This WORX WG794 28-volt Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower review was done for people who are trying to decide if this WORX Landroid Mower is good value for the money being spent on it. The WORX Landroid mower looks good on paper but how well will it cut your lawn? Many robotic mowers are just not worth the buy except to show off on the neighbors. Robotic mowers can be very problematic, getting stuck all over the lawn and sending error messages all over the place.
‘Let us weed out the bad from the good in mower choices out there.’
(Yes, I do realize that this is a cheesy line but be honest 🙂 you will remember it after leaving here)
Product: WORX WG794 28-volt Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower
Company: WORX
General Market Price: USD $900 – USD $1300/ 999.96 at WORX Website
Where to buy for the best price: eBay at $925
Overview
WORX Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower Review
-
Power
-
Design
-
Ease of use when manual is followed
-
Performance and efficiency
-
Durability
-
Ease of locating replacements for wearable parts
-
Customer service support from company
-
Value
Summary
After considering all of the factors mentioned above, is the cordless electric mower worth it? Some brands will give a killer price for a product that is all hype and no substance. In my opinion, even though this model could use some improvements, WORX WG794 28-volt Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower is worth every penny.
Specs on WORX WG794 28-volt Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower
How the WORX WG794 28-volt Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower works
These are the areas of the WORX Landroid robotic lawn mower that we will be focusing on:
Power
Design
Ease of use
Performance and Efficiency
Cons and Complaints from buyers
Pros and Praises from buyers
Durability
Ease of locating replacements for wearable parts
Customer service support from the company
Value
Reality Versus Expectations
Expectations
Throughout this review, we will look at reality versus expectations. So before we start, take a look at this WORX Landroid Review done by the WORX company so that you can see what they claim that the mower can do.
Reality…
Power
The power of a lawn mower is very important to determine how it will handle your grass and other small shrubs. The battery delivers 28 V and pushes satisfactory motor power from the machine. What really matters here is that the mower blades can rotate fast enough to get a clean cut and the machine can push over some hilly terrains up to 20 Degrees. There are more powerful robotic mowers out there like the Robomow but those are much more expensive. For the power the Landroid mower provides, the price is more than reasonable. The WORX Landroid Mower is, in my opinion, the best value for your money at this competitive price of slightly less than $1000 at most stores.
Based on customer reviews, it will go over slopes up to 20 Degrees in straight lines without overcompensating and messing up your lawn. Anything above 25 Degrees and it turns right back. From 20 degrees the quality of the cut decreases and you find that there are spots of un-leveled cuts, some high and some low. It is not very noticeable but for all the neat freaks, you might want to look at your lawn more carefully to see how high those slopes are. For the price, I would make an exception.
The final verdict on power – If you have a lot of hills on your lawn that are above 20 Degrees I suggest that you get a different mower or be prepared to go over the slopes with another mower. If you have a flat lawn or one with minor elevations below the 20 Degrees mark, then this little Landroid robot mower is your guy.
We took a look at the blade rotation speed also. It does a pretty darn good job based on what we have seen. It cuts the grass into pieces so small that they will do just what the WORX review said (fertilize your lawn and help to trap soil moisture). You do not have to rake after. You do have to trim your lawn before letting the Landroid loose on it.
Design
WORX made the Landroid bot with convenience in mind but there are some flaws. Take a look at the aspects below.
User Interface
This is a very reactive, impressive, and intelligent user interface that can be programmed manually. It is not connected to WiFi which is the latest technology in user interfaces for robotic lawn mowers. Therefore, this lawn mower cannot connect to your phone for programming or guidance from a distance. However, it does well on its own after you give it commands.
Size and Weight:
The Landroid 794 has a product dimension of 22 x 15 x 9.5 inches and weighs 36 lbs. Pretty neat little bot. It can be transported easily if you want to lend it to a friend (or show off) or help out your family members with their lawn.
Start option:
Push-button which is pretty convenient. My only fault with this is that the button is not covered to prevent any damages from the elements.
Heights of grass cut:
Landroid can cut at 5 different heights and it can be adjusted easily. The heights vary between 2-6 cm which is okay for most people. I cannot imagine why you would go higher or lower for your yard.
