Luba 5000 AWD 2 month Review - Real World Use

[@SeattleShelby]

No robot mower is perfect. After spending countless hours fixing boundary wires on my old Landroid, this thing looks like a dream come true.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

This years models with vision systems are even better! Sunseeker Orion X7 Review: the coolest robot lawnmower in 2024! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYWbknyFoM-Urtk

[@DannyOLearyMusic]

It’s great to have someone share real world experiences of these. I’m looking to buy a Navimow/Yuka/Dreame/Orion and most of the review videos are just people showing how to set up and first cuts. As great as that is, what I really wanna see is how they behave over time. So thank you for this!!

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for leaving a comment 👍

[@DannyOLearyMusic]

@@TheLawnEngineerKeep up the good work man!

[@Crazypostman]

The no-go clean up problem has been fixed as of about 2 weeks ago finally! Edit: got to the end, I see you found the no-go border setting. You have to do three passes to get the closest. One is the furthest three is the closest.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Great, I will switch to the 3 passes👍

[@stevehawkins4776]

@@TheLawnEngineer The other thing I notice is that, at the beginning of your video, you show a no-go zone that has both flush borders and some vertical borders. For the vertical borders I have found that it is best to create a 6-12" secondary "border" by digging out about 3" deep and filling with stone so it is flush to the lawn. This allows you to overlap a bit top ensure you get all the way to the edges. The Luba is very good at navigation accuracy but not perfect. I'm slowly adjusting my landscaping to accomadate the Luba.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

@@stevehawkins4776 that is a great way to adapt your landscape to make it easier to maintain. I’ll get my game plan together over our long winter 🥶

[@nunyabusiness1499]

You obviously spent a lot of time to do these demonstrations. Thank you!

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Thank you for the recognition, and hopefully you found some value in the videos.

[@TheCraigbmw]

adjust to 3 No-go zone mowing laps and you should be fine love your videos

[@jocelyndrolet4610]

Nope, I tried that and it does not solve the problem.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Great, I’m switch on the next cut 👍

[@DeepThinkNow]

3 pass no-go and I get to point where I drew the no-go zone. 25+ co-viewing satellites. Wonder if it’s under 20 if it plays it safe.

[@user-ur3ry6hj2j]

Yeh that solves it as it starts mowing from the 3rd pass out rather than starting from the inside path like the border

[@erickmcgraw]

I ordered the Luba 2. Supposed to be shipped late march. I pray to God it was a wise move. I'm so nervous about it. No turning back now. I could have used that money to buy a gas powered mower.😬

[@TheLawnEngineer]

As it is a big purchase, on paper it looks like a nice upgrade from version one. Please let me know how it works in the real world.

[@yepyep6916]

How do you like it 6mons later

[@Skbaap1382]

Thanks for the review! I’ve been hunting for a new robot mower lately.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

You're welcome, thanks for the comment.

[@Hoopsaz5]

Thanks for the videos mate. Looks great for the tech savvy, I've ordered one. Can't wait!

[@TheLawnEngineer]

You're welcome. Hope you enjoy it!

[@TheColonelJJ]

Every day guy reviews are always the best. Thanks.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Glad you liked the video, thanks for the comment.

[@SoleilRoiLe]

Thank you for the post. Will look at your other videos on this device.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I'm glad you found some value in this video. Thanks for the comment.

[@247ryanjones]

that lady in the back walking sideways is hilarious. We all have one in our neighbors

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I’m glad you noticed and found it entertaining 🤣. Gotta hit those stabilizing muscles 🙃

[@uuzd4s]

I hope Mammotion is watching these thorough reviews of the Luba Mower setup. Personally, I think your Lawn layout exercises all the challenges that Mammotion set out to conquer w/ this mower. It has all the variables they say this Mower can do, as it should. If Mammotion is paying attention here, what say you about the option to add a second RTK Antenna to deal w/ the structure interference you're always going to get w/ a home surrounded by Lawn ? Come On Mamotion, get on this before your competition beats you at your own game here, because, you know they're working on that Right Now. 😉 Sorry I had to use your Channel to get Mammotion's attention, but that's because of all the YT channels reviewing this GPS Mower right now, yours has the most usable intel on this $2,500 investment. Thx !

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I agree with your summary, I hope MAMMOTION watches too.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

@@uuzd4s awesome! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I’m looking forward to hearing more about your ownership experience.

