Kärcher RCX 6 - an ibex among robot lawnmowers
25.9.2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Patrick Vogt
The RCX 6 from Kärcher is the first time I have ever tested a robot lawnmower. It undoubtedly has its advantages. You can read here why I still prefer to mow our garden by hand.
«I'm not getting one of these things in my garden», my wife replies when I first tell her that I'm allowed to test a robot lawnmower. She's worried about the animals, because foxes and rabbits say goodnight to each other in our garden - sort of. A few weeks later, hedgehog dummy Iggy will find out for himself that my wife's worries are not entirely unjustified. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
There's a first time for everything - even at Vogt. While last year it was the wet/dry vacuum cleaner from Dreame, now it's a robot lawnmower. To be more precise, the RCX 6, which Kärcher provided me with for the test period.
After some persuasion, my wife agreed to test it after all. Her condition: I only let the robot lawnmower work when I'm there and can intervene at any time if necessary. That's fine, it's supposed to be a test after all. And so I soon receive a big letter from Kärcher.
The device
Robot lawnmowers are a closed book for me. That's why I'm delighted to have the support of my colleague and Galaxus chief lawn caretaker Martin Jungfer to help me set it up. But lo and behold, when Martin arrives at my place one early June afternoon, full of zest for action, I've already managed to set it up all by myself thanks to the easy-to-understand instructions from Kärcher. Charging station, RTK antenna, the RCX 6 itself: The hardware is up and running.
The only thing missing is the software, which I download to my mobile in the form of an app. Here, too, everything runs like clockwork. The unavoidable firmware update takes by far the longest, taking around 15 to 20 minutes. Whether it's due to the amount of data transferred or my fragile Wi-Fi connection in the garden is anyone's guess.
Measuring the (lawn) world
Now it's time for the mapping. I don't need a perimeter wire for this. GPS and RTK ensure centimetre-accurate positioning, as with practically all new robot lawnmowers. I use the RCX 6 to follow the outline of the lawns I want it to mow. The app control takes a bit of getting used to at first, but I soon get used to it. As I always have to be close to the robot lawnmower during the mapping process, I feel a bit like I'm walking a dog.
Source: Martin Jungfer
Source: Martin Jungfer
I capture the two lawns, which we mow more or less regularly, and connect them with a corridor. I leave out the fact that several obstacles such as trees and children's play equipment are waiting for the RCX 6 during the mapping process. He should discover all that himself, after all, he has eyes. Eyes that remind me a little of someone.
Source: Tri-Star Pictures
Mower on a mission
Now it's time for the first mowing session. Before that, however, I set all kinds of options in the settings: path offset, mowing speed, cutting height and direction, to name just a few. I can also change how well the RCX 6 recognises objects and obstacles and how much distance it keeps to them. I make decisions everywhere for the sake of safety and the lawn, then I'm finally ready to go.
As a complete newcomer to robot lawnmowers, I'm initially thrilled and fascinated by how well it works. The RCX 6 scurries around the garden all by itself and only mows where it should. With its double mower deck, it does this thoroughly over a width of 35 centimetres.
The RCX 6 actually recognises larger obstacles and avoids them. We don't have to worry about our animals either. Both chickens and cats always get out of the way of this strange vehicle in the garden in good time, so there is never even the slightest chance of a dicey situation.
Source: Martin Jungfer
Yes, but what about the hedgehog dummy Iggy mentioned at the beginning, you ask? I'll get to that, don't worry.
Hold the line!
The fact that the RCX 6 recognises trees, bushes and other obstacles and avoids them generously is great, but it also has a decisive disadvantage for me: uncut grass, and not too close. The robot lawnmower leaves about 30 centimetres untouched around an obstacle, the same amount as on the edges. And this is despite the fact that I have instructed the RCX 6 to take care of the edges every time it mows.
Despite the robot lawnmower, I still have to take care of an almost 30-centimetre-wide strip at the edge and the uncut grass around obstacles by hand. I think that's a bit much. Sure, I could reduce the obstacle detection and distance at the expense of safety, but I honestly don't want to do that. And so I'm faced with a dilemma that will stay with me all summer. Just like the question of why I don't just do the work with our petrol lawn mower. You guessed it, my initial enthusiasm for the RCX 6 quickly evaporated.
