Robot My LifeGadgetGuy’s Valens Quinn is here to show you the latest in lawn mowing tech, the MoeBot S5! Get rid of those old whipper snippers and join the electrical revolution of gardening by watching our latest video.
Transcript
Hi there, Val Quinn from GadgetGuy. Summer is all about enjoying time outside with family and friends and of course we want our lawns to look great too, but who’s got the time for all that work? Well, I might just have a gadget that could make mowing the lawn a thing of the past!
When it comes to mowing our lawns the old way of thinking was to let the grass grow long and then cut it. However, it’s much healthier for your lawn to cut it more often, even weekly, plus it helps reduce the spread of weeds and the result a much greener lawn. But who has the time for weekly mowing? Well did you know that robotic lawnmowers can cut your lawn regularly, completely automatically and keep it much healthier and looking better. So how do they work and is it time to scrap the old grass basher?
Robotic lawn mowers like the MoeBot S5 need two main things; the first is a boundary wire and the second is a charging station. The boundary wire defines the area to be cut and what to avoid such as garden beds and planters. The MoeBot then moves in a specialized pattern within the wires which is more efficient and saves battery life. The blades and cutting mechanism are different too, instead of steel blades that whack the grass at speed creating the illusion of a cut the MoeBot uses double-sided razor blades that cut grass into a fine mulch. This fertilizes your lawn making it greener and there’s no grass to pick up. As it’s electric, the charging station tops up the lithium-ion battery between mowing sessions and if the battery is getting low the MoeBot will simply return to its charger automatically and continue mowing your lawn until it’s finished. You can schedule automatic mowing using the MoeBot app or start a mowing session manually. As the MoeBot is much lighter than a conventional lawnmower, it doesn’t leave tracks and even works well in the wet.
I have MoeBot’s latest model here to unbox so let’s take a look inside and get it set up. In the box you’ll find the MoeBot S5 itself, as well as the charging station. Along with this you’ll have 100 meters of boundary wire which is wrapped up in a spool. To secure the boundary wire you’ll also get a bag full of pegs and there’s a cable splicing kit in case you need to reconnect the boundary wire. In addition to that you’ll find some tools to help you secure the charging station into the earth as well as some instructions. Lastly there’s a handy 35 centimetre ruler which is cut out of cardboard which will help you secure the boundary wire to the edges of your property.
And there you have it, the MoeBot is easy to set up and get rolling! There’s detailed instructions in the box and on the Robot My Life website. For more complex lawn, MoeBot’s team of professionals can also come out and help you install and give you a hand. I’ve also put together a few answers to some commonly asked questions about the MoeBot S5.
How easy is it to set a schedule?
You can set up a mowing schedule quite easily. All you have to do is either open the app, or you can do it directly from the LCD panel on the MoeBot itself. You’ll see seven days and then from there you can schedule the amount of time each day and when you’d like it to start and finish mowing. So you can do that just once and then have this repeat each week as you go.
What happens if it bumps into something?
The MoeBot has both collision sensors as well as lift sensors and a large stop button right on the top of the device, but it’s really designed not to bump into things or if it does, it will switch the sensor and it will turn off the mower immediately.
Is it noisy? Can you mow at night?
Compared to conventional mowers the MoeBot is incredibly quiet. It’s actually only about 65 decibels, which is about the sound of an average conversation. This means you can mow at night without disturbing your neighbours, and it doesn’t need to see either because it just senses where it’s going so you can wake up the next morning and have a freshly cut lawn.
Will it cut my front and back yard?
You don’t need two MoeBots if you have a front yard and a backyard. You can create an isolated cutting zone where the MoeBot will use your boundary wire to move to a second zone. Otherwise you can have another base station if you want to buy that separate accessory, and have it run from two separate base stations.
The MoeBot S5 is a great way to free yourself from the toils of weekly mowing, while delivering a healthy and immaculate looking lawn all the time. And this will cost you less than a thousand dollars! So no more petrol, no pull cords, lawn clipping clean-up, so you can get back to doing the things you love instead.
Check out our GadgetGuy MoeBot S5 full review
More lawn care news and reviews on GadgetGuy
I have a couple of questions. Approximately how much does the Moebot S5 cost ? How long does it mow for before needing to recharge ? Although if it automatically goes to recharge when low, then I suppose this is a moot point. It will mow as long as it needs to, I guess.
Hi Jak, thanks for your questions. The MoeBot S5 costs $950. It’s ideal for lawns up to 600 square meters. You can also get versions with larger batteries, which will cost a bit more and are ideal for bigger lawns. This one has a charge time of about an hour, but this will depend on the slope of your lawn, how wet it is, etc. Yes, you’re right that it doesn’t really matter that much because it will go back to its charging base to recharge the battery when close to empty. A larger battery just means it will cut for longer between recharges. We actually reviewed it on GadgetGuy here so you can read the full review for more details: https://www.gadgetguy.com.au/moebot-s5-robot-lawn-mower-review/
Hi, so the mower cuts grass but leaves a 35 cm gap at the end of the wall, planter etc. When you have to finish the lawn, you would have to remove the wire so you can trim the unmowed grass. Is this correct?
The mower can cut over this gap in some places as it changes direction but you will still need to do some edge trimming. You don’t need to remove the wire as it’s flush with the earth, and it will become hardly noticeable over time as it gets covered with grass and earth, etc. The wire is intended to stay there permanently, even over winter, so no need to take it out.
How do you turn off the Edge mow?
I don’t think you can, it’s a feature that is built into the mower to provide a closer cut to the edge of the lawn boundary.