Roborock RockMow Z1 review: A rugged, heavy-duty robot mower that handles terrain most rivals can't
Four-wheel drive, active steering and serious terrain-handling make this one of the most capable robot mowers going, but it comes with a serious price tag
The Roborock RockMow Z1 is a beast of a robot mower that's built for large, hilly, obstacle-heavy gardens where other machines would give up. The four-wheel drive, active steering and dynamic suspension are impressive, and it cuts grass evenly and efficiently, but with a £1,700 starting price going right up to £3,000 for the best-in-class model, it’s an investment only a select few will seriously consider.
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Tank-like build quality that feels super premium
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Four-wheel drive handles slopes and rough terrain with ease
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Nimble, responsive and surprisingly agile for its size
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Excellent app with real-time tracking
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Huge, heavy and takes up some serious space
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No grass collection
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Ridiculously expensive for a lawnmower
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PreciEdge module for close edge cutting costs extra
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Roborock has spent the last few years building a reputation for itself as one of the best robot vacuum brands in the business. Now the company has brought its expertise in navigation, obstacle avoidance and app design to your garden.
Arriving in the form of the RockMow Z1, the brand's new flagship robot mower is certainly not some half-assed attempt at bringing its vacuum tech outside the home. It's clear from the moment you lift it out of the box that this thing means business.
The Z1 range comes in three sizes: the Z115 (for lawns up to 1,500 sqm), Z130 (up to 3,000 sqm) and Z150 (up to 5,000 sqm). The only difference between each model is battery size and coverage area, everything else is identical, boasting the same four-wheel drive, active steering, cameras, app, and everything.
I've been testing the Z150, the biggest and most capable model, across my garden for the past few weeks to see whether Roborock's indoor smarts translate to the great outdoors. Here's how I got on.
Roborock RockMow Z1 review: price and availability
The Roborock RockMow Z1 range is available now in the UK direct from Roborock's official RockMow site. There are three different models each aimed at different garden sizes and with varying price points: the Z115 starts at £1,699, the Z130 sits at £2,299, and the Z150 I tested comes in at £2,999. In the US, you can expect to pay up to $3,500.
First off, let’s address the elephant in the room: that's a lot of dosh for a robot mower, putting the flagship model, the Z150, well above rivals like the Segway Navimow i215 LiDAR (£1,199) and closer to premium territory occupied by the likes of Husqvarna's Automower range. The entry-level Z115 is more competitive, but you're still looking at something that’s more of an investment than a nice-to-have garden gadget.
One thing worth mentioning is that the brand’s PreciEdge module, which allows the mower to cut within 3cm of edges and walls, is sold separately at £150. Given how much the mower costs, this feels like it should be included as standard. Without it, the mower leaves a roughly 10cm strip of uncut grass along boundaries, which means you'll still need a strimmer for the finishing touches. Ugh.
Nevertheless, the Z1 also comes with three years of free 4G data, so it can operate and be controlled remotely even without Wi-Fi in the garden, which is a nice touch.
Roborock RockMow Z1 review: design and build
The first thing you notice about the RockMow Z1 is that it has a much different vibe to anything else in the robot mower market. It definitely looks the part, so much so that if you don’t have a sprawling garden of several acres then it will seem a bit overkill. In what can best be described as a tank, the Z1 has a low, aggressive stance with chunky treaded wheels, front-facing cameras that almost look like eyes, and an overall design that is very “rugged”. Even so, it’s still sleek and premium.
Where the RockMow Z1 really shines, though, is its build quality. At 21.5kg, it's a seriously heavy machine, and every gram of that weight feels worthwhile. Nothing creaks or wobbles, and the IPX6 waterproof rating means it can handle rain, mud and a blast from the garden hose without a grumble. There's also a rain sensor that sends it back to the charging station when the weather turns, ready to resume its day job once things dry out.
The four-wheel drive system is the headline feature here, though. This means that each of the mower’s wheels has its own hub motor, with the front wheels boasting active steering motors that allow for incredibly tight turns without leaving scuff marks on the grass.
The rear wheels sit on independent spring suspension, keeping the body stable and the cutting deck level even over bumps and dips. It almost seems to move like a miniature all-terrain vehicle. Turning it over, you’ll find a floating cutting deck with six blades, a 24cm cutting width, and an adjustable cutting height from 20-70mm that you set via the app. There's also an anti-clog disc designed to prevent grass build-up.
