GOAT A3000 LiDAR PRO
It maps your lawn with a laser and a camera, so it still knows where it is under trees. ECOVACS rates it for about 0.74 acre3,000 m², and a built-in trimmer cuts the lawn edges for you.
Best for: A wooded lawn up to about 0.6 acre2,450 m², with beds and trees to mow around
- Maps the lawn by laser, even in shade
- Trims the lawn edges itself
- The edging trimmer is loud
- No built-in cell signal; it's an add-on
LUBA 3 AWD 3000
It maps with a laser like the ECOVACS, and it drives all four wheels. Mammotion rates it for a rise of 80 ft80 m for every 100 ft100 m forward, the steepest here. It fits through a gap of about 28 in71 cm.
Best for: A wooded lawn that is also steep or rough, up to about 0.6 acre2,450 m²
- Climbs the steepest ground here
- Drives all four wheels
- The loudest here at 70 decibels
- Some yards still need an antenna on a pole
i215 LiDAR
It carries a laser too, so it knows where it is in shade, and it costs far less than the other two. Segway Navimow rates it for about 0.37 acre1,500 m², so it suits a smaller wooded lawn.
Best for: A smaller wooded lawn up to about 0.3 acre1,200 m², on a tighter budget
- Cheapest of the three
- Quietest here at 59 decibels
- Only about 0.37 acre1,500 m² of lawn
- Gentler slope than the other two
The numbers, side by side
The table below shows what each brand says its mower can do. We copied every number from the brand's own spec sheet or manual into our mower database, and every page on this site reads from that one record. Before we say a mower fits a lawn we take about 20% off the rated area and about 15% off the rated slope. The sections under the table say what each number means on your lawn.
| What we are comparing | ECOVACS GOAT A3000 LiDAR PRO | Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000 | Segway Navimow i215 LiDAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it knows where to go | A laser and a camera. No wire, no satellites. | A laser, satellites and a camera. No wire to lay. | A laser and a camera. No wire, no satellites. |
| Biggest lawn it can keep cut | 0.74 acres3,000 m² | 0.74 acres3,000 m² | 16,100 sq ft1,500 m² |
| Steepest hill it can climb | 50% — a rise of 50 ft per 100 ft (about 27°) | 80% — a rise of 80 ft per 100 ft (about 39°) | 45% — a rise of 45 ft per 100 ft (about 24°) |
| Cutting width | 33 cm (13 in) | 40 cm (15.7 in) | — |
| Can remember more than one lawn | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| How it gets around things in its way | A laser that measures what is around it, Camera, A bumper it nudges things with | A laser that measures what is around it, Camera, A bumper it nudges things with | A laser that measures what is around it, Camera |
| No boundary wire to lay | Yes | Yes | Yes |
What to look for on a shady, wooded yard
- Trees over the lawn. A laser and a camera let these three work out where they are, even in shade. A mower that uses only satellites cannot tell where it is under trees. It leaves patches of grass uncut, so avoid one for a wooded yard. Our guide to wire-free mowers shows how to check the tree cover over your lawn.
- Flower beds and obstacles. A laser and a camera spot a bed, a hose or a toy. The mower drives around it.
- Lawn size. The ECOVACS and the LUBA cover about 0.74 acre3,000 m² each. The i215 covers about 0.37 acre1,500 m². Take about 20% off those areas for trees and beds, so plan on about 0.6 and 0.3 acre1,200 m².
- Noise. Segway Navimow rates the i215 at 59 decibels. ECOVACS rates the A3000 body at 62 decibels. Mammotion rates the LUBA 3 at 70 decibels, the loudest here.
Best overall: GOAT A3000 LiDAR PRO
The A3000 LiDAR PRO is the one I’d start with for a wooded yard. Its laser and camera map the lawn under tree branches, where a satellite signal gets weak. It cuts about 0.74 acre3,000 m², the same as the LUBA 3. The i215 covers about 0.37 acre1,500 m².
The laser is a type of lidar (light detection and ranging). NOAA explains lidar as a laser method for mapping the shape of the ground. Here it maps your yard by reading the light that bounces back off the trees, the shed and the beds.
A camera helps it see a hose or a ball and steer around it. It can hold maps for more than one lawn, such as a front and a back yard. ECOVACS says it needs about 35 in89 cm to fit through a gap, so measure your side gate first. The other two fit through about 28 in71 cm.
A built-in trimmer cuts the grass right at the edge, so you have less to trim by hand. The body runs at 62 decibels. The edging trimmer is far louder, so run it later in the day. It has no built-in cell signal, and ECOVACS sells that as an add-on.
On a steep lawn the LUBA 3 is the better buy. ECOVACS rates the A3000 for a rise of 50 ft50 m for every 100 ft100 m forward, about 27 degrees. On wet grass I’d treat it as a rise of about 43 ft43 m for every 100 ft100 m forward. You draw the edge of the lawn in the app. ECOVACS says not to draw that edge on ground steeper than a rise of 20 ft20 m for every 100 ft100 m forward. So keep the edge off a steep bank beside a path.
