Mowing the lawn used to be a big, boring chore that just takes up too much time.
Thanks to robot lawn mowers, you can do other things while these nifty devices take care of the job for you!
Two of the best robot lawn mowers you can buy are the Honda Miimo and the Husqvarna Automower Comparison.
Bottom Line Up Front: I strongly prefer the Husqvarna 430X available here right now, as it is a bit smarter and proven in terms of tech and reliability.
Contents (Jump to)
First Up: Honda Miimo
The Honda Miimo gives you well-manicured lawns without you spending too much time on it. It will mow your lawn on its own and when the battery runs low, it will also find its own way back to the charging dock.
The Miimo uses sensors, a timer, and a microcomputer to figure out what to do. There are two Honda Miimo models available everywhere now.
- Miimo HRM310, which can cover around 1,500 square meters of lawn.
- Miimo HRM500, which can cover around 3,000 square meters of space.
Additionally, there’s the Miimo HRM3000, which is currently available only in select countries. The Miimo HRM3000 can cover up to 4,000 square meters.
| HRM310 | HRM520 | HRM3000 | |
| Dimensions (L x W x H, inches) | 25.4 x 21.7 x 10.8 | 25.4 x 21.7 x 10.8 | 27.95 x 21.65 x 11.85 |
| Weight (pounds) | 25.6 | 26.2 | 30.42 |
| Lawn Coverage (square meters) | 1,500 | 3,000 | 4,000 |
| Charging System | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Working slope angle (degrees) | 25° | 25° | 25° |
| Cut height (inches) | .8 – 2.4 | .8 – 2.4 | .8 – 2.4 |
| Cut width (inches) | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| Sound level (decibels) | 58 | 58 | 59 |
| Quiet mode sound level (decibels) | 55 | 55 | 55 |
| Lithium ion battery | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Charge Time (minutes) | 30 | 60 | 45 |
| Run Time (minutes) | 30 | 60 | 90 |
| 3 Razor Pivot Blades | Y | Y | Y |
| Directional cutting pattern | Y | Y | Y |
| Random cutting pattern | Y | Y | Y |
| Mixed cutting pattern | Y | Y | Y |
| Spiral cutting | Y | Y | Y |
| Edge cutting | Y | Y | Y |
| Narrow Passage Control | Y | Y | Y |
| Anti-Theft PIN Code and Alarm | Y | Y | Y |
| Lift sensors | Y | Y | Y |
| Tilt sensors | Y | Y | Y |
| Bump sensors | Y | Y | Y |
| Seasonal Timer | Y | Y | Y |
| Works with mobile app | Y | Y | No |
Features of the Honda Miimo
The features you should know about the Honda Miimo include:
- Three different cutting patterns. The Honda Miimo uses three cutting patterns to make sure that it adequately covers your lawn. It can move randomly, which is recommended for larger lawns. There is also the directional cutting pattern where it rotates 175 degrees and goes in that direction. Then there is the mixed cutting pattern that mixes both directional and random for 15 minutes each.
- 360° Awareness Sensors. The Honda Miimo has a variety of advanced sensors that are able to detect different obstacles. Once the lawn mower encounters any obstacle, it will immediately head to another direction. Once the Miimo is lifted off the ground, the blades will automatically stop rotating. Miimo will also be able to navigate around flower beds, swimming pools, trees, ponds, and other lawn features. It will also mow on steep inclines up to 25 degrees.
- Three special blades. The Miimo uses three special blades. These blades are very durable and efficient. It takes a long time to wear down these blades because they switch the rotation from clockwise to counter-clockwise. What’s more, they retreat back into the blade disc if the Miimo hits something hard, minimizing the damage to the blade.
- Anti-theft PIN. The Miimo has a security pin that bars anybody from using it without your permission. Not only does this discourage your kids to play with the robot lawn mower, it will also render it useless when it gets stolen. What’s more, the Miimo will stop mowing once it is lifted off the ground and it will sound an alarm to scare off any would-be thieves.
- Works quietly. Miimo does not use a gasoline engine but relies on electricity, making it very quiet. You can even mow your lawns at night without waking up the neighbors. The Miimo also has a quiet mode that further lowers the noise.
- Fertilizes your lawn. The Miimo cuts grass into tiny pieces, and this goes back to the soil and fertilizes it. The constant mowing will also make it more difficult for weeds to grow.
- Spot cutting. Once the Miimo detects that it is cutting in an area where there is thicker or longer grass, it will follow a spiral pattern and concentrate cutting on that particular area.
- Edge cutting. Miimo will also follow the guide wires to make sure that the borders of your lawn are kept neat.
- Follows the seasons. You can program the Miimo to cut more when the grass grows faster and less during seasons where the grass is sparse.
What you would like about the Honda Miimo
The Honda Miimo will keep everything around it safe. If you have pets or kids and they accidentally tip the Miimo over, the blades will instantly stop rotating.
Setting up the Miimo is a breeze; you just follow the setup wizard and you are ready. Furthermore, the Miimo is able to turn away from any obstacle fast. It does not need to stop or back up, making it more efficient. What’s more, it is easy to adjust the cutting height. You can choose your preferred cutting height just by turning a knob.
