Does the GOAT O1200 LiDAR PRO really trim the lawn edges, or will I still need a strimmer?

It has a dedicated edge trimmer, which is rare at this price, so it should cut down on hand-strimming, though Ecovacs doesn't claim it removes the job entirely. Alongside the main 220 mm blade disc, the Ecovacs GOAT O1200 LiDAR PRO carries a small automatic string trimmer that Ecovacs calls TruEdge. The spec data gives the trimmer an 18 cm working width, and its job is to reach the grass along borders that the blade disc can't get close to.

That is the main difference from the cheaper GOAT O RTK and O500 Panorama. Those models can cut right to the edge only where they can drive onto a flush border such as paving, and Ecovacs' own comparison table shows about 9 cm left along walls and raised edges. We class the O1200's edge cutting as full for that reason, but that rests on Ecovacs' description rather than independent results.

There are two things to budget for. First, the trimmer line wears, and Ecovacs UK sells a replacement trimmer kit separately; see our blades and consumables guide. Second, noise: the manual lists 61 dB(A) for mowing but 81 dB(A) with the trimmer running, a much bigger jump than the numbers suggest because the decibel scale is logarithmic. If neighbours are close, schedule edge passes for the middle of the day.

Expect to keep a hand tool for awkward corners, steps and anything the mower can't safely approach, such as pond edges.