SwitchBot K10+ Mini Robot Vacuum Review: Small Wonder, Big Benefits

PROS:


  • Compact size makes cleaning tight spaces a breeze

  • Replaceable mop wipes are convenient and hygienic

  • Packs plenty of smart features despite the size

CONS:


  • Light and limited mopping function

  • Can't vacuum and mop at the same time

  • Disposable wet wipes can be wasteful and expensive over time

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The SwitchBot K10+ mini robot vacuum cleaner challenges the status quo to deliver the same smarts and power in a compact and agile package.

They predated the craze that is now known as smart homes, but robot vacuums have only really caught on in the past few years as people started to appreciate the time and effort these intelligent machines save them. As time goes on, the humble giant pucks that were robot vacuums have evolved into more advanced species with more features and more intelligence to make life more convenient for humans and sometimes even pets. That said, all these smart robot vacuums have embraced the motto of “bigger is better,” which is definitely not the case when these rolling circles start bumping into corners or get stuck in between furniture. The SwitchBot K10+ tries to attack that problem from a different angle by offering a robot vacuum that’s smaller yet still just as smart, so we take it for a roll to see if size does matter or not.

Designer: SwitchBot

Aesthetics

When seen in isolation, it’s hard to point out what makes the SwitchBot K10+ robot vacuum cleaner special. Yes, it has a clean and minimalist design, but so do most machines in this market. Available only in white, the K10+ makes no effort to hide the sensors in front and on top, though it does give the otherwise plain appearance some visual flair.

When you put it in the context of other things in your house, however, that’s when you really appreciate the design of the SwitchBot K10+. It’s significantly smaller than other robot vacuum cleaners in all aspects, from the robot itself to its auto-emptying base station. The size difference is even more apparent when you compare it with a regular robot vac and see how much smaller it is. With small black markings on its face and on the top of its head, it almost looks like a cute toy.

That diminutive size isn’t just for show, of course. We’ll get to the performance aspects later, but even just in terms of appearance, the K10+ has an edge over the competition. Its compact size makes it easier to place the vacuum and its base station almost anywhere, whether it’s in plain sight, hidden in corners, or in between shelves. Whether you want to show it off or have it disappear in the background, the SwitchBot K10+ gives you the choice and doesn’t force you like some behemoth robot vacuum cleaners and their overgrown stations.

Ergonomics

Some say big is better, but being small has plenty of benefits as well. It’s a size that’s often associated with agility and manageability, and the SwitchBot K10+ definitely checks those boxes off. At only 2.3kg, you can easily pick up the robot, and you’ll actually do that a lot if you want to mop the floor with it. That’s because the K10+ doesn’t have an independent mopping component and you’ll have to turn it over every time to put on or remove the mop wet wipes we’ll get to in a bit.

You might also want to bring it up or down stairs, in case you want to vacuum other floors. While the SwitchBot app can indeed store maps, the robot can’t climb stairs on its own. Because of its small size and lightweight design, you won’t break a sweat carrying the machine where it can do its job. Of course, you won’t be carrying the charging station with it, so you’ll have to be more attentive to the robot’s battery levels.

Operating and managing the robot vacuum is also easy as pie. Of course, most of the action happens on the SwitchBot mobile app, but there are still some things you have to do manually. The dustbin is automatically emptied, but you should clean it after a few months at least. You’ll have to also maintain the brushes, which is where the vacuum’s lightweight body comes in again. Most importantly, there’s a manual on/off switch under the top lid that you do have to flip to get the ball rolling. Fortunately, getting to all these parts is a walk in the park thanks to the K10+’s simple and smart design.

Performance

It’s easy to dismiss the SwitchBot K10+’s power after hearing that it’s the world’s smallest robot vacuum cleaner, but that would definitely be playing into the size trap. There is a saying that also goes “small is terrible,” but in this case small is a lot better in things that the big guys can’t even handle. This is especially true for the many areas you take for granted in your house, like between the legs of chairs, underneath low furniture, or that narrow space between the wall and the couch.

The SwitchBot K10+ possesses excellent LIDAR vision and silicon smarts to make short work of these cramped spaces. After the initial navigation of the floor’s layout, you are given a visual map where you can merge or separate areas, in the rare cases that the robot got it wrong. That same vision and intelligence is also what allows the K10+ to easily navigate the “in-betweens” with agility and precision, correcting itself if it does bump into a leg or corner wall. In other words, the small robot has plenty of brains to get around without a hitch and insert itself in places that regular vacuum cleaners wouldn’t even dream of fitting.

When it comes to the actual act of vacuuming, the SwitchBot K10+ is a bit of a mixed bag that’s leaning more toward the positive. Despite its size, its 2,500Pa suction power is plenty strong, able to handle most tasks on hardwood floors. Yes, it will fail on very thick and tall carpets, but short ones are no problem at all. It even has automatic carpet detection so that it knows to apply stronger suction when rolling over a mop. It’s not a complete clean on the first pass, but you can program it to do two passes every time. Interestingly, when it is programmed that way, it will alternate between horizontal and vertical routes to make sure that every inch of the floor is covered.

