Robot lawn mowers are becoming more popular, though the market is still developing. At CNET, we’ve tested a number of them, and the ones that stand out most to us are the ones that use wire-free navigation, meaning you don’t need to run wires around your yard to keep them within its boundaries. The new Ecovacs Goat LA3000 and A2000 LiDAR Pro join other wire-free robot lawn mowers like the Eufy E15, allowing you to set them up and start mowing without wires or much physical intervention.
Wire-free setup and navigation
The A3000 and A2000 LiDAR Pro use wire-free navigation with the company’s HoloScope 360 Dual-LiDAR triple-technology navigation system, which combines laser scanning and 3D mapping for real-time obstacle avoidance. Ecovacs says the system can be set up in under a minute and doesn’t require any external antennas. This also allows it to work at night and during cloudy days, with two-centimeter accuracy during mowing.
The mowers are powered by a 32-volt battery system and feature a dual-blade-disc cutting design that Ecovacs says results in three times faster mow time. The A3000 is suitable for larger, more complex yards up to three-fourths of an acre, while the A2000 can handle lawns up to half an acre. Both models can tackle inclines up to a 50% grade and can handle the steeper areas on their own without human assistance.
AI edge trimming
The other major technological improvement here is AI-powered edge trimming. Called TruEdge, it’s an automated edge trimmer that lets the robot lawn mower combine robot mowing with manual edging — something that typically requires a human.
The mowers use high-speed, rotating, flexible strings for edge cutting (sort of like a weed whacker), while the AI camera works to distinguish grass from non-grass items. It can identify physical boundaries and work around curves, fences, and flower beds.
The mowers can recognize and avoid more than 200 objects, including hoses and pet toys, as well as static objects such as garden sheds and pools.
Price and availability
The Goat A3000 costs $2,499, and the A2000 LiDAR Pro costs $1,999 on the Ecovacs site and Amazon. This puts them in line with other wire-free models we’ve tested, like the $2,299 Eufy E15 and the $2,599 Eufy E18.
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