The latest Bosch Indego robot mower is the S+ 350. This is a true gadget lovers dream, it makes mowing the lawn as simple as speaking a couple of words! Bosch have had a few years to refine the Indego, starting out with original Indego them moving on to this much more comprehensive model.
Two things generally draw people to buy a robotic lawnmower. The tech lovers out there that like to have a fully automated home, and the people that really despise cutting the lawn. The Bosch Indego S+ 350 has something for everyone. It is aimed at the smaller gardens, for those of us that have a lawn that is not too big but still time consuming to cut. There are plenty of robot mowers out there that will cut bigger lawn areas but they don’t necessarily have the gadgets.
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The Bosch Indego S+ 350 Review
We are going to have a look at the features below and run through some of the benefits and downsides to allow you to assess if it will fit your gardening needs.
Max Cutting Area
Before we get into the gadgets it is important to check that your lawn is not over 350 square metres. This is designed to cut a maximum lawn size of 350 square metres which is not that large. Compared to the WORX WR142E M700 this is not that big an area. The Worx M700 is roughly the same price and will cut lawns up to 700 metres square which is a big difference. It would have been good if Bosch could have pushed this model to cut a larger area. When you look at the WORX WR130E S300 which will cut a similar size (300 metres square) it is quite a bit cheaper.
Control with an App
The Bosch Remote Gardening App allows you to control the S+ 350 from your phone. This means you can get your mower to cut the lawn while you are in work or travelling. A nice touch especially if you are away for long periods.
It also fully integrates with Alexa. Cutting your lawn could be as easy as saying ‘Alexa cut the lawn’. This means you can add the Indego to your fully automated home and run it on voice control along with the other devices that are connected to Alexa. In terms of ease of controlling the mower this is definitely the best we have come across for ease of use.
Efficient Cutting
To make mowing as fast and efficient as possible the Indego S+ 350 tracks where it has been and doesn’t go over the same area again. The LogiCut software navigates the mower to cut organized strips. This is very different to a lot of the random cut mowers that often cut the same area twice, they still get the job done effectively but take longer to do it. This will make a difference if your lawn is pushing the maximum cut area.
Fast cutting means that often you won’t see the mower out cutting, it can go out early in the morning and be done by the time you are ready to go out into the garden.
Adjustable Lawn Height
The height of the blades is adjustable between 30 and 50 mm which is pretty standard for most automated mowers. I always start the year off on the maximum setting and reduce it over a few weeks to about 40 mm. The is is an ideal length when the kids are charging around the garden all day.
Charging System
The mower drives forwards into the charge station and will reverse out when it is fully charged. The battery is an 18 volt lithium ion battery, charging will take place automatically when the mower is running low on battery. Charging takes around 45 minutes which give a cutting time of roughly 45 minutes dependent on conditions. Replacement batteries are easy to get hold of from Bosch if it needs replacing in a few years.
For the best battery life it is wise not to leave the mower out over the winter as the very cold conditions may damage it. I take my battery out in the winter and bring it into the house to keep it at a reasonable temperature.
Installation and Obstacles
Installation is easy and is pretty standard for most robot mowers. You run the boundary wire around the edge of your garden and go around any permanent obstacles like trees. Set up usually takes me around 3 hours as I have few trees and bushes to map out. Compared to the time saving during the summer it’s not that much hassle.
Weather Sensor
The S+ 350 will take into account the local weather using the built in sensors and build an effective lawn cutting schedule which will try to avoid rain and cut at the most effective times. If it is raining you don’t need to re schedule the mower will go back to the charge station and go back out at the next opportunity. This is a good feature that is available on a lot but not all models.
What The Owners Say
Well, the reviews and rating are not as good as for some the Worx or Flymo models. A few people have commented how they have struggled to get the app working and have had issues with the mower stopping. That could be that it is getting stuck or just not working. For an expensive mower most people would expect more.
The Final Cut
To sum it up, I’m not sure we are as keen on this model as some of the other brands. It is fairly expensive for the size of lawns it will cut and doesn’t have the best reviews.
However, if you are looking for a robot mower that is compatible with Alexa then this is a great model to buy. If you are interested in the tech gadgets this has a lot more to offer than some competitors.
If you are looking for an efficient robot mower that will cut the lawn well for good value we recommend that you have a look at the Worx range of mowers.