Why you may belief TechRadar
We spend hours testing each services or products we evaluate, so that you will be positive you are shopping for one of the best. Discover out extra about how we check.
Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000: two-minute evaluate
In case you’re available in the market for a sterling autonomous plug-and-play robotic garden mower with a wider slicing tract than most, the brand new Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000 comes wholeheartedly advisable. Accessible in three completely different battery capacities, this explicit mannequin is designed for big, complicated lawns with shaded areas, lumpy terrain and really steep gradients, although it’s equally at dwelling on even essentially the most standardised of suburban and rural lawns. Nonetheless, it might most undoubtedly be thought of overkill if used on a small-to-medium city garden.
Like its highly-regarded stablemate, the LUBA 2, the brand new LUBA 3 AWD 3000 requires no boundary wires and no diploma in IT to set it up – merely set up its charging base, go browsing to the Mammotion app and it’ll map the boundaries of your garden routinely or, should you want, manually by steering the robotic round your garden’s permitter like an RC automobile.
- Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000 at Amazon for $2,399
A giant improve from its stablemate, this new mannequin is now outfitted with a powerful Tri-Fusion navigation system combining LiDAR, netRTK positioning over WiFi or 4G, plus AI digicam imaginative and prescient to map, mow and keep away from obstacles with spectacular accuracy — day or evening.
Efficiency is the place the LUBA 3 AWD 3000 actually impresses. Utilizing its all-wheel drive system and full suspension, this beast can deal with slopes with inclines of as much as 80% and traverse uneven terrain, roots and edges with spectacular confidence. Twin 165W slicing motors and AI-adjusted energy, in the meantime, enable it to deal successfully with thick or damp grass, whereas clever route planning minimizes missed patches.
The result’s an impressively neat and completely striped end to the garden which will go away your jaw on the ground. What’s extra, as a result of it’s outfitted with a a lot wider slicing deck (40cm) than the overwhelming majority of the competitors, the gorgeous garden stripes it creates are far more akin to that of a traditional mower.
(Picture credit score: Future)
Granted, the LUBA 3 could be very a lot within the premium-price band, however then you might be getting marine-grade construct high quality, dependable navigation, glorious impediment avoidance and constant slicing efficiency to your hard-earned.
I gave this mannequin’s forebear, the LUBA 2, a full 5 stars on TechRadar in 2024, largely as a result of it was head and shoulders above the rest round on the time whereas being extraordinarily environment friendly and tremendous dependable. However that was then. As we speak now we have much more competitors with a veritable slew of extraordinarily environment friendly wire-free robotic mowers from the likes of Segway, Anthbot, Roborock, Ego, Eufy, Terramow and Worx, and that makes it much more troublesome to justify a full five-star ranking.
Nonetheless, if the sooner LUBA 2 — which I’ve been utilizing for the previous 18 months – is something to go by, you may safely count on this new mannequin to proceed offering a fuss-free autonomous grass slicing service with virtually zero babysitting for a few years therefore.
Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000: value & availability
- How a lot does it price? £2,399 / $2,399
- When is it obtainable? Accessible in most areas now
- The place are you able to get it? Pre-order in UK; obtainable USA and remainder of the world, bar Australia
The Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD collection sits firmly within the premium phase of the robotic mower market, with UK pricing usually between £2,099 to £2,899 ($2,399 to $3,299) relying on garden capability. Whereas this positions it nicely above entry-level robotic mowers, the worth displays its unimaginable construct high quality, superior navigation system, all-wheel-drive traction and skill to scale steep hills, making it notably interesting for big, complicated backyard layouts and even giant fields.
In contrast with extra reasonably priced fashions, the LUBA 3’s worth relies upon largely on garden dimension and complexity. Price range options for smaller lawns just like the perimeter wire-free Segway Navimow i2 and Worx Landroid Imaginative and prescient Cloud price beneath £700 whereas Mammotion’s equally-competent LUBA Mini 2 AWD 1000 (which boasts a lot of its bigger sibling’s options, together with the power to climb slopes of as much as 80%) additionally retails at a way more reasonably priced £1,399.
