Robot Mower

A few years ago, I decided to get a robot lawn mower since the summers have started becoming extremely hot and humid. Why do some manual labor when a robot can do it without risking heat stroke? So I convinced my wife to let me get a mower. Like most things, it's got its pros and cons. Here's my experience.

Chapter 1: Ecoflow Blade

In 2023, I started with an Ecoflow Blade. It was expensive, but it seemed to have enough for what I needed. The requirements were:

Area: About .4 acres (17,000 sq ft)
No boundary wire

That's actually pretty much it. Basically, I just wanted my lawn to be mowed without me having to do it. Time is money after all!

For the most part, it worked well. It had frequent software updates, but it was very buggy. What caused me to ultimately return it was that after an update, it started "stuttering" like it was afraid to move. I checked the sensors and nothing. I can only assume that update was bad. But besides that, there were some other issues:

The zero-turn wheels were angled in. While it was an interesting design decision, it allowed the mower to turn, but it struggled with going straight.
It struggled with inclines. My yard is mostly flat, but my backyard has some not terribly steep inclines, but it's still a slight hill. Same near the ditch out front. It would struggle.
It struggled with its positioning a lot. I often found it stuck or lost. Sometimes I wish it would have just driven itself right into the road.
It was lacking some basic features. Like all I could do was tell it to mow straight lines or at an angle.
Some tech-bro designed the charge port to be on the front of the unit. As the mower is moving forward, grass and dirt would get on the charging contacts. Frequently, the app would complain that the contacts were dirty and it couldn't charge. I had to go out and clean them.
Ecoflow isn't a robotics company and it shows. The product was very "beta" and not ready for prime time.

And of course, I found out that they actually discontinued it a year or so after I returned it. Good riddance.

Chapter 2: Mammotion Luba

After returning the Ecoflow, I did some more research and found Mammotion. They seemed to be a robotics company and I found that people were very happy with it. The Luba offered some benefits over the Ecoflow:

It had a better design with all wheel drive so it could handle inclines and muddy conditions better.
The RTK GPS seemed to work better and it had better navigation.
The app let me do more things like get more control over mowing patterns.
It was receiving better software updates and didn't seem like a beta product.

Overall, it was a much better product and experience. My Luba worked well for a couple years. Then the problems started showing. First, Mammotion released the Luba 2. That meant that software updates for my Luba 1 started slowing down and eventually stopped. They claimed better navigation since they put a camera on the Luba 2. So if RTK signal was weak, it could still use the camera to navigate (this is a lie, by the way. It doesn't actually do that). But whatever, it was still working. I figured I would upgrade it in several years like every other tech product.

Chapter 3: Mammotion Support SUCKS and How I got a Luba 2

Then in April 2025, my Luba 1 had a hairline crack in the rear axle. It snapped and that meant the mower couldn't move. I couldn't easily repair it as it looked like they use cast iron or something similar. I opened a ticket with Mammotion support asking about replacement parts. I was completely ready to pay. It took a couple of days for them to just acknowledge my ticket. After about a week or so, they started asking questions (and this is finally in early May). One day, "CAn you send a video?". Next day, "What's your address?". Next day, "What's the order number and cand you send your receipt?". Then, it was silence. A week goes by. I send a "hello?". Nothing. Another weeek. I send another "hello?". Nothing. Yet another week. "Hello? Anyone there?". Finally a week later, they contact me. They'll have me send in my mower for repair. FINALLY! It's now June. I take a week to send it since there aren't too many FedEx locations near me. I see that they got it on June 16. A week later, they tell me that it would take too long to repair but they'll send me a refurbished one. Great! I let them know I'll take it. A few days later, they tell me that they actually have a low supply, so they'll send me a "refurbished" (I'm using quotes for a reason) Luba 2 instead. Even better! It's an upgrade! It's now July, if you're keeping track. Remember: this started in April. It finally arrives!

Opening the box, I can definitely tell it's not new. The front bumper still has someone else's grass in it and the plastic is yellowed. It also doesn't fit. I get the power cables out and they're covered in dirt. I get it plugged in, powered on, and go to set it up... surprise! It's still connected to the previous owner's account! I can see their map, all the events this mower had, etc. I reset it. I notice I can't connect to the RTK station. It says it's already attached to another account. I contact support and they're running me in circles. I have to go full Karen on them and then I'm finally told that they'll unbind it for me. A day later, they do. I can finally set it up. The front bumper is loose and won't fit. It keeps falling out as it mows. I eventually just duct tape it on. Mammotion sent me a replacement RTK station for some reason. I emailed back asking why they sent an RTK when the bumper is the issue? No response. I think I might just have to stick with the duct tape. These idiots won't send it.

Epilogue

So would I recommend a robot mower? Yes. Would I recommend Mammotion? No. While the product is good, on the chance that you need support, you're screwed. They don't care about after-sales support at all. It's hard to get parts, they don't make them available, and it's like pulling teeth to get help. Avoid Mammotion at all costs. Do not give this company your money.