This little guy was extremely easy to set up and start using right out of the box—I'm a 61 y/o lady and I had Daryl, as I've named him, out mowing the lawn in about 25 minutes from the time I opened the package.
For reference, I use Daryl to mow my front and side yards, about 0.35 acres of flat Bermuda grass with few obstacles. It was very easy to map out 4 mowing zones, no-go zones around my trees and flower beds, and channels connecting the mowing zones (task areas). I originally planned to use him in another part of my yard with a slight slope and less well tended Bermuda grass, but he really struggled, so I'm handling that area with my trusty push mower. Nevertheless, I love turning over regular maintenance of all the curb facing areas of my lawn and I run Daryl pretty much every day, alternating between my task zones. I think he works better when he's only trimming a bit at a time rather than a week of growth and I love that my lawn always looks freshly mowed. I would highly recommend this—just schedule him to trim things every other day and keep it fresh looking and easier on your robot.
Pros:
—extremely easy set up
—lightweight
—not glitchy; you tell him what to do and he does it. I've not had software errors and such
—the app is wonderful; you can keep tabs on his work from anywhere, even away from home
—so many options for cutting height, mow pattern, etc. I've settled on the checkerboard and even though it takes longer, I love that buttoned up look
—battery life is great. He can complete each task area pretty much on one charge and then toddle back to his garage for a refill (highly recommend a garage for brutal SC summer sun)
—obstacle detection is amazing. He easily maneuvers around my dog and his assorted toys
—the edge cutting is nice. He gets in nice and tight so I don't have to do a lot of edging cleanup
Things I don't love:
—he's kind of sensitive about little dips and ridges in the yard. If he goes over a big weed or clump of crabgrass (I'm working on it!!!), he will fuss about his front wheels being lifted and if he can't get situated after a couple tries, you get an error on the app and need to rescue him. I expected this with actual divots or holes or ridges—he's not AWD—but he can get hung up on some pretty insignificant things. I've been marking the places he goes wonky and either digging up weeds or filling dips in with dirt and I hope it improves, but if your yard isn't essentially flat and smooth, you'll get annoyed with his hang-ups.
—he's not great with weeds. The cutting deck is literally whirling razor blades, works great on tender grass but tough weeds just kind of slip through and bend and somehow avoid getting cut. He's amazing on the Bermuda but I'm going to have to tackle my weeds before he can really cut the whole lawn.
Best for:
—people with currently well manicured, flat lawns who want to set and forget their routine maintenance.