A robot mowing the lawn for you sounds like technology straight out of an early 2000s sci-fi movie, but it really is a real thing today. I tested the Husqvarna Automower 430X over the past year, and I’m still amazed that every time the robot turns, my neighbors stand and watch it mow my lawn without me lifting a finger. Sometimes I’ll even sit on my porch, sip lemonade and admire the work I’m not doing. When I tell you the technology is amazing, I mean it.
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Husqvarna Automower 430X
The Husqvarna Automower 430X is a quiet, versatile, perimeter wire-guided automatic mower that can handle up to 0.8 acres.
For starters, my family lives on an acre of land that is mostly flat but has a slope in one place, so the 430X’s ability to handle 0.8 acres and slopes up to 45% was a near perfect fit for me. . The installation process took some time; my husband and i decided to manually configure the boundary and guide cable along our property. But if you’re willing to pay an $800 installation fee, a Husqvarna representative can help you with all of that instead, which I recommend doing if you have a larger lot.
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The guide wire can be placed above or below the ground, and since this was a temporary test model, I opted for the former. The only problem with the above ground wiring was that it sometimes broke when weeding causing the robot lawn mower to stall until we could splice wire back together. If the 430X were to be a permanent addition to our home, I would absolutely bury the wire to prevent that from happening.
At first I was skeptical of the Husqvarna Automower 430X given the way it navigated haphazard paths compared to my husband’s more consistent lawnmower. However, when I returned, I still found my entire lawn neatly mowed. We have never had to manually mow our lawn in the past year.
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The robot achieves this by using the built-in GPS and boundary wire to figure out where it has been and where it still needs to go. I programmed the 430X to mow for three consecutive evenings each week, keeping our yard in good shape throughout the season. Most impressively, the robot lawn mower is quiet enough that I could run it all night without disturbing us or our neighbors.
The rubberized wheels give the robot enough grip to move effortlessly. Beth Mauder/ZDNET
Servicing the Husqvarna Automower 430X is simple; you don’t have to worry about gas, oil, or anything a typical lawn mower would warrant. The 430X knows to connect once the battery reaches 20% and will resume its cleaning job once the battery is charged. On average, the robot mows for about two hours before needing to recharge its battery. Charging takes about an hour.
When it comes to blade maintenance, Husqvarna recommends replacing blades every 4-6 weeks. With just a screwdriver, I was able to easily replace the blades in minutes.
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Overall I was very impressed with the Husqvarna Automower 430X. It maintains a mowing schedule to keep my lawn at the height I set it, requires very little interference, and has saved me a lot of time and energy. I highly recommend the paid installation service if this is your first robot lawn mower and choosing the trench boundary wire option to prevent your weed killer from accidentally breaking the wiring.
For $2,500, you pay the same amount of money as you would for a decent riding mowerso if you’re someone who hates mowing, doesn’t have time for it, or is looking for an alternative to help your elderly parents/grandparents maintain their garden, the 430X is well worth the investment.