In the end, I believe that the LUBA 3 AWD 3000 I’m reviewing right here is first rate worth for house owners of huge, uneven or multi-zone lawns who can totally exploit its superior autonomy. For smaller gardens, nevertheless, many cheaper robotic mowers ship completely enough efficiency, which means patrons ought to fastidiously contemplate whether or not the LUBA 3’s premium know-how is really needed.
Worth rating: 4 / 5
Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000: specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Max garden dimension
3000㎡
Navigation
360 LiDAR + NetRTK + Twin-Digital camera AI Imaginative and prescient
Slicing deck width
40cm (two 6-blade slicing discs)
Slicing peak adjustment
25-70mm, motorised
Drivetrain
All-wheel drive
Most climbing capacity
80% (38.6˚)
Most zones
30 zones
Drop-and-mow operate
Sure
Impediment avoidance
360° LiDAR, NetRTK, and dual-camera 1080P AI imaginative and prescient
Connectivity
Wi-fi, Bluetooth & 4G (3 years free information)
Safety
GPS monitoring + 4G
Noise
70dB
Waterproof
IPX6
Rain sensor
Sure
Mow time per cost
175 minutes
Charging time
120 minutes
Weight
19kgs
Dimensions
690 x 533 x 279mm
Product code
LUBA 3 AWD 3000
Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000: design
- Three-way navigation
- Wider-than-average slicing deck
- Impeccable match and end
Many of the mowbots I evaluate are clad in flimsy shells that bend dramatically as you decide them up. By stark distinction, the F1-inspired LUBA 3 AWD 3000’s superbly polished white plastic cowling feels inches thick and akin to the hull of a premium pace boat. Nevertheless it doesn’t cease there as a result of the uncovered metallic work, too, screams System One ranges of construct high quality with high-spec machining and skilled match and end with zero tolerance between the varied parts.
In brief, each inch of this garden beast is constructed to the very highest requirements. Therefore, this stage of construct high quality doesn’t come low cost and nor does it lack in weight – at a hefty 19kgs, it’s a superb job you’ll solely seemingly have to raise it as soon as to take away it from the field and pop it on its charging plinth.
(Picture credit score: Future)
The LUBA 3 (as I shall name it any more) is accessible in three battery-capacity variants for garden sizes of 1,500㎡, 3,000㎡ for the variant we’re reviewing right here, and 5,000㎡. It arrives virtually totally assembled in an enormous, expertly packed field. In reality, the one factor the person must do is take away some protecting items on the robotic — together with the slicing deck protector beneath – and screw on the sensor-equipped bumper. Then it’s a case of mounting the charging base on a flat fringe of the garden that’s inside vary of an outside electrical energy provide. This mannequin comes with a 5m charging cable, which is unfortunately about half the size of the one which got here with the LUBA 2. Nonetheless, you must have the ability to buy an extension cable from Mammotion someday within the close to future.
Now that the LUBA 3 is on its base, it’s time to open the Mammotion app, create an account and add the LUBA 3 by following the set of on-screen directions. Since this mannequin makes use of Wi-Fi and 4G-based NetRTK for a part of its three-way navigation, there isn’t a want to put in an RTK antenna. In reality, it doesn’t even include one although I’m led to imagine that an RTK aerial will quickly change into obtainable for these with poor Wi-Fi and/or 4G reception.
(Picture credit score: Future)
When you’ve linked the bot to the app, it’s time to map your garden and this may be carried out in two methods — routinely or manually. With auto mapping the LUBA 3 follows the perimeter of any grassy areas till it arrives at its start line. Voila, map created. In handbook mode — my most popular choice — you fastidiously drive the LUBA 3 across the perimeter of the garden utilizing the app’s digital joysticks till you arrive the place you began.
As soon as mapped, the one factor you might have to do is add a couple of no-go zones round any timber, backyard furnishings or ornaments by steering the robotic round them. This activity isn’t important as a result of the LUBA 3’s stupendous navigation system will guarantee any obstacles are averted. Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless good apply so as to add no-go zones round obstacles so the robotic can reduce as carefully as potential when approaching relatively than giving it too extensive a berth.
