Husqvarna Automower® 315X Robotic Lawn Mower, Small – Medium Yards (0.4 Acres)

Interested in a Robotic Lawnmower but debating the value? Read on for some tips, information, and reasons to buy or not buy one of these devices. First a quick list of pros and cons with more descriptions found below.Pros+No more mowing the lawn!+Keeps the lawn a beautiful, even height+Easy to forget that lawn mowing was even a chore at one point+Incredibly quiet+Inexpensive to maintain+Excellent customer service+Mulches so finely you can't even tell+Does not leave lines in the lawnCons-Initially expensive-Only covers relatively small lawns-Annoying to set up yourself (although they always come with installation now)-Service centers aren't always close (but it can be mailed to one, so that's helpful)-Occasional issues means you have to help the mower out manually-Edges need to be done with a trimmer still-Always mulches, so leaves and debris stay in the yard, you have to rake on occasion if you have treesSHOULD I GET A ROBOTIC MOWER?Alright, time to get to why you WOULD want to buy one of these mowers. If you value time more than money, you will be either hiring someone or looking at purchasing one of these. If you want a perfectly even lawn all the time, then this is the only option. One of the surprising factors recognized as an owner of a robotic lawnmower is I forget that a lawn isn't supposed to be exactly the same height all the time. The only way you can tell how it should be growing is by looking at the edges, otherwise you could never tell the lawn is actually growing. As I have a separate front lawn, I have to manually place the lawn mower up there due to a fence that separates the two which I don't want to modify. I put the lawn mower out front every other day or so, but when I forget and notice that grass has grown it's actually a surprise and I think the lawn is out of control. Then I look at my neighbors and realize that it's still an exceptionally well maintained lawn.Customer service from Husqvarna is top notch. I had an issue with my mower with a latch that was sticking. I called in and they told me where the service center was. Even though the center was close, a 30 minute drive away, they still offered to send it understanding that these are purchased to save time. Fortunately as we discussed the issue we came upon a solution to fix the problem without taking or sending it in. I do appreciate how much they care. They also log every issue with the specific mower so they know it's history in case any other problems arise.WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT OWNING A ROBOTIC MOWER:Here's some things that you should know about robotic lawn mowers in general. This (the 315X) and many do not contain external sensors. Meaning they can't "see" anything. It's very important for them to so do, as all consumer robotic lawnmowers I've seen use low voltage boundary wires. This does mean that you have to have a wire placed around the perimeter of your lawn. The upside is that you can tell the mower to go exactly where you do and don't want it. If you have a garden without a border, no problem, the wire will keep it from driving in there.The lack of sensors means the mower's senses are limited to electrical signals from the border wire and bump sensors from the shell of the mower. The entire mower is hiding underneath a plastic shell, if the shell is pushed in any direction the mower knows this and will try to avoid the obstacle. It is in no means "smart," but this is a very effective method of navigation. These mowers use similar algorithms to the way a Roomba functions, as it uses a specialized pattern of random paths which guarantee full lawn coverage.Is the mower fast? Nope, it doesn't need to be. It mows constantly. Mine is schedule to run 8 hours a day, which it probably runs for about 4 (between charging). On the weekends it's allowed to go out for 16 hours. Since it's always mowing, it goes over the same places a lot, but I've never seen any missed areas since I've run it. The X series does have GPS and it will note areas with tighter paths that lead to patches of grass and automatically go to those spots to clean them up.Will it bother you if it's mowing while you're outside? If you don't like the look of it, maybe. If you're worried about hearing it, good luck, it's almost completely inaudible for a short distance (3 m / ~10 ft away). To say I'm impressed with how quiet the mower is, is a complete understatement. You really just have to find a video demonstration and listen to it yourself.Maintenance! Is very easy so far. I've hardly had any issues with the mower. The basic maintenance includes changing the blades (which are basically razor blades) with a screwdriver. It's very easy and takes under 5 minutes. The blades very inexpensive, amazingly, at under $5 for a replacement set for OEM or you can find them for about $1 a set on Amazon. Cleaning the body of the mower under the shell is the other semi-regular task. This is done with brush. You can pop the shell off (just be careful of the front cable for the lights) and then brush all the dirt / grass from under the mower quickly.A final quick note on the things to know section is that the mower is IPX4 rated for water resistance (not PROOF). It is fine driving around it in the rain, but it cannot be submerged in water. Do not hose the mower off as it's not designed for that. The worst that happens in the rain is that grass can collect in the wheels and give it less traction. That's really about it though. It's been through quite a few storms happily mowing away.WHY WOULDN'T I GET A ROBOTIC MOWER?Here's the real question. They sound very helpful, so why wouldn't you get one? The primary reason is the lawn size. Robotic lawnmowers are limited to their mowing speed and efficiency. When a lawn is too big, it'll outgrow the lawnmower's cutting capability. You can go to Husqvarna's website to get help with how much each model can mow. The 315X is rated for 1600 meters squared (~0.4 acres). They can go up to 5000 meters squared (~1.25 acres), but you have to get the larger mower. If you have the money, I would recommend one of the larger ones anyway because they are faster and will be out of the way more frequently. They also handle varied terrain better.The main reason I could find that someone might not get one of these aside from the expense is the fact that these mower can only mulch. They have tiny blades to cut only grass. If you have trees or plants that frequently leave debris on the lawn, you'll have to take care of this yourself. Where small stick and leave will typically be sucked up into a regular mower due to the suction force, robotic lawnmowers use a spinning plate with tiny blades which create no suction. It also clearly never bags your lawn. The mulch is very fine and you'll never notice it, so there's no need. I do need to walk out and pick up sticks and other debris to keep the lawn clear. Leaves, if left, will eventually become tiny pieces and disappear or be blown away, but I prefer to rake them up.Robotic lawnmowers do need a helping hand if they run into an issue. They are not perfect and do get stuck on occasion. Mine has gotten stuck on top of a rock once (which I moved) and on a gutter drain, which I adjusted the wire. In both cases the mower just complains over the mobile app to tell me it's stuck and sits there waiting for help. If I'm at work, it just has to wait there all day. These occurrences are rare now that I've adjusted the wire for problem areas and considering how much it drives around all day every day, it's very impressive. The downside is this means that for a remote location (say a second house), it's probably not ideal unless you live close enough or can rely on someone to help it if there's a problem.Finally, these robotic mowers are expensive. That's the main reason most people won't get one. I find it to be worth the expense, but it's a matter of weighing it against how much you value your own time. I hope they come down in price so eventually more people can get them. I think they are excellent devices and save valuable time. Also the noise pollution of regular mowers I find to be annoying, but I also like to record ambient outdoor noise, so that's on me for caring about the sound around me, most people won't be bothered by this.CONCLUSIONRobotic lawnmowers aren't for everyone, but I do think they're for more people than own them at the moment. I think a lot of people would appreciate what they get from having a robot caring for their lawn constantly. I would highly recommend picking up one of these mowers. Husqvarna is an excellent brand and very much care for their customers. Their customer service is top notch, but you do pay a premium. That premium gives you value in the form of piece of mind if something is a problem.Hopefully this helped you make an informed decision on a large purchase.