All of the robot’s functions can be reached from the SwitchBot smartphone app, which you need to set up before you can even use it. It has everything you need to control the K10+, from mapping to setting no-go zones to switching between four levels of suction strength. You can also schedule when and where the robot will do the cleaning as well as how many passes it makes in each area. The app, however, has also a few features you rarely find in other robot vacuums. For example, you can download a voice package to change how the robot sounds when it reports to you, personalizing the experience to some degree. There’s also an “accessory usage life” that uses a time-based counter to remind the owner to clean or change out certain parts to keep the robot performing at its best.

With a size this small, there are bound to be some limitations, and, objectively speaking, there are quite a few. As mentioned, 2,500Pa is not enough to handle tough dirt and thick carpets, but the SwitchBot K10+’s biggest weakness is its mopping function. There is no separate water tank or roller for mopping, and you have to use disposable wipes (included in the package) every time you want to wipe the floor. The upside is that you don’t have to deal with washing mop heads and the risk of gathering germs along the way. You simply remove the wet wipe and throw it away. The downside is that the cost of these wipes will accumulate over time, making it a rather expensive function.

The mopping function isn’t that great either, since there are no rollers or mop heads to really do a proper moping. It’s basically doing the equivalent of simply wiping off the floor with a damp cloth and nothing more, so tougher stains won’t go away using this method. Given the way it works, you can’t even vacuum and mop at the same time and have to switch between modes. It’s a very basic feature that you probably wouldn’t miss if it weren’t there in the first place, but SwitchBot seems to have decided to put it there just for the sake of having it on marketing material.

Sustainability

Although it’s quite unique in its size, the SwitchBot K10+ is very typical in its design, including its abundant use of plastic. That makes the product less eco-friendly, but there is another aspect that further pushes its sustainability grade down. The wet wipes for mopping, while convenient and hygienic, are pretty wasteful and environment-unfriendly. More advanced robot vacuum cleaners have automated washing and drying to solve the problem of cleaning mops, but there just isn’t enough room for the small K10+ for this feature. For some households, it’s not going to be a deal-breaker, just something they have to take into account when computing the total cost of ownership.

Value

The SwitchBot K10+ is a rather unique product that is full of surprises but also leaves potential buyers even more undecided about its value. With a standard $499.99 price tag, it’s not exactly the most affordable robot vacuum cleaner, despite its smaller size. It almost sounds like a niche product, but you might be surprised at how common that niche turns out to be.

The world’s smallest robot vacuum really shines in small places like apartments, one to two-bedroom suites, and similar residential spaces. Individuals and small families have long felt left out by the mainstream market because of large robot vacuums that couldn’t properly navigate their cramped floors. The K10+ surprisingly offers pretty much the standard set of features for robot vacuums, including decent suction power for most kinds of dirt and particles, so it gets the job done even when it involves squeezing into tight spaces. Yes, it might have been better off not offering any mopping functionality at all, but it’s at least there if and when you need it.

Verdict

Robot vacuum cleaners are becoming as common as smart home speakers and security cameras, providing the convenience of technology in a very palpable and almost mundane way. There’s a great deal of uniformity in the design of these smart machines, which means there’s very little variety in terms of style and form. The SwitchBot K10+ breaks free from those conventions by offering a smaller robot, but its small size isn’t just for show nor is it a disadvantage.

Thanks to its smaller radius, the K10+ can squeeze into tight spaces and reach floors that its larger rivals couldn’t. Despite its size, it has enough power to really suck the dirt off even from some short and light carpets. Sure, the mopping function is disappointing and wasteful, but you don’t always have to use it if all you need is a dirt-less floor. Even with just the basics, which it delivers with skill and proficiency, the SwitchBot K10+ can shave off hours from your busy day, freeing you to do the more important things in life like spending time with others or even with yourself.

The post SwitchBot K10+ Mini Robot Vacuum Review: Small Wonder, Big Benefits first appeared on Yanko Design.

ECOVACS DEEBOT T20 OMNI robot vacuum’s advanced mopping tech cleans floors, protects carpets

Robot vacuum cleaners have come a long way since the very first Roombas rolled on the floors of a few lucky homeowners. Although their basic round designs haven’t changed much, their capabilities have grown significantly in recent years. It’s almost rare for decent robot vacuum cleaners or RVCs not to have some self-emptying function these days, and some even advertise mopping capabilities. But while these RVCs claim to be able to both suck up and mop away dirt, most are just good at one or the other. There’s a lot left to be desired when it comes to mopping efficiency, and that’s where ECOVACS’ new DEEBOT T20 OMNI comes in, raising the bar for mopping performance while making sure that your precious carpets remain safe and dry all the time.

Designer: ECOVACS Design

Click Here to Reserve Now! The first 500 customers get a $50 Accessories package upon purchase on June 13.

Robot vacuums that can also mop are pretty convenient because you don’t have to buy two separate devices to keep your floors clean. That said, a lot of floors aren’t just made of hard surfaces like tiles, wood, or vinyl, and some homes use carpets in a few areas, and it would be disastrous for these robots to roll over those with wet mops. Most vacuum cleaners simply avoid these areas if you have the mopping function turned on, requiring you to do double the work by going over carpeted areas without mop heads attached.

