Anthbot N8 review: Leaf cleanup is where this mower stands out | usagoldmines.com

At a glance

Expert’s Rating

Pros

• Collects grass and leaves
• Automatic emptying is reliable
• Stable navigation via RTK and dual camera
• App comes with zones, profiles, and schedules

Cons

• Noisy at 68 decibels
• Needs space to turn round
• Takes breaks to recharge
• Rainwater collects in the basket

Our Verdict

We tested the Anthbot N8, a robotic mower that collects grass clippings and clears leaves. It’s slower and louder than typical models, but its cleanup performance is hard to beat.

Price at time of review

This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined

Best Price Today

Price When Reviewed

$1,699

Best Prices Today: Anthbot N8

Retailer

Price

Anthbot

$1699

View Deal

$1699

View Deal

Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide

Robotic mowers almost always leave the clippings on the lawn, but the Anthbot N8 does it differently. It collects grass and leaves and deposits both at a location of its choosing. This means it’s not just another variant of a mulching mower, but a machine for yard owners who prefer a tidy lawn.

Anthbot N8: Design and build quality

Anyone seeing the N8 on the lawn for the first time might easily underestimate it. At 24 inches long, the body itself is still manageable. With the grass catcher attached, the robot measures just under 3.3 feet. The manufacturer states a net weight of 38.7 pounds, while the shipping box says it weighs over 33 pounds.

Michael Rupp

The build quality is impressive. The top of the body is light in color, while the bumpers and underbody are anthracite. A purple ring on the wheels adds a splash of color. The drive wheels, with their deep tread, grip well even on damp grass. On the top is a control panel with a red stop button, three membrane keys, a battery indicator, and four status LEDs for 4G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and warnings. There is no display. All settings are managed via the app.

Michael Rupp

At the front, there are two camera openings behind the bumper, with an LED headlight between them. The robot is IPX6-rated for protection against water jets and can be hosed down with a garden hose. The charging station is IPX5-rated, and the adapter delivers 42 volts at 168 watts.

Michael Rupp

Anthbot N8: Two mowing systems

The N8 has two operating modes. These are not controlled by a switch in the app, but by the blade disc.

The Cyclone system collects clippings. The flat disc is fitted with three blades, which are bolted to the edge and bent upwards at the ends, similar to the high-lift blades on a gas mower. As the blades rotate, the wings on them generate an airflow. The mower deck above them tapers in a spiral pattern and opens into a discharge chute at the rear.

The disc acts like a blower. It lifts the blades of grass, cuts them, and carries the clippings and leaves into the grass catcher via airflow. Anthbot quotes a collection rate of up to 99 percent and 4,000 revolutions per minute.

Michael Rupp

The Particle system mulches. This cutting disc is fitted with six blades: three straight blades and three spoon-shaped ones. The spoon-shaped ones keep the clippings in motion, while the blades break them down so they’re blown backwards and fall between the blades.

Michael Rupp

The two rear attachments differ mainly at the bottom. The 6.1-gallon grass catcher is enclosed and collects the clippings, while the discharge deflector is open at the bottom, directing the clippings straight onto the lawn. Both attach behind a hinged rear panel, which can be opened with a single movement. The N8 recognizes automatically which attachment is fitted to the mower. In the app’s main menu, Mulching is greyed out as long as the grass catcher is fitted.

Michael Rupp

To change the disc, screws on the underside need to be loosened first. This is a bit fiddly, but it’s meant to ensure safety. You only need to change the disc once or twice a season. The collection disc comes fitted as standard. If you want to mulch, you’ll need to swap the blade. When buying replacements, keep in mind that the N8 uses two different blade types: curved ones for the collection disc and straight ones for the mulching system.

Anthbot N8: Setup

There are more individual parts in the box than with many robotic mowers. As a result, assembly takes a little longer, but is straightforward. Clipping the two rear attachments (collection basket and discharge deflector) into place is a bit fiddly, as they need to be clipped into the correct position on the wire frames. No screws are required.

Michael Rupp

The charging station’s cables run through plastic screw connectors and are color-coded: purple for power and green for RTK. When connecting them, make sure to tighten them gently.

The charging pad should be placed near the lawn, plugged into a socket. The app requires about 6.5 feet of clear space all around it as well as a Wi-Fi connection. At the top end of the station, the contact unit protrudes from the housing with two round contacts; above this is a black-and-white marking consisting of a cross and arrows, which the robot mower’s camera uses for orientation when docking.

Michael Rupp

The RTK antenna is mounted on a pole with a three-pronged ground spike and requires a clear view of the sky. If you skip this step, the N8 will use NetRTK via mobile networks and obtain its correction data from the internet. The 4G service is free for one year. After that, it costs $35.99 for one year, $75.99 for two years, and $107.99 for three years.

