Flymo Robotic Lawnmower Review
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Performance
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Comfort
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Noise
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Maintenance
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Ease of Use
Summary
Practical, efficient, independent, smart and convenient, the Flymo 1200 R Robotic Lawnmower boasts of all the benefits of a powerful mower without all the cumbersome interaction and maintenance.
Okay, so hands up if you always moan and groan whenever you remember the grass needs cutting? Great, that makes every single homeowner in the UK. Well, what if I told you there was a way you could have your lawn mowed perfectly without wasting money on a gardener or even lifting a finger?
Thanks to the latest tech, people now have access to conveniences that weren’t there some years back, and the 1200 R Flymo Robotic Lawnmower is one of them. Not only does this little robot mow your lawn for you day and night, but it also mulches so you don’t have to bother with the clippings.
And that’s barely the half of it. But as always, I wanted to find out if the 1200 R really performs as advertised. So here’s an honest, balanced and in-depth review of Flymo’s robotic mower; warts and all.
Flymo Robotic Lawnmower review
What are you buying?
Introducing the ultimate lazy gardener’s mower, the 1200 R Robotic Lawnmower from Flymo is quite the clever little bugger loaded with potential. It’s great to see that Flymo wasn’t too ostentatious and managed to sculpt a clean looking product.
From the outside, the mower still carries the typical curves, dense plastics, and trademark black and orange theme that people have come to identify with the brand. Before we get to the features, let’s look under the robot.
Looking under the mower, there’s an integrated cut out base handle that can be picked up to reveal the belly. There are three wheels underneath that brake independently for more agile movement as well as the cutting blades where all the action is at.
Aside from being able to cut in between heights of 20 to 50mm, the razor sharp blades also boast of quite the handy programming. I know you’ve been waiting for it, so let’s get to the good part.
The Flymo Robotic Lawnmower 1200 R really does let you go about your business without having to worry about your lawn. Thanks to the 18 V 1.6Ah Lithium-ion battery, the 1200 R robotic mower comfortably clears an area of up to 400 M squared without needing a recharge.
One of the questions that I needed answered was whether the robot could actually handle UK’s incredibly wet, cold and irregular lawns. Surprisingly, this tough kid can handle flat lawns as well as inclines and slopes of up to 25 percent.
To ensure that your entire yard is covered, the robotic mower from Flymo does its job in irregular patterns. But is this mower as easy to use as Flymo claims or do you need an engineering degree to manage it? Let’s find out.
How easy is it to use?
Can I be totally honest with you? Apart from the setup and installation phase, using the 1200 R Robotic Lawnmower from Flymo is a breeze. However, the initial stages really prove to be a headache for most homeowners. Frankly, I felt intimidated by the incredibly large and well-packed box that contains a ton of goodies.
Fortunately, Flymo incorporated a bunch of instruction manuals, in-depth DVD, and a quick start guide to help us along. Long story short, you’ll have to place the boundary wire all around your lawn with connectors on each end.
Secondly, you’ll have to map out all the flowers, shrubs and obstacles to keep them safe. Then, you’ll have to wire the docking station so the robot can find its way back, but one you’re all set up, it’s home free from there. This is the first ever power tool I’ve used with an onboard computer system.
Coupled with an easy to use interface, all you have to do is press the large orange button to stop the device and reveal a backlit LED screen and a numeric pad. This pad lets you set the day and time you want the mower to operate, the power mode as well as the level of security in the form of a passcode and alarm.
The robot will use its sensors to mow your entire lawn in clean, efficient and irregular patterns. Thanks to the 18V Lithium-Ion Battery that lasts longer, the mower is able to work all day and night. As if that wasn’t enough, Flymo’s technology allows your mower to automatically return back to its charging station and recharge for about an hour and a half.
We’ve already seen how the highly sensitive sensors help avoid obstacles, but the 1200 R still ran into a few walls, posts and pots. Lucky for us, there’s ample space between the lawnmower’s housing and blades to reduce any accidents or injuries. What’s more, the blades stop automatically when the lawnmower is lifted.
What accessories are included?
As I mentioned, the box came fully packed with a ton of tools and accessories. Once you make your purchase, you can expect the following items in the package.
- Flymo 1200 R Robotic Lawnmower
- Recharge station
- Boundary wire with wire pegs
- Quick start manual
- Installation DVD
- Lawnmower registration card from Flymo
Pros
- Ideal for the average UK laws size
- Mulches and feeds your lawn while cutting
- Virtually independent operation
- Extremely quiet operation
Cons
- Unable to deal with steeper slopes and larger lawns
- More expensive than the conventional mower
Anything else you should know
With a robotic lawn mower, there are a ton of considerations about safety that you need to make. One of these is whether you have pets or children playing near the mower. Fortunately, there’s no worry about harming or injuring any children and pets thanks to a couple safety features.
These include a large space between the housing and blades as well as sensors that turn the robot in a different direction when it bumps into something.
However, there are some items that you’ll have to watch out for. Be warned; the 1200 R will run right over shallow objects and slash all your pipes and hoses on the ground thoroughly.
Conclusion
Practical, efficient, independent, smart and convenient, the Flymo 1200 R Robotic Lawnmower boasts of all the benefits of a powerful lawn mower without all the cumbersome interaction and maintenance. Not only is this bad boy extremely well built, but it also packs quite the impressive array of advanced technologies and features.
And what’s more, never have I seen a mower with a security passcode and a host of tight security features. Sure, you may have to spend a handsome pound and do some tricky initial set up, but it will all be worth it in the end.
Where to buy?
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Hi Mr Bennett,
My father and I have been looking at buying a robotic lawnmower, and have read your blog with great interest. We were wondering if it was necessary to leave the robot outside? We would prefer to keep it in the garage, charged up, and move it onto the lawn as and when required. How does it know where it has cut and where it hasn’t? We have a kerb edging around the whole of the lawn, would we still need to use the wire?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Sheila Williams.
Thanks for your email Sheila. You can definitely keep the robot in your garage. I’m afraid you will need to use the wire though. The wire acts as a virtual fence containing it to the area that needs to be mowed. The Flymo lawn mower wouldn’t work without it. -Jack