My only real gripe here is the sheer size of the thing. At 661 x 475 x 294mm, the Z1 is a meaty piece of kit that takes up a good chunk of space in the garden. If you've got a compact urban garden, it's going to dominate. In fact, if this is you, I’d recommend against buying one entirely as this beast is designed for bigger uneven gardens that more bog standard robot mowers would struggle with. Plus, at 21.5kg, moving it manually is not something you want to be doing often. On the other hand, if it’s a large unruly garden you have, then this is definitely the machine for you.
Roborock RockMow Z1 review: performance and features
Setting up the RockMow Z1 was surprisingly easy. Roborock includes a generously long cable so it doesn't have to sit right next to the charging station, and once it’s docked and charging, it’s on to the initial pairing via the app, which is super quick. For me, with a relatively modest yard, the whole process from unboxing to first mow took about half an hour, but this might vary depending on your setup and garden size.
The one thing I couldn't find was an auto-mapping option. I had to manually drive the mower around the perimeter of my garden via the app to teach it the boundaries, which - as something that claims to be so high tech and is outrageously expensive - I was surprised at. Still, this worked fine, but for a machine with supposed AI-powered mapping, I was expecting to be able to let it figure things out on its own. (Other reviews have since reported that AI mapping has been rolled out via a software update, so perhaps this is yet to arrive.)
Once mapped, though, the Z1 is seriously impressive. When up and running, you’ll see just how nimble it is. Cutting grass evenly and responding instantly to your commands in the app even when changing settings, such as the cutting length, mid-mow. The active steering means it navigates around obstacles smoothly, making tight turns without chewing up the turf, and the four-wheel drive powers through slopes and uneven ground without needing to stop and think about it.
The Quad Vision obstacle avoidance system uses four cameras (two front, two side) and works well. It spotted and avoided garden furniture, plant pots, and the like without a problem. It's perhaps a touch over-cautious at times, however, leaving quite a wide berth around objects, which means a bit more untouched grass than you might expect.
I found cutting performance to be clean and consistent. The floating cutting deck adapts to the contours of the ground, and after a few sessions the lawn looked noticeably more even and well-maintained.
While it’s a feature that most robot mowers lack, the RockMow Z1 doesn’t collect grass during a cut. Instead, it mulches the clippings and leaves them on the lawn. This is fine for lawn health if the mower runs regularly enough to keep clippings tiny, but if you've let the grass grow a bit between sessions, you'll find yourself raking up afterwards, which somewhat defeats the brand’s "set it and forget it" mantra.
As I mentioned earlier, the Roborock app is a pleasure to use. It's clean, intuitive and gives you control over schedules, cutting height, zones, mowing direction and more. You can track the mower's progress in real time on a map, set no-go zones, create passages between separate lawn areas, and even choose mowing patterns. There's also a nifty anti-theft system with PIN lock, lift alarm and 4G tracking, plus it supports Apple Find My for location tracking.
As for battery life, the Z150 is generous at 200 minutes per charge, with a 60-minute charging time. For my garden, one charge was more than enough per session, and the mower returns to its dock automatically when the battery gets low, resuming where it left off once topped up.
Roborock RockMow Z1 review: verdict
The Roborock RockMow Z1 is one of the most capable and well-built robot mowers I've had the pleasure of testing. The four-wheel drive, active steering and dynamic suspension handle terrain that would leave most competitors spinning on their backs, and the build quality is exceptional. Meanwhile, the app is polished and packed with useful features, the cutting performance is clean and even, and the obstacle avoidance is reliable.
However, it’s imperative to note that this machine only makes sense for the right garden. At £2,999 for the Z150 that I reviewed, it's a serious investment, and the size and weight mean it only really makes sense for larger, uneven and more demanding outdoor spaces. If your garden is small, simple and flat, you'd be far better off with something like the Segway Navimow i208 LiDAR or even Roborock's own smaller RockMow S1.
Still, if you've got the budget as well as a big, hilly, obstacle-ridden garden and you're tired of spending your weekends pushing a mower around it, the RockMow Z1 is built for exactly that job. It's just a shame the PreciEdge module isn't included at this price.
