Anyone who has ever bought a robotic lawnmower will hardly return to manual work. The practical talents predominate, and in principle the neuralgic components are resistant. The boundary wire is UV and rot resistant. In the event that it is not damaged during weeding or voles pass on it, it should last and guide for a long time. The fixed loading tower remains outside over the winter, it does not always survive unscathed, but most of the time it does. The robotic lawnmower itself hibernates in the basement anyway.
Holger Appel
Editor in the economy, responsible for "Technology and Engine".
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However, it may be that a walk-behind mower is also needed, for example if a front yard is to be maintained or corners that the robot spurns. Gardena has three new ones on offer, of course with a battery, cable connection you only want to have on the TV today.
The same applies to the batteries, as mentioned at the beginning, they prove to be resistant in principle, which does not mean that not even one capitulates. It should be mentioned that Gardena maintains a hotline staffed by friendly and competent employees for such a case, the battery replacement is faster than the grass grows, and usually at a cost that includes a contribution to goodwill. "The experience with the service life of our 18V batteries is very good. We had these in our range from 2014 to 2021 until we became a member of the Power for All Alliance and have been using Bosch batteries ever since," says company spokesman Heribert Wettels.
The double-hardened knife can take a beating
So there is such a battery in the Power Max 30 18 V, in the larger mowers there are already two. Among other things, their number explains price differences. A cutting width of only 30 centimeters is of course something for small areas, up to 150 m² Gardena mentions as a measure, which we really see as an upper limit. Otherwise, it's better to take one with more width.
If you assemble it yourself, it takes five minutes, and the 25-liter grass catcher made of plastic alone proves to be a bit fiddly when plugged together. Charge the battery, plug it in, get started. The small mower is of course nice and light, it can be directed effortlessly. We ran out of flat grass faster than the electricity, and we had to go to the charging station after 20 minutes due to the high one. There is a height adjustment on the wheel and on the metallic support frame, both of cost-optimized simplicity. The handle to be pulled for operation is easy to hand, but sometimes pinches a piece of skin. Here we are still waiting for the perfect solution.
We were convinced by the power of the brushless motor, it goes to work dashingly and delivers a clean cutting pattern even at the edges. The double hardened knife can withstand a lot, unfortunately not the stone overlooked in the green, now it has a dent, and we are annoyed black. Above us, not the Power Max. Together with the battery, it mows for 260 euros, the larger siblings in 32 width for 310 euros or as 37 for 450 euros.