Need help on picking a Robot Vacuum

W

wakkun

Discoverer
Hi TE,

I recently moved into a new house and I'm looking to get a Robot Vacuum that can both vacuum and mop for my rooms (2 rooms).

Do you have any recommendations for what I should look for or avoid?

Can you also share your experience if you've used one yourself.

My budget is around 25K~ give or take.

Thanks!
 
I had purchased a Ecovacs robot vacum + mop (Deepbot N30) last year during a sale from Amazon. The vacum part worked fine but the mopping mechanism kept dripping water everywhere. Also, I had to keep updating the maps since it would randomly forget stuff. This is a mid-range model that cost around Rs 40K but it cant even handle thin carpets.
Amazon has a hands-off policy when it comes to these type of items so they dont provide refund/replacement option even if you get a defective product or the product malfunctions within few days of purchase.
The Ecovacs customer care is difficult to contact and getting warranty service is not easy. The technician blamed the water quality at my house for the issues with the mopping. And for the the software/mapping issue they blamed my wifi.
One thing you will have to live with is issues with cleaning edges. Also, you will have to regularly purchase the accessories like dust bags, filters etc. These items are frequently out of stock so you will have to buy them in bulk. Amazon has a few 3 party brands that provide replacements but sometimes the quality is poor or the accessories just dont fit.

My thoughts are-
If these companies from abroad want to sell their products in India, they should atleast look at conditions in the country. Its not USA or a European country where the water quality is amazing. I was contemplating buying distilled water so that the robot could do its job.
I wanted a robot that only vacums but the only seller for a robot vacum without mop function seems to be iRobots (Roomba series). From what I remember, there were reviews on Amazon advising people not to buy the Roomba if the seller was Nashtronics.
I wonder why Ecovacs, Dreame etc cant sell a version without the mop function. I imagine there are some consumers out there who just want dust and pet hair to swept away while they are at work, so that they can do that mopping stuff when they are back from work.
Most reviews say that "We were able to fire our maid after buying a robot vacum". If you use domestic help, I dont think a robot vacum will give you the same quality of work.
Overall - The experience was not great. My cats seemed to like the robot and thought of it as a friend. That is a plus but it was due to my cats being great and not anything done by the manufacturer.
 
wakkun said:
Not very useful, the market for these isn't even local.
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Here this: Limited-time deal: ECOVACS Deebot Y1 Pro 2-In-1 Robot Vacuum Cleaner,6500 Pa Powerful Suction,5200 Mah Battery,Covers 3500+ Sq. Ft. In One Charge,Advanced Navigation Technology&True Mapping,Black,330 minutes https://amzn.in/d/9h6PmZ2 @ ₹23k

AGARO Alpha Robot Vacuum Cleaner, Brush, Dry Vacuum & Wet Mop, Automatic Cleaning, Upto 3200Pa Strong Suction, Rechargeable, App Control, Lidar Navigation, Editable Map to Clean, Hard Floor & Carpet https://amzn.in/d/bfqZHCZ
@ ₹22.5k
 
I am also looking for a real world experience of available options in India are and local conditions handled by these cleaners. Are there any actual users on the forum who would be willing to share the experience with us?
 
I’ve got the Mi X10 vacuum cum mopping robot. My house is fully tiled and flat. Review by my mom: the vacuum function is really good. The mopping function is okayish only.
So we just use it for vacuuming only. One other thing that I found was lacking is the availability of spare parts. Only the dust bag is available online for the vacuum cleaner but not the brushes and the mop mat even though they’re consumables. This means you either have to buy third party or have to take it to the Mi service centre which is a hassle.
 
Ecovacs seem to be the only one which also has spare parts readily available. But reviews of the actual products are mostly AI generated so I'm hesitant to believe the ratings.
 
EMMVEE said:
If these companies from abroad want to sell their products in India, they should atleast look at conditions in the country. Its not USA or a European country where the water quality is amazing.
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Uh by poor water quality they are referring to hard water. Hard water doesn't clean well and leaves residue which depening on your water hardness can be either slight to more.

The US & Europe have plenty of hard water areas. They also have soft water areas like we do
EMMVEE said:
I was contemplating buying distilled water so that the robot could do its job.
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Filtered RO water is good enough. The water from petrol bunks to top up batteries too.
EMMVEE said:
Most reviews say that "We were able to fire our maid after buying a robot vacum". If you use domestic help, I dont think a robot vacum will give you the same quality of work.
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Heh yes. So I didn't bother to get one. You need a well arranged home with not too many floor obstacles for one.
EMMVEE said:
Overall - The experience was not great. My cats seemed to like the robot and thought of it as a friend. That is a plus but it was due to my cats being great and not anything done by the manufacturer.
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You likely have a problem with that cat fur all over the place so a robot I would like to think helped here but maybe the model wasn't high enough for the job
 
A common issue with these bots (at least midrange ones) is the mapping. It seems they only tested it for completely unobstructed, hardboard or carpet-only floors. For example, the Ecovacs one I have usually gets stuck at the 2-inch vertical separation to the bathroom every time, or on a coffee table stand. It also keeps losing its bearings while rotating, which meant it can never follow the same map each time. In general, mopping functionality is not much helpful as the bot cannot apply any significant downward pressure to wipe off marks, so wouldn't place too much emphasis on that.

I would say it is okay for only secondary cleaning, when you couldn't be bothered for minor spills.
 
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