The ECOVACS DEEBOT T20 OMNI’s solution is smarter and more efficient. It simply lifts the mop plates as high as 9mm when transitioning from hard floor to soft carpeting, a height that no other robot vacuum has so far reached, while simultaneously increasing the suction power to make sure it gets all the dirt buried deep in the fuzzy material. This LiftUp OZMO Turbo 2.0 Rotating Mopping System ensures that your carpet is safe and dry while giving it a thorough cleaning.

The DEEBOT T20 OMNI’s mopping upgrades don’t stop there. Its self-washing function cleans those rotating mop heads with hot water set to 131°F in order to more effectively remove not only dirt but also stubborn oil and grease. It then uses hot air to dry the mop, eliminating bacteria and odors and making sure that it’s ready for the next round of cleaning.

In addition to smart and powerful vacuuming and mopping, ECOVACS also put the smartest brains and eyes inside the DEEBOT T20 OMNI. TrueMapping 2.0 uses the same LIDAR technology seen in self-driving cars to create a more accurate map of your floor, while TrueDetect 3D 2.0 avoids objects and obstacles like toys, keys, wires, and, of course, kids and pets. You can easily control the robot vacuum with your voice, thanks to ECOVACS’ YIKO AI, and you can even integrate it with the rest of your smart home using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts. With its superior suction power, upgraded mopping functions, and intelligent navigation, the ECOVACS DEEBOT T20 OMNI promises a cleaner house, peace of mind, and more time to spend on the more important things in life.

Click Here to Reserve Now! The first 500 customers get a $50 Accessories package upon purchase on June 13.

The post ECOVACS DEEBOT T20 OMNI robot vacuum’s advanced mopping tech cleans floors, protects carpets first appeared on Yanko Design.

10 Best Home Cleaning Appliances That Saves You Time and Sanity

Let’s face it. No matter how we sugarcoat or gamify it, household chores won’t always be fun and exciting. The very word itself has become synonymous with “burdensome,” and there will always be aspects of the task that will always be unpleasant. Unfortunately, these are also tasks that are critical to living a comfortable and healthy life, such as doing the laundry or cleaning up after pets. Since there’s no way to avoid doing them, the best solution would be to complete these chores in the easiest and fastest way possible without compromising on efficiency and safety. Fortunately, we’re at a point in history where technology and design have given us so many products to assist in household work, perhaps even too many to choose from. To help narrow down those choices, here are Yanko Design’s Top 10 home appliances that let you breeze through those chores so that you can spend your time on things that matter the most.

1. OSOTEK HotWave Mop Vacuum

vacuum gif

Robot vacuums might be good for regular maintenance of floors, but they might not cut it for heavier workloads and more stubborn dirt. That doesn’t mean you have to fall back onto less efficient and harder-to-use appliances, especially when there are smarter alternatives available. This one, for example, might look like a typical upright vacuum cleaner, but its innovative use of hot water to mop floors easily sets it apart from the crowd.

The OSOTEK HotWave’s built-in water heater makes sure that you’ll be able to get out those pesky stains, something that robot mops still can’t get right these days. Its intelligent suction power automatically adjusts how much suction you need depending on how much dirt its infrared sensor detects. And with its self-cleaning and self-drying features, all you really need to do is to take the OSOTEK HotWave from its base, walk around with it like a regular vacuum, and return it to its base so that it will be clean and dry for your next use. No dirt, no stains, no sweat.

Click Here to Buy Now: $359.99 $499.99 ($150 off, use code ‘WELCOME10’ to save extra $10!).

2. PUPSULE Portable Poop Scooper

When parents tell kids that a pet is a big responsibility, they’re probably referring to more than just feeding them and giving them baths. Cleaning up after our furry friends, especially when they’ve “done their thing,” can be the least enjoyable part of having a pet. That’s especially true when dogs leave their traces outdoors, much to the annoyance of other people and the embarrassment of their owners. Fortunately, you don’t need to get down and dirty anymore just to pick up after your canine pal, thanks to PUPSULE.

It may look like some prop from a kid’s sci-fi or secret spy show, but this leakproof mechanical arm is exactly what you need to safely and easily pick up your dog’s brown treasure. It almost feels like a game where you deftly pull out a poop bag, drape it over PUPSULE’s claw, and use the plunger to get the job done with the filled bag safely stowed inside the capsule, ready for dropping into a garbage bin. It’s a no-fuss, no-mess solution that will make walks with your dog a lot less stressful.

Click Here to Buy Now: $24.99 $29.99 (17% off).

3. ECOVACS DEEBOT Robot Vacuum Cleaners

Even before the present smart home wave, there was already a small number of robots rolling around some houses. Robot vacuum cleaners have been around for years now, and although they haven’t exactly changed their basic circular design, they have definitely become smarter and more sophisticated, offering features and perks that help take our minds off the dirt and stains on our floors. There is, in fact, a dizzying number of choices now available in the market, and ECOVACS ROBOTICS has one for every need and budget.

