Husqvarna Automower 405x review

It would be almost offensive to call what I have a “lawn”. In reality, it’s a laughably tiny patch of grass, providing barely enough distance from the street to keep cars from careening into my front window.

As such, I’ve never felt the need to invest in a lawnmower. I just cut the yard with a line trimmer. On the upside, it’s quick and convenient. The downside is that my minuscule lawn forever looks like it’s been chewed by a goat.

When Husqvarna offered me their Automower 405x robotic lawnmower to test out, I jumped at the chance, mostly for the sake of comedy. Imagining the robot gamely plugging away at my absurdly small lawn gave me a chuckle. What I didn’t expect is just how practical the Automower would turn out to be.

Convenience comes at a dear price, and your willingness to pay that is likely to be directly proportional to your disdain for cutting your own grass. Husqvarna has a full range of robot lawnmowers, ranging from $1,739.00 all the way up to $7,599.00. The model I tested, the 405x, retails for $2,679.00 on the Husqvarna website.

The Automower 405x is packed with functionality, which you control via the mower’s mobile app. You can set your mowing schedule, select your cutting height or switch the mower’s mowing pattern. You can even name the little fella. After cycling through a few options like “Mow Howard”, “Lawn Cheney” and “Chuck Grassley”, I finally settled on “Neil the Grass Tyson”.

The mower is also weather resistant, meaning you can leave it outside all year round without worrying about sun or rain damage. And, its weather timer means it will adjust its mowing time based on the grass’ growth rate. In hot, dry times, it will mow less frequently so as not to turn your yard into a dust bowl. Likewise, when you’ve had decent rains, it’ll keep on top of the quicker growth.

One feature that gave me particular peace of mind was the anti-theft system. I live in a nice, quiet neighbourhood, but if I saw a robot lawnmower chugging away on someone’s yard, my thoughts might turn to larceny. Fortunately, the Automower has onboard GPS, and can detect when it’s been taken outside its barrier. Not only will it sound an alarm to alert you that it’s been abducted, it will also notify you via the app.

Each of the Husqvarna Automower models are optimised for different sized mowing areas. The 405x works for lawns up to 600 square metres. Of course, this was ample for my lawn.

The Automower did an exceptional job of keeping my lawn tidy. It was a far cry from my sad attempts with my line trimmer. Instead of the patchy, uneven mess I was used to, the Automower kept my grass at a perfectly even height, day in and day out. Because it mows every day, I never had to worry about regrowth.

One particularly clever feature of the Automower is the way it goes about mowing. Whereas we normal mortals of flesh and bone will generally just mow in straight lines, the Automower mows in a random pattern each time. This actually promotes healthy growth for your lawn, and it means you don’t end up with lines or missed patches.

The Automower’s GPS navigation also helps it wind its way around obstructions. Even if you’ve got flower beds, trees or the occasional garden gnome, the Automower will find its way around them to give your lawn an even cut.

Safety is also an important feature, especially since I have a young child. Of course, she was absolutely bewitched by the mower and spent a full 30 minutes just standing in the yard watching it. The Automower’s blades are on a swing system, meaning if they hit a hard obstruction, they’ll swing back into their housing. So, even with my 6-year-old following the mower around, I didn’t have to worry for the safety of her toes.

If you have a somewhat hilly lawn, the Automower 405x should be able to handle it without an issue. It can handle up to a 40% slope. Husqvarna even has Automower models that can handle up to a 70% slope.

My favourite part of the Automower’s operation, though, is that it’s incredibly quiet. You won’t disrupt any of your neighbours’ weekend sleep-in with your mowing. The Automower gets its job done at a volume no louder than a desk fan.

The 405x gets about 70 minutes of runtime off of a charge. Of course, this was ample to handle my entire lawn. For larger lawns, it may have to take some time to recharge. But, since it mows continuously, you don’t have to worry about the 405x leaving your lawn half done. After its initial cut, the Automower will keep your lawn a consistent height, regardless of recharge breaks.