In this Worx Landroid Review, we’ll be giving you a thorough overview of the entire Landroid model range, and we’ll also be providing a buyer’s guide and some helpful tips about setting up, running, and maintaining your robotic lawnmower.
If you’re looking to save time on your yard work, then you might want to consider investing in a robotic lawnmower. A robotic lawn mower is an excellent one-time investment that will save you tons of time in the long run, especially if you have a reasonably large lawn that frequently needs cutting.
Let’s dive right into it:
Table of Contents
Worx Landroid Overview
The Worx Landroid lineup currently consists of four models. All of these robotic lawnmowers are fully automated; aside from the initial setup, these lawnmowers can operate entirely on their own, including returning to their charging stations automatically when their battery gets low or if they detect rain.
You can also download the Worx Landroid APP, which allows you to perform numerous tasks, including checking your mowing progress, creating a mowing schedule, updating your Landroid’s software, and even measuring your lawn.
The Landroid lineup is powered by a Worx rechargeable battery, which is compatible with most other Worx brand tools. This is handy if you already own a bunch of Worx gear since you can easily swap out batteries between your various devices if you need to.
All of the Landroid models move at about 1 mile an hour, meaning that they are pretty much guaranteed to not cause damage if they bump into an obstacle. If your Landroid does meet an obstacle, it will automatically back up and continue mowing in a different direction.
You can also customize any of the Landroid models with a number of extra features, including:
- A collision detection system that can help your Landroid detect and avoid obstacles that are 5″ or taller and 8″ or fewer away from your Landroid
- An anti-theft device that uses your cellular data to detect the Landroid has been removed from your property and automatically locks it
- A “digital fence” feature that allows you to draw a perimeter around objects or areas you don’t want your mower to approach without using the boundary wire
- A WiFi extender that makes sure your Landroid is always connected to your network, even if you have a large yard
Pros & Cons of the Worx Landroid Lineup
Before we get deeper into the actual details of each of the models, let’s go over some of the general pros and cons of the Worx Landroid lineup. We want to give you a general overview of what’s good and bad about this product to help give you an objective analysis of what the Worx Landroid is capable of.
Pros:
Cons:
Product Reviews
Now, let’s check out the individual models in the Landroid model range. We’ll be looking at the Landroid 140/143 and the 150/153 and comparing the features that each model offers.
Let’s Take A Closer Look At The Landroid 140/143
We’ll start off with a look at the Landroid 140/143. This is the entry-level model in the Landroid lineup, designed to operate on smaller lawns than the larger 150/153.
The Landroid 140 can cover up to ¼ of an acre of lawn in its mowing schedule. It has a 7″ cutting diameter and uses a cutting disc with three blades to perform its work.
The blade assembly is also offset towards the side of the robot, allowing the blade to get right up against the edge of your lawn and make sure everything is trimmed evenly.
This type of blade design, with three separate small blades mounted on a cutting disc, has a few advantages over a solid blade design. The blades are able to rotate around freely on the cutting disc, and they are activated by the centrifugal force of the spinning disc.
The centrifugal force allows the blades to cut through grass relatively easily, but if they encounter something more solid like a lawn ornament, a kid’s toy, or a gardening hose, then the blades are pushed back within the diameter of the cutting disc.
This type of blade will cause far less damage to any objects inadvertently left on your lawn than a solid blade will, and it also minimizes the chance that you’ll injure yourself if you accidentally come into contact with the moving blades.
The downside of this type of blade is that it wears out more quickly than a solid blade and will need to be replaced more frequently. They also can’t cut as much grass per stroke as a solid blade can.
The Landroid 140 uses two brushless electric motors, one to power each of its rear wheels. It can also charge itself up to full capacity in around 90 minutes.
The difference between the Landroid 140 and 143 is that the 143 comes attached with the “Find My Landroid” anti-theft GPS module, which lets you pinpoint the exact location of your Landroid if it’s taken from your yard.
What You Need To Know About The Landroid 150/153
The Landroid 150/153 is basically the larger, more capable version of the 140/143. It can cover up to ½ an acre of lawn, features a 9″ blade instead of a 7″ blade, and can cut grass at a maximum height of 3.9″ instead of 3.1″, but other than that, this robotic lawnmower is functionally the same as the smaller version of itself.
You get the same electric motors, charging time, and ability to add extra features as you do with the 140/143. And as you may have guessed, the difference between the 150 and the 153 is that the 153 comes already bundled with Worx’s anti-theft GPS tracker.
Buyer’s Guide – How to Choose the Best Robotic Lawnmower
In this buyer’s guide, we’ll be going over what sorts of things you should consider in general before buying a robot lawnmower, as well as how to properly set up, operate, and maintain your Landroid.
A robotic lawn mower is a pretty significant investment, and it’s also one that ideally will last you for a long time. Therefore, you want to pick the right robotic lawnmower the first time so that you don’t have to deal with the inconvenience of setting up an entirely new robotic lawnmower more than once.
