A few years back, my father bought a robot vacuum cleaner for the household, it was cute, helpful and the family loved it, however during that time such consumer electronics aren’t that smart, it had poor battery life where it needs to be recharged in 30 minutes, it also requires a lot of supervision as it occasionally gets stuck in tight corners. Today, robot vacuum cleaners are a lot more capable than it used to be back then, some can be controlled over the cloud, packed with advanced sensors for smarter cleaning, and they are no longer expensive to own. A few days ago, we received the ECOVACS DEEBOT M81 Pro for our review, though it doesn’t look any different from any other robot vacuum cleaners I have come across, it has some pretty interesting features that I was eager to find out, and here are my thoughts about it.
One interesting fact here is that the D81 Pro can be controlled over the cloud, though it doesn’t have a mapping feature due to the lack of an ultrasonic sensor, you are still able to see its battery level, set a schedule for it to start cleaning, and have it return to the charging station.
Unlike other robot vacuum cleaners in the same range, the D81 Pro has a small reservoir for its mopping feature, where it dispenses water together with the provided mopping cloth while vacuuming the floor, as most vacuum cleaners still tend to leave some dust as they clean, this is an extremely useful feature as it ensures a cleaner floor, the reservoir can be refilled by opening the flap at the back.
The Deebot M81 Pro performs fairly well during my test, I had it clean the living area of my landed house and while I was impressed with how well it was able to squeeze through tight corners, there were times where the robot got under my couch or accidentally running through room slippers on my floor. As for carpets, the robot’s thick wheel was able to go across it without any issues, which is certainly an improvement from what I have seen on my previous robot vacuum cleaner. Probably the most impressive part of the M81 Pro, is how ECOVACS has managed to make a really efficient vacuum system without making much noise, the company rates the maximum noise level at 57dB, which you can definitely still hear your music playback and not have someone yelling at you while it is working.
The Good
- Affordable robot vacuum cleaner with wet mopping feature
- Straightforward smartphone app
- Great battery life
The Not so Good
- Lack of ultrasonic sensor for better floor mapping
- Charging time could be better
To purchase and find out more info about ECOVACS products, you can head on over to Ban Leong’s website.