This robot mower looks like a racecar, but it mows a gorgeous lawn

ZDNET’s key takeaways

The Mammotion Luba 2 3000H is to be had for $2,499.Constructed to deal with asymmetric landscape, the Luba 2 is an all-wheel-drive (AWD) robotic mower with a GPS-powered perimeter this is unusually simple to arrange. In spite of its mostly-consistent efficiency, the Luba 2 veered off the map a number of occasions all over trying out. Additionally, the Mammotion app isn’t very user-friendly.

Mowing the garden is certainly one of my favourite chores. It shall we me center of attention on an uninterrupted job that satisfies my OCD, with the bonus of finishing my workout ring on my Apple Keep an eye on. However despite the fact that it’s a chore I revel in, it nonetheless steals a few hours clear of my all-too-short weekend.

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That’s the place the Mammotion Luba 2 is available in. Believe the scene: you are taking the canine out for a travel and are available house to a perfectly-mowed garden, regardless of it being an overgrown mess simply an time ahead of. Age you had been long gone, the robotic mower now not best took offer of the unruly grass however left a good looking checkered trend in its wake. I’m satisfied to mention that this dream was a fact with the Luba 2, and even though it has its quirks, it handles the chore of garden mowing with potency and pleasure. 

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Once I won the Mammotion Luba 2 for assessment, the one wire-free GPS robotic mower I’d in the past impaired used to be the EcoFlow Blade. As you’ll be able to learn in that assessment, putting in the Blade used to be unfortunate, occupying hours of my Sunday afternoon that led to bickering between my husband and I, and repeated explanations to the children that refuse, we received’t be driving the robotic across the backyard. 

This era, putting in the mower fell to my husband on a moment after I wasn’t house. I used to be making plans on serving to him with the setup upon my go back, however I used to be pleasantly shocked to search out all of it accomplished by means of the era I were given again. In truth, he had not anything however proclaim for the Mammotion’s simple setup, because it used to be finished in beneath two hours — from unboxing to up and working within the backyard.

By contrast, putting in the previous robotic mower, the EcoFlow Blade have been a tedious, two-person task as it couldn’t get a excellent plethora sign regardless of the place we positioned the GNSS antenna in our backyard. For the Mammotion Luba 2, we hadn’t even put the antenna within the backyard — it used to be nonetheless at the deck — but it used to be already attached to the mower and dealing high quality.

We have been so cautious about the place we put the EcoFlow antenna on account of the sign problems all over the set up procedure, and right here, the Luba 2’s antenna seamlessly attached by itself from a random place at the deck. If that doesn’t let you know it’s a extra complex RTK-GNSS machine, I don’t know what does. I’ll replace my assessment of the Luba 2 after I set up the pole completely, upload the Storage (to be had in pre-orders), and a hour’s use of trying out. 

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Mapping is simple and relatively amusing, as you simply travel at the back of it, guidance it round your backyard the use of your smartphone with the Mammotion app as a faraway regulate. Next you entire the mapping procedure, the Luba 2 nearest mows the direction independently. The app additionally allows you to give a reputation to the mower, so naturally, I named it Andretti because it resembles a System 1 automotive (and in addition so I will be able to ask my husband whether or not Andretti has accomplished its runs as of late).  

We’ve been getting a batch of downpour in recent times, which has made the grass develop like mad. This speedy enlargement has ensured Andretti’s paintings is cutout for it, and helped me collect about 20 hours of trying out divided into 3 other fields over the day two weeks. 

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All the way through trying out, I’ve discovered the Mammotion Luba 2 able to navigating asymmetric landscape with out affecting its map. As an example, when alternative robotic mowers slide indisposed a slope sideways, it incessantly disrupts their mapping, and rather of correcting their place, they proceed from an flawed spot. This leads to overlooked patches and the mower completing outdoor the protection department. In my trying out, the Luba 2 by no means fell sufferer to this glitch. Even though it did slide indisposed a couple of occasions, it all the time righted its positioning and maintained the similar map. 

Sadly, the Mammotion app isn’t very intuitive; converting settings would require some menu searching and trial and blunder. On the other hand, it’s loaded with options. You’ll worth the app to switch the mowing trend, from stripes to checkered and extra, arrange other zones, together with no-go zones for swimming pools or field beds, organize the trail sequence, and modify the mowing top. 

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When mapping, the fringe you travel with the Luba 2 is identical that might be adopted when the robotic is out mowing. It’s slightly difficult to travel and steer the robotic in a wonderfully instantly series alongside the fringe of your constituent, so I want you have to straighten boundary strains within the app nearest developing the map. 

That stated, I really like that the Luba 2 proved irreverently constant when mowing alongside the fringe. I will be able to see the robotic mowing alongside bent strains that I mistakenly made all over mapping, however it does it the similar approach virtually each and every era.

Although the Mammotion Luba 2 looks as if the Ferrari of mowers, it does the laps across the garden at its personal age. It’s now not gradual in comparison to alternative robotic mowers, however don’t be expecting it to are living as much as its seems and turn out to be a turbo turf-tamer. 

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My Luba 2 drifted from its trail six occasions all over trying out. A kind of occasions, it ended up in my neighbor’s backyard, which is far not up to excellent as they’re very explicit about how they mow it, however this seems to have took place all over positioning and now not when the blades had been i’m busy, fortunately. Some other era, it failed by means of going beneath the deck and dropping its sign. It wasn’t ever meant to cross beneath the deck, however I supposition it used to be taking a shortcut to the pole place (in point of fact sorry for that one). 

You’ll additionally steer the robotic within the app to manually mow over difficult fields the place you assume it is going to waft away – this may be a excellent constituent for touching up fields that want it. The Mammotion app additionally trade in first-person view (FPV), so you’ll be able to test the place your robotic is at any era if it will get stranded and also you’re now not there to peer it. 

ZDNET’s purchasing recommendation

I’m mindful those GPS-powered robots put together errors as this pristine era remains to be being perfected for accuracy, so I normally don’t thoughts them. However I do to find the Mammotion Luba 2 is far much less at risk of mistakes than the EcoFlow Blade. I will be able to depend such a lot on Andretti following its map that I think k letting it mow the unfenced entrance garden, even the choosy neighbors’ facet, one thing I’d by no means let the Blade do. 

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Finally, I really like how peace the Luba 2 is. Some of the strangest issues about having a robotic mower is that now not best does it take charge of the garden by itself, however does it so quietly that may retirement your individual understand. All in all, I without a doubt suggest the Mammotion Luba 2 for someone that desires reclaim a couple of hours from the garden on their weekends.