Safety features and signals:
Protection from blades and other dangerous parts.
The blades are well inside the parameters of the robot. Added to this, this little guy is smart -the blades stop running as soon as it is lifted to expose the blades. Accidentally running over your foot is not likely as it has a sensor and will stop and turn if it comes upon any immovable object.
Rain sensor
Landroid has a rain sensor but it takes a while before the sensor realizes that is it raining. It will work through a drizzle for prolonged periods but if the rain gets heavy it will return to base.
Anti-theft features
Landroid comes with pin enabled lock and an anti-theft alarm system which is the only thing loud about it.
Noise level:
This will definitely not disturb the neighbor’s football game, wake the baby in your house or your miserable wife/husband. It gets the job done very quietly.
Ease of use:
Expectations…
Here is a YouTube video from the WORX company with a general video tutorial showing a shortened explanation of how to install and use the mower.
reality…
How easy is it to install and start the Landroid Mower?
To start it is as easy as a press of a button and it is ready to go. As the video above shows, it is not a grueling task to set it up. It will take a few hours to line a full 1000 square meter lawn if it is your first ball game with these bots. What people find hardest is setting up the charging base in a flat enough area so that the Landroid bot can actually mount it. There are complaints of the bot not being able to find the charging port but this is mainly due to incorrect placement of the guide wires. The guidewire should be placed 14″ or more away from borders so that the bot does not get stuck or confused on its way back home. If the charging base is not on a flat surface when it finally gets home or if the base is not fastened to the ground properly, the base will keep shifting and the Landroid bot will not mount well enough to charge and you will find a dead mower and a partially mowed lawn.
Ease of programming
This mower comes pre-programmed and ready to work as soon as it touches your lawn. However, to change the programming to schedule your cuts and time duration of cutting is pretty simple. The up and down buttons will give the options to be selected and changed. This will come in handy for different seasons as the grass will grow at different rates. For example, if it is rainy you will want the Landroid to spend more time on your lawn as the grass grows faster in the rainy season. You just press up and down keys to increase or decrease the cutting times by percentages. The manual is simple to follow for this. REMEMBER to follow the manual. It is easy to follow. This is the major problem people are having with these bots. Doing your own thing initially will fail 80% of the time. After you get used to it then you can make a few tweaks here and there with the mowing lawn size (tell the bot that the lawn is bigger than what it actually is to get a better quality cut), grass height, etc.
Landroid has periodic interface updates that you can download.
Summary of the performance and efficiency of the WORX WG794 28-volt Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower
Customer review showing the WORX Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower in action on his lawn
I am very impressed with this robotic lawn mower. It gets clean, even cuts while covering up to 10,750 square feet at maximum efficiency. It decelerates upon sensing obstacles and the turns are great. Unlike some mowers that get stuck into a constant to a fro motion when maneuvering corners or turning a 360, the Landroid stops and makes a nice smooth turn and is on its way.
The slope limit is acceptable and it actually cuts evenly over slopes below 20 Degrees just like the company describes. It can cross over to different sections of your lawn without getting stuck as long as you line the area. Some bots find this very difficult and will run in one area continuously after failing to cross over.
It docks well if you set up the charging station properly but a drawback is that you might have to make minor adjustments every now and then when you come home to a dead mower. You will learn over time the “do’s and don’t” for your yard with an automatic mower. You do not want to leave toys and other small items on the lawn as the mower will rip its way through them. It is electrical so the rain is a limitation but it will get back to base if the rain gets heavy. If your lawn has a lot of trenches then you will learn over time where needs filling when it gets stuck in them.
The zero-emissions from battery operated lawn mowers are definitely a plus. The battery will work for up to an hour before it returns to base to be charged for 90 minutes so it seems as if it does more charging than working but hey, it gets the job done while your feet are up watching TV in your living room so who’s complaining.
For bigger yards like 5000 square meters, it will take quite some time to complete your lawn so it might have a half-done look most of the time. That is not appealing so you might want to get the Husqvarna Automower 430X or the Husqvarna Automower 450X. Landroid is for smaller lawns but even with your 1000 square meter lawn, you will still need to do trimming like every 1 1/2 months to get rid of those edges left at the guidewire lines of the mower.