[@edhopkins6589]

Thanks for the brief. I spend $200 on bagging grass; I often work late and or have trouble getting a mow due to weather. A robot would help, send it out via the app.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

It definitely helps work around the weather and your schedule. At this point, I would wait until spring because that is when all the new releases come out. It's amazing the progress they are making year on year.

[@tedlandy]

Great video showing the limitations and benefits.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@simonamaral9904]

personally I enjoy the mow and probably never use one. From all the videos I've seen I don't care for how the lawn looks , I like my stripes and different patterns.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Fair enough!

[@Cotronixco]

I wonder if some of the no-go areas can be defined in the initial zone perimeter programming for more accurate edging.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

The issue has actually been resolved, I cover it a bit at the end of the video. I have since discovered with the help of comments, 3 passes on the no go zones gets as close as the zone boundaries.

[@Bafa]

Superb crab walking skills at 15:28. Olympic score: 9.7 On a serious note, thanks for the review. This is super helpful to those of us wondering if these things are really worth it.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

The crab walk was a good Easter Egg 😆. Thanks for the nice comment, I’m glad you found value in this review 👍.

[@KarlWang-q3e]

In 12:44, the boundary should be drawn by driving Luba more smoothly, otherwise they might be some little corners on the boundary and there will be some extra movement when Luba cuts the perimeter

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I’ll try to be better but it’s not the easiest. I video game controller would make it easier.

[@KarlWang-q3e]

@@TheLawnEngineer Yes，the virtual joysticks have no real-time force feedback so it is not easy to move robots precisely

[@DEADB33F]

What's the process to get hold of parts if the thing breaks out of warranty? ....or if something breaks due to wear & tear, or accidental damage so not covered by warranty (eg. not a manufacturing defect). Had been tempted by the Luba 2 as it's nearly half the cost of the equivalent Husqvarna ...but I'm always wary of Chinese products where spare parts availability is essentially zero. For a Husqvarna or Kress robo-mower I can buy pretty much any part down to the smallest nut & bolt from several independent spare parts distributors. And there are plenty of places that service and repair them within the UK (some that I can drive to). If a Luba goes wrong I can't buy parts myself and neither can any local repair shops so presumably I'd have to send the entire thing back to China for weeks/months to have it repaired (assuming they'll even repair the thing out of warranty). --- For a big purchase like this of something I'd expect to last for 10+ years buying anything that I can't buy spare parts for seems insane.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Yes, spare parts are not available. What is available on their website is pretty much it. Hopefully brands with more of a US presence catch up. The options are improving but not too many with the same capabilities as the Luba.

[@schrodingersmechanic7622]

I'm curious about the perimeter setup. Do you just walk out around the perimeter of the property and set the house and driveway etc as no-go zones or do you just walk a mowing perimeter for it to stay in? I'm retiring my 3 year old landroid that uses a perimeter wire and am waiting on the Luba 2 I just ordered. I guess I'll figure it out when it comes in but I'm just kinda excited about it

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I cover that in my first video on this Luba, starting at ~20 minutes. LUBA AWD 5000 Setup and Review - GPS Robot Mower kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5rFaXSPiMxqjLM You drive it around the perimeter with your phone to establish the total yard. Then you make no-go zones within that area.

[@Johnsouthshore]

I notice that almost all of the automowers do not pick up grass clippings. Does that create an issue with thatch over awhile?

[@TheLawnEngineer]

It has not been a problem for me. When I have had thatch problems it seems to be dead grass still attached to roots.

[@Knubs01]

@@TheLawnEngineer No need to pickup the clippings because you're cutting so often and only cutting 1/4 to 1/2 inch at a time.

[@sargemonday4801]

It appears you turned off "tank turn" and put it on "multi-point turn" (I think it's called). That should fix that doughnut by the charger. Also "CrazyPostman" made a "dog house" for his Luba to protect it. He said the radio waves go through plastic. Things will get better with time. Remember the first Roombas?

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Yes, I did turn off zero turn in favor of the multi-point-turn; hopefully, it helps the doughnut. I see that Mammotion offers a plastic roof that attaches to the charging station. I think I will purchase that instead building something.

[@bryandimsdale1272]

@thelawnengineer The mat is Mammotion's solution for the doughnut in front of the charging station. Put the mesh mat where the doughnut is (or where it's does its zero turn before backing into charge) Before placing it, use a string trimmer to scalp the grass really close and low just bigger than the mat. Staple the mat as low and tight as you can. Eventually the grass will grow through the mat (if u get it close enough to the soil by scalping the grass prior to placing it) and it will be barely visible. It will prevent the soil from being churned up and no dough nut dead spot.

