| Product | Price (2026-11-01) | What the listing says |
|---|---|---|
| Kress KR172, half-acre | $1,249.99 | $2,499.99 regular; 0.5 acre recommended, 0.7 acre maximum at a 72-hour cadence [1] |
| Kress KR161, quarter-acre | $1,050.99 | $2,099.99 regular; 0.25 acre maximum [2] |
| Mammotion Luba mini 2 1500 | $1,799.00 | $1,999.00 regular; 0.37 acre; onboard Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) plus camera vision [4] |
The big picture:
Kress runs two price lists for one machine, and the sale page leads with the higher one. That page marks $3,199.98 down to $1,699.99 and calls it a saving of $1,499.99 [3]. The model page for the same mower marks $2,499.99 down to $1,249.99, and its only call to action is a dealer locator [1]. The gap between the two regular prices is $699.99, which is also the value the sale page puts on the real-time kinematic (RTK) mapping cart it throws in [3].
I read the two pages side by side to confirm they sell identical hardware. Neither number comes from a direct marketplace checkout. Both pages belong to Kress, both were live the same afternoon, and the spread dictates where a buyer starts the conversation.
By the numbers
- $2,499.98 — Cost per rated acre: the KR172’s half-acre price over its half-acre rating, against $4,203.96 for the quarter-acre KR161 and $4,862.16 for the Luba mini 2 [1][2][4].
- $199.00 — The half-acre step: the half-acre Kress lists $199 above the quarter-acre one, so on this sale the bigger machine is the cheaper buy per acre [1][2].
- 3.1 charges — One pass at rated area: Mammotion claims 0.12 acre of cutting per charge on a 6.1 ampere-hour (Ah) pack, so its 0.37 acre rating needs about three charges, not one [4].
- 40% — The slope ceiling: the KR172’s top slope against Mammotion’s claimed 80%, the one row where the smaller machine is the stronger one [1][4].
What I’d watch:
The acreage numbers measure different things. Kress prints area by cadence, 0.5 acre if the machine cuts every 48 hours and 0.7 acre if it runs every 72 [1]. Mammotion prints area per charge instead, and calls 0.37 acre the lawn it suits [4]. Both read as ceilings, which is the rating-versus-usable-acreage trap this desk has written up before: the number assumes the machine gets the weather and daylight it wants.
Steering depends on something the buyer does not own. Kress sells “No antennas. No beacons. No boundary wires”, then lists “Dead reckoning for mowing even undershade (weak satellite signal)” in the same feature block, and its box holds an RTK antenna [1]. The brand tells buyers to verify network coverage at a dealer before relying on the signal [1]. Mammotion answers the same problem with onboard sensing and sells “No Wire, No Antenna: 360° LiDAR + Dual Camera AI Vision” [4].
The physical limits are not close. The KR172 is rated to a 40% slope, 59 decibels perceived and 26.48 pounds. The Luba mini 2 is rated to 80% and gives a ceiling below 65 decibels [1][4]. A ceiling is not a measured figure, and a perceived level is not a sound-lab reading, so both stay claims.
The model page’s call to action is a dealer locator rather than a checkout, which makes the lower figure a number to argue from. One authorized dealer listed it at the model page’s figure and had none in stock, and a second listed it at the sale price [5][6]. The offer also says “while supplies last”, and it closes on 31 December 2026 [3].
| The situation | The pick |
|---|---|
| Half an acre or less, open sky, price first | Kress KR172 at the lower quote, in writing [1] |
| A small lot that needs a compact machine | Kress KR161, the quarter-acre model [2] |
| Heavy canopy, a slope past 40%, no dealer near | Mammotion Luba mini 2 [4] |
The catch
What I find hard to square is the premium. The Luba mini 2 asks $549.01 more than the KR172 and rates 0.13 acre less. That money buys onboard sensing and the steeper slope rating, not more lawn [1][4]. A roundup by another publisher puts the tested end of this class at $1,099 for a 0.3-acre LiDAR unit, so the Kress sale sits mid-market rather than cheap [7].
The one cost a buyer controls is the 36% spread between the sale page and the model page, and closing it takes a written quote rather than a screenshot. I am watching how these brands handle battery replacements next, as neither maker lists a spare pack price on these pages. The year-four cost in any payback sum stays missing on both.
What we did not test
This review rests on maker spec and price pages, two dealer listings and one roundup. Neither unit was handled here, nothing was installed, and no cutting, noise or steering was measured by this desk. Every acre, slope and sound claim belongs to the maker or to the reviewer named beside it. For the payback side of the decision, the true cost of ownership calculator takes the numbers above, and the yard robotics coverage carries the rest of the field.
At a glance
The shift: Off-season sales now put two prices on one robot mower, on the maker’s own pages, $450 apart. The number: $2,499.98 an acre for the Kress KR172, against $4,862.16 for the Mammotion Luba mini 2. The risk: The cheaper figure is a dealer’s quote rather than a cart price, and the offer closes on 31 December 2026.
Sources
[1] Kress — Kress RTKⁿ ½-acre robotic lawn mower (KR172): price $1,249.99 against $2,499.99 regular, cadence-based area, slope, weight, sound level, feature list, box contents, dealer locator. https://www.kress.com/en-us/kress-rtk%E2%81%BF-%C2%BD-acre-robotic-lawn-mower-kr172 (retrieved 2026-11-01) [2] Kress — Kress RTKⁿ ¼-acre robotic lawn mower (KR161): price $1,050.99 against $2,099.99 regular, 0.25 acre maximum. https://www.kress.com/en-us/kress-rtk%E2%81%BF-%C2%BC-acre-robotic-lawn-mower-kr161 (retrieved 2026-11-01) [3] Kress — Robotic lawn mowers dealer sale: KR172 at $1,699.99 against $3,199.98, the $699.99 mapping cart, dealer-only terms and the 31 December 2026 end date. https://www.kress.com/en-us/robotic-mowers (retrieved 2026-11-01) [4] Mammotion — LUBA mini 2 AWD Robot Lawn Mower 1500/1500H: $1,799.00 against $1,999.00 regular, 0.37 acre, 0.12 acre per charge on 6.1 Ah, 80% slope, under 65 dB, LiDAR and dual-camera sensing. https://us.mammotion.com/products/luba-mini-2-awd-robot-lawn-mower (retrieved 2026-11-01) [5] TurfCloud Store — authorized Kress dealer listing for the KR172: $1,249.99 against $2,499.99 regular, unit out of stock. https://store.turfcloud.com/products/kr172-kress-rtk%E2%81%BF-acre-robotic-lawn-mower (retrieved 2026-11-01) [6] SmartYard Northwest — authorized Kress dealer, model and price table: KR172 at $1,699.99. https://smartyardnw.com/kress-robotic-mowers-review (retrieved 2026-11-01) [7] PCMag — The Best Robot Lawn Mowers: tested picks, and the $1,099 0.3-acre LiDAR unit at the low end of the field. https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-robot-lawn-mowers (retrieved 2026-11-01)