(Picture credit score: Future)
If in case you have a number of lawns linked by pathways with no obstructions like stairs and gates in the best way, it’s also possible to program a collection of pathways for the robotic to comply with. Merely choose ‘Channel’ within the app’s mapping menu and steer the LUBA 3 from one garden to the opposite. You may create as much as 30 mowing zones with the LUBA 3 3000 mannequin on evaluate right here, 15 with the 1500 model and 50 with the 5000. In essence, when the LUBA 3 has accomplished its reduce on garden one, it would trundle off down your pre-set path to garden two, and so forth and so forth. If its battery wants a recharge halfway by way of a multi activity, the robotic will merely head again to its charging station for a high up.
Let’s take a better take a look at this wonderful mowbot’s important credentials, beginning with the slicing deck. Not like the overwhelming majority of robotic mowers that include a small single 20cm slicing disc, this one ships with two 20cm discs, amounting to a large 40cm of slicing girth, which is roughly the identical as most standard medium-sized push mowers.
(Picture credit score: Future)
The LUBA 3’s slicing system is comprised of two spinning discs outfitted with six razor-like blades on every that reduce and mulch grass extra cleanly than any standard rotary mower. Additionally, not like normal mowers that solely present their slicing heights in 1cm increments, this mannequin’s motorized slicing deck will be set to chop in 5mm increments (it has a slicing peak vary of 25-70mm). Oh, and one other factor… For the reason that LUBA 3’s blades are so small and razor sharp, it doesn’t take a lot energy to maneuver them and that in flip means much less battery consumption and virtually zero noise whereas they’re working. In reality you may be mendacity on the solar lounger whereas the robotic’s working a couple of metres away and also you gained’t hear a factor — and nor will your neighbors.
For the reason that LUBA 3 at all times cuts in a zigzag, up-and-down sample (at whichever angle you favor, together with a chequerboard impact), the mix of its further slicing width and extra-wide tyres ensures a swathe of professional-looking garden stripes. Granted, they’re not the genuine stripes you see at a cricket floor or soccer pitch – these are made utilizing a big cylinder mower with a curler on the rear – however who’s complaining once they look this ravishingly good? By the way, like all good robotic mowers, this one can also be fitted with a rain sensor, so if it heads out within the rain it would instantly return to its storage (with optionally available rain hood) and wait a couple of hours earlier than making an attempt once more.
No robotic of any variety is of a lot use if it doesn’t know the place it’s at any given time. Nicely the brand new LUBA 3 has three sorts of onboard navigation (yet one more than the LUBA 2) for insane ranges of navigation accuracy in even essentially the most shaded areas of a backyard.
Firstly, its outfitted with GPS RTK navigation that makes use of satellites to find out the robotic’s place to some centimetres of accuracy (the usual GPS navigation we use for driving is three to 10 metres). Nonetheless, not like the primary incarnation of the LUBA 2 which shipped with a separate RTK antennae that required a superb line of sight to numerous satellites, this mannequin makes use of Mammotion’s personal NetRTK system which is Wi-Fi or 4G based mostly and subsequently resistant to satellite tv for pc entry being affected by overhanging timber and buildings. All you want is first rate Wi-Fi reception in your garden for pin-point navigation accuracy.
In case you don’t have Wi-Fi on the garden, it’s also possible to use the robotic’s built-in 4G capabilities to carry out the identical operate — Mammotion supplies a full three years of free 4G service! Oh, and concern not in case your garden space has neither Wi-Fi nor 4G as a result of you may nonetheless use this mannequin with a spiked RTK antenna.
(Picture credit score: Future)
The LUBA 3 can also be outfitted with dual-camera AI imaginative and prescient and an LED headlight, and it makes use of these as an additional layer of canopy when navigating darker areas of a garden or when the robotic encounters obstacles like kids, pets, backyard toys, furnishings and ornaments. You could have two ranges of impediment avoidance to select from: Commonplace for higher slicing effectivity and Delicate, which can trigger the robotic to keep away from non-grassy areas and even refuse to cross them on the best way again to base. In case you’re a canine proprietor, I wouldn’t depend on this mannequin – or most others for that matter – to keep away from canine poop as a result of setting that stage of sensitivity would seemingly trigger the robotic to additionally keep away from each unfastened leaf on the garden.
Final however definitely not least, this mannequin additionally encompasses LiDAR and I can’t inform you what a distinction this makes in the case of mapping, navigation and impediment avoidance. LiDAR fires lasers off in all instructions to map and navigate a 3D work area with uncanny accuracy, even in pitch darkness. Having this stage of navigation redundancy on board is a serious coup for Mammotion since most different producers are inclined to deal with simply two navigation techniques.
