Gardena Smart Sileno Life robotic mower review
4.3
Efficient and quiet with added features
What we tested
- Set-up/ease of use
4.0
A star rating of 4.0 out of 5. - Cut/performance
5.0
A star rating of 5.0 out of 5. - Features
4.0
A star rating of 4.0 out of 5. - Value for money
4.0
A star rating of 4.0 out of 5.
4.3
Pros
- Quiet and light
- Narrowest cutting width is 60cm
- Comparatively wide cutting width
- Connectivity and Sensor control function
Cons
- Instructions and keypad could be clearer
- Both guide and boundary wires to set up
- Larger edges left than others
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How is the Gardena Smart Sileno Life robotic mower installed?
The Sileno needs to be installed yourself and comes with an instruction booklet as well as plenty of video guides on lone. These are helpful but a little repetitive and difficult to follow at times and as the instructions must be followed exactly for the mower to work well or at all, it’s definitely worth reading them slowly and carefully. Lay the wires wrongly, even slightly and you may well have to redo laying the wires again – and as the Sileno has both a boundary wire (which defines the perimeter of the lawn) and a guide wire (to help the mower get back to the docking station when its finished or needs recharging) there is already added work and possible stress depending on the size and complexity of your lawn with this mower compared to other DIY models, without you having to do everything more than once.
Burying the wires is also advisable, rather than just pegging them down, particularly if your lawn is bumpy as the mower may cut the wires or you may when trimming the edges it has missed.
The docking station also needs a wide clear space all around it and this may limit your options when placing it on the lawn which can be frustrating.
Is the Gardena Smart Sileno Life robotic mower easy to programme?
Programming the mower with the keypad is reasonably simple with intuitive step by step instructions to follow and answer but the Sileno also has Smart connectivity via the Gardena Smart system which is easy to use once set up and saves bending over the keypad.
The height of cut is also easy to change with a simple rotary dial on top of the mower.
How well does the Gardena Smart Sileno Life robotic mower cut?
The mower cuts quietly, smoothly and efficiently leaving a clean finish but it does leave wider edges than other mowers tested and these need to be trimmed by hand yourself. It can cope with slopes of up to 30% and fit through narrow passageways of just 60cm, which is a bonus.
What Features does the Gardena Smart Sileno Life robotic mower have?
As well as smart connectivity the Sileno has a SensorControl function that adjusts cutting according to the rate of grass growth and a spiral mowing function which allows it to cut clumps of lush grass, such as under a trampoline or around trees. For security it has PIN code operation, lift sensors and an alarm .
Is the Gardena Smart Sileno Life robotic mower good value for money?
The Sileno has good features, is simple and easy to use, gives a great cut and is ideal for small and medium lawns. It comes with a potential three year warranty (the third year is only given after registration on line) and given the maximum lawn area it covers we think it is good value for money.
Are there other robotic mower models available?
There are six Gardena robotic mowers available in the range covering lawns from 250m2 up to 1,600m2 and costing from £699.99 to £1,999.
Three more robotic mowers are also due to launch in 2020.
Robotic lawn mowers - Buyer's Guide video
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