Comparison of Best Robot Lawn Mowers for Steep Slopes and Hills in 2022 | Gardena Sileno City vs. Husqvarna Automower

What is the best robotic mower? To answer this question, we tested the two most popular models on the market — Husqvarna Automower 115H and Gardena SILENO City. Both products are manufactured by trusted brands, Husqvarna and Gardena.

The Husqvarna Group is a well-established Swedish producer of garden tractors, chainsaws, trimmers, and trimmers. The company is the world’s leading manufacturer of outdoor power tools and inventor of the first-ever solar-powered robotic lawnmower. You might be surprised, but Husqvarna was founded as far back as 330 years ago. Of course, there were no power tools, let alone robots, in the 17th century and the company was engaged in firearms manufacturing. Nevertheless, its long history of success speaks loads about the quality of Husqvarna products.

Gardena specializes in gardening tools and is headquartered in Germany. The company was set up in 1961 to make water hose plug-in systems but today it offers a wide range of products from sprinklers and water controls to grass trimmers, lawnmowers, and shrub shears. In 2007, Gardena became a division of Husqvarna Group but still enjoys enough independence to create its own unique tools.

Gardena Sileno City and Husqvarna Automower Robotic Lawn Mowers Compared

Below, we will compare the Husqvarna Automower 115H and Gardena Sileno based on the most essential features of robotic mowers.

Cutting Width & Size of the Lawn

When choosing a robotic mower, first consider the size of your lawn. Based on the total area of your lawn, you can pick a model with an appropriate cutting width and battery power. For instance, mowers with a 6-inch cutting width are more suitable for areas up to 500 sq. meters, whereas larger lawn sizes of about 2,000 sq. meters require machines with a cutting width of at least 8 inches.

The Gardena Sileno is certainly for small-size lawns. With a capacity of up to 250 sq. meters or 2700 sq ft, it has a cutting width of 6.9 inches. The Husqvarna with a cutting width of 8.6 inches mows up to 0.4 acres and will easily cope with medium-sized lawns.

Incline: Flat and Sloped Lawns

Some lawns are flat while others are sloped, so this is another important factor to take into account. The majority of robotic mowers can handle uneven surfaces, however, if you have steep slopes of about 30% or 17 degrees, the best choice will be a 4-wheel mower such as the Husqvarna Automower 115H with its large coarse-tread wheels. However, we found out during the testing that a lawn with grassy slopes up to 35% was not a problem for the Gardena Sileno, too.

Husqvarna has advanced robot mowers like Automower 430XH for highly complex large lawns up to 0.8 acres with very strong slopes up to 45% or 24°. Such mowers are equipped with GPS tracking, and their working time is 145 minutes.

How robotic lawn mowers work

Robotic lawnmowers can operate automatically or manually. When used in the auto mode, the machine moves within an area surrounded by a perimeter wire that creates a kind of boundary. Once the robot approaches that wire, it senses the signal and stays within the defined area. The Husqvarna machine can follow the guidewire even through a narrow passage and start the mowing from three different locations along the wire. Both models are made with an automatic charging feature, meaning the machine will find its own way back to the charging station when more power is needed. Note that depending on your lawn’s size, you will have to spend an hour or more putting down the perimeter wires.

We actually liked both these models: once set and turned on, they kept working and working until the lawn looked like a carpet! That being said, there are some differences. The Husqvarna model contains three pivoting carbon steel razor blades that are attached to a sturdy cutting disc system. You can easily adjust the cutting height by simply turning a knob. Not only is this machine efficient but it also boasts low energy consumption.

The Gardena Sileno has the advantage of being more compact and measures 21” x 15” x 9” inches as compared to the Husqvarna with its size of 23” x 18” x 27”. The Gardena mower is also 4 pounds lighter and has a three-wheel design. Like the Husqvarna Automower, it is built with three pivoting razor blades and is weather-resistant.

Runtime & Battery

While being more compact, the Gardena Sileno robotic mower can operate longer on a charge — up to 65 minutes as compared to the Husqvarna’s 60 minutes of mow time. However, there is another side to the coin: its battery charges 15 minutes longer than that of the Husqvarna.

