If you like your robotic vacuum cleaner, you're a prime prospect for a robotic lawn mower.
They resemble a Roomba vacuum cleaner, but they target grass instead of dust. Traveling around your yard, the battery-operated mowers are quiet enough to work at night or on Sunday morning.
Because they run on a schedule you set, you can start them any time you want. In fact, a robotic mower is most effective when used more than once a week, trimming a small amount each time. The clippings are fine enough to sift back into the ground.
Robotic mowers do require some set-up time. You have to tack down the included low-voltage wire around the perimeter of the lawn, creating an invisible fence. After that they run by themselves.
Though the technology is rather new, anyone who hates mowing can consider one of these three models.
Robomow RS630 has triangular blades, weighs 44 pounds, cuts a 22-inch swath ($2,100 at robomow.com).
Husqvarna Automower 220 AC weighs 19.8 pounds and has three blades. It cuts an 8.7-inch-wide path, making it ideal for half-acre or smaller lawns ($2,400 at husqvarna.com).
Worx Landroid M weighs 20 pounds and cuts a 7-inch path. After laying perimeter wire, it worked right out of the box. A sensor sends it to its base if it starts raining. ($1,000 at worx.com).
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