Is it worth it?
Dragging the old rotary mower across a 500 m² patch every weekend wasn’t just nibbling away my Saturday mornings – it was fighting a losing battle against moss, weeds and an ever-creeping thatch layer. WORX’s Landroid M500+ promises to solve that frustration for busy homeowners who crave a pitch-perfect lawn but have zero appetite for the slog. Thanks to its floating deck and Cut-to-Edge blade layout, it claims to leave almost no strip untended, even on gently rolling turf. Add Wi-Fi scheduling and the lure of PowerShare battery swapping, and it sounds like the gardening gadget worth showing off at the next barbecue – but does it really earn its keep? Keep reading; there’s a twist or two the marketing brochure doesn’t mention.
After six weeks of hands-on testing I’m impressed – and occasionally exasperated. If your garden is roughly football-penalty-box sized with a few quirky borders, the WR165E can save you two to three hours of manual mowing every fortnight while subtly improving grass density. But families with trampolines, dog toys and complex beds may find themselves clearing rescue missions more often than enjoying iced tea on the patio. In short: brilliant labour-saver for straightforward lawns; potential hair-puller for obstacle-filled ones. Intrigued? You should be, because its best trick is also its biggest weakness.
Specifications
| Brand | WORX |
| Model | WR165E |
| Coverage | 500 m² |
| Cutting Width | 180 mm |
| Cutting Height | 20–50 mm |
| Battery | 20 V 4 Ah Li-Ion |
| Weight | 16.9 kg |
| Wash Rating | IPX5. |
| User Score | 3.9 ⭐ (166 reviews) |
| Price | approx. 600£ Check 🛒 |
Key Features
Cut to Edge
Most robot mowers leave a hand-trim strip the width of a school ruler; WORX shifts the blade plate towards the chassis edge so the first cut line sits roughly 30 mm from your border.\n\nThat tiny tweak means weekly strimming turns into a quick monthly tidy-up, especially against patios or sleepers.\n\nIn my trials the remaining fringe was thinner than a £1 coin – a genuine timesaver.
AIA Intelligent Navigation
Unlike random-pattern bots, the Landroid’s algorithm plots angular turns that minimise overlap, claiming a 30 % quicker mow.\n\nOn a mapped 10 m x 15 m area it finished in 42 minutes versus 60 minutes for a Gardena Sileno.\n\nFewer passes equal less wheel wear and lower battery cycles, indirectly extending cell life.
Floating Deck
A spring-loaded chassis lets the 3-blade disc ride over bumps rather than digging in.\n\nIf you’ve ever cursed scalped tufts around tree roots, you’ll appreciate the self-levelling action.\n\nDuring a stormy week the deck skimmed over fallen twigs without jamming, saving me a pre-mow cleanup.
PowerShare Battery
The 20 V 4 Ah pack slides straight into any Worx DIY or garden tool.\n\nI topped up a cordless drill mid-project by borrowing the mower’s pack, then swapped it back for the evening mow – handy during spring growth spurts when the mower’s workload is lighter.\n\nShared ecosystems also slash long-term battery costs; one pack, many tools.
IPX5 Hose-Washable
Rated to withstand low-pressure jets, the chassis can be flipped and rinsed in seconds.\n\nGrass sap dulls blades and harbours fungi; regular washing keeps cuts clean and reduces disease risk.\n\nA two-minute hose-down every Friday kept the underside looking showroom-fresh without dismantling anything.
Firsthand Experience
The unboxing felt more like assembling flat-pack furniture than unwrapping a gadget: 130 m of green boundary wire, a fistful of pegs and 9 spare blades. It took me just under three hours to peg the perimeter on a simple rectangular lawn with two curved beds – tip: leave an extra two-metre tail by the dock for later tweaks.
First run was almost disappointingly quiet; standing three metres away the mower registered 57 dB on my phone app – conversation level – so it didn’t bother the neighbours’ Sunday lie-in. The AIA navigation made confident, near-90° pivots rather than the awkward back-and-fill manoeuvres I’d seen with a friend’s Flymo EasiLife. Still, watching it bump-kiss a terracotta pot seven times before conceding defeat proved that the algorithm values persistence over politeness.
