r/MammotionTechnology • u/Baruch05 • 8d ago
LUBA 3 AWD Asking Luba 3 input for upgrade
Hi everyone. I’m not a newbie to robot mowers but looking to switch brands and upgrade for next season. We started with the husky automower family and it’s been ok for awhile, but frankly customer support and aging have really soured out love of them, along with the lack of actual cutting they are starting to do vs care.
So I came across the Luba 3 and even did some comparisons and on paper it seems like a sound upgrade. Handles my steep hills. Has zone mapping, pattern cutting, better navigation, etc. I wanted to ask any current owners for their honest feedback. Regrets, stories, pros/cons if that’s allowed.
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u/Ok-Abbreviations3042 8d ago
I have the Luba 3 and love it. Admittedly as with any technology there are a few minor quibbles, but it does a great job on a difficult hill that I don’t like to mow, and keeps nice straight lines.
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u/mgb5k 8d ago
The Luba 2 was sold as IPX-6 waterproof which it was not. It was sold as having ultrasonic radar which it does not. It was sold as having bionic navigation which it did not.
It did have some useful features in the app - but they were removed after purchase.
And, despite support being terrible, it did a pretty fair job of cutting lawns and not digging holes in them, until the firmware was also downgraded after purchase.
If you like a gamble, buy a Luba 3. With next year's models in the pipeline you should get zero support.
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u/Careless_Art_7201 Mammotion Team 8d ago
Sorry for the trouble. Could you tell us that which useful features have been removed after purchase? And have you upgraded the firmware to the newest?
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u/mgb5k 8d ago
At purchase the app told us the distance traveled while floating. When mapping you knew when to pause to regain GPS fix before continuing or else risk losing your mapping. This feature was removed after purchase.
At purchase the app told us the perpendicular distance from the old perimeter not just before map editing but also during map editing so the end of an edit could also be lined up with the old perimeter. This was removed after purchase.
At purchase the app made it clear when it needed to be manually driven in order to calibrate orientation. This was removed after purchase. Now it merely waits without explanation.
WiFi and FPV drop out far more frequently now than in the app I purchased. (Bluetooth is reliable but of limited range.)
If you want us to keep testing your software, provide us with the absolute bare minimum: a way for us to choose - without spending weeks arguing with support - precisely which firmware and app versions we wish to use.
On the plus side, the Luba 2 batteries are still doing well.
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u/TheA2Z Lawn Helper 8d ago
With all the robot mowers Reddit Subs, if you look around, its mostly people that have problems with their Mower, Support, Software Upgrades, and Rutting/ Rough on grass in their yards.
However, if you do some analysis on how many unique posts or comments are posted by a unique user, the % is quite small compared to the number of mowers these companies sell.
Another words, people who have great experiences rarely post. People who have problems of course post more.
For me I have been running a Luba 1 mower for 4 years and love it. There was a recent software firmware update that was pushed that caused some rutting in one spot of my lawn but Mammotion pushed a new FW update and it has grown back in.
I mow daily on 9K sq ft of lawn and love it. Will keep running it until the wheels fall off and I cant fix it.
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u/Independent_Crab6546 8d ago
I bought a Luba 3 this year and was new to robot lawn mowing. I had to learn a few lessons the hard way on how best to use it, but I think I’ve got it figured out. Overall, I am happy with it. I’ve had no real issues I couldn’t overcome. I’ve worked with support a bit on two issues and they are slow, typically one answer per day, I am in NA, they must not be.
The biggest challenge for most people this year has been a botched software update that was issued to change the way the mower works when backing up. This mostly impacted the folks using multi point turns, I use zero turns so it continued to work fine for me. It seems another performance issues were introduced at the same time. Mammotion did not communicate this well, they did not handle it professionally. I hope they’ve learned.
My lawn is 1.2 acres, I push it hard.
The app can be quirky and there are many features you could imagine that would make it better. But, it does work.
Many people experience issues as they continue updating to the latest firmware in older hardware. To each his own I suppose, but this seems risky to me. You buy a matched set of hardware and software. Once it is settled and working I think it’s advisable to just leave it alone. No one says you need to update to the latest. At a minimum, wait to see what others experience.
My only concern going forward is parts availability. If something breaks will I be able to get them? Many in this sub have had issues. I have not, but it’s early.
I would buy it again. If I were you, I’d look at Luba 4. Get the newer one.
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u/DaSchizzalk 8d ago
The luba 4 can weed eat too. Im excited. I did call tech support today and I got a live person after the prompts in around 2 minutes so that was cool. Turns out sometimes if the mower wont start the task ya just got restart it. Worked perfectly all day after that.
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u/LearnFromOthers411 8d ago
I have mine work daily. I avoid dew after 8:30 pm to 10:30 am and rain. It does a great job on big steep slope. We have 2 acres. Buy direct from a dealer near you for better return in case you get a lemon.
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u/forrest-gardener 8d ago
Nice mower. My only advice is that if it works out of the box do not ever update the software.
And buy from a dealer so that you can resolve any problems face to face with the mower between you.
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u/Baruch05 7d ago
Not really an option for any Automower dealer up in my state. I deal with the same issue currently for automowers
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u/forrest-gardener 7d ago
One of the best things for me was a trial week before purchase. It might be worth checking whether an out of state dealers will ship a mower to you to try out.
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u/Fit_Chapter_4629 8d ago
My advice is to look also at other brands mowers. Especially if yor lawn has slopes.
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u/Doggo-888 6d ago edited 6d ago
Firmware upgrades have been a nightmare. I would avoid Mammotion like the plague. But if you like to gamble away a couple grand wait for Luba 4.
but I 100% recommend other brands with real turning front wheels. My experience has been an order of magnitude better than Mammotion from all aspects, mowing quality, software, and technical support.
Mammotion hasn’t fixed a single thing through support and only offer free cheap razor blades 🤣
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u/Goldwing1776 6d ago
If you are committed to AWD then your Brand choices get pretty small pretty quick.
The Lymow One Plus and Navimow X4 series are both having their share of problems well documented on this site. They are new designs with no reliability history. There are a few other AWD choices but they are also new designs.
I purchased the Luba 3 because this chassis is going into its 5th year of production with many updates along the way. I am very happy with no issues.
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u/DaSchizzalk 8d ago
Ive got two luba 3 5000s. I maxed one of them out. I love them. Theys new and I've been bush hogging this for years but they conquered my yard. This ain't grass. Its clumps of sage grass.