In the highly competitive and now enormous market of robotic lawnmowers, Worx has taken an exciting approach with the L1000. In its standard version, you get a good all-around mower, but if you want, you can upgrade the bot to a high-tech machine. Module slots on the top and bottom, along with optional accessories, provide a customization that perfectly adapts to the local conditions and the owner’s desires. But more on that later. The test appears in our lawnmower theme world. So far, we have already published the test of the Bosch Indego S+400.
## Setup
Inside the big box, you’ll find the robot itself, a charging station with power supply, 180 meters of boundary wire with fastening accessories, a detailed, well-written, and excellently illustrated manual, and various accessories like spare blades. The setup takes about an afternoon, depending on the size of your property. The station needs a suitable location (horizontal, accessible from the side with enough distance in the direction of travel, and with nearby power supply). Even though the station and the robot are waterproof (IPX5), it’s ideal for the station to be protected from heavy rain and other environmental influences by a canopy or a special garage. The underside of the station consists of a plastic grid that allows the grass to grow, and a side elevation with two spring-loaded charging contacts, which the robot simply follows by “just” following the boundary wire. Due to this simple design, there is no need for complex navigation or base search algorithms. This may disappoint technology enthusiasts, but it has proven itself in practical use. The station is anchored to the ground with thick, long plastic screws. Speaking of the boundary wire, you can simply lay it on the lawn and secure it with the supplied pegs. After a few weeks, it becomes intertwined with the grass, making it almost invisible. However, when laying the wire, it is essential to follow the instructions so that the robot can navigate sharp corners without getting stuck on curbs or bushes and so that it can drive closely along the edge of the lawn. This is called “Cut to Edge” by the manufacturer, and it saves the need for edging, but only if you lay the wire extremely precisely and execute the corners exactly as the instructions dictate. Once the wire is laid, it is clamped and connected with clamps at the front and rear of the station. That’s it, the mowing process can begin. The product’s construction is excellent. At first glance, the device may look a bit cheap, but the choice of materials is exemplary, everything is robust and well thought out. Thanks to IP5x, the robot is not only waterproof, but you can even clean it with a garden hose (not a pressure washer): turn it upside down, hold the hose on it, and it’s done. If you do this regularly, about once a week, you don’t have to worry about maintaining the robot or the garden. This is how it should be.
## Mowing
Underneath the Worx Landroid L1000, there is a rotating disc with small blades that resemble razors – visually, and also in the form of cuts on your fingers if you disregard the instructions and work without gloves. In short, they are extremely sharp – even after several weeks of use – and thus ensure a clean cutting pattern. The L1000 mows the lawn randomly. It drives straight until it detects the boundary wire or its movable front section hits an obstacle. Then it cleverly chooses a new direction. Clever? Yes, despite various “traps” on the property, it never got stuck. There were only two exceptions: a branch hanging from above that got stuck between the wheels, and a spot where the lawn was heavily damaged due to placed flower pots. The thick, rubberized wheels were able to dig into the softened, muddy ground here. The problem was quickly resolved by reseeding the lawn. Although the random mowing pattern may seem a bit outdated, and the robot may mow some areas more often than others, the cutting quality of the lawn after about a week of L1000 use was excellent. There was not a single spot that the Worx missed – we didn’t expect that. Admittedly, depending on the shape of the property, the width of passages and paths, it may not perform as well. However, for this purpose, there is the option to define “zones” and mow certain areas less frequently or more frequently. Due to the lack of real navigation, the zone system is quite rudimentary: the robot drives along the boundary wire at the press of a button, and the user taps in the app when a new zone begins. It’s not the most convenient solution, but it is a pragmatic and well-functioning approach. By the way, the drive is provided by the rear wheels. The front wheels are freely mounted and move along. For power supply, the manufacturer uses interchangeable batteries, which are also used in Worx tools (Tool Battery Guide) – this allows for easy swapping. The bot can mow for about an hour with one battery charge, then it returns to the charging station – and depending on the setting, it either starts again immediately with a full battery or waits until the next day. The app determines how much work the Landroid needs to have a perfectly maintained lawn – or you can set your own mowing schedule. The grass is cut to a height of 30 to 60 mm, and the corresponding setting can be easily adjusted in stages using a rotary switch on the top. For basic settings and status information, there are a few buttons and an LED display, as well as a large stop button. The operation on the robot itself is not very intuitive, but thanks to the good app, you don’t really need to touch it. The manufacturer states the volume as 61.6 db. Overall, the robot is audible but not disturbing, and it was able to work on our terrace even during Sunday breakfast without anyone complaining – except for the neighboring children at the beginning of the winter break who loved watching the bright orange Worx at work.
## Modules
If you want a smarter mower, you can retrofit the L1000. Let’s start with connectivity: it connects to the home Wi-Fi by default to receive control signals and configuration and send status and error messages to its owner via the app and push notifications. If the property is too large for Wi-Fi, there is an alternative radio link with a range of 1 km. It includes a base station for the house, which is connected to your own network, and the radio module for the robot. Alternatively, you can also make your Wi-Fi garden-ready. The Find my Landroid module integrates a GPS receiver and a mobile network modem with an integrated SIM card. The communication with the cloud and app no longer requires Wi-Fi, and GPS provides the current position – even far away from home, thanks to the mobile network. For those concerned about theft, this provides the right tool for protection. Regardless, the Worx can be protected with a four-digit PIN code – even without this module. If you have a delicate garden, you should consider the Anti-Collision System, or ACS. Firstly, it adds almost cute eyes to the robot, and secondly, it consists of ultrasonic sensors that detect bushes, flower pots, fountains, and other decorations before colliding with them. Instead of crashing into them, the robot slows down and finds a new path. Depending on the garden design, the Off-Limits module may also be of interest. This allows you to exclude parts of the lawn from mowing without the need for the boundary wire. Instead, this sensor reacts to a magnetic tape that can be freely laid without being connected to the charging station – for example, to leave early blooming flowers in the garden for a few weeks or to create a small natural habitat in the middle of the lawn.
### Retrofitting Worx Landroid L1000 with Modules
The modules are great because they allow the Worx to be upgraded for the desired use case. However, they also significantly raise the price.
## App
The Landroid app leaves no questions unanswered. On the status page, you can immediately see what the mower is currently doing and why it is mowing – or not, for example, when the rain sensor has caused it to pause. The following photo series shows screenshots from the setup to the configuration and usage.
### Worx Landroid App
There are timer settings that determine on which days of the week and at what time the mower should work, with an additional setting for maintaining the lawn edge. There are statistics that show how often and for how long the Landroid has been in use – for our test, the L1000 mowed 83 km of lawn and went through 86 charging cycles. Additionally, there are push notifications, for example, when the L1000 gets stuck and requires user intervention. If you have retrofitted the Find my Landroid module, you can view the current position on a map.
## Conclusion
With prices ranging from 1100 to 1300 euros (excluding modules), the Worx Landroid L1000 is certainly not a bargain, but it is also not overpriced for a maximum lawn area of 1000 m2. The lawn mower worked very reliably for us, was neither noisy nor high-maintenance, and impressed us with its excellent app. Thanks to the optional modules, the L1000 can be adapted to many special features and conditions. If you can afford it, we highly recommend it.
Update: A reader has alerted us to regular promotions offered by the manufacturer, such as a current free installation service. Details can be found on the promotional page.
