The Roborock RockMow Z1 is the kind of product that sounds over-the-top on paper: four-wheel drive, advanced navigation, a 3D LiDAR sensor in some versions, edge trimming, app management, and the ability to work in large and complex gardens. But in this case, the hype makes perfect sense. Roborock hasn't created a cheap robotic lawnmower for small, flat lawns, but rather a machine designed for those with gardens featuring slopes, uneven terrain, narrow passages, and little time to wrestle with weekly maintenance.
Design and materials
The Z1 feels more like a serious gardening tool than a household gadget. It doesn't look like a delicate robot taken from the living room, but rather a small all-terrain vehicle ready to navigate damp soil, uneven terrain, and somewhat unruly grass. The large wheels, all-wheel drive, and independent steering system are key here: they not only give it a commanding presence, but also allow it to maneuver more safely on tight turns and steep inclines.
- Weight: 21,5 Kg approx.
It's not a discreet robot in size or design. If you have a small, perfectly flat garden, it will probably seem excessive. But on challenging terrain, its more robust construction is a welcome feature. It's like swapping urban sneakers for hiking boots: they weigh more, they take up more space, but when the ground gets rough, you understand why they exist.
Cutting capacity
The RockMow Z1's greatest strength lies in its versatility; it doesn't just mow around the garden. Its six-blade cutting system and 24 cm cutting width are designed for rapid ground coverage, with Roborock claiming up to 5.000 m² per day under ideal conditions. It can also handle slopes of up to 80%, a very high figure for its class.
In practice, what matters isn't just how much it cuts, but how well it maintains the lawn. Here, it's better suited as a regular maintenance robot than as a substitute for an aggressive first mowing after weeks of neglect. If the lawn is well-maintained, the Z1 should keep it even with minimal human intervention. If you expect it to revive an overgrown lawn, it's not magic: it will still need reasonable conditions.
Navigation and app
Roborock is committed to perimeter-wireless navigation, supported by RTK, vSLAM, and ambient awareness. This is a significant advantage over older lawnmowers, as it eliminates the need to install cables around the garden and allows for more flexible configuration via the app.
The system also detects obstacles such as people, animals, or objects through AI, something fundamental in a real garden, where there's always a hose, a ball, or a misplaced chair.
The app, as always with Roborock, is one of the product's strongest points. It allows you to create zones, adjust cutting patterns, schedule times, and customize how the robot works. You can even add decorative patterns or text to the lawn—a curious feature, but less important than the ability to divide the garden into areas and adjust the mowing frequency.
Editor's opinion
The Roborock RockMow Z1 strikes me as one of the most interesting robotic lawnmowers for those with large, complex gardens. Its appeal lies not in a single flashy feature, but in the combination of 4x4 drive, wireless navigation, user-friendly app management, and the ability to work where simpler robots would get stuck.
Compared to models like the RockMow S1 or RockNeo Q1, the Z1 is clearly in a different league. The S1 seems more suitable for demanding but not extreme gardens, while the Q1 targets users who want to automate maintenance without paying for off-road capabilities. The Z1, on the other hand, justifies its existence when the terrain presents challenges: steep slopes, uneven surfaces, large gardens, and complex paths.
- Price: from 1.999 euro.
I wouldn't buy it for a small, flat, and easy-to-maintain garden. It would be like driving a huge SUV to the bakery. But if you have slopes, several lawn areas, and want to largely forget about weekly maintenance, the Z1 makes a lot of sense. It's expensive, yes, but it's also aimed at a user who isn't looking to save a few euros, but rather to reclaim time and avoid constant battles with a traditional lawnmower.