Those just getting their feet wet to keep their floors dry won’t go wrong with DEEBOT N10 PLUS, an entry-level option that offers a solid set of features, including laser-based navigation as well smart mopping. The DEEBOT T9+ takes cleaning to the next level with TruDetect 3D 2.0, which can avoid the objects that kids and pets tend to leave lying around. It even has a built-in air freshener to make sure that the room smells good while the floor stays clean. Right at the top stands the DEEBOT T10 OMNI, offering self-cleaning mop pads and voice control, ensuring that you’ll never have to stoop down just to keep your floors spic and span.

Click Here to Buy Now: $499.99 $649.99 ($150 off).

4. LARQ Purifying Pitcher

Keeping your house clean is important for hygienic living, but drinking clean water is even more critical to a healthy life. There are plenty of water purifying devices and products in the market, ranging from pitchers with filters to full-blown machines, but many of them ironically end up polluting the rest of the planet’s waters in the long run, directly or indirectly.

LARQ is a more sustainable solution to keeping both our bodies and our planet healthy. Using innovative carbon-derived, plant-based filters, this purifying pitcher not manages to clean water from pollutants but also makes water taste crisp and pure. Whether it’s for drinking plain water or making better-tasting smoothies, this sustainable water filtering pitcher quickly delivers pure and crisp water that will help sustain you for your next round of chores.

Click Here to Buy Now: $139 $168 (17% off).

5. AirTulip Sleep Air Purifying Smart Headboard

After all those chores, sleep is a most welcomed respite where we finally let our tired bodies rest. But even our seemingly peaceful bedrooms can be home to invisible things that still need to be cleaned out. In fact, we’re pretty much defenseless from these harmful substances when we’re asleep, so we have to rely on external help to clean up the air around our beds. That’s the kind of peaceful slumber that the AirTulip Sleep smart headboard is aiming for, and it does so in a rather unusual and creative way.

Unlike your typical air purifiers, the AirTulip Sleep integrates a medical-grade laminar flow purifier into a stylish headboard that you can match with any bed or linen design. Its unique technology practically creates a purified air bubble around you that doesn’t mix with other air in the room, effectively keeping contaminants away. As a bonus, the headboard integrates features like wireless charging, ambient light, reading lamps, and power outlets, making sure you can get the most out of your time in bed, whether asleep or just chilling out.

Click Here to Buy Now: $1124 $1499 (25% off).

6. Dayoo Kitchen Steam Cleaner

It isn’t just cleaning up after pets that is a chore. Cleaning up after humans, including ourselves, can be just as stressful. Of the many places in the house that requires the most cleaning, the kitchen is probably one of the highest. Never mind the pots and pans used for cooking, even just washing the plates and utensils we use every meal can be a tiring and wasteful activity. Of course, there are dishwashers nowadays, but these convenient machines turn out to be quite inefficient and ineffective at what it’s supposed to do.

It might look like an odd part of the kitchen, but Dayoo is an innovative alternative that combines the best of dishwashers and manual washing. Using a showerhead-like nozzle, it utilizes a high-pressure jet of steam to clean plates, bowls, pans, knives, and anything in between. Not only does it help save water, it also makes it easier to reach areas that neither dishwashers nor faucets can access, ensuring a thorough job of making your kitchenware clean and ready for their next use.

Click Here to Buy Now: Starting from $230 (Free shipping!)

7. Leo’s Loo Too Self-Cleaning Litter Box

Cat owners have a different problem when it comes to their friend’s regular discharges. While these furballs can be trained to do their thing in litter boxes, making sure that those remain clean and odor-free isn’t as easy as it sounds. That can be especially problematic with fussy felines, though that can now be a thing of the past thanks to Smarty Pear’s latest contraption, Leo’s Loo Too.

Looking more like a toy washing machine that almost functions like one, this smart litter box promises a hands-free and worry-free experience for humans and a comfortable and safe life for the cat. Not only does it automatically clean after the cat, it can also log your pet’s visits and weight so you can keep tabs on their health as well. It will even alert you when its waste bag is full, so you don’t have to constantly check the drawer for yourself. It’s the purrfect fix for feline fans.

Click Here to Buy Now: Starting from $649.99 (Use ‘100OFF’ for an additional $100 off and more).

8. Gulp Washing Machine Filter

Along with washing the dishes, doing the laundry is one of the inevitable chores that almost everyone experiences. Thankfully, there is also an abundance of technologies that make life easier for humans, though they sadly come at the expense of our planet’s own life. Very few realize that the dirty water that comes out of even the smartest washing machine has tiny particles that end up polluting the Earth’s waters. Cleaning our dirty laundry shouldn’t have to mean keeping our planet dirty, and that is what this simple, sustainable solution is delivering.

Gulp is a small machine that attaches to the wastewater output of any kind of washing machine, filtering the microplastics that our clothes shed during the washing process. Since it drains the excess water on its own, you don’t have to do anything afterward except empty the filter cup of the dried microfibers. Even better, Gulp’s creators will accept this captured material for research and recycling, ensuring that they won’t touch our planet’s waters ever again.

Click Here to Buy Now: $247 $310 (20% off).

9. Narwal T10 2-in-1 Robot Cleaner

Almost like our furniture, not everyone will be happy with a single robot vacuum cleaner design. Indeed, there might be too many options available, and they can vary greatly in terms of features and core functions. Of course, most advertise vacuuming as the main purpose, which is what the majority of people look for anyway. As if to turn that idea on its head, the Narwal T10 seems to make sucking up dirt its second-best feature only, putting most of its focus on mopping your floor clean.

