Should I buy the Gardena SILENO city or the SILENO life?

Choose by lawn size first and theft risk second. The GARDENA SILENO city is the small-garden model, and the GARDENA SILENO life is the step up for medium lawns, with a wider cut and an alarm.

Both are boundary-wire mowers, both current sets include the smart Gateway for app control over your home internet, and both share the same slope rating: 35% inside the lawn and 10% along the wire. The LONA versions of each offer up to four zones and no-mow areas.

The differences on Gardena's spec sheets:

• Cut width: 160 mm on the city, 220 mm on the life, so the life covers more ground per hour.
• Rated area: the current city is sold as a 500 m² set; the life comes as 750 m² and 1,000 m² sets.
• Security: both have a PIN code, but Gardena lists an anti-theft alarm only on the life.
• Weight: 7.3 kg against 8.3 kg.
• Wire in the box: 150 m for the city set, 200 m for the life sets.

As a rough rule, the city suits lawns up to about 400 m² in a garden that isn't visible from the street. Above that, or where the mower can be seen from a road, the life is the safer choice. Gardena publishes no UK RRP for either, so compare retailer prices on the model pages.