I had the opportunity to try out a robotic lawn mower for the first time in 2019 While I enjoyed the convenience of not having to slave away in the sweltering sun, I found that it was not as efficient at its job Additionally, I needed an expert to install boundaries to keep the mower on my lawn Thankfully, a model is finally available that takes the next step in making robotic lawn mowers smarter and more efficient

The Automower 450XH EPOS is Husqvarna's first home-use model to feature GPS-assisted technology, freeing it from the wired boundaries of previous models, and after more than two months of testing, I was most surprised by the difference in performance from the Automower 430XH I tested not long ago The new technology comes at a high cost Read the rest of the Husqvarna 450XH EPOS review to see if you should throw $5,900 - yes, that's right - at this robotic mower

The toughest thing about the Automower 450XH EPOS is its hefty $5,900 price tag Compared to Husqvarna's entry-level Automower 415X at $2,000, it's obnoxiously expensive, so you really need to consider whether it's worth buying

Prior to using the Husqvarna Automower 450XH EPOS, I was paying $40 per week for lawn mowing service Let's say I need 6 months (about 24 weeks) of service That would be a better deal on paper than purchasing the Automower 450XH EPOS At this rate, the cost of the mower would be equivalent to paying for six years of professional lawn mowing service

Currently, the Automower 450XH EPOS can be purchased directly from Husqvarna It may take a little digging to find a local dealer, but it is not yet available at home improvement chains like Home Depot or Lowe's

The AutoMower 450XH looks exactly like any other robotic lawn mower, as it does not deviate from Husqvarna's signature design language In fact, it looked like a stingray searching for food on the ocean floor, but on wheels, with narrow eyes that glowed when the sun went down

I feel neither excited nor unexcited by this design because one thing is certain I am especially surprised or fascinated by this doorbell that moves silently around my lawn

It only comes in this metallic grayish color, which makes sense as an attempt to look inconspicuous while cutting the grass Two huge wheels at the rear propel its movement, while two smaller wheels toward the front help guide it Finally, at the top of the mower is a small plastic cover for manual starting or stopping

Even though the design has been repurposed from a previous bot, it honestly doesn't matter, because regardless of aesthetics, it is going to catch people because it is something you don't see every day

One of the perks about the AutoMower 450XH is that it is easier to install and set up than previous models because it has a GPS system Previous Husqvarna robotic mowers required the wire to be installed at the same height as the lawn to set the boundaries However, because Husqvarna's EPOS (Exact Positioning Operating System) is used to create virtual boundaries, none of that is required

I had the Automower 450XH EPOS professionally installed by an authorized contractor, but I am confident that anyone can easily do it themselves Besides staking the charging station, all that is required for setup is the installation of the reference station

I installed it on a metal pole that was already on the deck, but it needed to be in a location where it would not be blocked by other obstructions, such as being too close to the side of the house or a shade of some sort

This wireless system made the installation easier because I didn't have to worry about installing pesky wires all over my lawn It saves money over hiring a professional

When we reviewed the Automower 430XH a few years ago, we complained that it faced the same navigation problems as early robotic vacuum cleaners The Automower 450XH EPOS has GPS-assisted navigation, which eliminates all such problems

Only once can you cut in a straight line, which is also a relief This is what I like best about the Husqvarna Automower 450XH EPOS Even better, there is an option to cut the lawn in a checkerboard or triangular pattern However, in the smaller areas of my lawn, they are less noticeable, so I recommend sticking with a parallel or irregular pattern instead

In any case, the daily mowing schedule of the AutoMower 450XH EPOS has kept my lawn in top shape Keeping the mowing height at 3 inches also helped prevent clippings from falling onto the lawn, reducing burns on the lawn

I was also impressed with the battery life My property is on an 8,300 square foot lot and the Automower 450XH EPOS kept cutting for nearly 6 hours I have seen it mow in much less time, but the fact that it can cover up to 25 acres is what drives its longevity

While it doesn't have the best-in-class 50% slope rate of the 435X AWD auto mower, the 450XH EPOS's 45% slope rate handled even the hilly parts of my lawn with ease This is because it mows at extremely low speeds on the flats and pulls back on the downhills

As for obstacle avoidance, that is an area that still needs more research The front of the robotic mower has sonar-based sensors that help it gauge the distance to larger objects, such as my car or the fence on the side of the property, but it will collide with smaller objects In such cases, however, I push gently, pause for a moment, and then turn in a new direction

Another problem encountered during testing was that it would stop because it had lost connection with the satellite This often happened when approaching the base of a tree in the backyard Usually, when the satellite is detected, the system resumes after a certain amount of time, but on one occasion I had to wait almost an hour and manually restart the system

I stopped paying for lawn maintenance service after using the Automower 450XH EPOS Not only has it saved me from the hard work of mowing the lawn myself on humid days, but it mows the lawn in a straight pattern, giving it a professional look

Before I could start mowing, I had to map my property using the Automower Connect app and drive the Automower 450XH I had to add pinpoints to the map to set boundaries for areas I didn't want the mower to mow, such as the pear tree in my yard and the dog house

Even if the mapping wasn't perfect the first time around, I like being able to adjust the pinpoints on the map to fine-tune the boundaries We were able to move the mower closer to the edge of the lawn without having to enter public spaces like sidewalks The software also lends itself well to setting up custom schedules and a history of previous mowing sessions

If there is one feature I would like to see in the future, it would be the ability to categorize all the different areas of the lawn That way, only certain areas of the lawn could be mowed instead of mowing everything every time The only way to accomplish this is to map the front, back, sides, and other areas of the lawn separately, which is a tedious task

Instead of taking weekends off to mow the lawn, the robotic mower can now reliably take care of it Thanks to the accuracy of the Husqvarna Automower 450XH EPOS, I can confidently leave it to mow the lawn without my supervision This GPS-assisted robotic lawn mower saves me time by mowing more efficiently and also manages my lawn daily

While I'm still torn about the hefty $5,900 price tag, it has proven to be a much more reliable home robotic lawn mower than anything I've used before In fact, its wiring-free installation, efficient cutting, and long-lasting battery life radically raise the bar of expectations for all future models