EcoFlow Blade Review: Smart Robot Mower, Silly Glitches Leave a comment

I set a biweekly automation schedule, and the EcoFlow Blade has principally accomplished the job with none enter from me. However it hasn’t been excellent. I encountered a couple of errors the place it merely refused to begin. The primary time this occurred, a firmware replace received it working once more. The second time, I needed to contact assist. The app continues to be in beta, so hopefully reliability will enhance. When it really works, the Blade is speedy and cuts grass effectively.

With an IPX5 rating, the EcoFlow Blade and charging base are tremendous out within the rain, which is simply as effectively as a result of it has been very moist right here not too long ago. Identical to any mower, it can’t address moist grass. The Blade has a rain sensor, and you’ll set a rain delay within the app in order that it waits some time after the rain stops to begin mowing once more. The one morning the Blade began up when the grass was nonetheless dewy, it grew to become clogged and advised me it was caught about two minutes into the job.

The entrance wheels have gaps that get clogged fairly usually. Fortunately, the open design makes it fairly simple to wash, and you’ll even flip a low strain hose on it. For some motive, snails appear to find it irresistible. I’ve needed to clear them out of the entrance grill a number of instances.

My youngsters often go away stuff on the garden, and the EcoFlow Blade impressed with its impediment avoidance. Small objects, like a sandcastle bucket and a soccer, got a large berth. However the flip facet is that it leaves a border across the garden uncut. On the backside edge, which opens onto a path, it cuts proper to the sting, however across the facet the place there are vegetation and different obstacles it leaves a strip a few foot extensive. Slender paths are additionally an issue. In case you have two sections of garden you need mowed, however the path between them is lower than 3 toes extensive and there is a fence or wall on both facet, the EcoFlow Blade most likely received’t be capable of get there.

You possibly can all the time use handbook management within the app if the EcoFlow Blade will get caught, but it surely’s just for guiding the mower again to the charging station or marking out chopping areas. Sadly, you may’t have it lower when you manually management it. Which means you’re caught getting the common mower or trimmer out to do the perimeters.

Whereas the EcoFlow Blade is nowhere close to as noisy as an everyday mower, it’s loud for a robotic mower. My Apple Watch reckons it went as excessive as 65 decibels. It additionally makes an annoying reversing sound, says “Charging” when it hits the bottom, and utters a couple of different phrases. Fortunately you may flip the speech and sound quantity down within the app. You can even flip off the superfluous mild on the mower however not the brilliant inexperienced mild on the charging station.

How A lot?

Everybody who noticed the EcoFlow Blade grinned and requested about it, however once I revealed the $2,899 value, all of them pulled the identical horrified expression. It’s a lot. You can even purchase it bundled with a Garden Sweeper Package that may clear away leaves and different particles earlier than you mow for $3,199 (MSRP $3,599). For folk within the UK, these costs are the identical in GBP.

Contemplating the asking value, I anticipated a smoother expertise. EcoFlow should work out the kinks if it needs completely happy clients. Until you will have a giant garden (actually greater than 1,000 sq. toes), I’d not take into account the EcoFlow Blade. There are different robotic mowers that require a trickier setup and lack a few of the smarts, however are additionally far cheaper. And sadly, for a near-seamless expertise, you will have to pay rather more; Husqvarna’s premium robotic mower is nearly twice as a lot (9/10, WIRED Recommends).