Make no mistake, it’s still a good vacuum cleaner, but the Narwal T10 really shines when it comes to mopping the floor and then cleaning those mop heads without getting your hands dirty. Its LIDAR-based navigation makes sure it knows exactly where to go, or at least where you allow it to go in each room. Its “squircle” design also makes it stand out visually, driving home the image of being different from your typical large robot pucks.

Click Here to Buy Now: $1049 (Sign up to get $100 off).

10. Heisenberg LawnMeister Robot Lawnmower

Robot vacuum cleaners might be smart and useful, but their utility ends at your doors. When it comes to keeping lawns trimmed and clean, most have to settle for less efficient and less effective tools. Some smart lawnmowers, for example, aren’t smart enough to really know where to go, and you often end up having to set up ugly wire fences to keep them from going astray.

The LawnMeister robot lawnmower practically brings all the brains and technologies enjoyed by robot vacs from indoors to outdoors, allowing this roving grass cutter to know where they should and shouldn’t go, avoid obstacles and furry critters, and even spray fertilizer where it’s needed. Neighborhood kids might be bummed out at having less employment, but your lawn will definitely appreciate the smarter attention you can now give it without even lifting a finger.

Click Here to Buy Now: $999 $2499 (60% off).

The post 10 Best Home Cleaning Appliances That Saves You Time and Sanity first appeared on Yanko Design.

New smart robot vacuums free up your time for the more important things in life

Even outside of the work we do to earn a living, work at home has been a part of human life. While there could be arguments about how doing chores can help build discipline and character, it’s also hard to deny that our time can sometimes be used for more meaningful activities, such as spending it with loved ones and friends. Thankfully, there are chores that can be automated, especially with today’s technologies available at our disposal. Cleaning the floor, for example, no longer needs to involve hours of grueling and unsafe work when robot vacuums can simply roll over that space, sometimes even when no one’s around. Of course, people have different needs and different budgets, so there’s no one size that fits all. Fortunately, ECOVACS is expanding its selection of helpful robots for the home, offering newer and smarter vacuums that fit not only your needs but also your lifestyle.

Designer: ECOVACS ROBOTICS

Not everyone is ready to jump head-first into robot vacuums, and those that are interested might have their budgets a bit constrained. At the same time, not everyone might have a need for all the bells and whistles of a highly advanced and expensive machine. It’s for these people that the new DEEBOT N10 PLUS was made for, offering an accessible robot vacuum that doesn’t skimp on the essentials. TrueMapping 2.0 technology, for example, uses dToF (Direct Time-of-Flight) laser-based navigation similar to those employed by self-driving cars in order to map out your floor’s layout in just seconds. OZMO Mopping takes care of grime on the floor but also smartly avoids carpets to avoid contamination. The DEEBOT N10 Plus is also smart enough to empty its own bin into the 2.5L hypoallergenic dust bag in its station that’s large enough to hold months of dirt before you have to manually take it out.

For families with kids or adults that tend to leave things lying around on the floor, the DEEBOT T9+ brings even more smarts to navigate those tricky obstacles. In addition to TrueMapping 2.0, TrueDetect 3D 2.0 will make the robot vac avoid “unvacuumables” such as toys or even keys. Mopping functionality also gets an upgrade with OZMO Mopping Pro, adding options for quick scrubbing or deep scrubbing, keeping your floors not only clean but also shiny. To top it all off, the DEEBOT T9+ also features a built-in air freshener that spreads a delicate fragrance as it works around the house.

And then there are people who do need the best that money can buy to keep their floors clean and their lives peaceful. The DEEBOT T10 OMNI brings that convenience to the max, combining all the features above in a single smart robot. The OZMO Turbo 2.0 mopping system, for example, adds dual spinning brushes to remove stubborn stains on the floor more effectively. The larger All-in-One OMNI Station also features dual four-liter tanks that clean the mop pads with cool water before drying them with hot air. And while most robot vacuums integrate with some smart home assistant, the DEEBOT T10 OMNI brings its own YIKO AI that puts the machine at your literal beck and call.

The DEEBOT N10 Plus retails for $650, while the DEEBOT T9+ goes for $800. The powerful DEEBOT T10 OMNI will carry a matching price tag of $1,300 for all the technologies and features it crams inside. With these new smart robot vacuum cleaners, you get to spend more time with your family or with yourself and let a machine do a more effective job of keeping your house clean.

The post New smart robot vacuums free up your time for the more important things in life first appeared on Yanko Design.

Yeedi Vac Station Review: Keeping Your Hands Clean

PROS:


  • Powerful 3,000Pa vacuum makes short work of most floor types

  • Self-emptying dust bin reduces risks of exposure to dust and bacteria

  • Easy-to-use app with scheduling functionality

CONS:


  • Average mopping performance

  • App can only store one map

  • Loud self-emptying vacuum

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

Hands-free vacuuming doesn't get easier than the Yeedi Vac Station, but you'll have to consider if its mopping feature is worth the hassle.

