Rethink Robotics Sawyer BLACK Edition

How Sawyer BLACK Edition compares within +/- 5 kg payload.

DISCONTINUED. Listed as a historical reference. Do not specify as a current buy.

The Sawyer BLACK Edition itself is not plotted below. We have no price for it we can stand behind, and we would rather show a gap than draw a bar off a number we invented. The arms around it in the payload band are shown for context.

Why this cobot costs what it costs.

Rethink Robotics has been discontinued twice. The original Rethink Robotics shut down in 2018 after struggling with commercial traction despite strong technical IP. Hahn Group (then operating under United Robotics Group) acquired the assets and attempted a relaunch of the Sawyer product line in 2021-2024 — that second attempt also shut down in mid-2025 after investor pullback and limited commercial uptake. The Sawyer BLACK Edition product line is not currently in production. Used units occasionally appear on resale, at prices that depend entirely on condition and what support the seller can offer, but none of it should be specified for a new cell. Replacement parts cycle times are increasingly difficult, and software support has effectively ended. This entry exists on the site for completeness — buyers searching for Sawyer pricing in 2026 will find this page and should be redirected to current alternatives. For the original Sawyer use cases (light-payload research, dexterous-task R&D), Franka Research 3 covers the research bracket and UR3e or OB7 cover the production bracket.

Vendor-specific Bill of Materials.

These line items are what Rethink Robotics cells specifically need, beyond the bare arm. On our model the arm is 25-50 percent of the installed cell, a 2x to 4x multiplier, and these items are most of the difference. Costs below are our own estimates unless they name a published source.

Target buyer profile.

Nobody. This product is end-of-life. Listed for searchers looking for Sawyer pricing context.

DISCONTINUED 2025. Second shutdown under United Robotics Group. Listed here as a historical reference, not a buy.