Controls

Advanced models allow you to set mowing schedules not only on the control panels but also via the app. The Husqvarna features a high-resolution graphic menu display where you can schedule the mowing. You can complete the majority of functions available on the keypad from the app, such as starting, stopping, and configuring your mower. The app connects to the unit through Bluetooth. Note that you will only be able to change settings but not “drive” the machine because it works by doing a random mowing. This may not be convenient if you need to mow both a backyard and a front yard.

The Gardena Sileno also comes with both the control panel and Bluetooth App. To schedule the mowing, just enter the size of your lawn, desired date, and time.

Noise Level

From our experience, both models are noiseless, but the Gardena Sileno operates a little bit more quietly and has a maximum noise level of 57 dB. The Husqvarna Automower 115H features a noise-reducing motor design with a 59 dB of sound level. Anyway, these machines are much quieter than average mowers which typically produce 95 dB to 100 dB of noise.

Buyer’s Guide

Robotic lawn mowers are perfect for people with large yards or little time. As long as your yard is flat and devoid of any obstacles, setting up a robot to cut the grass couldn't be easier.

If you're looking to save time and avoid all the hassle of using a lawnmower, then robotic ones are perfect for your yard. They operate on battery power, so there's no need for cords or plugs when you want them to work on your grass. The sensors detect where they should be cutting based on their surroundings while also automatically returning back in place if it gets stuck somewhere along the way due to obstacles such as trees or fences. This prevents any damage that could happen from being cut by hitting an object with blades attached.

Do robot lawn mowers really work?

Robotic lawnmowers work great, but they do require some time and effort to set up. The first thing you need is a flat yard (up to 35% slope) with no obstructions like trees, cars, or other objects that could get in the way of the robot cutting your grass. They also won’t cut high weeds so try to keep them under six inches tall as best as possible before using your robot mower.

The next step is charging it for at least 24 hours before use. Although most robotic lawn mowers come pre-charged from the factory if yours doesn't have sufficient charge when you receive it then be sure to take care of this right away.

Robotic lawnmowers do not have bags. They are usually designed to cut the grass and mulch it — saving you time by requiring less manual clean-up afterward.

Sensors. There are many types of sensors that allow robots to find their way.

• Touch and collision sensors help the robot determine where it is going, avoiding obstacles in its path with each step forward. If there's an object nearby, then knives automatically stop rotating.
• The device has tilt and lift sensors that regulate the operation of the robot in areas with difficult terrain, where there are inclined surfaces.
• The most complex and expensive systems around $1,700 like Husqvarna Automower 315X have GPS trackers installed so if lost they can be found easily enough. All devices come equipped with rain sensors because wet grass makes mowing very hard without one.

How much does a robot lawnmower cost?

The cost of a robot lawnmower varies from $800 to $3,000. Some models are more expensive than others, but they all feature the same basic functions and work similarly (with minimal variations).

Yard Size. Prices depend on the size of your lawn — the smaller it is, then usually, the cheaper a robotic mower will be. Thus the budget Gardena City model for up to 2700 sq. ft. lawns will cost you around 800 bucks, while Gardena Life for medium-sized yards (8100 sq.ft.) will be a little bit over $1,000.

Core features: Functionality

Robotics engineers are always looking for ways to make their inventions even more useful. One of the newest innovations in robot control is a Bluetooth remote, which can be controlled from your smartphone or tablet device and work without you being physically present at all. This type of setup allows for not only long-distance monitoring but also changing settings during operation and doing so with ease gives anyone who's ever wanted a drone-like ability to his own robotic lawnmower around.

• Whether the machine can be programmed to cut your lawn on specific days of the week, or set up for a one-off mulching session.
• What type of grass it's suited to (e.g., fine fescue versus Kentucky bluegrass).
• Whether you need an electrical outlet nearby and where it will store its recharged batteries when not in use.
• How easy it is to move the machine around your yard.

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