Houses today are filled with Internet-connected devices that aim to make life easier and more convenient, but we often still find ourselves toiling over the things that should actually be prioritized over phone-controlled lights. Cleaning the house, for example, is literally a chore that few like to do but is critical to healthy living, and they are, therefore, perfect for the kind of automation that today’s technologies can offer. To be fair, robot vacuums have been around far longer than most “smart” home appliances, but most of them still require the owner to do more work than necessary. Fortunately, there is now a new breed of vacuum cleaners that are trying to fix those flaws little by little, and the self-emptying Yeedi Vac Station is one such example. But does it work as advertised, or does it end up making you work even more? We make the Vac Station go around the house for a few turns to give you that answer.

Designer: Yeedi

Aesthetics

The design of robot vacuum cleaners is a bit of an irony. On the one hand, they do try their best to look appealing and attractive so that they don’t mar the beauty of your home’s ambiance. On the other hand, they themselves also become magnets to the very dirt and dust they try to clean, which could end up achieving the opposite aesthetic.

The Yeedi Vac Station is, unfortunately, an example of such a dichotomy. Make no mistake, its predominantly white body with a few black parts and accents give it a minimalist vibe that will fit any theme you might have going in a room. Of course, everyone knows that white can easily get dirty, especially for tools that are constantly exposed to dirt, dust, and similar elements. All black vacs do exist, though those only mask the grime while also highlighting the dust. Alas, we still have to wait for a dirt-resistant, self-cleaning material of the future that these vacuum cleaners could use to keep themselves hygienic on the outside as well.

The design of the vacuum cleaner itself is pretty average for its kind. Its circular body allows it to move around easily and navigate corners and edges. It is shorter than most vacuums, which makes it easier for the cleaner to go under beds and sofas. Its top is almost bereft of any detail except for the motion-sensing camera, the power button, and the company’s logo. The bottom, on the other hand, is where all the action is, with three wheels, the spinning side brush, the main brush that actually picks up the dirt, and the removable mopping pad attached to a plate. Beneath this plate is the 240ml water tank that enables the vacuum’s mopping function.

While the robot vacuum is low and discreet, the Vac Station itself is the opposite. It is 430mm/16.9in tall and is an attention-grabber anywhere you put it in a room. You’ll definitely have to allocate enough space for it and the robot to maneuver in and out of the dock, so that is a consideration you’ll have to make before investing in such a tool. The large station, however, is reasonable considering it holds a 1.5L dust bin inside plus the machinery to suck up the dirt from the vacuum bin to the larger storage.

Ergonomics

The idea of a self-emptying robot vacuum cleaner is to minimize the times you’ll have to touch the machine, reducing the risk of coming into contact with harmful substances. In reality, you’ll still have to make contact with the vacuum cleaner to maintain it or refill the water in its tank. We’re still far from that 100% hands-free ideal, but the Yeedi Vac Station takes a few important steps in that direction.

Aside from the initial setup, you really won’t be touching the vacuum’s innards that much, at least as far as the dustbin goes. This simplifies its operation significantly and makes it a little more hygienic. You only need to take out the large dustbin at least every month on average, so you don’t even have to think about it for a long time. When that time comes, you only need to lift up the dock’s lid and take out the sealed dust bag to take it out to the trash. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

The same can’t be said of the mopping function, though. The mopping pad itself has to be washed manually, and you’ll need to also refill the 240ml water tank on your own. The vacuum isn’t too heavy to do all these, but it can be quite a hassle and sort of takes away the convenience of not having to mind the machine for a month. You could do that if you only rarely mop, but you’ll have to remember that moist and wet surfaces can house other kinds of harmful materials, especially when left untouched for long periods of time.

The docking station itself is quite heavy and doesn’t have handles for carrying it around. The design, along with software limitations, seems to be intended for single-floor use only. You’ll also have to decide early on where to place it and keep it there almost permanently unless you don’t mind the difficulty of carrying it to another spot. Yeedi recommends leaving plenty of room around the vacuum cleaner, which is a luxury not many homeowners can afford. In practice, however, it’s perfectly fine to leave it in nooks and crannies as long as there’s enough room for the robot to move to and from the dock.

Performance

The Yeedi Vac Station has a maximum sucking power of 3,000Pa, which is definitely plenty for most floor types. It even has a boost mode for carpets, though it’s not really enough for deeper rugs where dirt just gets too embedded to remove. At this max+ level, the vacuum isn’t that noisy, but the sound is definitely audible. The standard 600Pa, however, might have too little power for a good clean, so you’ll probably want it to use the 1,500Pa “max” on average. Fortunately, the robot is smart enough to use the appropriate level on the right floor material, but you have to be smart enough to make sure not to schedule it to move in the middle of the night.

The Vac Station’s dock empties the robot’s small bin by sucking it out, which, as you might expect, also creates some noise. A lot of noise, in fact, to the point of being disturbing. This is definitely something you won’t want to happen while you’re sleeping, and the app, fortunately, lets you easily schedule those at your convenience. Setting up the app is trivial and only requires connecting to your home Wi-Fi. The robot, which uses V-SLAM (Vision-based Simultaneous Localization And Mapping), will automatically map out the floor and its rooms during its first few runs. While it is able to accurately identify and color-code rooms, it unfortunately only has space for one map. If you ever want to use it on another floor and then return it to its original spot, you’ll have to do the setup all over again each time.

