LawnMaster VBRM16 OcuMow™ Drop and Mow Robot Lawnmower with MX 24V 4.0Ah lithium battery and fast charger. No Boundary Wire, App or Outdoor Power Socket needed. For small to medium lawns up to 100m2.

Product Information

Robotic lawn mowers are becoming ever more popular and in the last few months, boundary wireless models are flying off the shelves. However, the problem is that many of these GPS mowers are incredibly expensive. So, if you’re looking to just test the water, spending all of that money can feel like a no go.

However, you can add additional functions and take greater control over the mower using an app on your smartphone. This lets you start and stop the mower remotely (though it only supports Bluetooth, so you still have to be in the vicinity). More crucially, it lets you control exactly when the robot should head out for a run, with two programmable mowing slots available for each day of the week, so you can really fine-tune your mowing. Mechanically, most robot lawn mowers are surprisingly similar. In your garden they look a bit like a tiny car, about the same size as an upturned washing-up bowl, with two large wheels to control movement and one or two coasters to add stability. They tend to cut the grass with sharp steel blades that closely resemble razor blades, which you will find attached to a spinning disc on the underside of the mower’s chassis. Are they difficult to set up?

If you are someone that doesn’t want the hassle of using a complicated advanced robotic lawn mower, then the LawnMaster VBRM16 will be right up your street. It’s a brilliant entry level robot mower as operation is as good as fool proof. What’s more, it’s incredibly affordable so you won’t need to spend a lot of money to familiarise yourself with this type of technology.

Rain detection: It’s better to let your grass soak up excess moisture before mowing it. A rain sensor will send your robot home if it starts to rain, and can delay mowing until it’s dry again. The Worx Landroid M500 Plus WR165E reduces this problem. The spinning disc that the cutting blades are attached to is offset from the centre, closer to the side of the mower, which lets it cut closer to edges. It doesn’t eliminate the problem completely, but if you lay your boundary wires carefully, you can minimise the extra work that’s left behind.The beauty of the LawnMaster VBRM16 is that it’s so easy to use. It doesn’t require a smartphone app so it’s perfect if you’re not great with tech and even the control panel on the machine is a breeze to use. For people who want a robot mower that is lightweight (6.6kg) and easy to store, the LawnMaster VBRM16 makes an excellent choice as it’s so compact. What’s more, it comes with a carry handle so moving it around is even easier. For safety, the mower detects and avoids obstacles using the camera and ultrasonic sensors. It also features a safety key preventing use by children, and sensors which stop the blades when the machine is lifted. As I discussed earlier, some of the more expensive robotic lawn mowers use GPS and RTK to navigate. However, the LawnMaster VBRM16 benefits from a camera and two sensors located at the front of the machine which enables it to ‘see’ the lawn and move around objects or stop at the edge.

What do I mean by this? Well, unlike most robotic mowers, this one isn’t designed to be left outside all the time. It’s a drop and go machine which can be charged indoors and then you simply need to pop it on the ground and let it do its thing. There are many advantages to this which I’ll dive into in my LawnMaster VBRM16 review.

One of the things that a lot of people ask me about robotic lawn mowers is whether they have enough power to complete the entire lawn in one go. PART OF THE MX 24V SHARED BATTERY SYSTEM: Expand your LawnMaster cordless garden power tool collection without having to buy a new battery and charger every time with the MX 24V Shared Battery System. Unfortunately, all this innovation does come at a cost, since this is one of the priciest robot lawn mowers you’re likely to find on the market. Still, if you have a large lawn that you want neatly trimmed but you don’t want the hassle of laying wires, it’s certainly an effective option. Robot lawn mowers are traditionally fiddly to set up, requiring an outdoor power supply and a boundary wire laid around the edge of the lawn to stop the robot disappearing off into your flower beds. The LawnMaster VBRM16 is different, though, and can be ready to start mowing as soon as you’ve brought it home and charged its battery. As I mentioned, I tried this machine out on my 100m² front lawn and within three hours, it had as good as completed the entire thing with power to spare. Typically, you’ll get around four hours out of a single charge, but this does depend on the conditions such as whether there are any slopes or how bumpy the ground is.

Most robot lawnmowers have to be connected to Wi-Fi if you want to control and schedule their activities using a smartphone app. The Honda Miimo 70 Live is a bit different because it has a mobile internet connection built in. Most robot lawn mowers still rely on a physical floor-level guide wire to ensure that they stay within the boundary of your lawn, instead of disappearing into a flower bed or vegetable patch. However, the EcoFlow Blade is an altogether different proposition, using satellite navigation to ensure it stays exactly where you want. Object avoidance: A feature that all robot vacuums have but rarely seen on robot mowers, certainly at the lower end of the price spectrum. A good safety feature for those with pets or kids who play in the garden unsupervised. The blades on any lawn mower have the potential to cause a serious injury so I was pleased to see that the LawnMaster VBRM16 comes with a lift and tilt sensor.The great thing about the LawnMaster VBRM16 is that the manufacturer has carefully combined the blade width and run time to ensure the mower covers up to 100 square metres in one go.