This racecar-like robot mower cuts a gorgeous lawn and is $250 off on Prime Day

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We had been so careful about where we put the EcoFlow antenna because of the signal issues during the installation process, and here, the Luba 2’s antenna seamlessly connected on its own from a random position on the deck. If that doesn’t tell you it’s a more advanced RTK-GNSS system, I don’t know what does. I’ll update my review of the Luba 2 once I install the pole permanently, add the Garage, and do a couple of months’ worth of testing. 

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Mapping is easy and quite fun. You just walk behind it, steering it around your yard using your smartphone with the Mammotion app as a remote control. After you complete the mapping process, the Luba 2 mows the route independently. The app also lets you give the mower a name, so naturally, I named it Andretti as it resembles a Formula 1 car (and also so I can ask my husband whether Andretti has done its runs today).  

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We’ve been getting a lot of rain lately, which has made the grass grow like crazy. This fast growth has ensured Andretti’s work is cut out for it and helped me gather many hours of testing over the past couple of months.

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Throughout testing, I’ve found the Mammotion Luba 2 capable of navigating uneven terrain without affecting its map. For example, when other robot mowers slide down a slope sideways, it often disrupts their mapping, and instead of correcting their position, they continue from an incorrect spot. This results in missed patches and the mower winding up outside the coverage area. In my testing, the Luba 2 never fell victim to this glitch. Although it did slide down a few times, it always righted its positioning and maintained the same map. 

Unfortunately, the Mammotion app isn’t very intuitive; changing settings will require some menu hunting and trial and error. However, it is loaded with features. You can use the app to change the mowing pattern from stripes to checkered and more, set up different zones, including no-go zones for pools or garden beds, arrange the path order, and adjust the mowing height. 

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When mapping, the perimeter you walk with the Luba 2 is the same that will be followed when the robot is out mowing. It’s a bit challenging to walk and steer the robot in a perfectly straight line along the perimeter of your property, so I wish you could straighten boundary lines in the app after creating the map. 

I love that the Luba 2 proved irreverently consistent when mowing along the perimeter. I can see the robot mowing along curved lines that I mistakenly made during mapping, but it does it the same way every time.

Though the Mammotion Luba 2 looks like the Ferrari of mowers, it does the laps around the lawn at its own pace. It’s not slow compared to other robot mowers, but don’t expect it to live up to its looks and become a turbo turf-tamer. 

My Luba 2 drifted from its path six times during testing. One of those times, it ended up in my neighbor’s yard, which is much less than ideal as they’re very particular about how they mow it, but this appears to have happened during positioning and not when the blades were engaged, thankfully. Another time, it failed by going under the deck and losing its signal. It wasn’t ever supposed to go under the deck, but I guess it was taking a shortcut to the pole position (I am truly sorry about that one). 

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You can also steer the robot in the app to manually mow over tough areas where you think it may drift away – this is also a good feature for touching up areas that need it. The Mammotion app also offers first-person view (FPV), so you can check where your robot is at any time if it gets stranded and you’re not there to see it. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

I’m aware these GPS-powered robots make mistakes as this new technology is still being perfected for accuracy, so I generally don’t mind these hiccups. But I do find the Mammotion Luba 2–> is much less prone to errors than the EcoFlow Blade. I can count so much on Andretti following its map that I feel okay letting it mow the unfenced front lawn, even the picky neighbors’ side, something I would never let the Blade do. 

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Lastly, I love how quiet the Luba 2 is. One of the strangest things about having a robot mower is that it takes care of the lawn on its own and so quietly that it can escape your own notice. Overall, I recommend the Mammotion Luba 2 for anyone who wants to reclaim a few hours from the lawn on their weekends.