STIHL iMOW 5 EVO

The 6 EVO is the middle STIHL iMOW: the same 11-inch three-blade disc, ultrasonic sensors and built-in mobile module as the 5 EVO, with a bigger battery that runs about 150 minutes per charge instead of 65 and recharges to 80 percent in roughly 75 minutes. The US version (Mfr# IA01 011 1447) is the 4-inch high-cut model, so it adjusts electrically from 2.4 to 4.0 inches rather than the 0.8 to 2.4 inch range STIHL sells in Europe, which suits fescue and other cool-season lawns kept tall. That taller deck is also why the US rating is about 0.6 acre, well under the 3,000 square meter (0.74 acre) figure on the international spec sheet. It is a boundary-wire mower, so someone lays perimeter and guide wire before it mows a blade of grass, and it climbs 45 percent slopes (55 with the optional Kit 10 wheels) at 61 dB sound power and 35 pounds. Ace Hardware and Interstate Supplies both list it at $3,099.99, dealer install extra. STIHL USA has removed the iMOW product pages from its own site, so dealers and Ace are the reference now. For the same $3,100 a Segway Navimow X350 covers more ground with RTK and cameras and no wire at all, so the case here is dealer install, dealer service and a quiet, clean finish rather than technology.

Best for Wired lawns around half an acre kept at 3 to 4 inches, for buyers who want a STIHL dealer to install and service it.

The 7 EVO is the largest residential iMOW and the same machine as the 5 and 6 EVO with the biggest battery: about 240 minutes of mowing per charge (220 at an 80 percent fast charge that takes roughly 80 minutes), an 11-inch three-blade disc, ultrasonic sensors, a rain sensor and a mobile network module for the MY iMOW app. Like the 6 EVO, the US model (Mfr# IA01 011 1477) is the 4-inch high-cut version with a 2.4 to 4.0 inch electric height range, and it is rated for about an acre here versus 5,000 square meters (1.25 acres) on the European sheet. It is a boundary-wire mower, so a full acre means a long afternoon of wire for you or a dealer, and it weighs 37.5 pounds, heavier than its siblings. Ace and Interstate Supplies list it at $4,019.99. That is a lot for a wire machine in 2026: a Mammotion Luba 3 AWD 5000 covers 1.25 acres with LiDAR, cameras and 80 percent slope ability for about $3,299 and needs no wire, and a Husqvarna Automower 430X offers the same dealer-installed wire system with a longer track record. The 7 EVO's argument is a proven wire system, 61 dB sound power, a STIHL dealer who will install and maintain it, and a taller cut than most rivals manage.

Best for One-acre wired lawns kept tall, for buyers who want a STIHL dealer to install and maintain the system.

The 430XH is the high-cut version of Husqvarna's long-running 430X: the same 9.45-inch deck, 0.8-acre rating and 145-minute runtime, but a 2-to-3.6-inch cutting range for tall fescue, bluegrass and other lawns that look terrible under two inches. It runs on a buried boundary wire with up to three guide wires and GPS-assisted mapping so it spends more time in areas it has been missing, and ultrasonic sensors slow it before it bumps into things. Owners are split in a way you should read before buying: the happy ones describe two-plus seasons of flawless mowing on hills and muddy spots and a lawn the neighbors comment on, while the unhappy ones describe a wheel falling off on the first mow, a mower that chewed its own boundary wire, and support that took days to answer. Nearly everyone agrees the wire install is 10 to 20 hours and worth renting a trencher for. Husqvarna's product page marks it discontinued, but its own shop still sells it at $2,500 with a two-year warranty. If you want tall-grass cutting without wire, the 420 iQ is the modern answer; if you have heavy shade where satellites struggle, this remains a sensible pick.

Best for A shaded half to three-quarter acre lawn of tall cool-season grass where a wire is more reliable than satellites.

The 430X is Husqvarna's workhorse wired mower for medium lawns, rated for 0.8 acres and 45 percent slopes with a 9.45-inch deck and a low 0.8-to-2.4-inch cut range suited to Bermuda, zoysia and other lawns kept short. It follows a buried boundary wire with guide wires and GPS-assisted mapping, has ultrasonic sensors to slow for obstacles, and runs 145 minutes on a 50-minute charge, so it can cover a lot of ground in a day. Owners describe the cut quality as the reason to buy - a fine, even finish all summer - and the boundary wire as the reason to hesitate, with several reporting the mower cutting its own wire and having to splice it, plus flimsy connectors at the charging station. Wire install is the big lift; most say a rented trencher beats stakes. Husqvarna marks it discontinued, but the Husqvarna shop lists it at $2,500 and Amazon has been clearing units near $1,500, which is a lot of mower for the money if you can live with a wire. Against wire-free rivals like the Segway Navimow X3 or Mammotion Luba 2 you give up virtual maps and camera avoidance; against the 420 iQ you give up EPOS but keep the same dealer support for less. Good for shaded lots where satellites are unreliable.

Best for A shaded half to three-quarter acre lawn kept short, bought at clearance pricing by someone comfortable laying wire.

The 415X was Husqvarna's small-yard X-line mower before the iQ series, and it is still sold through the Husqvarna shop and dealers at $2,000 even though the product page says discontinued. You get the premium X-line touches - LED headlights, app-adjusted electric cut height, GPS theft tracking and built-in cellular - in a 21-pound body rated for 0.37 acres and 40 percent slopes. The cut range of 0.8 to 2 inches suits warm-season grasses and tidy, short lawns, not tall fescue. It runs on a boundary wire with guide wires and a systematic passage mode, and the 50-minute runtime with a 60-minute charge means it cycles often. Owners say it just works once the wire is in, and that install takes about half a day if you watch the videos first; the complaints are about durability, with a warped cutting disk, wheels lost to surfacing rocks, and mowers that would not wake up after winter, plus customer service that punts to dealers. At 62 dB it is noticeably louder than a Navimow i110N, and a Segway or Mammotion at this price is wire-free with cameras. Choose it for a small, wire-friendly yard where you want Husqvarna dealer support and a short, even cut.

Best for A small suburban lawn kept short, where you want Husqvarna dealer service and do not mind a wire.

The Optimow 33H is Greenworks' one-third-acre boundary-wire mower, now sold through the Greenworks Commercial dealer network rather than big-box stores; the online store lists it at $1,099.99 and sold out, so a local dealer is the realistic route. The H means high cut, 2.4 to 4.0 in, which suits fescue and Kentucky bluegrass lawns that the 0.8 to 2.4 in Optimow 33 would scalp. Mechanically it is a conventional Husqvarna-style platform: boundary wire plus guide wires, a random bounce pattern, three pivoting razor blades on an 8.7 in disc, a 24V battery, 130-minute recharge, IPX5 washdown and a 19 degree (about 34%) slope rating. Its differentiator is built-in 4G with GPS: the GreenGuide app works from anywhere and the mower can be tracked if it walks off. Owners of the sibling Optimow 50H on Best Buy like the cut but call the app frustrating, and the cellular plan is only prepaid for two years before an annual fee kicks in. There is no edge-cut mode and no camera, so it bumps its way around obstacles. Against a Husqvarna Automower 310 Mark II it is cheaper with a longer warranty, but dealer-only availability and the app complaints keep it from being an easy pick. Best for a flat to gently sloped third-acre lawn within reach of a Greenworks dealer.

Best for Cool-season lawns around a third of an acre whose owner has a nearby Greenworks dealer and wants cellular tracking without wire-free pricing.