When you have a comparatively small garden with few, if any, islands, options, or obstacles, the Redkey MCG1000 robotic garden mower is an inexpensive, if minimally specced, choice — if you may get it to work.
We have all develop into accustomed to the thought of little robots that clear our properties, however mowing the garden remains to be a comparatively new use of the identical expertise. Many choices can value hundreds of {dollars} in the marketplace, however Redkey has discovered a strategy to get their product effectively beneath the $1,000 mark.
The Redkey MGC 1000 is a robotic garden mower that may cowl 1 / 4 acre of yard area. It mows solely inside the included 590 ft of boundary wire, and prospects cannot add any greater than that to a single charging station.
As a substitute of traditional garden mower blades, the Redkey mower makes use of small razors hooked up to a spinning plate to chop grass. This is not uncommon for robotic lawnmower mowers.
For those who’re interested in getting assist together with your yard work from a robotic garden mower, the Redkey MGC1000 is a tricky place to begin that is dependent upon a number of elements. Reductions can get its value beneath $600, however know {that a} low value comes with some sacrifices.
It generally will get the job performed, mowing the designated space of garden, however slowly whereas leaving a variety of patches. I wished to love this mannequin extra, however a number of shortcomings and an final failure of the product have me barely dearer fashions with specs that’ll overcome the Redkey’s weaknesses.
I wrote most of this evaluate whereas the Redkey mower was nonetheless considerably purposeful, if sluggish and error inclined. The unique rating was 2.5 because it largely labored, and we might attribute a few of its ache factors to my yard form and measurement, nonetheless, we did not publish instantly.
Inside two weeks, the mower had degraded to being nonfunctional. I will get into that on the finish of the evaluate.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: design and options
Whereas I am fairly accustomed to robotic vacuums and mop models, I’ve by no means interacted with a robotic garden mower. I anticipated some options could be apparent for such a product, however the low value of the Redkey MGC1000 minimize into that.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: like a Roomba in your grass
The general design is ok, because it seems a bit like an oddly formed RC automobile. The rear wheels are giant and drive the unit, whereas the entrance wheels can swivel to show.
The robotic garden mower is plastic and has a easy show on the highest. It is water-resistant at IPX6, so it ought to survive positive outdoor throughout a rainstorm.
The docking unit is a straightforward piece of plastic with uncovered contacts that the mower drives into to cost. The rear of the unit has two wire terminals to attach the boundary wire.
It must be plugged into a normal AC energy port, so you will want entry to an outdoor outlet or run a wire by a wall. Fortunately, I had a gap already drilled to a basement outlet.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: easy controls on the mower’s high
There’s a big crimson STOP button on high, with three buttons on high to entry native controls. Nonetheless, almost each motion and setting is accessed from the R House app.
The checklist of precise options is somewhat restricted. The entire robotic is extra brute-forced than I anticipated from a product in-built 2025.
In contrast to dwelling robotic vacuum and mop gadgets, the Redkey MGC1000 is not utilizing LiDAR or navigation options to search out its method round. As a substitute, it’s positioning itself based mostly on the boundary wire and fundamental CTOF (steady time of flight) sensors.
Principally, it would not “see” obstacles or sense grassy areas or something like that. The CTOF sensor exists merely to assist it orient in an area, and that is it.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: not solely does it not know that weeds are there, it could not minimize by it anyway
There’s a system for object avoidance, nevertheless it solely works by operating into an object first, then makes a notice of it. If it might probably power itself to drive over an impediment, like a brick, rock, or ornament, it’ll.
The mower does bear in mind the place it left off if it must cease due to rain or to cost. It mows in a crisscross sample usually, although it might probably sort of appear tough in motion.
The top result’s a mowed garden with some patches of tall grass or weeds missed. Typically it bends a plant because it drives over it, so it would not get minimize correctly.
