ROBOVERDICT

Free PDF guide

Measure Before You Buy

How to choose a robot mower that fits your yard

Start with your yard, not with the spec sheets. The guide shows what to measure (lawn area and zones, gates and the narrowest passage, steps, slopes in percent, open sky, the Wi-Fi and cellular signal, and the height you keep your grass at) and which line of a spec sheet to compare each number with. A decision tree then points to the navigation system that suits your yard, and a checklist helps you vet the model you have in mind.

  • PDF, 1.8 MB
  • 44 A4 pages
  • Data as of October 21, 2026

We will email you the guide

Enter your address and we will send you a confirmation link. Clicking it opens the page where you download the guide.

The controller of your email address is Codently Maciej Ziółko (RoboVerdict), who will use it to send you the guide and, if you check the second box, the newsletter, and will keep the record of your consent as proof of it. Brevo sends the emails on our behalf. You can withdraw either consent at any time through the link in every email or by writing to kontakt@roboverdict.com. More in our privacy policy.

What is inside

  1. 01

    What to measure, and what to compare it with

    Measurements with a tape measure, a phone level app and a straight board: lawn area and zones, gates and passages, steps, slopes, open sky, signal and grass height. For each one, the spec sheet line to check and what to do when the maker does not publish it.

  2. 02

    A decision tree for navigation

    A few questions about the sky over your lawn, network RTK at your ZIP code, internet across the yard and a spot for a reference station lead to the system that suits it: boundary wire, RTK, camera, LiDAR or a combination.

  3. 03

    A yard worksheet to print

    Pages to fill out in the yard: lawn and zones, crossings and passages, slopes, sky and stations, signal, mowing and schedule, safety and the off-season, plus a grid to sketch your yard on and tables that convert percent to degrees and back.

  4. 04

    A checklist before you buy

    What to compare with your worksheet, what to check on the spec sheet, what to ask the seller and which costs come after the purchase.

Chapters

  1. 1Measure your yard before you compare mowers
  2. 2How a robot mower knows where it is: wire, RTK, camera, LiDAR
  3. 3Slopes and drive type
  4. 4Lawn size and mowing hours
  5. 5Cutting height, width, edges and blades
  6. 6Kids, pets, wildlife and night mowing
  7. 7Noise, neighbors and local rules
  8. 8Rain, heat and winter
  9. 9Wi-Fi, cellular and the app
  10. 10Theft
  11. 11Warranty, returns and repairs in the US
  12. 12Checklist before you buy
  13. 13Yard worksheet
  14. 14Glossary
  15. 15Sources

Who it is for

Anyone in the United States choosing a first robot mower or replacing an older boundary wire model. You need no technical background: knowing your yard and having a tape measure on hand is enough.

No prices, no shop links

  • The guide has no prices and no shop links. Its links lead only to RoboVerdict pages and to the sources it cites.
  • Its figures on 52 robot mowers from seven brands come from our catalog: every number about a specific model is the specification its maker publishes. We did not try any of these mowers ourselves.
  • Many of those figures come from makers' European spec sheets, and a mower sold in the US can carry a different name or rating, so the guide says which lines to check on the US spec sheet. Figures are metric first, with US units in parentheses.
  • Data as of October 21, 2026. Makers change their specifications and launch new models, so check the current page of the model you choose in our catalog before you buy.
  • You may print the guide and pass it on unchanged. The pages are A4; on US Letter paper, choose “Fit to page” when you print.

Measure your yard first, then compare mowers

Get the guide