This Tri-Fusion Positioning System, as Mammotion calls it, has additionally allowed the Chinese language firm to introduce a novel ‘beta’ function referred to as Drop Mow so you may take it over to another person’s garden and have it reduce their garden as effectively as yours. By way of safety, the LUBA 3 is firmly linked to the person’s account and that alone renders it ineffective to any thieves. Furthermore, it’s also outfitted with GPS and 4G monitoring for further peace of thoughts.
(Picture credit score: Future)
Let’s take a superb take a look at the Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD’s traction system. The place most smaller mowbots have two sturdy drive wheels to the rear or entrance and a smaller castor wheel for steering, the LUBA 3 is all-wheel drive and fitted with suspension. Ostensibly, its wheel system is comprised of a pair of huge, sturdy paddled tyres on the rear and a pair of narrower entrance wheels outfitted with smaller omnidirectional spinners that enable the robotic to activate a sixpence. This setup means the LUBA 3 can experience over very tough terrain, scale roots and small sills with out stepping into pickle. However extra importantly its highly effective 4×4 drive system additionally permits it to scale inclines of as much as 80% (38.6°) which is steeper than any standard garden mower can safely deal with.
Granted, the LUBA 3’s specialised entrance wheels have been recognized to sometimes tear up grass in soft-soiled shady areas when utilizing the Zero Flip choice however this may be cured to some extent by choosing its slower three-point-turn operate as an alternative. I’ve personally had no bald-patch points however I do know that others have.
Nonetheless, I ought to add that the omnidirectional entrance wheels have a tendency to gather quite a lot of mud which is ugly, however fortunately the entire unit is IPX6 rated for cover in opposition to high-pressure water spray so you may simply blast off the mud with a hose. Maybe Mammotion will change the LUBA 3’s entrance drive mechanism in some unspecified time in the future and undertake a system just like the forthcoming Segway Navimow X Sequence, which makes use of a zero-turn technique comprised of two entrance wheels that swivel 90 levels when turning.
I’ve been persistently blown away by the excessive stage of construct high quality and large quantity of design thrives Mammotion injects into its LUBA collection and this mannequin is one of the best but. Nonetheless, I’ll stress that this robotic garden mower has been deliberately designed for big lawns — and even paddocks and fields — and might subsequently be thought of overkill if used on a mean city garden. Fortunately Mammotion additionally produces a smaller LUBA Mini 2 for diminutive lawns, and you must test it out.
Design rating: 4.5 / 5
Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000: efficiency
- High slicing efficiency
- Creates lovely garden stripes
- Reassuring reliability
As with its forebear, the LUBA 2, I’ve no points to report concerning set up, preliminary garden mapping, navigation or slicing efficiency. I merely arrange a collection of schedules within the Mammotion app and the LUBA 3 has headed off to mow the garden whereas I’ve sat indoors doing different issues. And when it has completed leaving its swathe of majestic garden stripes, it’s adopted the perimeter all the best way again to its charging base.
Sure, I did use my standard garden mower with grass slicing container for the primary reduce of the season as a result of the LUBA 3, just like the overwhelming majority of garden robots, makes use of the mulching method and I didn’t need clumps of cuttings littering the garden. That is why it’s at all times greatest to hold on to your standard mower.
Nonetheless, should you program the LUBA 3 to go out each two or three days throughout spring and summer season, it would merely slice off about 2mm of progress at a time and feed the nitrogen-rich cuttings again into the turf, thereby fertilising it as the identical time. And and not using a grass slicing in sight. What’s to not like?
(Picture credit score: Future)
I’ve at all times opted for the parallel ‘zigzag’ slicing choice within the app, adopted by two perimeter laps (you may choose as much as 4 perimeter laps and every go is a bit nearer to the sting). No, the LUBA 3 — and virtually all different bots — gained’t reduce to the very fringe of a wall, fence or strong flower border, however then neither will a traditional lawnmower. Therefore you’ll nonetheless want a grass trimmer handy.