Thick or reasonably tall bits of grass additionally show to be a little bit of a problem. If it might probably’t make it over a bit of grass, it will hand over and go round or simply get caught.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: hills and variations in evenness can result in missed clumps
It could actually deal with slopes of about 45 levels. The extra slopes you’ve got in your yard, the slower issues will get performed, nevertheless it will not cease the mower from working so long as it is not too steep.
The Redkey robotic garden mower works greatest when you spot mow thicker or taller patches forward of time. This could theoretically solely should be performed as soon as, because the garden ought to be maintained at a sure size by the robotic after that.
Scheduling instruments can be found inside the R House app. Customers also can choose the mowing top and driving sample.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: setup
The toughest a part of organising the Redkey mower is not even a problem with the product. Laying down a floor wire, whether or not it is for this mower or another, is a time-consuming and laborious job.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: the bottom station has deep mounting screws
My yard is not precisely gigantic, however I share a yard with my mom’s dwelling subsequent door, which makes the whole area simply over 1 / 4 acre. I attempted to include all the yard into the mowing space, however ended up quick by about 50 ft.
So, I excluded my small entrance yard, which incorporates two timber that may make annoying obstacles. Your complete strategy of in-staking each few inches alongside the wire took about three hours.
I turned on the mower for the primary time, and it traced across the edge by following the wire, then started mowing after that. I needed to regulate a couple of areas to account for tough slopes, fences, and different obstacles, however the finish consequence was a mower that labored with out interference.
I had hoped the thing detection would assist it keep away from a big island in my Mother’s yard, which is surrounded by bricks. Nonetheless, the mower would run into the bricks, then proceed to attempt to climb over them, launching itself into the backyard.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: there is not a lot in the way in which of clever options
Poor navigation and weak object detection — together with the mower’s lack of actual intelligence — led to the mishap. I ended up having to transform the boundary wire by hand, rerouting it round each the island and a picnic desk.
Now, with nothing however grass between the boundary wire, the mower might technically full the duty.
Utilizing the Redkey robotic garden mower
The brute-force nature of the mower and lack of clever options are a results of the low value. You get what you pay for.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: two contacts maintain the mower charged on the bottom station
This is not essentially a nasty factor, although, so long as the robotic does get the job performed. My yard proved to be too difficult, because it wants a little bit assist with spot mowing areas it misses or cannot maneuver correctly, and you may at all times need to mow across the exterior of the boundary wire.
It mowed a portion of my yard, charged for about 45 minutes, mowed a bit extra within the again, then obtained began on the entrance yard, however the battery had depleted once more by then. The yard is a slope, so it will take considerably extra battery than the entrance yard.
The entire course of takes hours, if not days. However once more, it is outdoors, quiet, and the result’s a mowed yard, if patchy, with none effort past the preliminary setup.
I let the mower run from about 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day so I might regulate it. Managing it this manner, it took a couple of days for it to fully mow the garden.
At 50% full, it had technically mowed the garden as soon as in a single route, then begins mowing all the garden once more within the different route.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: mowing a hilly yard takes a variety of time
Even with this sample, there are patches of grass it misses resulting from irregularities within the lumpy floor. Although, since it’s a bit random, there’s at all times the prospect it might get these patches subsequent time round.
Thicker weeds and grass will should be manually minimize or pulled up. The mower will simply push over them, and the blades will not minimize by.
It should not matter how lengthy it takes so long as it may be performed totally autonomously, nevertheless it should not take every week to mow the grass. Once more, this might be associated to the form and measurement of my garden, and folks with easy, flat lawns within the suburbs will not have any points.
There have been factors the place I would go to test on the mower, and the app could not attain it, so I would go discover it stopped within the yard. Nothing trapped it; it simply stopped. Unsure what causes this, however when you inform it to proceed mowing, it simply goes alongside positive.
In fact, I’ve to drag out the push mower and weed eater from time to time to get the place the robotic cannot. However, at the least I am not mowing all the quarter acre of sloped yard.