This mower really lives up to the company claims.
Cons and Complaints from buyers about WORX WG794 28-volt Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower
We took a good look around on the internet to see what people are really saying about this Landroid mower. For the most part, we realized that most of the complaints arose from incorrect procedures such as installing the lines too close to the edges. Remember that at least 14″ away from the border is recommended for this Landroid mower. I also saw where customers were installing the lines at right angles! You must make the turns nicely curved or you will end up with the mower cutting your lines each time and the mower will not find its way back to the battery. Also, remember to place the charger on a flat surface and get it pegged down so that it does not shift when the mower is trying to mount it.
Here is a video showing some epic fails when installing your Landroid mower system.
I found this while looking for good video reviews to show you. I found it hilarious how he kept expecting the mower to do what the robot is not programmed to do after his obvious installation fails, which he acknowledged. He seemed to have great respect for his Landroid though.
Disclaimer, this guy gets frustrated and utters a few F words at times above 13 minutes and thus is not recommended for anyone below the age of 18 without adult supervision.
There were however some valid complaints from customers. They also recommended some improvements needed. These include:
- This version of the Landroid mower is not programmable by cellphone or remote. This would be more convenient to change mowing schedules, monitor when on vacations, etc.
- The start button is not covered. So it is exposed to the elements.
- It cannot cut up very steep slopes.
- It takes too long to sense and get out of the rain. It has to start pouring heavily before the little guy finally decides to make his way to shelter. The mower is not fully waterproof so that just unfortunate. Here is a review of a fully weatherproof mower, the Husqvarna Automower 430X
- It only runs for an hour maximum before it needs to return to the charging base.
- Does not get to the edges because the blades are tucked away under the mower for your safety so you will need to manually whip the edges into shape every month or so.
- Turns off whenever it gets confused.
- Some initial supervision is required to get the tweaks just right for your lawn
Pros and Praise from buyers about WORX WG794 28-volt Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower
To be fair, we will also consider the positive comments given on the product indicating the best part of owning the electric device.
Take a look at this video comparing Landroid with another prominent robotic lawn mower
- It does not leave clumps of grass in your yard for you to rake. It leaves small clippings that are great for your lawn in terms of soil water retention and fertilization.
- It will spread dried dog dropping evenly in your lawn which is good for fertilization but does not overdo it! You still need to get a poopy scooper
- It does not leave tire marks in your grass. It runs in all directions leaving a smooth finish.
- It has zero harmful emissions.
- It turns pretty well to avoid getting stuck after meeting an obstacle.
- It goes over slopes that other mowers at higher prices are incapable of handling.
- It is very safe to use as the blades stop when lifting or tilting the mower.
- Can cross over to different sections of your lawn through tight spaces as seen in the video above. A lot of robotic mowers find it hard or impossible to do this.
- It is not ridiculously expensive and we were able to find a 10% discount on eBay from an expert seller with a very high trust rate.
Durability
I have seen reviews where the Landroid 794 is going into its third year without any issues. You have to sharpen the blades at least once per month if your lawn is 1000 square meters. The other features really depend on how well you take care of your bot. You get a three-year warranty from WORX when you purchase.
Ease of locating replacement parts and accessories
The company sells replacement wires, blades, etc. Replacement parts are easily available online and very affordable on eBay and Amazon. WORX also have trimmers and other accessories to take care of the areas around the perimeter wire that this mower cannot reach.
Customer service support from WORX
Value -Final Verdict
After considering all of the factors mentioned above, is the cordless electric mower worth your money? Some brands will give a killer price for a product that is all hype and no substance. WORX managed to drop their price right below that magic number of $1000 so if you search well you will find them at prices below that. In my opinion, even though this model needs some improvements, WORX WG794 28-volt Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower is worth every penny.
Where to buy new WORX WG794 28-volt Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower for the best price
A great option was found on Amazon as seen below. You can use this link to view customer reviews of the product.
UPDATE: Newer model now available!
Related Posts