This is the first review I’ve ever written on a product that I purchased on Amazon. I just felt like it was so cool that I had to. I don’t have a very large yard and I am very busy,I don’t have the time anymore to do yardwork like I used to. I needed to get a new lawn more so why not be lazy. At first I was concerned with the high price , but once I purchased it After the first day I realized I made a good decision. I did not use the professional installation I did it myself and I followed the instructions mostly as they suggested, I took time to measure the guide wire using the measuring device they supplied. Near my planter boxes and rock walls are use the further distance and around the edges and gravel or use the shorter distance. Turns out if you follow instructions it works perfectly. I live in Southern California and it has been raining for the past week but when I receive the mower I had to install it right away. The grass was higher than normal they suggested that you moe the grass first I did not do that. I just use my Weedwhacker around the perimeter of the lawn and install the Guidewire. I wanted to see if the mower could knock down the high grass and sure enough it did even with the grass wet with all the rains.I’ve always known Husqvarna for their quality products specifically their chainsaws back in the day when I lived in the mountains and used to have to get firewood. So when I saw the name brand for the mower I knew it must be Quality. They put together a machine that does exactly but they said it would do and now I have more time and a perfect lawn. don’t get hung up on the price it’s worth it, time is money for me in my free time I’d rather spend with my family.

Since I'm disabled I bought the 315x from Amazon to keep our yard mowed for our pups. We don't have a local Husqvarena dealer so Amazon was my only choice. Unfortunately, I have a problem. As you know, you have to use a PIN to get into the menu system. I didn't have one so I contacted Husqvarna twice. The first time I was told to contact the dealer. After explaining that I purchased it from Amazon, I was told to register it and I'd be given a PIN at that time. So I registered it but still wasn't given a PIN. I've contacted them a third time, but now they won't contact me back. As it stands I have a $2000+ mower that is currently worthless to me. Do any of you have a suggestion to at least get me thru to the menu so I can start up the mower otherwise my yard will be so tall that I'll end up having to hire someone to mow it for me.UPDATE: Husqvarna contacted me and after providing the Bill of Sale and Model/Serial #, they gave me the correct PIN. After getting it all set up I sent it off to do its job. Unfortunately I have some type of weeds in my yard that trigger the sensor for the Automower to turn and avoid it. All I know to do now is to spray my yard and kill everything and hope the grass eventually grows back in, not the weeds otherwise I'm back to paying someone to mow it for it.UPDATE #2: The first year went pretty well. I can't say the same for year 2, 3, & 4. The reason is because it's been in the service center ever since. Something went wrong with a circuit board or switch as it kept throwing errors even before getting into the yard. It's been doing the same for the service tech. He got so fed up with Husqvarna's support that he sent the unit to them for them to fix. They have been unable to resolve the problem as well. BUT ... do you think they've provided a replacement unit? NOOOOOO. Instead I had to purchase a warranty extension because they wouldn't extend the one I had and if it still wasn't fixed by the time my warranty ended, I would be responsible for paying for the shop bill all this time. Now ain't that a crock of ....? Save your time and money and don't buy anything Husqvarna has to sell.UPDATE #3: Husqvarna not only has my mower but they wanted the docking base too which I returned. Long story short, I sent back everything the mower required in which they asked for but Husqvarna refused to give me a replacement and from last I heard, they now won't even admit that they have it at all. They wanted me to buy another warranty on it but I have just claimed it as theft and have moved on.