An initial charge of the Yeedi Vac Station requires at most eight hours, but your actual time will vary depending on the battery level. On average, charging it from zero to full just takes around six hours, which seems to be on point. Yeedi advertises around 200 minutes of operation time on a full charge, but that naturally depends on the suction level you’re using and your total floor area. The robot is smart enough to know when it’s time to go back home, of course, but you’ll have to make sure that it actually starts its route from the docking station every time.

The vacuum works best on hard floors, where it can suck up dirt and small objects with aplomb. It can do heavy carpets and rugs, though you might find smaller floor mats pushed around rather than driven over. Its intelligence and vision are pretty accurate, so you won’t have to worry about it falling to its death. It’s not perfect, mind you, and it will get some odd corners and edges wrong. That’s the unfortunate drawback of V-SLAM compared to a more accurate but more expensive LIDAR technology.

While the Vac Station’s vacuuming performance is more than decent, its mopping function is unfortunately average and almost feels simply tacked on. The mopping pad is just as effective as wiping the floor with a damp piece of cloth rather than actually mopping it. There is barely any force exerted, so there’s no way to really clean up stains and sticky substances. It does fine if you’re only expecting light mopping, but you’ll have to remember to do the hard work later on. One thing to note is that if the vacuum passes over carpets on the way back to its station, you might end up with damp spots because of that mopping pad. There’s also a chance that the charging connectors beneath the vacuum won’t make contact with the dock because the water tank makes the robot too heavy on one side. Fortunately, mopping is always an optional feature that you can opt not to use if you don’t want to.

Sustainability

Despite being older than most smart appliances in the market, robot vacuums haven’t made little headway in improving their sustainability over that period of time. Many of them, including this Yeedi Vac Station, make use of plenty of plastics and materials that are harmful to the environment in the long run. Some even make use of chemicals that could prove poisonous to the land when disposed of irresponsibly. Although many have replaceable parts, the repairability of such devices isn’t exactly that high.

Yeedi scores a few points in this area, though. For one, it doesn’t require the use of such chemicals for its mopping and cleaning functions, so ordinary water will do. The replaceable dust bags aren’t made from plastic and only have to be thrown out after 30 days or so, reducing their waste potential. The mop is washable so you don’t have to replace it often either. Replacement parts are also readily available, prolonging the life of the product for as long as possible.

Value

Robot vacuums are no longer alien in many households, and they are a dime a dozen in many stores around the world. Most of these, however, offer the same basic functions that it’s hard to really tell them apart aside from their brand names. In practice, those might not even matter since they all perform similarly.

The Yeedi Vac Station is, of course, part of the new generation of robot vacuums that do more than just vacuum. In fact, it also does more than just vacuuming and mopping because it can practically clean itself until it’s time to take out the large dust bag inside the docking station. This significantly reduces its operation difficulty and minimizes the risk of contaminating homeowners. For a $359.99 smart home appliance, that sounds like a fair deal.

Unfortunately, there is also a new breed of robot vacuum cleaners that could have you reconsidering your decision to purchase the Vac Station. These machines focus more on the mopping function, not only performing better but even cleaning those mops without getting your hands dirty. Of course, they’re more expensive at this point as well, so you’ll have to really think hard about which is more important for your house’s upkeep. Fortunately, Yeedi offers both types of robots, so you won’t have to look elsewhere.

Verdict

Smart home products are supposed to make modern life more convenient, safer, and more enjoyable. Some of them do, like smart cookware that takes the stress out of preparing delicious and healthy meals. Most of the marketed smart devices, however, seem to focus simply on appealing to the lazier side of human nature. What could be easier than having the lights turn on or off at the right time without even pushing a button? Unfortunately, not many hit on the real problem of living, like keeping the house safe, clean, and healthy.

Robot vacuum cleaners are just a part of that small section of smart homes, but they do an important job in relieving humans of chores that could actually get them sick, ironically. The Yeedi Vac Station does one better by removing the need to constantly take out the dirt from the vacuum’s bin and only removing the dust bag after a month. Unfortunately, it doesn’t save homeowners from getting their hands dirty and wet when it comes to maintaining the robot’s mopping function, which is sadly average and more work than it’s worth at times. If you’re in the market for an affordable and painless automated vacuum cleaner, the Yeedi Vac Station definitely fits the bill. If, on the other hand, you’re more interested in the mopping aspect, a more dedicated but more expensive Yeedi Mop Station might be a better long-term investment.

The post Yeedi Vac Station Review: Keeping Your Hands Clean first appeared on Yanko Design.

Man Builds LEGO Brick Sorting Vacuum Attachment

Because everyone has experienced the pain of stepping on a LEGO brick and cursing life itself, Matty Benedetto of Unnecessary Inventions has created the Suck It, a vacuum attachment that not only vacuums up the little plastic landmines but also sorts them based on size. Smart. Maybe not as smart as making LEGO bricks out of foam instead of plastic, but apparently, LEGO hasn’t been reading my emails.

