Mammotion YUKA mini 2 LiDAR: Canadian lawn notes for YUKA mini 2 1000H and YUKA mini 2 1000 buyers

The Mammotion YUKA mini 2 Test Begins

That cuts really nicely. But who would buy it? Backyard Robot Lawn-Mowing Competition, Round Two Mammotion enters the competition. Before the video starts, let me say something about this robot lawn mower video series. It isn't an advertisement. In my previous review of Ecovacs, I already said it in the top-right corner: it isn't sponsored, and I'll say whatever needs saying. But in the comments, people still said it was an ad. But that video— please go take a look.

Besides talking about its strengths, didn't I list a whole bunch of flaws? What sane advertiser would pay for a video like that? For this video, I'm following the same rule. Its full name is Mammotion YUKA mini 2. Mammotion YUKA mini 2. YUKA. I asked the brand, why give it a name like that? Who can remember it?

Why It Is Called YUKA

(- “Because there was a mammoth specimen called YUKA.”) So what does that have to do with mowing grass? (- “Our company name, Mammotion, contains ‘mammoth,’ the word for that prehistoric animal. Our product names reflect the founder's love of paleontology.”) Since my love of paleontology is nowhere near the founder's, I decided to call it Elephant Xiao’er. Because it's small enough. Next to the Ecovacs “Goat 3000” I tested last time, it looks like a little shop assistant.

Small-Yard Cutting Results

This is a very, very small patch of chives in our yard. This section is weeds. Elephant Xiao’er can go right along the edge of the chives, mow a loop of weeds, and come back out. When “Goat 3000” turns around inside, it inevitably tramples a few chives.

Features and Obstacle Avoidance

Don't let its size fool you—it has everything it should. It inevitably tramples a few chives. Don't let its size fool you. It has everything it should. It also has LiDAR and a camera. No perimeter wire is needed; it can mow along the edge by itself. It also uses small blades. But it doesn't use a steel blade plate. At my mowing frequency,

[Text: Endurance replacement blades $74.00 — Sold out Note: Flip the blades at 50 hours and replace them at 150 hours. The grass species tested in this dataset is Zoysia grass.]

I wouldn't need to replace them for seven years. It also has obstacle avoidance—and it's not very good. It treats tall grass as an obstacle and avoids it. (- Oh, that's good. That's good.) You can't praise it for more than two sentences before it starts avoiding obstacles again. (- Heh heh heh.) But you can turn off its obstacle avoidance. Once you do, Elephant Xiao’er turns into a mammoth. Nothing can stop it. For it to mow this sorry vegetable patch this well—that's impressive.

Isn't this better than “Goat 3000”? But Elephant Xiao’er is a bit too “two.”

Two-Wheel Drive, Slopes, and Steps

I mean its two wheels. Like “Goat 3000”, it has two-wheel drive. According to the specs, it can climb a 24-degree slope.

[Text: Robust rear-wheel drive for slopes of up to 45% (24°).]

That's better than “Goat 3000”'s 15 degrees.

[Text: Goat 3000: handles inclines of up to 15°.]

But this step in my yard— with a strip of wood, “Goat 3000” can get up it. Elephant Xiao’er can't get up it no matter what.

[Text: The wood strip is 3 cm high; it still can't climb it at speeds below 0.5 m/s.]

With obstacle avoidance on, it tends to scrape the wall. With it off, well, it scrapes a little less. Mammotion should adjust the algorithm. Could it wait until both rear wheels are out before turning? And then it isn't “two” enough.

The Uncut Strip Along Edges

“Goat 3000” has two blade discs; Elephant Xiao’er has only one. The blades are 10 centimeters from the edge of the machine. When mowing along the edge, there's a 10-centimeter-wide strip it can't cut. So there's more area to clean up with a trimmer than with “Goat 3000”. Elephant Xiao’er isn't a flagship model, so some features were naturally cut.

Who Is the YUKA mini 2 For?

The question is, who is it for? It can’t finish my friend’s detached-house yard in one go, so it has to recharge and continue. A thorough mowing takes several hours. It's slow. For a townhouse like mine, with a yard under 200 square meters, Elephant Xiao’er works fine as long as there's not much of a slope.

Price Versus Lawn-Care Alternatives

The problem is the price: 2,000 Canadian dollars plus tax.

[Text: MAMMOTION YUKA mini 2 Robot lawn mower without perimeter wire $1,999.00]

Townhouse households still care a lot about value for money. If you pay someone to mow, the cheapest option is $50 per visit, twice a month. Toronto's grass-growing season is short, so $400 a year covers it.

[Text: Small (under 2,000 sq. ft.): $50–$55 Medium (2,000–4,000 sq. ft.): $55–$75 Large (4,000–8,000 sq. ft.): $75–$100+ Estate/custom properties: custom quote]

That $2,000 would cover five years for me. That said, grass grows faster in places warmer than ours, so buying one should be more worthwhile there. If you're willing to do it yourself, you can buy a cordless walk-behind electric mower for three or four hundred dollars.

[Text: RYOBI 40V HP Brushless 20 in. Cordless Behind Push Lawn Mower Kit with 6.0 Ah — $398.00 RYOBI 18V ONE+ 13-inch Cordless Battery Walk-Behind Push Lawn Mower Kit with 4.0 Ah — $298.00]

That's a sixfold price difference for an AI mower. A cordless walk-behind electric mower a sixfold price difference for an AI mower. At that point, I might as well keep being the human-powered smart machine. If you want to call me cheap, let's look at the neighboring industry. This vacuum sells pretty well at $180. This entry-level robot vacuum-and-mop also sells pretty well. Its original price was $550. That's a threefold price difference.

Value Verdict and Closing Recommendation

By that math, for Elephant Xiao’er to sell big in the entry-level market, it would need to be half price, right? (- It's on special right now. It's sold out in Canada, and it's selling very well in the US.)

[Text: Mammotion:]

Okay, fine. Here's my conclusion: If you want Elephant Xiao’er, buy it at a huge discount. Because in a flat, small yard, you see—