It’s no secret that anything that involves cleaning in and around the house takes a lot of time and hard work. Lawn mowing is one of the activities that fit the bill. Mowing the lawn using a traditional rotary mower, for example, takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. But if you live on more than an acre of space, it may take up to two hours to complete a cleaning cycle!
Gladly, there are already automated lawnmowers today that are more than up for the task. You won’t need to review and learn about the lawn mowing basics every now and then. A fantastic, high-end option for many homeowners is the Husqvarna Automower 315X. Husqvarna is a Swedish company looking to penetrate the automatic lawn mower market in the United States. So far, they’ve done an excellent job!
Despite its lavish price tag, what makes the Automower 315X an awesome robotic lawn mower? This review answers that question and more.
How Do Robotic Lawn Mowers Work?
If there’s something that aptly describes robotic lawn mowers, I’d say it’s an automatic grass cutter machine. It works in the same way robotic vacuum cleaners do; thus, it can be fittingly described as a “Roomba for your lawn.”
Robotic mowers often use an electronic boundary wire laid just beneath the surface of your grass. Any trees or garden areas are marked as “no-go zones,” so the mower knows to avoid them.
The mower goes over your lawn in a random pattern within the defined parameters, producing a uniform appearance with no noticeable streaks made by traditional lawnmowers. If you’re a big fan of the “mowing stripes,” sorry, but you’re in for a disappointment. Because there is no grass bag and the cut grass is shorter, cuttings are replanted into the grass as it travels. This can be used to fertilize your lawn naturally.
The newer robot lawn mower models, such as the Automower 315X, are equipped with GPS tracking and a pretty cool anti-theft system. These robots can also be programmed to start at a specific time, day, and regularity to suit your needs.
Husqvarna Automower 315X Features
- Navigation
One of the best features of the Automower 315X is its proficient navigation technology. Aside from the boundary wires that serve as no-go zones, they are also adept at avoiding other obstacles such as trees.
When it encounters a barrier of some sort, it will simply stop and goes a different route. It can run over anything that passes under the housing’s bumper, but anything taller than that will cause the mower to redirect itself in another direction.
The boundary wires also serve another purpose. It sends electrical signals to the 315X, effectively “reminding” it if it’s already time to return to the dock and recharge. When the mower is charging or parked, the eco mode feature turns off the perimeter wire signal to reduce energy costs.
- Cutting-Edge Technology (No pun intended)
When mowing your lawn, the Automower 315X uses GPS navigation to create a map of your property. That’s the robot’s way of “remembering” the locations already done. When the mower encounters lengthier blades of grass, it begins to cut in tight loops, which is the most effective means of removing lush growth.
A weather timer with three sensitivity settings adapts mowing to the rate of grass growth. This feature raises the cut when the grass tends to grow and lowers it during hot and dry weather and at the conclusion of the season.
The blades are also a product of ingenious design. It has a spinning axial hub with three ultra-sharp carbon blades fixed at different points. They simply mulch and destroy the grass in their paths just from the natural force that comes with a spinning hub. The double-sided blades must be replaced every three months, but your first order comes with enough replacements to last you a year.
If that isn’t enough, the blades are designed to meet the safety criteria for Robotic Lawnmowers.
- Robust Automower Connect App
The Automower app is a technology in itself; that’s why it deserves its own spot. It serves as a scheduler, data book, unit starter, and an anti-theft device rolled into one. If the correct pin code is not entered before starting the mower, a deafening anti-theft alarm sounds. The Automower Connect App uses GPS to track the exact location of your robotic lawnmower at all times. Both of these functionalities virtually assure that your unit will never be stolen.
- Other Mention-Worthy Features
- Quiet Operation
- No bags to empty
- Has LED head lights if you want the unit mow at night
- Voice-command compatibility
- Has indicator lamps at charging station to convey different interruptions
- Can handle steep slopes
Husqvarna Automower 315X Disadvantages
The Automower 315X is a near-perfect machine to mow your lawn, but it falls short in several aspects. Here are some of them:
- At 39 pounds (or 18 kilograms), it is bulky and heavy. At that weight, older people and those with disabilities may feel they’re operating heavy machinery.
- It is not the most expensive Husqvarna model, but it’s not a bargain either. It costs at least $1,500 up to $1,800.
- It needs a party of Husqvarna professionals to install. You may install the wires yourself, but there is no guarantee you’ll get it right. Therefore, the installation is another expense you need to take into account.
- The 315X is not equipped to handle and mulch twigs or leaves. To solve this problem, you may want to help it out by walking around your lawn and picking these up before letting the unit do its job.
- It has no rain sensors like other models. As the name suggests, rain sensors allow the robot mower to “perceive” raindrops so that it stops. Wet grass is harder to mulch and makes a mess, making the robot work double.
How Does the Husqvarna Automower 315X Compare With Other Models?
The 315X has its shortcomings, but it’s definitely the best option out there in the market. You could even argue it excels at achieving the job the company claims it performs, which is to make grass maintenance simple and straightforward.
For instance, the 315X has the same floating and blade design as the Honda Riimo, but the latter doesn’t have GPS theft tracking and navigation as the former. The same story with another popular model, the Robomow RS622. The RS622 could handle larger areas, has rain sensors, and already includes wires in the purchase. But then again, it is noisier, heavier, and doesn’t have the GPS tracking and anti-theft capabilities of the Automower 315X.
If you want to know more about how to choose Roomba for yard and other automatic lawn mower options, it’s highly suggested that you do further research.
Conclusion
If you seek perfection, the Husqvarna Automower 315X is not it. What you get, though, is an excellent performer fully equipped to maintain your yard so that it practically looks newly mown every single day. It will cost you a lot of money for the initial investment, but you can’t put a price on cleanliness on satisfaction. If it matters to you, the Automower 315X operates on less than $25 of energy costs a year, so you should be able to recoup the price tag early.