Here are some of the factors you should keep in mind when deciding what robotic lawnmower to buy:
1. The Size of Your Lawn
Every robotic lawnmower has a limit to the area that it’s able to cover. You’ll need to figure out the size of your lawn in advance before buying a robotic lawnmower, and when selecting a mower, you should try and find one whose total lawn coverage is as close as possible to the total area of your lawn (preferably, its total lawn coverage should be a little bit above the total area of your lawn).
The reason for this is that if you get a robotic lawnmower with too little range, then your mower might not be able to reach all the areas of your lawn that you’d want it to. On the other hand, if you get a robotic mower with TOO much range, then you’re basically just wasting your money.
This is because, in general, the more area your robotic lawnmower can cover, the more expensive it’s going to be. If you have a lawn that’s less than 10,000 square feet, for example, then it wouldn’t make much sense to get a robotic mower capable of covering 30,000 square feet since you’re paying extra for performance that you’re never really going to use.
2. The Slope of Your Lawn
Similar to how each robotic mower is capable of handling different distances, each robotic mower also has a maximum slope angle it can handle.
If your lawn features a slope, you can calculate its angle by dividing the rise of your slope (the difference in height between the top and bottom of your slope) by the run of your slope (the distance in length between the highest point and the lowest point on your slope). Then, multiply this number by 100 to get the approximate severity of your slope in degrees.
For example, if your rise is 10 feet and your run is 50 feet, then you would calculate the severity of your slope like this:
10/50 = 0.2 x 100 = 20
So the angle of your slope would be 20 degrees.
Most robotic mowers are 2-wheel-drive and can handle inclines of about 20-25 degrees. If you have a particularly steep lawn, you may want to consider investing in a 4-wheel-drive robotic mower; those can typically handle slopes of up to 35 degrees.
It’s worth noting that while certain models claim they can handle slopes, they may not actually be able to handle them all that well; some cheaper models aren’t able to maintain straight lines on slopes and tend to veer off to the side.
3. The Complexity of Your Lawn
By the “complexity” of your lawn, we’re referring to how many obstacles are typically on your lawn. If your lawn has flower beds, a kid’s play structure, trees, or other things that take up space on your lawn or have an irregular shape, then your robotic lawnmower might not be able to cut your lawn that well and leave an excess amount of untrimmed grass behind.
If this is the case with your lawn, then ideally, you’ll want to invest in a robotic mower that is capable of moving around in narrow-angled spaces. In the case of the Landroid, if your lawn is like this, then you may want to also invest in the optional anti-collision system feature available for all of the Landroid models.
Setting Up the Worx Landroid
This section will walk you through everything you need to know to set up your Landroid.
1. The Charging Station
To set up your Worx Landroid, you should first figure out where you’re going to place your charging station. When picking a spot for your charging station, you should try and look for an area that meets the following criteria:
- It should be no farther than 30 feet away from an AC mains outlet since it needs to be plugged in to charge your lawnmower
- It should be in a shady area to protect the charger from overheating and to shelter it from rain
- It needs to be on flat land that is level with your lawn to ensure that your lawnmower can dock properly
- It shouldn’t be placed near any sprinklers
2. The Boundary Wire
The boundary wire is there to prevent your lawnmower from straying outside the edge of your lawn. It transmits a signal to your lawnmower that lets it know where exactly the edge of your lawn is.
The boundary wire is attached flush to the surface of your lawn, so you don’t need to worry about tripping over it. You can also bury the boundary wire slightly below the surface of your lawn if you really want it to be out of sight.
You need to place the boundary wire a certain distance from the edge of your lawn in order to protect your lawnmower from going too far over the edge. The distance depends on what’s on the other side of your lawn’s edge. If the edge of your lawn is next to a path at the same height as your lawn, it should be 4” away; if the edge is next to a path of different height or a gravel path, it should be 10” away.
3. Identify Forbidden Areas
You can use the boundary wire to mark areas in your lawn that your lawnmower can’t go. Because the boundary wire needs to be placed in a single continuous loop with both ends connected to your charging station, this means that successfully placing the boundary wire around obstacles in the middle of your lawn can be challenging.
We’d recommend you just use the “Off Limits” feature, which is available on all Landroid models. This allows you to set up a virtual fence around anything inside the perimeter of your boundary wire, allowing you to easily set up temporary boundaries around any obstacles on your lawn.
Operating the Worx Landroid
Once you set your Landroid up, running it is pretty simple. The only major thing you need to do at this point is to create a schedule for your lawnmower; this can be done in one of two ways:
1. Auto Scheduling
Auto scheduling uses an advanced AI that takes into account factors like the size of your lawn, the soil used, the type of grass that is present, the local weather, and whether or not your lawn is irrigated, and creates its own schedule which it can automatically adjust.
