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The Honda Miimo is a robo lawnmower that will cut grass like a Roomba cleans floors if you have four grand to spend.
The Honda Miimo certainly has its allure. The first and most obvious is that you can just set it and let it work, cutting the grass of your lawn while you do other things. You can control it with a remote control or with a phone app, both of which allow you to adjust the blade height. The Miimo can mow for 30 to 70 minutes before it will automatically return to its “discreet” docking and charging station. You don’t have to worry about theft (it’s equipped with an alarm to go off when picked up) or runaway (low-voltage wire barriers surround the lawn). There are even sensors so Miimo doesn’t try to cut up any children’s toys or lounging pets.
See the Honda spot, which, honestly, doesn’t make anything about the Miimo sound real, below.
The main flaw in the Miimo system appears to be that it doesn’t mow consistently and, with a wandering, roaming robo lawnmower, you are not going to see pretty grid patterns in the grass. There is also, of course, that price tag. The Honda Miimo is going to run you $4,299. A “cheaper” robo lawnmower, such as the Robomow or the Worx Landroid, is still going to cost you $1,299 or $999, respectively.
Roombas themselves are not exactly cheap for a vacuum cleaner, typically running anywhere from $200 to $600. But the robo lawnmower industry makes the robo vacuum industry look downright affordable. With no real reviews to gauge longevity, the ultimate, long-term value is very much unclear.
The alternative is, of course, continuing to mow your lawn yourself or outsourcing it to either a professional gardener or a local teen looking for a summer job. The decision is up to you.