Setup is done via the app. You pair the robot via Bluetooth, enter the Wi-Fi details, check the firmware, and then create the map. Automatic mapping (in the ACC app) isn’t something you can do while lounging in a deckchair.

Michael Rupp

The app requires clearly defined lawn edges and for you to follow the robot. Alternatively, you can map manually and guide the robot along the lawn edges using two joysticks.

Michael Rupp

Before the first mowing session, the grass should be shorter than 3 inches. The app recommends working your way down in stages from 3 to 2, and then to 1 inch. In our case, it took three or four passes before we were satisfied with the result.

Anthbot N8: Features and app

The app is clearly laid out and offers plenty of features. You can set up to 30 zones, each with its own name, and adjust the cutting height, mowing direction, and camera detection sensitivity separately for each one. The cutting height ranges from 1.2 to 2.8 inches, in 0.2-inch increments. The travel speed can be set to 0.66, 0.98, or 1.31 feet per second. For track spacing, you can choose between High Efficiency and Precision Cut. For the number of passes, you can choose between one and two.

Michael Rupp

You can adjust the sensitivity of the N8’s obstacle detection in three levels. The high setting avoids stepping stones and areas covered in leaves. The medium setting avoids stone paths and terrace edges. The low setting avoids only large areas without grass. If you switch off camera detection, you must first set up the pool, raised slabs, and tree roots as restricted zones. The app will remind you of this.

The N8 detects rain and pauses for a pre-set period of three hours. It also features schedules, a quiet mode, anti-theft protection, a mower cleaning function, and a dedicated mode for the area around the charging station.

Michael Rupp

The Sweeping mode is not a third operating mode, but a profile for collection mode with two pre-set passes. Speed and noise levels remain the same. Sweeping doesn’t quite describe the process accurately, as nothing is actually swept up. A tip for autumn: If you just want to clear leaves from the area without cutting the grass, set it to 2.8 inches. As long as the grass remains below this height, the blades barely touch it.

Anthbot N8: Collecting and emptying

This is where the N8 really shines. The grass catcher fills up without leaving any significant debris behind. Nothing sticks to the soles of your shoes or your dog’s paws anymore.

Michael Rupp

You don’t have to empty the full collection basket yourself. A sensor monitors the fill level. When the grass box is full, the robot moves to a pre-defined dumping area, tilts the grass box and rear panel upwards, and then carries on working. This also happens at the end of a job or on command via the app.

You can set up to five such areas, each at least 5 by 5 feet in size, which can be rotated and resized in the app. One detail: the dumping area must be within the mowing zone. If you’d like it to be somewhere else, simply extend the mowing zone accordingly.

Michael Rupp

There’s a reason why it’s a discharge area rather than a single point. The N8 discharges in a staggered pattern. This creates several small piles instead of a single cone, which could block the discharge. In our test, the discharge worked without a single failure.

Michael Rupp

The clippings in the basket are coarser than one might expect. The collection disc cuts once and then conveys the clippings on. It does not shred them. The result is reminiscent of an electric mower with a grass catcher: pieces of grass interspersed with leaves and leaf fragments. The contents of the grass catcher can be composted or put in the organic waste bin.

A minor design flaw only becomes apparent when it rains. The upper covering of the collection basket is waterproof and forms a hollow in the center where rainwater collects. This does not hinder mowing or emptying. The water drains out when the basket is tipped. If the robot is in its docking station during a shower, a puddle forms. The original garage only covers the robot itself. The collection basket protrudes from the rear. A drain in the collection basket would be a simple improvement for the next model.

Michael Rupp

Anthbot N8: Fallen leaves

Falling leaves are usually shredded by robotic mowers and often remain visible on the lawn. When there are large quantities, this is more than just a cosmetic issue. The layer of leaves can block out light from the grass, and the organic matter provides food for fungi. Leaves from trees infested with fungi should be removed from the lawn entirely anyway, as mulching spreads the pathogen. This is precisely where the N8 excels thanks to its Cyclone blade disc and collection basket.

Michael Rupp

On our test lawn, the area that had already been mown was largely clear after a single pass, while the leaves were still lying all over the area right next to it. The area wasn’t completely free of leaves, with a few individual leaves remaining. I can only achieve this level of cleanliness with a hand rake and great effort.

The overall result is impressive: I come home from the office in the evening to find the leaves gathered in a small pile at the edge rather than scattered across the lawn. No other robotic lawnmower has managed this on our test course so far. You should clean the grass catcher every now and then with a broom or garden hose to ensure air can escape unhindered.

Anthbot N8: Lanes, turning, and edges

There’s nothing to complain about when it comes to the mowing result. The N8 cuts parallel lines with a slight striped pattern and covers the area completely. For the evaluation, we set up a 360-degree camera (DJI Osmo 360 II) securely at the edge of the lawn and recorded the process as a time-lapse. This allowed us to track the path, turning maneuvers, and evasive movements over a complete run.