Then you can sit back and let the Landroid do the rest of the work!
2. Manual Scheduling
You can also use manual scheduling to set a custom schedule that suits your needs the best. If you only want your mower to operate during certain times of the day, this is what you should use.
You can also use “Party Mode” to temporarily suspend your mower from work if you plan on having a party on your lawn that day. You can also schedule your lawnmower to work a few extra hours per day to make up for lost time if your mower was inactive for an extended period.
Maintaining the Worx Landroid
Maintaining your Landroid is pretty easy, and there are only a few things you need to do regularly to help it last. Here’s what you should do:
1. Keep the Blades Sharp
If your Landroid is operating every day, you should be changing your blades about once every two months. You should often check to see if the blades have become chipped or cracked within those two months, and change your blades out early if they are.
2. Keep the Mower Clean
Keeping the mower clean helps keep it in good working order. Always remember that the Landroid is only water-resistant and not waterproof; hoses and pressure washers will ruin it.
To clean the upper half of the Landroid, spritz it with water from a spray bottle, and wipe off the dirt using a cloth.
To clean the bottom, flip it upside down and use a brush to remove dirt and debris from the chassis, front wheels, and blades. Consider wearing gloves to protect your fingers from the sharp blades while doing this.
You should also brush excess dirt off of the drive wheels and use a cloth to clean the contact pins and charging strips of your Landroid’s charging port.
Watch this video to find out even more about the Worx Landroid mowers
Worx Landroid FAQ
Finally, let’s go over some of the more frequently asked questions that people have about using the Worx Android.
1. How long can my Landroid mow my lawn on a single battery charge?
The actual length of time that your Landroid’s battery will last depends on a variety of factors, like the thickness of your grass or whether your lawn is located on a slope. It’s therefore impossible to say exactly how long your Landroid will be able to operate before it needs to charge again.
However, the question of how long your Landroid’s battery will last is ultimately irrelevant because the Landroid is programmed to mow your lawn over the course of one week anyways.
2. Does my property need to be fenced in for me to have a Landroid?
No, your property doesn’t need a fence, although you will have to mark the limits of your property yourself with the boundary wire that comes included with your Landroid.
3. If my front and back yard are separated by a fence, can my Landroid still cut both yards?
Yes, but only if you have a pathway through the fence for your Landroid to travel. Otherwise, your best bet is probably to purchase another charging base for your Landroid, set it up in the backyard, and physically move your Landroid between your two yards if you want your Landroid to be able to cover both of these areas.
4. Do I still need to install the boundary wire if my yard is completely fenced in?
Yes, because your Landroid needs the boundary wire in order to find its way back to its charging station. The boundary wire also transmits a signal that tells the Landroid whether or not it’s still within the designated work area. If the Landroid doesn’t detect the signal from the boundary wire, then it automatically shuts off.
5. If I upgrade to a newer Landroid model, can I still use the boundary wire I laid down for my old one?
Absolutely. As long as your boundary wire is still completely intact, you can use it with any Landroid model. Before setting up a new Landroid, however, it may be worth it to inspect your boundary wire for any cuts or other damage. A boundary wire that isn’t in great condition might not function as well as you might want it to.
6. Will my Landroid cut my grass in a back-and-forth pattern?
No, the Landroid is not capable of mowing your grass in this manner. In fact, the Landroid does not follow any specified pattern, so when it’s operating it may seem like it’s moving around your yard randomly and missing certain areas of your lawn.
However, the Landroid is capable of recognizing paths it has already taken and is programmed to never mow over the same path twice. So even though it may not look like it’s functioning properly, the Landroid will still keep your lawn maintained evenly at all times.
7. What happens if someone steals my Landroid?
In the event that someone does decide to make off with your Landroid, you’ll immediately get a notification through the Landroid app on your phone.
If you bought the optional Find My Landroid accessory for your mower, which is a GPS module that attaches to the bottom of your Landroid, then you’ll be able to track the whereabouts of your Landroid in real-time. The Find My Landroid accessory uses cellular signals to determine the location of your Landroid.
8. Can I run more than one Landroid from the app?
Yes, you can pair more than one Landroid to the app. You may want to do this if you have a large yard that can’t be covered with one Landroid alone. Just be sure that you give each Landroid you own a unique name in the app, so you can easily identify which one is which.
9. Can I connect my Landroid to a third-party device, like a smart home hub?
Unfortunately, Landroids can only be connected to smartphones or tablets that support the Landroid app.
My Worx Landroid Review Summary
The Worx Landroid lineup is a solid choice if you’re looking for a capable robotic lawnmower that can help make your yard work significantly easier.
With the ability to cover up to ½ an acre of yard and the ability to add a multitude of options to help your Landroid navigate obstacles and help you keep track of your lawnmower’s location, and at a much more competitive starting price than many other available robotic lawnmowers.