- 0.74acre3,000m²
- Biggest lawn ECOVACS rates it for
- 50ft50m
- Rise it is rated to climb, per 100 ft forwardRise it is rated to climb, per 100 m forward
- 35in89cm
- Width it needs to fit through a gap
- 62dB
- Body noise, as ECOVACS rates it
Buy the A3000 LiDAR PRO for a wooded lawn up to about 0.6 acre2,450 m².
Best for a steep wooded yard: LUBA 3 AWD 3000
Pick the LUBA 3 AWD 3000 when your wooded lawn is also steep. It maps with a laser like the A3000, so it also knows where it is under trees. It drives all four wheels, which helps it grip a slope.
Mammotion rates it for a rise of 80 ft80 m for every 100 ft100 m forward, about 39 degrees. That is the steepest here. ECOVACS rates the A3000 for 50 ft50 m per 100 ft100 m, and Segway Navimow rates the i215 for 45 ft45 m per 100 ft100 m. Only the LUBA 3 is rated for ground that rises more than about 50 ft50 m for every 100 ft100 m forward.
Some wire-free mowers need an antenna on a pole in the yard. The LUBA 3 uses a cell signal to get extra position data from Mammotion. If that service covers your address, it needs no pole. If not, an antenna on a pole comes in the box. Under trees, its laser and camera work out where it is. Our comparison of the A2500 and the LUBA 3 explains how it mows in shade.
It cuts a strip about 16 in41 cm wide, wider than the A3000’s 13 in33 cm, so it makes fewer passes. Mammotion sells it in two versions. The H version cuts grass between 2.2 in6 cm and 4 in10 cm tall. The standard version cuts between 1 in3 cm and 2.7 in7 cm. A rain sensor sends it back to the dock in the wet. It has GPS tracking and a PIN lock against theft.
It is the loudest of the three at 70 decibels. If your wooded lawn is flat, you do not need a mower rated for steep slopes. The A3000 covers the same size of lawn and runs quieter.
Buy the LUBA 3 for a wooded lawn that is also steep or rough.
Best value: i215 LiDAR
The i215 LiDAR is the cheapest of the three. It carries a laser like the other two, so it knows where it is in shade. You set it down and let it drive the lawn once to make a map. There is no pole to mount.
Segway Navimow rates it for about 0.37 acre1,500 m². That is half the lawn the A3000 and LUBA 3 cover. If your wooded yard is small or mid-size, a smaller mower saves you money.
It is rated for a rise of 45 ft45 m for every 100 ft100 m forward, about 24 degrees. On wet grass I’d treat it as a rise of about 38 ft38 m for every 100 ft100 m forward. That is the gentlest slope of the three, so keep it off a steep bank.
Segway Navimow rates it at 59 decibels, the quietest here. It is the least likely to wake someone in a bedroom nearby. A camera and a bumper help it get around things on the lawn. It has GPS tracking, a PIN lock and an alarm against theft.
It does not drive all four wheels, so it can lose grip on a steep, wet slope. For a big or steep lawn, pay more for the A3000 or the LUBA 3.
Buy the i215 LiDAR for a smaller wooded lawn where price matters.
Which one for your lawn?
- If your wooded lawn is up to about 0.6 acre2,450 m² and fairly flat → the A3000 LiDAR PRO.
- If your wooded lawn is also steep, over a rise of about 50 ft50 m per 100 ft100 m → the LUBA 3 AWD 3000.
- If your wooded lawn is under about 0.3 acre1,200 m² and price matters → the i215 LiDAR.
- If your side gate is narrower than about 35 in89 cm → the LUBA 3 or the i215, not the A3000.
- If the mower runs near a bedroom window → the i215 LiDAR, the quietest here at 59 decibels.
- If you want the lawn edges cut for you → the A3000 LiDAR PRO, which has a built-in trimmer.
Questions people ask
Why do trees stop some robot mowers?
Many wire-free mowers use satellite signals to work out where they are. Tree branches weaken those signals, so the mower cannot tell where it is and leaves grass uncut. A mower that follows a buried wire is not affected.
Do any of these need a wire or a pole?
None of them needs a wire buried around the lawn. The A3000 and the i215 need no antenna at all. The LUBA 3 needs one on a pole only where Mammotion’s network service does not reach. All three carry a laser that keeps them working under trees.
Will they mow in the rain?
The A3000 and the LUBA 3 each have a rain sensor that sends them back to the dock. Segway Navimow says the i215 stops and goes home in heavy rain. In the app you can also set mowing times for when your lawn is usually dry.
Our verdict
Buy the GOAT A3000 LiDAR PRO for a wooded lawn up to about 0.6 acre2,450 m². It maps with a laser and a camera, so it knows where it is under trees. It is rated for about 0.74 acre3,000 m², but trees and beds reduce what it can mow. If your wooded lawn is also steep, the LUBA 3 AWD 3000 drives all four wheels and climbs a rise of 80 ft80 m for every 100 ft100 m forward. If your lawn is under about 0.3 acre1,200 m², the i215 LiDAR also mows under trees and costs much less.