Beth Mauder/ZDNET
Whenever you consider chores that take an extreme period of time, mowing is close to the highest of the record. Add in being a first-time mother attempting to navigate a new child, and mowing goes to take a backseat. So actually, who wants an environment friendly automower greater than me?
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I have been testing the Husqvarna Automower EPOS for nearly 4 months now, giving it full vary of my one-acre lot — and I do not assume my yard has ever seemed higher, regardless of having completely no time to cope with it. Here is why it might (or could not) be simply nearly as good of a match to your dwelling.
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Husqvarna Automower EPOS
The Husqvarna Automower EPOS is a GPS-guided robotic lawnmower that may sort out as much as a 2.5-acre lot.
To start out, the EPOS automower needs to be professionally put in, so past swiping your bank card to buy the robotic, it is as a lot of a hands-free expertise because it will get. The setup course of went like this: A staff member arrived at my doorstep, surveyed my property, and outlined the place the EPOS reference station wanted to be positioned. You want a transparent line of sight to the sky and restricted tall bushes and buildings for the satellite tv for pc to work correctly.
The reference station eliminates my greatest grievance with different automower choices — boundary wires. With EPOS, the one cords I’ve anyplace close to my yard are those that energy the reference station and the charging base. How wonderful.
The reference station was positioned in a fence put up in my yard. It has a transparent view of the sky and my total property.
Beth Mauder/ZDNET
As soon as the station is about up, the installer will actually stroll the automower round your property, creating maps of the areas you need mowed. Don’t fret, you may as well do that your self as your property modifications and evolves.
The reference station is a satellite-based know-how that delivers centimeter-level accuracy to your mowing expertise. The accuracy is downright cool. Once we added a shed to our yard, I wanted to go in and modify my map, so the automower knew to keep away from operating into it. As I used to be making changes, I might actually change my no-go zones by centimeters. That is spectacular — and once more, not a single boundary wire wanted to be positioned or adjusted.
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I’ve a entrance, again, and aspect yard that I can ship the automower to sort out, which is all managed by way of the Husqvarna Automower app. As soon as the setup is full, you handle all the pieces from the app. Initially, I’d simply go into the app and inform it when to mow if I observed my entrance yard getting a bit lengthy. However after some time, I simply arrange a schedule the place all three sections of my yard have been mowed each three days. At present, I do not even have to consider mowing my yard, it is simply performed.
A lot to my husband’s shock, the EPOS automower can mow in patterns. There are a number of to select from, however our yard nonetheless has that pretty striped look. That is additionally a welcome characteristic as a result of beforehand the yard was mowed in a random sample. I would look out and never make sure how a lot of my yard had been tidied. With the Husqvarna EPOS automower, the stripes let me see precisely the place the mower has been, and the way a lot of my yard is left. And apart from, dads (and mothers) in every single place crave that striped sample, so this was good.
The automower can mow in a striped sample.
Beth Mauder/ZDNET
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Total, the Husqvarna EPOS Automower has simplified my life and saved my yard trying like a fairway. It is a hefty monetary funding, particularly at $5,900, however it should unlock my time for years to return. You’ll be able to anticipate to pay no less than half that for a brand new using mower, however do not forget that you will have years of added gasoline, oil, and different upkeep prices to maintain up with.
The EPOS Automower solely wants new blades and electrical energy to cost all through its lifetime. The price might sound steep up entrance, however it should repay ultimately. As somebody who invests closely in gadgets and providers that purchase again my time, this automower is not any exception. My husband and I each have gotten our weekends again — one other hour or two each week we are able to spend making recollections slightly than being caught working.