[@DanielBukacel-r8e]

Will you give comment on the Ruba staying outside during poor weather conditions? I live in Michigan and our spring/summer season can bring some nasty weather. Still on the fence about buying mine because of this concern.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I do cover that in this video:kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZCWoICMa6xrmLs I leave it outside except when there is a frost concern. The unit is not as waterproof as I would expect. Water does get into the base of the unit and my biggest concern is that water freezing and breaking internals. I'm hoping to get a few other robot mowers this spring and comparing them to the Luba, stay tuned.

[@benmarshall2996]

how about a small plastic cover/tent roof, a tiny garage?

[@TheLawnEngineer]

That would provide good protection but it has to look nice too.

[@cornclan]

Whats the maximum acreage you you think this thing can handle? Seems like it can mow it's rated area in a single mow! Think it could manage 3 acres on alternating days?

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I think 1 acre is realistic for this machine. It cannot do its rated acreage on one mow. It can mow about 1/4 on one charge, but it does recharge automatically and continue on. I say 1 acre because it really shouldn't mow when wet so that greatly reduces the number of hours it can cut per day. This is highly dependent on the climate, so my 1 acre recommendation is for my region (Upper Midwest of the US).

[@cornclan]

@@TheLawnEngineer interesting because that is below its 1.25 acre rating. You think it's capability is oversold? I know the luba 3000 is rated at 0.75 acre and they software limit the mapable area to that number.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

@@cornclanI think 1.25 acres is reasonable but I would be tough for my lawn. I water and fertilize so it would be pushing it to keep up especially if it rains for three days in a week. If you live somewhere dry and can mow 24 hours a day, it can do more than 1.25 acres. To be clear, the rating isn’t cut per charge. The unit is made to take a break, charge and continue on.

[@dreddr6244]

Great review. Question: do you have issues with it not finishing cuts when it travels under tree cover? Thanks

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Thank you. When it goes under low hanging branches or brush it can lose gps signal. It sits there until signal is regained, sometimes seconds and other times 5 minutes.

[@dreddr6244]

@@TheLawnEngineer thanks

[@Iexpedite1]

I’m at the 14:00 minute mark of your video. All your issues still exist with Luba 2.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I have an updated video here:Luba 5000 AWD 2nd Year Setup - Real World Use - Improvements Made kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ-noYNvjL2oeJo Things are going very well this year with the Luba. To clarify, I have the original Luba, the Luba 2 has a vision system in addition to gps, mine is gps only.

[@crw31399]

How would this work with waterfront property. Would you trust it not to go off seawall?

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Great question…I guess that depends on how far you expect it to cut from the drop off and what it has to drive over to reach the water. The GPS accuracy is great 95% of the time but it can miss by a foot or two occasionally. There are good sensors too if there is a barrier or lip of 3”-4” that it would contact or see.

[@Krunked]

im going to grab a LUBA 2 AWD 5000H on the next deal here, probably black friday.. do you have any updates? still like it? worth the money?

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Here is my latest update on the Luba Luba 1 yr Reliability Update - Teardown - Battery Replacement? kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmawZqmkiJx1nNE

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I was able to fix the Luba with this Luba Fix - Robot Mower Obstacle Detection kzbin.infoseJSXkg-TIc?feature=share Now it’s been working great except it tears up the grass when it’s wet. I believe the from Omni wheels have corrected this problem.

[@channelvr1293]

had it for 2 weeks now ...not happy at all....keeps getting connection problems tried everything. Gonna sell it and go for the new LIDAR versions that dont need satellites. plus my luba fell into a hole last time so it doesnt have edge detection. (even my roomba has that) i already had 3 Husqvarna mowers but they where with cables and after 5 years they needed to be replaced. Pitty i was hoping for a worry free mower and YES not ready at all for the masses.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Too bad it didn’t work out for you. LiDAR will be a very interesting inclusion to a robot mower. Good luck selling and thanks for taking the time to check in.

[@MartinBjorgvik]

How is the mower behaving now, I guess there has been a number of updates since the autumn

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I live pretty far North, the grass is just waking up from winter. I will have an update video soon after setting it up and cutting a few times for spring. I am looking forward to see what software updates have come.

[@mikepetersen5024]

You have a lot of trees and overhangs. Does the Luba still work well in your whole yard?

