If you’re in the market for a robot mower, there’s no shortage of options for you to choose from. Whether you want a model from a big-name brand or a smaller start-up company with the latest features, there are options abound.
That can also make it a little confusing when it comes to deciding which mower to spend your hard-earned money on.
Below, we’ll review two of the mowers from Greenworks. These mowers promise some strong features and are priced relatively competitively compared to other similar models.
If you’ve been considering a Greenworks robot mower, read on to see if these mowers are right for your lawn.
Who Is Greenworks?
Greenworks is a subsidiary of Globe Holdings, which is based in China. However, they do have a manufacturing plant in Morristown, Tennessee where they build their ride-on mowers. Greenworks is looking to expand that facility to accommodate more products as well as a parts and service distribution center.
For the last 20 years, they have specialized in high-quality lithium-ion batteries such as the kind used in virtually every electric power tool and lawn and garden equipment.
So it makes sense they would branch off and make their own equipment. This includes their line of robot mowers.
The Greenworks Robot Mower Line-Up
The Greenworks mowers are divided into two categories. The first is their home model aimed at residential homeowners. The other is part of their commercial line and includes models with slightly longer ranges, but otherwise share mostly the same features.
You can use the commercial line in home settings, so we found the product lines a bit confusing and we assume most buyers will have the same conclusion. We would like to see them simplify this or just have them all in the same lineup for easier comparison.
The home lineup consists of the Optimow 50H mower. It’s a half-acre mower that uses a guide wire navigation system along with 4G and GPS technology to connect to the app.
The commercial line consists of 4 models.
- Optimow 33
- Optimow 33H
- Optimow 66
- Optimow 66H
The 33 series mowers have a range of 1/2 acre and the 66 series has a range of a full acre. The “H” designation allows for higher cutting heights up to 4 inches.
While that may seem like a small detail, it’s difficult to find robot mowers in the consumer segment that have a cutting height that goes up to 4 inches. In fact, some models are even under 3 inches when it comes to max height.
So for those looking for a higher cutting height option, this is one of the few options at this price.
Setting Up The Greenworks Optimow
The Optimow mowers all use a perimeter guide wire as their main navigation. This means you will first need to install the guide wire. However, Greenworks does have a network of distributors around the U.S. and some of them offer professional installation. So this can be an option if you don’t want to install the wire yourself.
We found the included wire, staples, and connectors to be sufficient for the yard size the mower was made for. This made installation of the 50H straightforward as you shouldn’t need any additional materials.
Interestingly, commercial mowers such as the 66H do not come with the installation kit. The wires and connectors are sold separately. This may help for landscaping companies installing these for clients. But if you are a homeowner buying one of the commercial units, Greenworks sells the appropriate install kit separately, so make sure to pick that up when ordering.
Other than that, the installation of the guide wire and charging base was nearly identical to other mowers.
The included instructions stated you can bend the wire by as much as 15 degrees and not have any issues with the navigation. We didn’t need that much bend, but it’s far more than many other mowers recommend. So if you have a small lawn with many tight corners or nooks, this mower may be a good alternative.
The reason for the limits on bends in the wire is due to how these mowers navigate. When they hit the guide wire, they turn slightly and start mowing in a different direction. If the bend of the guide wire is too tight, the mower essentially gets “trapped” and keeps bumping into the guide wire. So the bend needs to be relaxed enough for the mower to turn around freely.
The Greenworks Mower App
Like most robot mowers, the Optimow has its own app. After fully charging the mower, you pair it with the app. This worked flawlessly in our testing and the app immediately detected the mower and one tap on the phone paired the two.
The app works via 4G and the mower comes with two years of free service. However, after that, you will have to pay a monthly fee to continue. We aren’t wild about those kinds of pricing structures, but it’s not too out of the ordinary for some mower manufacturers.
Virtually all of the controls are accessed via the app since the mower has very limited options onboard or via any type of control panel. But still, the app was very easy to use and had many advanced features not found in budget mowers.
For example, you could look up where the mower had mowed via a GPS function. You can also set custom starting points.
Overall, the app was fully-featured and worked well in our testing. Our only gripe was the need to pay for cellular service after the first two years.
Cutting Performance
These days, almost every robot mower has similar cutting performance since they are all based on similar designs. The Optimow cut well using its floating head blades and it ran nice and quiet.
The website claims it can handle slopes up to 35 degrees, and we found that to be accurate. Some mower manufacturers exaggerate the slope their mowers can handle, but the Greenworks Optimow was able to come through in this regard.
Mowing speed was also good and right in line with most other mowers in this class. Charge time was about 70 minutes to get a full charge before it could begin mowing again.
Greenworks Optimow Full Specifications
Price: $1599 to $1799
Optimow 50H
- Range: 1/2 acre
- Navigation: Guide Wire
- Obstacle Detection: Pressure-sensitive bumper
- Cutting Height: Variable up to 4 inches
- Max Slope: 35 degrees
- Charge Time: 70 minutes
- Connectivity: 4G with GPS for tracking
Greenworks Optimow Overall Review
We found the Optimow to be a solid mid-range robot mower. It doesn’t do anything revolutionary, but that’s fine if all you want is a basic mower that gets the job done.
The one area where this mower may be a standout is the cutting height. At a generous 4-inch maximum, it has few competitors at this price range. Most other budget-friendly mowers top out at 2.5 to 3.5 inches. So if you like longer grass lengths, definitely check out the Optimow.
Rounding out the package was a fully featured app and strong cutting and navigation performance. Our minor gripes were the limited onboard controls and the need for a cellular subscription after the free period ended.
Overall, the Optimow is a capable mid-range mower and its generous four-year warranty makes it a low-risk proposition for those considering jumping into the robot mower market. It is available for sale at Lowes and Greenworkstools.com.