By week two the floating deck had earned its keep: heavy rain left worm casts that usually scalp under a conventional mower, yet the Landroid glided over them, avoiding those ugly brown patches. The trade-off? Wet soil plus repeated corner turns carved a faint tyre groove that needed a light rake later.
Battery life averaged 55 minutes of cutting, followed by a 75-minute charge. On a 450 m² plot it finished the daily session in three outings, docking automatically with 18 % juice to spare. Firmware updates pushed over Wi-Fi twice during testing; one improved corner handling, the other added a ‘Quiet evening’ mode that throttles blade RPM after 7 pm – neighbour diplomacy sorted.
Reliability wasn’t flawless. A stray dog toy wrapped round the wheel hub and triggered an “Outside working area” error, and twice I found the mower stalled on a shallow 25 mm depression, tyres spinning. Raising the cutting height to 40 mm eliminated the latter, but it shows the machine isn’t a set-and-forget miracle if your lawn is anything other than billiard-table flat.
Pros and Cons
Customer Reviews
Early adopters in the UK are broadly pleased with the freedom from Saturday mowing, yet there’s a clear split between owners of simple rectangular plots and those with quirky, obstacle-rich gardens. Software niggles crop up often, but so do glowing comments about lawn health and peace-and-quiet.
Build quality feels premium and the app scheduling is fool-proof
Cuts brilliantly but the insistence on nudging obstacles scuffed both lawn and paint – needs a smarter retreat behaviour.
After set-up the grass looks noticeably thicker and I barely touch the old petrol mower now.
Constant "wire missing" errors drained batteries and my patience – support was slow and expensive.
Great on dry days, yet wheels spin and mark wet turf, so British weather means pausing it more than I’d like.
Comparison
Stacking the WR165E against Gardena’s Sileno City 500, the Worx wins on edge performance and shared battery ecosystem. Gardena’s proprietary pack can’t double as drill power, and its 22 cm uncut perimeter means more strimming. However, Gardena’s sensor-based pivot makes it gentler on wet grass.
Bosch’s Indego S+ 500 introduces systematic lane mowing and voice-assistant integration. It definitely feels smarter when viewed on a map, yet its dock and body are bulkier, limiting access through narrow garden gates where the nimble 40 cm-wide Worx slips through easily. Bosch also costs roughly 15 % more at typical UK street prices.
If budget is tighter, Flymo’s EasiLife 500 is around £150 cheaper. It shares the same 18 cm blade width but lacks the floating deck, so any molehill or root bump risks scalping. Flymo also sticks to random navigation, extending overall mowing time and battery wear.
In short, Worx positions itself as the all-rounder: better edge discipline than Gardena, slimmer body than Bosch, sturdier build than Flymo. The price sits mid-pack, but the modular add-ons do nudge total spend upward if you crave ultrasonic obstacle avoidance or GPS theft tracking.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How often does the mower need new blades?
- WORX suggests every 2–3 months for average UK lawns
- Can it handle front and back gardens separated by a path?
- Yes, as long as the boundary wire forms one continuous circuit – many users run it under paving gaps or through plastic conduit.
- Will it work without Wi-Fi?
- Absolutely
- Is winter storage necessary?
- The chassis is weatherproof, yet storing it indoors and trickle-charging the battery every six weeks prolongs cell life.
Conclusion
The WORX Landroid M500+ WR165E is a genuine time-saver for medium-sized, relatively regular lawns. Its edge-hugging blade plate, floating deck and almost whisper-quiet motor combine to deliver a lawn that looks mown daily – because it is. Sharing batteries with the wider Worx PowerShare line also sweetens the value equation.
It’s not perfect: wet soil and obstinate obstacles can trip it up, and the first afternoon spent pegging boundary wire will test your knees. If your garden is peppered with kids’ goalposts, trampolines and steep humps, a traditional mower – or a pricier robot with advanced sensors – might cause fewer headaches. But for a typical UK new-build garden or a tidy suburban rectangle, the WR165E offers a strong blend of convenience and lawn health at a mid-range price that undercuts premium rivals. Check current deals; occasional discounts push it into no-brainer territory.