Michael Rupp

During initial commissioning with an early firmware version, the robot’s behavior at the end of the track seemed erratic. Some tracks were missed, and the mower shut down while turning. Anthbot quickly rectified the issue. With firmware 0.3.90, navigation ran smoothly.

Turning maneuvers remain complicated, and this is down to the design. The mower head is rigidly attached to the rear and does not turn with the robot. When the robot turns on the spot, this rear end swings outwards in a wide arc and collides with a wall, fence, or hedge, even though the wheels are free to move. Consequently, the N8 first veers off to the side, reverses, and then turns into the new path.

Each end of a track thus requires several maneuvers. This extends the working time and has a greater impact the more turns are required – that is, when the mowing direction is transverse and the track spacing is narrow, and even more so when two passes are made.

A strip remains uncut at the edge, up to about 6 inches depending on the distance to walls and obstacles. This is not a weakness of this model. A centrally mounted mower without a swiveling disc or trimmer cannot reach the edge. Three edge passes at the end of each mowing session reduce the width of the strip, but do not eliminate it entirely. Trimmers or hand shears are still required.

Michael Rupp

Anthbot N8: Obstacle detection

On the test course, the N8 avoided a crisp packet, a watering can, fake hedgehogs, and children’s toys. It only recognized the fake dog poo at a cutting height of 1.8 inches and below – in other words, on short grass. The reason for this is the camera position. Taller blades of grass obscure objects that are low to the ground before the detection system kicks in. In this respect, the N8 is roughly on a par with the Navimow i210 LiDAR Pro.

The N8 is also fitted with an LED spotlight. We advise against mowing at dusk or at night, as small animals are most active at those times. The schedules in the app offer the necessary settings to avoid this.

Anthbot N8: Noise level, speed

The N8 delivers on its 4-in-1 promise (mowing, mulching, collection, and leaf clearing) thanks to two distinctive features. The first is its noise level. In collection mode with the grass catcher fitted, we measured just under 68 decibels from a distance of 3.28 feet. This is down to the design. The blade disc and spiral housing work together to generate the airflow, and this requires a certain rotational speed. This cannot be optimized via a software update.

When in operation, the N8 sounds like a cordless lawnmower.

Michael Rupp

The second compromise is the working speed. In one test area, the N8 mowed 1,200 square feet in 97 minutes, which works out at around740 square feet per hour. At the fastest speed setting, the maximum is 1.3 feet per second. You’ve also got to remember that it’s consuming more power in this mode.

In another run, mowing an area of 960 square feet used up around 80 percent of the battery charge. With a charging time of 80 minutes, the N8 takes a corresponding number of charging breaks when covering larger areas. Anthbot itself quotes around 2,150 square feet of continuous mowing with the grass catcher fitted.

Anthbot N8: Conclusion

The Anthbot N8 is a specialist mower, and I mean that as a compliment. As a grass-collecting robotic mower and leaf clearer, it tackles tasks that were previously the preserve of rakes and leaf vacuums. The collection system works thoroughly, the automatic emptying function performed flawlessly in our test, and the app offers plenty of customization options without becoming confusing.

The drawbacks stem from its design. The grass catcher makes the robotic mower longer and noisier, and it slows it down. The water trough on the grass catcher cover remains an avoidable blunder. Small, winding gardens with lots of corners are also not suitable for it.

Before buying, consider how important grass collection is to you. If you want to leave the clippings on the lawn as fertilizer, you’re better off with the other Anthbot models, depending on the size of your lawn.

Anthbot N8: Specifications

• Model: Anthbot N8
• Price: $1,699
• Mowing systems: Cyclone disc with three blades for collection | Particle disc with six blades for mulching
• Cutting width: 7.9 inches
• Cutting height: 1.2 to 2.8, adjustable in 0.2-inch increments
• Grass box capacity: 61 gallons, automatic emptying at up to five discharge points
• Navigation: Full-band RTK with reference station and dual-vision cameras, optional NetRTK via 4G
• Obstacle detection: AI camera detection, sensitivity in three levels
• Mowing zones: Up to 30, each with its own cutting height, mowing direction, and detection level
• Travel speed: 0.7 to 1.3 ft./sec.
• Battery: 9.2 Ah, 198 Wh, 21.6 V
• Charging time: 80 minutes
• Maximum gradient: 24 degrees (45 percent), not tested
• Noise level: 68 dB in collection mode
• Dimensions: 24 x 17 x 13.1 without grass catcher
• Weight: 38.7 pounds
• Water resistance: IPX6 (robot), IPX5 (charging station)
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 2.4 and 5 GHz, Bluetooth, 4G
• Firmware version: 0.3.90