The grass grows rapidly in these months of the year, so you will benefit greatly from a robot lawn mower that takes the work off your hands. Therefore, read the review of the Parkside Mowing Robot 20V – PMRDA 20-Li B2 and whether this is a good choice for you if you are looking for a robotic lawnmower.
Aad Munsterman and Rob Coenraads
Convenience serves people, so if you can outsource work to a machine, why not? A robot lawn mower is also a useful device that can do the work for you. In the near future we will be testing tools and equipment from Parkside, a brand whose products can be purchased at Lidl, among others. For example, you can read the review of the Parkside PRR A1 cleaning sprayer with rotation nozzle here and below you will find the review of Parkside Mowing Robot 20V – PMRDA 20-Li B2.
Parkside Mowing Robot PMRDA20
The 2024 models of the mowing robot consist of two variants: the PMRA20 for 500 m2 and cutting width of 18 cm and the PMRDA20 which also smart works with an app and is suitable for 1000 m2. The new models have a product number ending in B2 and have some minor improvements compared to the previous model. The kit consists of a base plate for mounting the loading unit and serves as a home base for the mowing robot. The following is also included: 200 meters of boundary cable, 350 hooks for cable mounting and a bumper bracket for the base plate.
Performance
The robot has a large size with its 60 x 42 x 23 centimeters (L x W x H) and is equipped with a replaceable 20V/4000mAh battery from the X20VTeam series. The rotor, coupled to a brushless motor, is 22 cm, so that even narrow strips can be mowed well. The control panel for the settings is placed on top behind a transparent plastic cover. This robot has been developed for mowing 1000m2 of grass without collection but with shredding (mulch).–function) of the grass left as fertilizer. Access is secured with a PIN code. If it rains, it automatically returns to the base station. A large emergency button quickly brings the mower to a stop.
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Preparation
First, the boundary cable is applied to the area to be mowed, so that the robot knows within which area mowing is desired. This is initially done above ground and can later be stopped underground. The guideline is to lay the cable 30 cm from the edge to be mowed and secure it with the supplied hooks. Details and additional guidelines are in the manual. The base plate must be placed completely freely in the field as described in the documentation.
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Mow
After charging the Parkside PMRDA20 (which takes up to 60 minutes), the cutting height can be adjusted between 25 and 60 mm via a dial. The robot can then immediately be started mowing in the field via the control panel Spot-mode, which involves working in a circle. Operating times and schedules, etc., can be set via the menu. The noise level of the robot is modest and does not exceed 66 decibels.
App control
Remote control requires the Parkside app to be installed and on the mower control panel Activate WiFi + OK are activated, after which access to the mower is gained via Bluetooth and then via Add device can be linked to the local WiFi network. If you Activate WiFi + OK on the mower, the existing telephone connection is broken and then Bluetooth becomes active for a short period and you can connect to the new WiFi data. You must repeat this if the mower is not shown via Bluetooth. The message about “Lost grinding signal” is not always consistent; You can bridge the sensor cable connection to the mower with a short wire and only when the mower has been completely restarted and connected to the mains will the message disappear. Both the manual and the operation via the panel are rather unclear and cryptic about the above.
The actions of the control panel can also be performed with the app. The app continuously displays the status of the mower.
Practice
We put the mower to work on a not very large lawn with some obstacles, such as a boggy surface, walls, a waterfront and trees and shrubs. The swampy surface is mainly due to the abundance of rain that has fallen in recent months. The boundary wire is laid above the ground in accordance with the instructions in the manual. Without further settings we let the robot via the Spot-mowing mode. The grass is quite high, so we shorten the length in steps from 60 to 40 mm. Below 40 mm we see the robot having some difficulty, because we are dealing with a swampy surface and we have to work harder, which also increases the noise level. Below 40 mm the risk of hitting the boundary wire also increases. The robot bumps into obstacles, but usually manages to get out of it. If this does not work, the boundary wire at that point must be moved. We see that the grass immediately next to walls, fences, etc. is not included and therefore has to be mowed manually. In the operating menu it is noticeable that some texts are translated somewhat strangely and that in the event of problems a cryptic description is reported instead of the required resolution action. So there is still some room for improvement.
Conclusion
The Parkside Mowing Robot 20V – PMRDA 20-Li B2 is a competitively priced robotic lawnmower with replaceable battery that mows well; However, the menu structure could be better.
Parkside Mowing Robot 20V – PMRDA 20-Li B2
Recommended retail price: €349
Plus points:
+ favorable price
+ mows well
Negatives:
– menu structure could be better
– the edges along walls and fences require manual work