There are so many robot vacuums on the market nowadays that it can be overwhelming when trying to find one that's best for your specific needs. Even as a reviewer, I struggle to keep up and that's made even more confusing by some robovac makers (including Ecovacs) releasing multiple models in a calendar year at different price points.
While it's tempting to go cheap – like opting for the Ecovacs Deebot N20 now down to AU$284 with an additional coupon on Amazon – these budget models may not clean as well as you'd want, especially on carpets.
I did, however, dock marks for its RRP, but it's now down to the lowest Australian price I've seen – available directly from Ecovacs.
I went into my Deebot X8 Pro Omni review with a very sceptical outlook, as I'd just come away being disappointed by a couple of other robovac models. Moreover, I'd already seen other premium competitors with more suction power than 18,000Pa (take a look at my Dreame Aqua10 Ultra review for one with 30,000Pa), so I really wasn't sure how well it would do on a dirty carpet.
I couldn't have been happier to be proved wrong – this robovac not only vacuums marvellously well thanks to better interior airflow that sucks up all kinds of dirt, it even takes full advantage of its roller to effectively mop hard floors without any streaks.
What I found most impressive about it is its edge cleaning abilities – this robovac isn't scared to get right close to walls and furniture to ensure as much of floor space is cleaned as possible, both while vacuuming and mopping.
I didn't have issues with navigation and obstacle avoidance, although I've seen other people complain about that online. The robot never got lost, but it did tangle itself on a cable once in the four weeks I was testing it. I even set up an obstacle course for it and it didn't swallow anything in its path – it didn't even push things around as I've seen other bots do!
The base station, too, is very powerful, sucking out practically everything from the onboard bin, and doing a very good job of cleaning and drying the roller. I found the X8 doesn't guzzle as much water as other robovacs I've tested, so the frequency of refilling the clean-water tank is less. All you need to do is make sure the dirty water is cleaned out regularly so it doesn't grow its own ecosystem inside.
The Ecovacs Home smartphone app, too, is much improved and more streamlined. It's easy to set up custom cleaning routines and all the advanced settings are well explained.
At a discounted price of AU$1,378, this really is excellent value, as you get a pretty smart autonomous cleaner.
English (US) ·