Kress Mission RTKn KR174

The KR173 is the middle Mission RTKn and the cheapest Kress with OAS obstacle avoidance, at $1,999.99 (list $2,999.99) through dealers. Kress rates it for 0.7 acre on a 48-hour cycle and 1.2 acre at 72 hours, on the same 7.9 inch deck, 4 Ah 20 V pack, 40 percent slope limit and 59 dB as the KR172; it weighs 27.6 pounds. Like its siblings it uses network RTK over built-in 4G, so there is no antenna on your property, mows in parallel stripes and dead-reckons through tree cover. The OAS module on the nose lets it steer around toys and furniture instead of bumping them, which is the main reason to spend $300 over a KR172. Kress publishes no runtime, charge time or warranty term for the US market, and coverage of a dealer RTKn antenna has to be confirmed before you buy. The main US web dealer was showing it out of stock with a free mapping trolley promotion in September 2026, so ask about lead time. Against a Segway Navimow H3000N at $1,299, which covers a similar 0.74 acre with RTK and a base station you mount yourself, the Kress premium buys stripes, a dealer install and no mast. A fit for a half to three-quarter acre lawn with scattered obstacles and a Kress dealer nearby.

Best for Half to three-quarter acre suburban lawns with toys, furniture or beds in the way, within reach of a Kress dealer's RTKn antenna.

Kress is the Positec sister brand to Worx, but its RTKn mowers are a dealer product, and the KR172 is the half-acre entry point at $1,699.99 (list $2,499.99). The pitch is simple: satellite RTK without the antenna. Instead of a base station in your yard, Kress runs its own network of reference antennas hosted at dealers and pipes corrections to the mower over 4G, so setup means drawing a boundary in the app rather than hunting for a spot with clear sky. When trees or the house block satellites it falls back on inertial navigation and odometry, and it mows in straight parallel stripes rather than the random bounce of a Robomow or older Husqvarna. Specs are modest: an 8-inch cut, 1.6 to 3.5 inch height range, 40 percent slopes, 59 dB and about 26 pounds, with a 4 Ah 20 V battery and 0.5 acre recommended (0.7 acre maximum). What you do not get is camera obstacle avoidance; that is reserved for the OAS variant and pricier Kress models, so this one relies on its bumper and your no-go zones. The catch is coverage: RTKn only works if a Kress dealer antenna is within range of your address, so the dealer has to confirm that before you buy, and you are tied to that dealer for service. Against a Segway Navimow i110 you pay more for the no-antenna convenience and stripes. Good for a suburban half acre near an established Kress dealer; skip it if nobody nearby carries the brand.

Best for Suburban half-acre lawns within range of a Kress dealer's RTKn antenna, for buyers who want stripes and dealer support without an RTK mast in the yard.

The KR161 is the bottom rung of Kress's Mission RTKn ladder: a quarter-acre mower at $1,499.99 (list $2,099.99) sold and installed through Kress dealers rather than online. It shares its body with the KR172 and KR173, so you get the same 7.9 inch three-blade disc, 1.6 to 3.5 inch electric height range, 40 percent slope rating, 59 dB and 26.5 pounds, but with a 4 Ah 20 V pack and a 0.25 acre rating. Positioning is Kress's network RTK, which pulls corrections from a dealer-hosted antenna over the built-in 4G, so nothing is mounted at your house and the boundary is drawn in the app. It mows in parallel stripes and dead-reckons through shade. What it lacks is any obstacle avoidance beyond the bumper and lift sensor; the OAS camera module starts at the KR173. Two caveats: RTKn only works where a dealer antenna covers your address, and a published one-star owner review describes a drive failure after six weeks and weak signal under cloud and heavy foliage, with support routed through the dealer. Against a Segway Navimow i110N at $929, which adds a camera for the same quarter acre, you are paying for dealer setup and stripes. Fits a small, open suburban lot near a Kress dealer.

Best for Small, open quarter-acre lots within range of a Kress dealer's RTKn antenna, for buyers who want stripes and a dealer install at the lowest Kress price.

The 410 iQ is the entry point to Husqvarna's wire-free lineup, and it is the one to look at if your lawn is a straightforward half acre with open sky. It navigates with EPOS RTK satellite positioning from an RS1 reference station you mount on the house, so there is no perimeter wire to bury, and it can still fall back to a physical wire in a shaded side yard where the signal drops. Radar handles obstacle slowdown, but owners are clear that it will still shove a stray branch around, so you tidy the yard first. The cut is the classic Husqvarna razor-blade mulch that leaves a fine finish, and it runs at 62 dB, quiet enough for early mornings. The catch is money and coverage: at $2,600 it costs more than a Segway Navimow i110N or Mammotion Luba Mini that map with cameras and cut wider, and the 420 iQ regularly sells for only a few hundred more with double the rated area. Reviews on Husqvarna's site skew toward long-time Automower owners who love the dealer network, mixed with a vocal group frustrated by units that lost GPS between the front and back yard or waited weeks on parts. Buy it if you value a local dealer and a four-year warranty over spec-sheet bragging rights.

Best for A flat to moderate half-acre lawn with open sky where you want a dealer-backed wire-free mower.

If you are going to buy an iQ, this is probably the one. The 420 iQ is the same 9.4-inch, 1-to-4-inch cut body as the 410 iQ with a faster 54-minute charge and one-acre coverage, and Husqvarna and Amazon have both sold it for well under list for most of 2026. Setup is wire-free: you mount the RS1 reference station, walk the boundary with the mower in the app, and draw stay-out zones and transport paths on the map. A long-time 450X owner who upgraded reported it cut his half-acre Michigan lawn faster and more systematically than his wired mower, in stripes or a checkerboard if you want to show off. The weak spots are the same as the rest of the family: EPOS needs sky, so narrow side yards between houses can drop signal and stop the mower cold, and while radar slows it for large objects it does not dodge sticks. Compared with a Mammotion Luba 2 AWD 3000 at similar money you give up all-wheel drive and a wider deck; compared with a Segway Navimow X3 you give up camera vision. What you get instead is a dealer who will actually service it and a four-year warranty. Best for a flat to moderately sloped acre where you want set-and-forget reliability and someone local to call.

Best for A flat to moderately sloped one-acre lawn where you want Husqvarna dealer support and wire-free setup.

This is the mower for the yard that scares other robots: the 435 iQ AWD pairs all-wheel drive and an articulated, pivoting rear body with Husqvarna's EPOS wire-free navigation, and it is rated for 70 percent slopes, roughly 35 degrees, on up to 1.3 acres. Owners on Husqvarna's site describe steep waterfront lawns and ditches they used to mow in cleats now being handled without a wire in the ground, and the few complaints are about tall landscape edging confusing it and slow satellite lock rather than traction. The cut is narrower than the 4-series at 8.7 inches with a 1.2-to-2.8-inch height range, so it is not the pick for tall cool-season grass, and ultrasonic sensors rather than radar handle obstacles. At $5,000 it is the most expensive residential Automower and roughly double the price of a Mammotion Luba 2 AWD 5000, which also climbs hills and cuts wider. What you are paying for is the dealer network, a four-year warranty, and a chassis that has been proving itself on hilly lawns since the 435X AWD debuted in 2019. If your slopes are under 45 percent, save money with a 420 iQ; if they are not, this is the safest bet in the category.

Best for Steep, uneven or terraced lawns up to 1.3 acres where you want wire-free setup and a dealer behind the mower.