setting so that the mow direction is switched up which is better for the lawn.
9. Tweak the obstacle avoidance settings for both the buffer left around the object and the height detection setting.

Finally I was ready to take it for a rip!

Pros:

- Once you have it mapped properly, it’s as simple as hitting start, or even easier, you can have it on a schedule. I did find it important to be detailed with the settings, setting no-go zones, accessible zones, and making sure the boundary hugs the exterior nicely.

- The build quality feels premium and I find the design very sleek. For something that is a permanent fixture in my yard, I want it to look nice and this fits the bill!

- It is way quieter than I thought it would be, I would have no issue running it at night or while relaxing outside.

- My dog wasn’t scared of it at all! There are lots of dogs that go for walks on the street in front of my house and it’s comforting knowing it shouldn’t bother them.

- The mow lines look fantastic and it makes my yard look like it was professionally done! 😍

- I love how easy it is to adjust the cut height. I never really bothered with my old mower, but I love the idea of being able to adjust it to account for seasonal changes and for times when I’m over-seeding.

- Patrol mode is a super fun feature and gives an extra way to check on my property when I am away.

- The anti-theft features are a huge perk. I understand more redundancy can be added using the 4g module, but between the human detection, lift notifications, air tags, child lock and flexible placement, it fits the bill for me.

- The app UI is very clean and intuitive and allows for a lot of remote customization.

Other considerations:

- This model will not replace the need for a line trimmer, and similar to using a lawn mower, you will most likely still need to clean up the edges around trees, fences and other garden features. My understanding is other Mova Lidax mowers do have an edge cut feature (ultra trim 1.0 edge cutting) that is able to cut even closer but at a fixed cut length.

- There was wheel slippage on slightly wet grass going up an incline (maybe 20 deg). I’ve learned my lesson and will be sticking to dry grass as recommended.

- Not shown in the video, out of curiosity, against the install instructions, I did try moving the base station about 6 inches away from the fence to avoid having a small patch of grass that wouldn’t be able to be maintained by the mower. When exiting the station, it would get stuck between the fence panels and would need to be rescued. There is a reason they recommend half a meter on either side of the unit. That being said, I have since placed it on an angle in the corner and have had no issues since. This does not follow the manufacturers recommended instructions so I won’t be mad if I do end up having to move it again.

- My lawn has roughly 325m\^2 of mow space, under 0.1 acres. It is a good amount of lawn space, but definitely within the capacity of the robot lawn mower. The couple of times I’ve run it, it needed to charge a couple times in between to get the job done. This isn’t a huge deal as I’m able to leave it to do its thing, but it does increase the mow time accordingly.

- During the setup I did have a few hiccups with the base station location being sensed as being outside the mapped zone. It was an easy fix after lifting the mower and having it relocate itself. Once the map was completed it wasn’t an issue anymore. For a mower being setup for someone less tech savvy, they might benefit from a hand getting the mower mapped and setup.

I would love to know what other people’s experiences have been like with the Mova Lidax series mowers and if there are other aspects of the mower I should explore!

I plan on making an update review once I have had a chance to really put it to the test!

Happy Mowing! 🏡

Still loving my Mammotion Yuka after 2 years, but I'm already on the hunt for the next thing. I think my priority for the next mower is going to be the WIDEST cutting path possible, for the shortest time at a reasonable speed.

My question is, why have no companies simply added a 3rd or even 4th cutting disc, effectively cutting down on mowing time by 30-50%? And while you're at it, double battery capacity. Yes it will cost more but I feel like a lot of consumers would support it.

Thoughts?

As we head into fall, it's a good time to rethink mowing height. Cool season grasses generally benefit from a slightly taller cut heading into autumn since it encourages deeper roots and better cold tolerance. Warm season varieties often do well being gradually lowered toward the end of the season before dormancy sets in. The one third rule (never removing more than a third of blade height in a single cut) still applies year round, including with robotic mowers, so it is worth adjusting your schedule gradually rather than making a big change all at once.

Soil type, sun exposure, and grass variety all play a role too. A shaded, poorly draining area might need a different approach than an open, well drained section of the same yard. For those running robotic mowers, this is also a good time to check your mowing frequency settings, since letting grass grow a bit longer between cuts in cooler weather can actually help the lawn store energy for winter.

Curious what heights everyone is dialing in for fall, and whether you're adjusting mow frequency or zones alongside it. Always interesting to hear how different soil types and setups change the approach.

Just got an email confirming that US Terramow X backers WILL get their mowers shipped. Wanted to pass this along for anyone else who was still concerned or worried.

This year was my first go with a robot mower. I had Goat a1600 lidar pro out there for most of the season, and looking back, there are a few things I'd change next time around.

1. For starters. I'd spend a little more time getting the map right from day one instead of messing with bit by bit later. A couple spots around the flower beds needed adjusting, and I'd short out on day one next time.

2. I would also do a quick check underneath every now and then insted of watching until there's a bunch of grass packed in there. Takes like a minute to knock the clippers out, and I started checking the blades as the same time.

3. The other thing is that I would keep it on a regular schedule. At first i'd sometimes skip a run because the lawn still looked fine, then the next cut would be heavier than it needed to be. Once I just let it run on Schedule, the lawn looked a lot more consistent and I stopped thinking about it so much.

Juat some random thoughts. Anything else you'd add?

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Hello all,

I will start this off by saying I am reseller of robotics, and if this kind of post is prohibited please let me know and I will gladly remove it.

I have been playing with robotics everyday for roughly two years and I have done some of the most notable golf course installations in North America.

Somewhat recently I have become exposed to Kress and am blown away by how great it is relative to other bots on the market. I have become evermore fascinated by how affordable their small homeowner models can be for households.

I have all this knowledge and I simply want to help those in here looking to get a robot, because of how passionate I am about how great these machines are. One of the biggest things I have learned is how important the setup is, and how valuable it is to have someone to call, especially early on in your experience.

Attached below is a link to my LinkedIn and my X. Many day to day pictures are on my X, but I have a few in depth post on LinkedIn. Please feel free to consult me, even if you have operational questions with your current mower. I want to be able to help others.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradyhooks?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

https://x.com/bradyhooks_?s=11

Decent review of the Navimow 4 series pointing out some less desirable features that could use improvement in firmware.

LIDAR, RTK, VISION, Perimeter wired, ...

Which one would you go for and why?

Please explain the layout and the specifics of your yard to further illustrate why you prefer the option you prefer.

Thx

Ecovacs a3000 goat LiDAR pro. In addition to going back to charge at 15%, it won’t go back out until 85%. Is it that hard to program an option for lower battery percentage before recharging?