The Suck It consists of four magnetically connected chambers separated by filters with increasingly smaller holes, so the largest pieces are caught at the top, the smallest at the bottom, and, God willing, pet hair gets sucked all the way into the vacuum.

The device actually works better than Matty anticipated, making it not such an Unnecessary Invention after all. As a matter of fact, I’d argue this is actually a Necessary Invention. Of course, the devil is probably going to buy up the patent rights and never release the Suck It to the public because he wants us all to continue to suffer.

[via TechEBlog]

This vacuum cleaner designed for small spaces breaks down into 4 parts to save storage space!

H5 is a multifunctional vacuum cleaner designed for small spaces that can break down into four parts that fit into a compact charging bin for easy storage.

While living tiny is all the rage nowadays, it takes some skill to keep small city spaces clean. Especially when you live in an old apartment building or with pets, vacuuming becomes a daily chore. While vacuuming small spaces goes by quickly, storing a bulky vacuum cleaner becomes a nuisance just as quickly. To keep small spaces clean without the pain of storing big cleaning appliances, industrial designer Yipeng Zhu ideated a space-saving multifunctional vacuum cleaner called H5 that shrinks down to almost a ⅓ of its height.

H5 keeps an overall slim build when assembled and when disassembled so it doesn’t take up too much space in storage. When disassembled, H5 breaks down into four parts and fits into one charging case that can easily slip away behind any table or into the closet to free up floor space.

When users would like to use the vacuum, putting H5 together comes just as easily as putting together any other vacuum. The main pipe connects via telescopic tubing where the vacuum head also easily attaches.  Equipped with modular parts, H5 comes with three different vacuum heads that can be switched out for various cleaning needs.

A cylindrical brush is ideal for cleaning up dustballs and stubborn carpet stains. While the other two rectangular heads come in two different sizes to fit into tight corners and behind doors. Even the hose and pipe of H5 take on a narrow, cylindrical build to ensure it can fit underneath the bed and even under the refrigerator to pick up the dust that’s harder to reach with traditional, bulky vacuums.

A solid collection of electrical cleaning appliances is essential for tiny living spaces–especially when you reside in a big city. However, the majority of most electrical appliances are designed for large homes, prioritizing the small technical details over versatility and portability.

H5 is a vacuum cleaner that can tuck away into the smallest of crawlspaces (or literally wherever there’s room) when not in use and whose small assembled size allows it to get to the hardest-to-reach corners of your apartment when cleaning.

Designer: Yipeng Zhu

Intuitive controls and signals outfit H5’s entire build. 

H5 comes with three different brush heads to ensure the ideal tool for each cleaning job. 

The compact charging case is small enough to tuck away into any corner or closet. 

Shrinking down to what seems like a 1/3 of H5’s assembled height, the charging case is an ultimate space-saver. 

This vacuum pump merges the functionality of ziplock bags with a hard casing to reduce your leftover food wastage!

Storing leftovers in airtight zip-lock bags is a trick hard to follow. While mastering the dance of rolling your food tight and simultaneously sliding its bag closed might teach you patience, the prospect of leftovers always seems to circle back for seconds, and they’re just aren’t enough bags in the kitchen. Zhuhai Kelitong Electronic Co. Ltd., the company that brought us electric wine openers, has recently been recognized by iF Design for its new set of vacuum-sealed containers and automatic vacuum pump that render zip-lock bags a thing of the past.

Designed to provide food containers with high-vacuum storage to curb bacterial growth, Zhuhai’s vacuum storage system boasts that it can keep your leftovers sealed for three to five times longer than the standard food storage container. The hard plastic containers come with pre-delineated food zones that help users separate their food items and with a vacuum-sealed lid that works as the base for the accompanying pump. Zhuhai designed the vacuum pump to be automatic so that once it’s placed on top of a container’s lid and activated, the pump immediately begins pulling out the excess air inside of the container until it reaches a high-vacuum degree of -0.03 Mpa.

Each food storage container is constructed using FDA-approved Tritan materials, which means that the plastic used is BPA-free and can safely be reheated in microwave ovens. The designers built the food containers to be 70% lighter than common glassware containers so that once the containers have been vacuum-sealed, they can just as easily go into the lunch box and be transported anywhere. Once the container is ready for use again, the lid comes easily apart from the container so that each component can be properly cleaned and prepared for its next use.

Designer: Zhuhai Kelitong Electronic Co. Ltd.

Coming in three parts, each vacuum pump and lid attach to different containers.

Once the vacuum pump is activated, then excess air that could lead to bacterial growth is sucked up from the container.

An automatic vacuum pump works by draining in the container’s excess air until a vacuum degree of -0.03 Mpa is reached.

Each food storage container can be easily disassembled and put back together for cleaning and storing.

Designed to be 70% lighter than average glass food storage containers, these containers from Zhuhai are perfect to bring for lunch.

Samsung’s smart home vision includes more intelligent fridges and vacuums

CES wouldn't be CES if Samsung didn't have a slew of new appliances to announce, and the longer the company invests in its vision of a connected home, the more we at Engadget wind up writing about refrigerators and vacuums. That said, they are admitt...