Review of the Robomow RS630

Key Features

Like all of RoboMow’s robot lawn mowers the RS630 is dripping with useful features:

• Slope control – Got a yard that falls off at 35 degrees? No problem for the RS630. It hugs the terrain like a cruise missile.
• Rain sensor – While the outer shell of the RS630 is fully weatherproof the unit isn’t one to just stand in the rain for no reason. If it detects precipitation it automatically retreats to the base to wait things out.
• Edge mode – Lesser robot mowers have a tendency to leave fairly wide borders around the cutting area that you then have to tackle yourself with the edger. Not the RS630 however. The cutting surface goes right to the edge of the unit so you get a total cut right to the border’s edge.
• Mobile app – Halfway around the globe on vacation? Whip out your smartphone and put the RoboMow RS630 to work on the lawn.
• Child lock – Keeps your youngsters from accidently starting the mower and perhaps hurting themselves.
• Heavy duty blades – Dual stainless steel rotating blades provide a razor sharp cut every time. Even if you’ve let the lawn go for a while the RS630 will have no problem with the heavy grass.
• Obstruction detectors – If the RS630 encounters you, your child, your guest or your pet it immediately stops in its tracks and shuts down the blades. It then redirects itself around the obstacle and moves off to continue cutting.
• Auto stop – Lift the handle at any time and the motor shuts down automatically. There’s also an emergency stop button on the handle that can be pressed at any time to shut the unit down.
• Anti-theft – Unlike some other robot lawn mowers you can program your own PIN into the device and prevent anyone but yourself from ever starting it up.
• Zone control – Set up multiple zones in the yard and get a custom cut for each.

Setup

While you will have to spend a few minutes installing the wire boundary that denotes the operational limits of the device that’s about the toughest part of setting up your RS630. As far as robot mowers go it’s actually one of the easiest to get under way. Just program a few basic commands and preferences into the unit using the handy digital displays and you’re ready to go.

Performance

Like most robot lawn mowers the RS630 doesn’t look at first glance as though it’s up to the task of mowing ¾ of an acre of grass in an hour. But this is a classic case of “don’t judge a book by its cover” because the RS630 does not mess around when it comes to performance. You may at first wonder why it’s heading off in a series of seemingly random directions but an hour later when your lawn looks like the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach you’ll have nothing but admiration for this hard working little bot.

Of all the robot lawn mowers out there the RS630 is one of the best at handling uneven, bumpy terrain and daunting slopes where you’re sure it’s going to either flip or quit. Should the device encounter a gnarly tree root or rock it treats it the same way it treats your foot or your pet. The blades automatically shut down, the device chooses a new path, it moves away and then automatically re-engages the blades once it’s clear.

Considerations

When it comes to the RS630, the 600 pound gorilla in the room is the price. You’ll need to take a deep breath, relax and think about if you really want to spend this much on a lawn mower. Even if it is one of the premier robot mowers on the market. Perhaps you’ll find some solace in the fact that the unit comes with a full 3 year warranty and is built to last or maybe the steep purchase price isn’t a problem for you. If that’s the case more power to you. Keep in mind too that those wires you’re going to have to lay out around your yard may get the attention of your pet of the local squirrels, which could cause operational problems.