I additionally examined the LUBA 3’s multi-zone operate although this did entail me carrying the unit up some stairs as a result of I’m unable to create a direct pathway to zones two and three. Nonetheless, I used to be mightily impressed by how nicely it navigated between the 2 new zones whereas sticking rigidly to the borders, and with out venturing into the adjoining street. In reality, so profitable is that this multi-zone system that, had been I in a position to create a collection of unobstructed pathways, I may feasibly program the LUBA 3 to go away my backyard and head off to keep up our village cemetery and the garden areas across the church. Proof optimistic that, had been it not for the prospect of theft, a lot of the new era of mowbots may feasibly change an expert gardener with a traditional garden mower. Unhappy however true.
(Picture credit score: Future)
By way of impediment avoidance, the LUBA 3 is completely adept at bypassing any impediment bigger than, say, a ping pong ball. I examined it utilizing the unit’s Commonplace impediment avoidance setting and it stopped about three ft away from a stuffed seagull toy earlier than rerouting itself for one more go. I then set it to Delicate and it deftly averted a toy canine bone only one inch in peak. That’s a convincing go in my e book since, had been it any extra delicate, the robotic would seemingly keep away from backyard leaves and also you don’t need that. Swings and roundabouts spring to thoughts.
My remaining check was the LUBA 3’s hardest. There’s a kids’s playground behind my home and it has a financial institution so steep and slippery that I can’t rise up it with out scrabbling on all fours. For this check I opted to manually steer the LUBA 3 up the slope utilizing the app’s digital controls, half anticipating it to fail miserably. However, pleasure of joys, it scuttled up the slope like a type of V8-powered System Off-Street vehicles you see negotiating near-vertical terrain in a disused quarry. Very spectacular certainly.
(Picture credit score: Future)
Granted, some could baulk on the considered a robotic performing a activity that they contemplate satisfying, and I believed that too the primary time I used to be provided a wi-fi robotic to check. However after I look again on the effort and time I’ve saved to carry out different necessary duties like lounging within the backyard with a G&T, pruning the flowers or just watching it work — to not say the comfort of getting the garden reduce whereas away from dwelling — I’ve change into a whole convert and would now discover it laborious to reside with out one.
Efficiency rating: 5 / 5
Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000: Mammotion app
- Exceedingly complete
- Easy to navigate
- Some glitches want ironing out
The accompanying feature-rich Mammotion app is central to getting one of the best efficiency from all fashions within the firm’s present line up, and one in every of its key strengths is the wonderful stage of customization if presents, whether or not you’re fettling with it at dwelling or away.
Customers can create a number of mowing areas, modify slicing patterns, peak and blade pace, path and elegance of journey (zigzag, chessboard impact and angle of reduce), even create shapes and phrases on the garden. It additionally presents the wherewithal to set the quantity of perimeter laps and whether or not you need the bot to return to its charging base in a direct route or alongside the perimeter to keep away from spoiling the garden stripes it has already produced.
Picture 1 of three
(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)
Nonetheless, the expertise will not be flawless. I’ve skilled occasional connectivity points when away from dwelling or when utilizing Bluetooth on my iPhone 15 Professional, plus a couple of interface quirks that may make fine-tuning garden zones extra time-consuming than anticipated. There’s scope for enchancment, in different phrases.
Must you purchase the Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000?
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Part
Notes
Rating
Worth for cash
The LUBA 3 instructions a excessive value as a result of its superior navigation and AWD functionality on complicated terrain
4/5
Design
Constructed like a tank and outfitted with an completed navigation system for a rugged life on bigger landscapes
4.5/5
Efficiency
Highly effective, exact and assured efficiency throughout a spread of huge, difficult lawns
5/5
App performance
Extraordinarily complete however may do with a tweak or two
4/5
Purchase it if
Do not buy it if
How I examined the Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000
As per traditional, I lived with the Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000 for a few weeks, watching it work on a scheduled foundation and analyzing the outcomes of its slicing efficiency. I then put it to a collection of handbook assessments, together with impediment avoidance, multi-zone mowing and a steep hill climb. It has impressed me in all disciplines and continues to take action. Just like the LUBA 2 I reviewed in 2024, I see no main points with this newer mannequin which has been a breeze to make use of from preliminary set as much as the dependable manner it goes about its bi-weekly chores.
Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000: Worth Comparability
