As with any market or new product, the initial phase is usually filled with high-priced options that are bought up by early adopters who want the latest and greatest tech available.
This is true of robot mowers, as the early models were quite expensive. But as they’ve become more popular, new brands have entered the market and several have tried to keep costs down to set themselves apart from other mowers.
One of those companies is known as Yard Force. You may not have heard of Yard Force outside of their line of mowers. However, they do have a decent lineup of affordable lawn and garden power equipment including riding lawn mowers, chippers, and power washers.
Below, we’ll look at the Yard Force robot mowers and see how their affordable options stack up against the more expensive competition.
Who Makes Yard Force Mowers?
Despite being relatively unknown in the U.S., Yard Force is the American distributor for the SEMEC Corporation. SEMEC is a giant Chinese conglomerate that makes a wide array of products in many different industries, including lawn and garden equipment.
So while not strictly a lawn and garden manufacturer, they do have extensive manufacturing experience and a large network of advanced factories.
Several large home improvement stores sell Yard Force products either in-store or via their website. So while not the most well-known, they do have a footprint in the U.S. and their products are available from many retailers.
The Yard Force Robot Mower Lineup
In the U.S., there are two different mowers available from Yard Force. They have a few differences with the biggest factor being their range.
Revola X4E Robot Mower
This is the largest of the two models and is built to handle up to a 1/2 acre lawn size. It has a stylish look and requires a perimeter wire to be installed for guidance. While many newer mowers try to use alternative methods to a perimeter wire, the wire is still the most reliable guidance system that can work on any lawn in any area.
The mower does have ultrasonic sensors to help with obstacle guidance but lacks any video or camera-based systems like many newer models are using.
This may seem like a drawback, but it does help to keep the cost down. Obstacle detection was also pretty good and with a guidewire system, more advanced vision capabilities are sometimes overkill.
Revola X4E Specs
- Range: 1/2 Acre
- Power: 28V, 4Ah Lithium-Ion
- Cutting Height: 1.3” – 3” (5 settings)
- Guidance: Buried guidewire
NX100i Robot Mower
This is the smaller of the two American models and its features are nearly identical to its big brother. The big difference is in size and range, as the NX100i is designed for 1/3 acre lawns.
It’s a little on the small side, even for 1/3 of an acre and most lawn sizes reaching the maximum will take two days to finish. This isn’t too much longer than other robot mowers, but it is on the slower side.
NX100i Specs:
- Range: 1/3 Acre
- Power: 28V, 4Ah Lithium-Ion
- Cutting Height: 1.3” – 3” (5 settings)
- Guidance: Buried guidewire
Note* – Yard Force does offer a few other models in the European market, however, the Revola and the NX100i are the only models currently in the U.S. Market.
Installation and Setup
Both of the Yard Force robot mowers use a buried perimeter wire, so you’ll need to install that first when setting these up.
They do come with the required guidewire, up to 800 feet, along with the special pins to place them in the ground. Instructions are provided but this can be a bit difficult if you’ve never done it before.
The key parts to be aware of are the distance from the perimeter to keep the wire as well as the degree of the bends. You need to keep any radius very gentle as abrupt corners in the wire will throw off the mower.
Due to the distance from the perimeter that is required and the fact that these mowers don’t have any edge-to-edge features, you will need to do a little cleanup around the borders of your lawn after the mower is done.
Overall, installation was pretty typical for a guidewire system and once put in place, you never have to worry about navigation again.
The App
Every robot mower has an app and the Yard Force is no different. Their app is called ClouldHawk and while it worked perfectly fine, it is noticeably lacking more advanced features that are becoming common with most robot mowers.
Some of the older Yard Force models sold in Europe were Bluetooth only, but these both are wifi enabled. So that’s a nice improvement and extends the range for the app by a lot.
The app may be no-frills, but it gets the job done and you can control all the functions of the mower, such as charging, stopping, or setting the cutting height. You can also control zones from the app.
Cutting Performance
Cutting performance was very similar to virtually all other robot mowers in this category. They all use the same cutting disc-style blades, so the cut is the same and mulching is similar to other models in this price range.
The max slope with these is only rated at 22 degrees, which should be fine but it is lower than many other brands which often can tackle slopes over 30 degrees. It’s not a big issue, but if you have big slopes or rolling areas of your lawn, it’s something to be aware of.
The noise level is stated at 60 db and that seems about right. It’s not the quietest mower out there and it’s not the loudest either. Overall, the Yard Force sat right in the middle and the noise level shouldn’t be an issue at all.
Mowing is done in a random pattern with the Yard Force mowers. That means they run until they hit the perimeter wire and then change direction and start moving again until they hit the wire. This repeats until the whole lawn is done.
Some newer mowers are offering straight-line cutting, but they are more pricey than the Yard Force offerings.
The Yard Force mowers also feature no artificial intelligence or other advanced features found in more expensive models. Once installed, we didn’t find the lack of advanced features to be a problem with smaller lawns.
However, more complex lawns or lawns where pets and obstacles are always on the lawn may cause these models to struggle and cut slower than intended as they deal with each obstacle.
Final Opinion
Overall, these mowers performed exactly how they should given the features they have. The bottom line is they simply work as intended without any of the added technology that you often find in newer mowers.
Because of that, they are a bit less expensive than top-of-the-line models from brands like Husqvarna or Ambrogio. In most cases, you can look to save between $100 and $500 depending on the model and what you compare it to.
As with many mower brands we test, replacement parts and warranty claims are always something to consider. The Yard Force does come with a 2-year warranty, but we have heard reports of customer service issues with other Yard Force products when seeking replacement parts.
Both mowers do come with 9 replacement blades, so you should be good in that regard and replacements are not hard to find online if you do need more after a few seasons.
Overall, if the cost savings seem appealing to you and you are looking for a smaller, guidewire robot mower, the Yard Force may fit the bill.
Performance was good and they work exactly as advertised given the somewhat reduced feature list that helps keep them priced below the competition.