RCX 6 = mountain goat!
This already sounds like a swan song, but the robot lawnmower from Kärcher certainly has its strengths, which I don't want to withhold from you. For example, it works so quietly that I can easily send it on a mowing mission on a Sunday. It's also great how easy and uncomplicated cleaning is. After mowing, I spray the underside of the robot thoroughly with the garden hose and that's it.
What the RCX 6 can really boast about is its all-wheel drive. Hilly terrain - and we have no shortage of it - is no problem for its three wheels. According to the manufacturer, the all-wheel drive is so powerful that it can even climb and mow slopes of up to 70 per cent. The former vineyard in our garden, which is now a regular sheep pasture, is even steeper. Even though it doesn't have to work there, I chase the robot lawnmower up there on a trial basis and am amazed at how far it gets. Even if I can't really vouch for the 70 per cent gradient: The RCX 6 is an extremely capable climber, that's for sure.
Source: Martin Jungfer
The Iggy case
So far, so good. But then one afternoon a tragic incident occurs. As I said, there are no problems with our animals with the RCX 6, nor with larger obstacles. But what about smaller animals? Iggy dummy has to be used for a test. The robot lawnmower obviously doesn't recognise Iggy, doesn't hesitate for a second and drives straight over him!
Is Iggy perhaps a little small for such an attempt? No. You would expect a robot lawnmower with an AI camera and a price as impressive as the RCX 6 to be able to recognise smaller objects as obstacles. After all, the much cheaper Yuka Mini from Mammotion also worked with the same hedgehog dummy, as Martin states in his test.
Well then, on the outside Iggy survived the incident unharmed apart from a few bruises, lucky for him. But I don't want to know how traumatic that must have been for him. As a witness, I am shocked and deeply disturbed. I keep a close eye on the RCX 6 during its last mowing jobs and clear all possible obstacles out of the way beforehand. Another extra effort, yay!
For me, one thing is clear: after this test, the topic of robot lawnmowers in our garden is off the table again. I'd much rather mow by hand again. If only I'd listened to my wife from the start - again.
In a nutshell
Climbing powerhouse with poor edge cut
The RCX 6 from Kärcher and our garden are no match. But I don't doubt its good qualities and strengths for a second. Wherever it has mowed, it has done it thoroughly and cleanly. I really like the fact that it works so quietly. Its climbing ability is also impressive, even if it doesn't really come into its own here. In general, the robot lawnmower has perhaps a little less scope in our garden of just under 300 square metres to show off its strengths apart from the all-wheel drive. According to Kärcher, the RCX 6 can handle up to ten times more lawn area - i.e. 3000 square metres - with ease. It is obviously a machine for larger gardens with slopes, i.e. quasi Gold Coast villa areas. The high price is not an issue there, nor is the need to trim the edges. After all, the gardener takes care of that.
Unfortunately, I wasn't happy with my first robot lawnmower. This is largely due to the really poor edge cut, which can only be improved at the expense of safety. And let's talk about the hedgehog in the room again: He ran over Iggy! The fact that I have difficulty reading the display of the RCX 6 in the style of the first Nokia mobiles in the sunshine is almost a trifle. The app is easy to understand and creating mowing zones is easy with a little practice. The fact that I don't have to correct an existing map afterwards and create a completely new one if I make a change is a bit awkward. Or I'm just too stupid to find the relevant option - in which case it's obviously a "Layer 8" problem.
Pro
- Extraordinary climbing ability
- Quiet
- Easy installation and commissioning
- Good app with many setting options
Contra
- has run over the hedgehog dummy!
- Poor edge cut
- Fixed mowing zones cannot be corrected retrospectively
- Display difficult to read depending on the position of the sun
- Very ambitious price
Header image: Patrick Vogt
I'm a full-blooded dad and husband, part-time nerd and chicken farmer, cat tamer and animal lover. I would like to know everything and yet I know nothing. I know even less, but I learn something new every day. What I am good at is dealing with words, spoken and written. And I get to prove that here.
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