[@TheLawnEngineer]

It does lose satellite signal when it goes under low overhanging branches. It pauses and waits to recover signal. After recovering signal it resumes cutting. I have had three times over the course of this year that it didn't recover signal and sat in-place until the battery died. I had to carry the unit back to the charging station and went on with life.

[@MI-6e]

Ive been watching a number of reviews on this. Does the signal cut out on cloudy days? Does everything have to be set up from scratch if you store everything away for winter? Grass is dormant here in winter, don't need mowing. I would prefer not leaving it outside all winter. It does seem like you still have to do cleanup after it.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Clouds do not seem to affect the GPS signal. You will have to leave the RTK antenna and charging station outside, then no setup is required in spring. If you move the RTK, you will have to remap everything. There is no pickup or mulching capability so I do blow off the grass every couple of weeks.

[@MI-6e]

​@TheLawnEngineer The yard looks great! love your detailed explanations. It's very helpful. Hope to see an update on how long the blades last and obtaining parts.

[@pureblood5903]

Why does there need to be a no go zone when there is a physical border?

[@TheLawnEngineer]

This original Luba has ultrasonic sensors to detect taller objects but it doesn’t detect edgers. This year’s robots have vision systems that can detect the edgers. Check out my newer videos for the Orion X7.

[@jocelyndrolet4610]

I have my Luba AWD 5000 for 7-8 weeks now and my experience with Luba is 100% like yours. Very good video but I think you are much too "complaisant" with Mammotion. I really think the software is crap, full of bugs. I have remapped my 6 zones at least 10 times my rtk is on the most upper part of my roof, I have about 7-8 small trees and Luba has a hard time to talk to the RTK. It is even impossible to finish to map a no-go zone bcs it looses signal before I am done and it locks itself, it never recover by itself. IMO, this product is not ready yet. Most of the time, their software updates solve some problems but create more problems.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

My Lube experience does seem to be a bit better than yours but I agree I am fairly forgiving. I hope you can figure something out that works for you…I don’t think Mammotion will be of any help.

[@sargemonday4801]

What I found out in my experience is that if there is ANYTHING above the Luba kinda close while mapping a zone it will stop and get an error. I had some low hanging branches next to the woods so I trimmed those and now everything is OK.

[@billymoon4089]

My luba 5000 experience is about the same. Software is total crap. Radio signal is total crap. I'm a wireless engineer and I can tell you the design and execution of the radio is total crap. I tell EVERYONE not to buy this piece of crap. Still have mine and am playing with it. It seems the RTK drops, even with direct line of sight between the robot and the RTK, even with 24+ sat's in view from the robot. This happens randomly and periodically. When it does, all it fails and locks itself down. You can write off trying to EVER get a marginal area mapped out because of this fault. They need some major redesign of the RTK and differential GPS process in general. They need multiple RTK support. The only plus is that the thing really does mow well. There's so much potential for this product but the crap software and radio design makes it totally unusable for anything beyond a quick demo mow for your friends.

[@dol3980]

I have purchased a Luba 5000 AWD and can honestly say it is absolute junk. It works for a few months and then the latest revs confuse it as it cannot intelligently decipher new satellite information and goes onto a positioning mode and does not leave the charging station after multiple hours of set-up. Luba has no telephone support (UNBELIEVABLE), and their chat line is on hold for 4 hours as this inferior product has so many dissatisfied customers with inoperable units. The chat service is the worst in the robotic business and they have no engineering capabilities. I got better service from 99% of my smart homme devices then this over-hyped neophyte company with no history or pedigree in the mower business. I am an engineer and can do many fixes but after 10 screenshots and 5 app feedbacks ..nada/ziltch from Mammotion. Hey forget about the BS of 2 year warranty as you will probably never get a RMA from them as they are truly a a non-starter for claiming to be a bona-fida mower firm. You will have a boat anchor in a short time. Believe me I learned the hard way, avoid Luba like a plague.

[@anthonyt9371]

​@@billymoon4089Hi ! Thank you for sharing your experience here. Does it improves for you since 9 months if I'm correct ?

[@joerazz9512]

So can you operate this mower when you are traveling?

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Yes you can. It can be scheduled to run or you can run on demand via your cell phone anywhere you can an internet connection.

[@Rajwadi.]

Appreciate the review, but I’m still a little iffy about the cost.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

It is definitely a hefty price tag. At this point, I would wait until spring. More affordable options are coming and new releases tend to happen in early spring.

[@Knubs01]

is this the origianl Luba or the Luba 2 ??

[@TheLawnEngineer]

It is the original Luba.