What’s more, you can use the Honda Miimo any time you want to. Aside from being quiet enough so as not to disturb your sleeping neighbors when you let it mow at night, it is also waterproof so that it could mow in the rain if you want.
Miimo comes with a two-year full warranty, so you can be sure that it is made with utmost care and excellence.
Next Up: Husqvarna Automower
- Smart Schedules: Like all robot lawn mowers, the Husqvarna Automower wants you to have perfectly manicured lawns without having to work too hard for it. In fact, you just set up the schedules and the perimeter wire and then you can promptly forget about mowing your lawns.
- Returns to Base for Charging: Like the Miimo, the Husqvarna Automower also works on its own and finds its own way back to its charging dock. It can work at any time, even at night, because it stays really quiet when you want it to. And because it is waterproof, the Husqvarna Automower can even mow in the rain.
- Anti-Theft Alarm: It also has an anti-theft alarm that would help scare off potential thieves. It also uses a PIN code, without which the Husqvarna Automower would not work.
- Perimeter Wiring: The Husqvarna Automower also uses perimeter wires to keep it within the spaces you want it to mow and keep it from wandering off to your neighbor’s yard.
- Pet Friendly: Your family and pets will also be safe around the Husqvarna Automower because its blades stop whirring when it is lifted or when it topples over.
- Seasonal Cutting: It also follows the seasons, cutting more when the grass is growing too much and mowing less in the dry season or summer.
- Fertilization: It also trims the grass beautifully and leaves the clippings on your lawn, which, in turn, helps fertilize the soil. It can also prevent weeds and moss from taking hold.
- WiFi Network: The Husqvarna Automower also connects to your Wi-Fi network so that you can control it with a smartphone app. Even when you are not home, you can just launch the Automower Connect app to start, stop, or pause mowing your lawn. The mobile app also allows you to set your preferences and adjust the settings without having to bend over the robot lawnmower. You can also use the mobile app to locate your robot mower.
- Smart Integrations: Integrations with both Google Home and Amazon Alexa are underway. Soon, all you need to do to start mowing is to say something like “Ok Google, tell Husqvarna to start mowing the lawn” or “Alexa, tell Husqvarna to stop mowing the lawn.”
Main Differences: Miimo vs Automower?
There are things that the Husqvarna Automower does better than the Honda Miimo.
For one, the Husqvarna Automower is designed for safety. While other robot lawnmowers also have sensors that stop the blades from spinning when the unit is lifted, the Husqvarna Automower adds more space between the outer edges of the mower and the blades.
Moreover, the Husqvarna Automower uses GPS to create a map of your garden and the location of the boundary wires. This helps it determine which parts of your lawn have already been mowed and which ones need more attention. Knowing this, the Automower can decide what cutting patterns to use in order to cover more of your lawn and to ensure better mowing results. This feature is not available on the Miimo.
The Husqvarna Automower has the anti-theft alarm and the unique PIN code to help deter thieves from stealing your robot lawnmower. However, what if you forgot to create your unique PIN code, or if the Automower was stolen while you were away? You can locate the robot lawnmower using the built-in GPS!
There are several Husqvarna Automower models that connect to your Wi-Fi network, allowing you to use the mobile app to control it. As for the Honda Miimo, only the Miimo 3000 works with the smartphone app, and it is currently not available in the United States.
Selected Husqvarna Automower models
There are currently seven Automower models that are available from the Husqvarna site. These are:
- Husqvarna Automower 310
- Husqvarna Automower 315
- Husqvarna Automower 315 (2018)
- Husqvarna Automower 315X
- Husqvarna Automower 430X
- Husqvarna Automower 430X (2018)
- Husqvarna Automower 450X (my full review here!)
Here are the features of some select Husqvarna Automower models:
| Model | Automower 310 | Automower 315 (2018) |
Automower 315X | Automower 430X (2018) | Automower 450X |
| Capacity (square meters) | 1,000 | 1,600 | 1,600 | 3,200 | 5,000 |
| 3 pivoting razor blades | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cutting width | 8.70 | 8.70 | 8.70 | 9.45 | 9.45 |
| Lithium ion battery | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Typical charging time (minutes) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 50 | 60 |
| Mowing time (minutes) | 70 | 70 | 70 | 145 | 290 |
| Sound level measured (decibels) | 58 | 58 | 58 | 57 | 58 |
| Automower® [email protected] | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Automower® Connect | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic passage handling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GPS-assisted navigations | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Weather timer | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manages slopes up to | 40% | 40% | 40% | 45% | 45% |
| LED Headlights | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Ultra silent drive | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Final Cut: Automower or Miimo?
Depending on what you need, how large your lawn is, and whether it has steep slopes, you can choose from the different models offered by Honda Miimo and Husqvarna Automower.
However, Husqvarna has made sure that it would be very difficult to beat its robot lawn mowers.
The Automower line has everything you want in a robot lawn mower, plus some of its own technology, such as the ability to control your robot using your smartphone, GPS-assisted navigation, and other unique features. It is also competitively priced.
Bottom Line: I much prefer the more automated and market ready Automower available here.
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