STIHL iMOW 6 EVO

STIHL's iMOW EVO line replaced the old Viking-era iMOWs in Europe in 2023 and reached US dealers in 2024, and the 5 EVO is the smallest of the three (the 5, 6 and 7 EVO cover roughly 0.37, 0.74 and 1.25 acres). It is a boundary-wire mower, so someone has to lay perimeter and guide wire, but once that is done it is one of the more polished wire machines around: an 11-inch disc with three free-swinging blades, electric height adjustment from 0.8 to 2.4 inches, 45 percent slopes (55 with the optional Kit 10 wheels), ultrasonic sensors that slow it before it bumps anything, a rain sensor you can tune, and a mobile network module built in so the MY iMOW app works away from home. It is quiet (61 dB sound power, 48 dB pressure) and light at 33 pounds. T3's reviewer called it outstanding on cut quality but was annoyed by app logouts and by its inability to cut flush to raised edges, a limit of any wire mower. Runtime is short, 65 minutes per charge with a 140-minute full recharge, though STIHL rates it for 1,500 square meters over a week of cycles. At about $2,530 through STIHL dealers and Ace, it costs more than a wire-free Segway Navimow i110 that covers the same area with no wire, so the case for it is dealer install, dealer service and STIHL build quality rather than technology. Best for someone who already has a STIHL dealer they trust and does not want to fuss with RTK antennas.

Best for Wired lawns up to about 0.37 acre for buyers who want a dealer-installed, dealer-serviced machine from a brand they already own tools from.

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 435X AWD is the wired predecessor of the 435 iQ AWD, and for $2,000 less it gives you the same all-wheel-drive, articulated chassis and 70 percent slope rating. Instead of satellites it follows a buried boundary wire plus guide wires, with GPS-assisted mapping to even out coverage across 0.9 acres and app-drawn stay-out zones. Owners on Husqvarna's site are mostly in year three to five and report the kind of reliability that keeps them buying the brand, along with the usual notes: install is a multi-day project or a dealer job, there are always a couple of steep spots that need smoothing, and the alarm and support experience vary by region. A Danish long-term reviewer put it well - if your lawn is flat, this model gains you nothing over a cheaper Automower, but on steep, uneven ground it is close to unstoppable. Rivals like the Mammotion Luba 2 AWD skip the wire entirely and cost less, so this only makes sense if you specifically want wire reliability under tree cover, a known chassis, and a Husqvarna dealer behind it. Note the two-year warranty versus four on the iQ models, and that the heavier body leaves visible tracks on soft ground.

Best for Steep or uneven lawns under heavy tree cover where a boundary wire is more dependable than satellites.

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.

Robomow was one of the original robot mower brands (Israeli, now part of MTD under Stanley Black & Decker) and the RK2000 is its mainstream US model: a boundary-wire mower rated for 2,000 square meters, about half an acre, sold mostly through Home Depot at $1,499 with a 3-year warranty. The RK series has a few things older wire mowers lack. The deck floats on a pendulum suspension, the blade disc sits offset so it can trim right over the wire on one side, the four razor blades are staggered on the spinning disc, and it climbs 45 percent inside the mowing area (20 percent along the wire). Runtime is 80-90 minutes with a 60-120 minute recharge, it is quiet at 64 dB maximum, and you can carve the lawn into a main zone plus four sub-zones. Programming happens on a 4.3-inch color touchscreen or over Bluetooth in the Robomow app; remote GSM access is an add-on module. It is also a random-pattern mower with no cameras, so anything you leave inside the wire gets bumped, and the wire itself is a weekend install. Home Depot buyers rate it a middling 2.9 out of 5 across 9 reviews, and Robomow's US presence has thinned since the MTD sale, so weigh that against a Husqvarna Automower 310 Mark II at a similar price with a far bigger dealer network. Pick the RK2000 if you specifically want the offset edge-cutting disc and the touchscreen; pick the Husqvarna for support.

Best for Half-acre wired lawns where close edge trimming and a touchscreen matter more than app polish or dealer support.