[@oz457]

Hi, I have two questions. 1. How does it handle banches that fall off the trees? 2. How does it handle mole hills. Kind regards.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

1. It passes over most of them without incident. I have had a small one get caught above the cutter plate. This caused an overload error and shut the mower down in-place. I removed the branch and the Luba happily went back to mowing. 2. I don't have any experience with this. The only problem I would anticipate it cutters hits them if they are higher than the cut height.

[@benking4601]

I don't know about the Luba, but one thing we notice with our existing robot mower (Husqvarna 430) is that wherever the mower goes the moles don't make hills, I figure they don't like the vibrations from the mower so stay away. Instead they attack our borders and beds!

[@NateSl]

I think I’m sold on this

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Luba 2 with the vision system looks even better.

[@AliciaBrownSugar]

When you make the no go zone, are you driving on the grass? Try to see if you can drive it on the rocks a little, like with it partially on the rocks and a wheel on the grass and see how close it gets to where you don't want it to go. Not sure if that'll help or if you'll end up with it just going where you don't want it to go, but since you're testing anyway and since you got the map editing down, you should be able to fix it back soon enough.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Unfortunately, the concrete edgers I have used stick above the ground enough to prevent driving the Luba into the landscape rock areas. Your idea is good and will work for most yards.

[@Hung337]

The problem it’s don’t collect the gas after cutting so it’s still leave the mess

[@TheLawnEngineer]

It doesn’t collect the grass but you can have it cut every day if you want. If you cut frequently the grass clippings will be small.

[@Ristogod]

Seems to create more issues than it solves. I'll keep running my Hustler where mowing takes 10-15mins, until these things are 100%.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Good plan, development seems to be happening quickly, I’m excited to see what the next few years bring.

[@itschloepottah8675]

IGNORE THESE REVIEWS, IF THEY DONT LIKE THEM THEY ARE REMOVED.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I’m not sure what to make of this comment

[@jeromewaites5364]

The update fixed that

[@jocelyndrolet4610]

In my case, I still have at least 18 inches around my trees that remains uncut!

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I put that at the end of the video…I do t blame you for not lasting that long 🙃

[@livingworldbg9476]

I didn't see a single robot mower mowing close to the curb, who's going to remove that grass?

[@TheLawnEngineer]

It does take “boundary” cut that gets within an inch or two of the edgers. I do have to use a string trimmer to get the rest but I had to with conventional mowers also.

[@Hoopsaz5]

15:23 What the heck is that random women doing 🤣🤣

[@TheLawnEngineer]

The neighborhood sideways walker =).

[@ghggp1]

How do you clean it? I initially they showed you can clean off the underside deck with a garden hose. Now they say you can’t! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gniUhnxposutnpo

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I just scrap/brush the grass buildup off. I talk about it and modify the guards to reduce the buildup, in this video:kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZCWoICMa6xrmLs Thanks for checking in.

[@toastranger72]

I don't think my tree cover is even as bad as his. I have my RTK on a pole above my second story roof. Even though it says RTK has 34/25 satellites, mower 28, and 17 shared, i can't get better than "weak" signal.Waste of money.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Thats too bad, but thanks for sharing your experience so others are informed.

[@toastranger72]

@@TheLawnEngineer I was about to give up. I found one spot on the edge of the yard that the mower said the signal was OK. I got a few extension cords, and ran the RTK over. It finally allowed me to create a map section. To my surprise, it now allowed me to map everywhere so far, even the other side of the house. I was very stressed about this $2,800 gamble. Huge relief that, though not ideal, it's working.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

@@toastranger72 I'm glad to hear your found a location where the RTK works for you. How are things going now?

[@toastranger72]

Constant problems and frustration. I cannot recommend this mower.

[@patricksquires77]

PGR to the rescue on no go zone!

[@TheLawnEngineer]

I do need to add PGR to my routine.

[@tracyjensen5106]

I don't think software will compensate

[@TheLawnEngineer]

ok

[@Pele-speak]

Get the Yarbo, get rid of Luba

[@TheLawnEngineer]

The Yarbo is on another level. That machine with a snow blower would be an amazing upgrade.

[@johnmorelli3775]

Pardon the pun but the Luba is a No Go for me....too much programming required! It should be able to simply visually identify a 'no go zone' by itself. If it is AI controlled it's not too intelligent IMO.

[@TheLawnEngineer]

Luba 2 has added a vision system to help you out. I'm also excited to see what they add in 2025, these bots are advancing quickly.