What we like
- Built-in GPS and dual-vision camera
- AI obstacle avoidance
- Mows up to 100 minutes at a time
- Built-in safety features
What we don’t like
- Occasionally doesn’t return to charger
- May need to add physical boundaries
Trying to mow your yard when it’s 90 degrees and high humidity isn’t exactly a summer picnic. Now, imagine sipping a cold lemonade and watching the YARDCARE M800PLUS Robotic Lawnmower do the mowing for you. I recently had the pleasure of seeing just how relaxing summer yardwork could be while testing this robot mower.
This is a sponsored article and was made possible by YARDCARE. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author, who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.
Quick Setup to Start Mowing in Minutes
I honestly expected a complicated setup with the YARDCARE M800PLUS Robotic Lawnmower. All I had to do was unpack the box, put together the charging base, and secure it in the ground in a shady, protected location. It’s recommended to place the base as close to the lawn perimeter as possible.
The plastic stakes screw securely into the ground, so you won’t have to worry about the base moving around when the mower returns.
The first few times the mower returned, it tried to go in at an awkward angle, and the base still didn’t move around.
One of the things I love most about this robotic mower is that you can connect via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. For anyone who doesn’t have a great Wi-Fi signal outside, you’ll love this mower. The Bluetooth connection works well. Either way, setting up the connection in the app only took a few minutes.
The mower was at 90% when it arrived. I let it charge about 15 minutes before pressing the mow button on the top (the play button). If you use the buttons on the mower itself, press OK after the button to confirm your choice.
Set a Schedule and Forget About Mowing
We all get busy, and it’s often difficult to mow the lawn on a regular schedule. The YARDCARE M800PLUS Robotic Lawnmower lets you set a schedule that matches your needs. Prefer mowing early in the morning and only on Tuesdays and Thursdays? Just set it and forget it.
I loved that once I had installed the charging base, which only took about five minutes, I could bring up the app, set my schedule, and not have to worry about anything.
The mower works roughly 100 minutes on a charge and returns automatically to the charger when it reaches 20% battery remaining. Once it’s charged to 90%, it returns to its task.
For larger lawns, it may take multiple cycles before your lawn is finished. It’s designed for smaller yards of around 8,600 sq. ft.
Easily Adjust Cutting Height for the Perfect Lawn
I know everyone has a preference on their grass height. The manual recommended the grass be around 2.4 inches or less for best results, so if it’s a bit higher, you’ll need to break out your push or riding mower at least one more time.
Then, for the first use, set the big blue dial on the top of the mower to 60. All measurements are in millimeters. This is the tallest setting and helps the mower acclimate to your lawn without cutting too much at first.
I appreiated that I could set the cutting height at 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60. It only takes a second to adjust the height, and you’re free to do it at any time, even in the middle of mowing. Though, definitely stop the mower first. For me, I found 40 to be the optimal setting for my lawn.
Built-in GPS for Improved Paths and Charging
The YARDCARE M800PLUS Robotic Lawnmower has built-in GPS, along with a 135-degree wide-angle camera. This helps it easily detect the boundaries of your yard, maintain better mowing paths, and return to its charger.
In my tests, the camera did an amazing job of picking up natural boundaries, such as the driveway, flower beds, bushes, and even walkways. While I watched it carefully at first, it was such a relief knowing the mower wasn’t going to suddenly go rogue and plow through my flowers.
The U-shaped cutting system ensures even, orderly paths. At first, it’ll look like it’s missing spots, but trust the system. It’s designed to mow in two cycles: 40 minutes of horizontal rows, followed by 40 minutes of random, then 40 minutes of vertical rows, followed by 40 minutes of random.
The result is a perfectly manicured lawn without having to sweat it out behind a push mower. Living in the southern United States with high heat and humidity, watching a robot mow versus having to do it myself feels like a summer vacation.
And the mower cuts well. I was shocked to see how neatly it trimmed the grass without having to go back over any areas. The blades are tiny, but get the job done. It even comes with a second set of blades. It’s also quiet, so it won’t ruin any outdoor plans.
Occasionally, I had trouble with it returning to the charger. Howevee, it was trying to return in bright sunlight, so that could’ve been the issue. Just check up on it from time to time to make sure it makes it back.
Multiple Mowing Patterns for Different Lawns
You’re not stuck with the default mowing pattern. I was happy to see you can easily switch to Random and Spiral to tackle different areas of the lawn. You’ll need the free Yardcare app to switch mowing modes. If you stick with the default Mow option in the app, the mower goes with the orderly mow mode.
No Perimeter Wires, But Needs Boundaries
I mentioned you don’t have to install perimeter wires, but that doesn’t mean you can let the mower roam free. It still needs some type of boundary. During my review, I had it take off several times in my larger lawn. And for some reason, it always wanted to head toward the steepest ditch.
You don’t have to go overboard with boundaries, though. Some cheap plastic flower bed borders work great if you have areas where the mower wants to escape.
Yes, you could watch after it and step in its path, but that gets tedious. Plus, when it veers too far off, it can’t find the charging base.
Built-in Safety Features to Protect You and the Mower
Obviously, the camera recognizing boundaries is one safety feature, but it’s the AI-assisted obstacle recognition that impressed me most. The YARDCARE M800PLUS Robotic Lawnmower recognizes over 150 common lawn obstacles, such as balls, pets, fencing, pavement, larger sticks, etc.
I never had it try to go over or through an obstacle. It detected my swings, riding mower, flower bed borders, grill, and more with no issues. It always stopped just before touching anything and turned around.
Another safety feature is the emergency stop. In the event the mower gets hung up or is headed where it shouldn’t, press the big red Stop button on the mower. You can also stop it from the app.
As you probably know, you shouldn’t mow a wet yard. The YARDCARE M800PLUS knows this too. That’s why when it detects rain, it automatically returns to the charger. Once things are dry, it’ll go back to its normal schedule.
Handles Hills and Uneven Ground With Ease
I don’t have the most even yard. It has quite a few hills and bumpy spots, so I wasn’t sure how well the mower would work. The YARDCARE M800PLUS Robotic Lawn Mower supports climbing of up to 20-degree slopes.
It did surprisingly well going down a steeper slope and finding its way back up on the less steep side. Even when it encountered bumpy areas, it had no issues maintaining its path. The two sets of wheels help it maneuver well, even if you don’t have a perfectly flat yard.
Skip the Hard Yardwork and Let YARDCARE Handle It
For smaller lawns, the YARDCARE M800PLUS Robotic Lawnmower is your best friend for routine mowing. The simple set-it-and-forget-it process lets you focus on other tasks versus constantly mowing.
You’ll need to set some clear boundaries to ensure it works well, and the mower did have trouble returning sometimes, but overall, it worked exactly as described.
Skip the mowing for the rest of the summer, and pick up the Yardcare M800PLUS Robotic Lawnmower from the YARDCARE website or Amazon for $649.99 through the Prime Day event.