The R House app
The app for the Redkey garden mower is barebones, nevertheless it is not onerous to navigate. Go into the mower, hit begin to start mowing all the garden, or hit an ellipsis to begin a spot mow operate, which mows in a spiral sample 7 sq. meters from the robotic’s present place.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: the app is restricted however straightforward to make use of
The chopping top will be set from 30mm to 70mm, however this does not change the peak of the chassis, simply the chopping blades. Hold that in thoughts when you’re battling a specific little bit of tall grass.
The app reveals the boundary wire and the place the mower is, so long as it has a sign to replace its location. Additionally, the map slowly fills in to indicate the place the mower has been, with some stage of accuracy.
Some odd points
When the robotic senses rain or will get a low battery, it returns to the dock to cost. When it docks, it makes a loud beeping noise.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: points apart, at the least it’s straightforward to scrub
For no matter cause, this two-chirp sequence performs periodically whereas the mower is docked. Since it’s parked close to my bed room window, I can hear it randomly beep in the midst of the night time.
I reached out to Redkey, they usually mentioned the one strategy to cease that from taking place is to take away the mower from the charger when not in use. Which, I consider, vastly decreases the comfort of the product.
Additionally, there would not appear to be any anti-theft techniques past the flexibility to set a PIN on the robotic itself. It could actually’t be tracked past the Wi-Fi community, and it will not alarm if moved unexpectedly.
That mentioned, it’s ineffective with out the docking station, which is secured somewhat firmly to the bottom, so that might assist deter thieves. I’ve safety cameras to assist regulate issues, however customers might at all times connect an AirTag in the event that they’re frightened.
Lastly, there is not a strategy to cease a present job and inform the mower to begin over. It both has to complete mowing, or it’s important to carry out a manufacturing facility reset.
You get what you pay for
The Redkey MCG1000 is not the most effective product in the marketplace by any stretch, however it’s a extra inexpensive choice that you just would possibly think about you probably have a flat, easy yard with no obstacles. I want the corporate might have added extra intelligence or LiDAR, even when it value a bit extra.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate: an honest function set at this value
As I mentioned on the high of this evaluate, even after the struggles and patchy mowing, I used to be set to offer this evaluate a 2.5, which suggests the product has its flaws however remains to be purposeful.
The mower completed one job mowing and I began a second job at a decrease grass chopping setting. It made it about 16% of the way in which by and issues obtained bizarre.
The mower went again to the charging station and began remapping the yard, then it randomly stopped alongside the boundary wire in two particular places. I pulled up the wire and set it once more after discovering no creases, flaws, or breaks, manufacturing facility reset the robotic for good measure, and it nonetheless will not end mapping.
After taking almost every week to finish one job, poorly, then needing repeat resets and wire fixes, I had to surrender. This product simply cannot deal with my yard.
Your outcomes could differ.
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate – Execs
- Largely hands-off scheduled mowing
- Small, quiet mower
- Simple to scrub and preserve
- Simple, if exhausting, boundary wire setup
Redkey robotic garden mower evaluate – Cons
- Extremely sluggish progress that may take days for one job
- Can generally cease and want the consumer to begin it once more
- Periodic beeping at charging station cannot be turned off
- As soon as a mowing job begins, it might probably’t be stopped with no manufacturing facility reset
- Mower misses patches of grass, cannot minimize by thicker weeds
- Powerful yards would possibly degrade the mower to the purpose of non-functionality
Score: 1.5 out of 5
This score displays the problems with the mower, like the lack to begin a mowing job over and the incessant beeping. For those who’ve obtained a flat yard with no obstacles, I will not say do not buy this mower, however purchase figuring out {that a} more difficult yard could defeat this robotic.
The place to purchase the Redkey robotic garden mower
Purchase the Redkey MGC1000 robotic garden mower from Amazon for $594.98. That is 15% off the common value, and there is additionally a 5% coupon obtainable.
For those who’ve obtained a yard that may be a quarter acre or much less, the MGC500 is an identical in each method; it simply has much less included boundary wire. Get it for $529.98 from Amazon, which is 16% off.
