ECOVACS Robotics - DEEBOT M81Pro App-Controlled Self-Charging Robot Vacuum - Gray

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• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Solid Choice for a Robot Vacuum, plus It Mops!!!

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  • My Best Buy® Elite Plus Member
  • Top 10 Contributor

  I have always liked vacuums and have owned quite a wide variety over the years. You name it, I have probably owned at least one (Bissel, Dirt Devil, Electrolux, Eureka, Shark, Hoover, Miele, Oreck and probably a few other brands!) I like the sound and effect of a powerful vacuum pulling up dust and dirt from my carpets and floors. What I hate is dragging out a heavy machine or finding a way to shove it back into a crowded closet. But I have never had a robotic vacuum until now. I had always questioned the ability of robot vacuums to really clean the carpets and floors automatically. Are they more a toy than a tool? How hard are they to use? Do they seem durable? So this was my very skeptical attitude when I added the Ecovacs Deebot M81 Pro to my household equipment. The vacuum was shipped to me and I feel that one important measure of quality is how well the manufacturer packs a piece of technology. On this score Ecovacs gets an A+. The outer shipping box exactly fits the inner box, holding it safely during transit. The inner box contains shock-absorbing materials and the vacuum itself is carefully covered with protective plastic on all important surfaces. When you remove the Deebot from the box you will be impressed by the quality of its finish. It looks like the sophisticated high-tech device that it is, but it also looks very solid. The main driving wheels have a thick rubber tread and are about 5/8” wide so it gets excellent traction. The color is a nice combination of deep silver and black. The power/charging light is a deep blue which changes to red when the battery needs recharging. Packed in the box in addition to the Deebot robot vacuum, there is a power station dock, a high capacity battery, two sets of side-sweeping brushes, a direct suction attachment, a wet/dry reservoir attachment, two wet/dry cleaning cloths, a measuring cup, an extra high efficiency filter with sponge insert, a full function remote control, an instruction manual and a quick set-up guide. Setting up the Deebot is really easy. Position the power station dock against a wall and plug it in. I put mine under a low table along one wall. That meant that the Deebot would be hidden while on its charging base but always ready for action. Then strip off the protective plastic from the vacuum, insert the large battery into the bottom of the unit, snap on the red and green side-sweeping brushes and you are ready! It was pretty intuitive to assemble and once you do, pressing the “Auto” button on the unit or on the remote control brings the robot to life. It smoothly pulls away from the charging dock then begins its search and destroy mission against the dirt on your floors. The Deebot is less than 3” tall and a slightly under 14” wide so it will easily travel under most furniture and between chair legs. It is amazingly quiet (about the same noise level as an electric razor) and makes a low purring noise as it travels around the room. For those who own pets you know that most dogs regard vacuums are their mortal enemies and feel the irresistible need to bark and snap at them as you try to clean the carpet. But my Yorkie just watched the Deebot roll around, followed it for a while but apparently decided that it posed no danger to her family or her home! Dog compatibility? Again, A+! But does it work? Yes – very well! In my condo I have a mixture of hardwood floors, granite floors and one carpeted bedroom. There are thresholds between several of the rooms because some of the floors are at slightly different heights. The Deebot M81 Pro effortlessly drove around the apartment, climbed over the thresholds and diligently vacuumed every available open space. My condo is pretty large so I closed off some rooms and let the Deebot concentrate on specified rooms each time. I thought my apartment was pretty clean at the start, but after about 30 minutes I checked the internal dust collection bin and was surprised to see that it was full. Every time I started the robot vacuum it found more dirt, dust, hair than I would have thought possible. The fact that the Deebot goes under couches, dressers, tables and chairs probably accounts for the impressive amount of dirt it collects. After vacuuming, just lift out the bin, flip it open and dump it into a waste basket. I would suggest rinsing out the collection bin after every three or four uses. The filter has a sponge which can also be washed. If you are using the roller brush you may find that hair will be caught on it. But the roller brush removes easily and it was no trouble to clean off any trapped hair. If you want to avoid this problem entirely just use the direct suction base rather than the brush base. Operation is very easy. On the remote you can simply press “Auto” and the robot vacuum will start working, feeling its way around your home, going under or around your furniture and making multiple passes over all surfaces. When it judges that it has completed cleaning it returns to the charging dock. You can also select other cleaning modes. “Intensive” raises the suction level and brush speed. “Edge cleaning” keeps the robot at the perimeter of the rooms where most dust bunnies will hide. “Spot cleaning” vacuums in a spiral pattern in a small area for about 5 minutes. In addition, you can schedule cleaning at programmed times The Deebot will run for about 90-100 minutes before the battery begins to weaken. At that time it will automatically return to the charging dock and recharge the battery. If at any time you want to end the cleaning, just hit the “Home” button and the Deebot will find its way back to the charging dock. In addition to the included IR remote control you can download a smartphone app from Ecovacs which duplicates the functions of the IR remote control but also adds some additional features. For example, you can set a “Do Not Disturb” time which causes the robot to shut down and return to base at a designated time. You can also see the battery charge status and an estimate of the remaining life of the brushes and filter. The app also gives Amazon’s Alexa the ability to control the Deebot. Now one feature which the Deebot M81 Pro has which I have not seen on other robot vacuums is the ability to damp mop a floor. I was really interested in this because most of my floors are not carpeted. Using this feature is really easy. Just put water (or a combination of water and a floor cleaning solution) into the Wet/Dry Reservoir, attach one of the two included cleaning cloths and then snap the unit onto the bottom of the Deebot. Then just start any cleaning cycle in the room you want to damp mop and it will do a pretty good job of cleaning that floor. The cleaning reservoir will only hold enough water for about 5-10 minutes of use but it is easy to refill. The damp mop feature alone is enough to set this robot vacuum above its competitors. I do have to say that robot vacuuming is not perfect. Due to its round design it really can’t get into every corner so some follow-up hand cleaning will be necessary. But overall, you should be very impressed by the quality of its unobtrusive, automatic cleaning efforts. And, yes, it is super fun to watch it run around your home! Entertainment/Geek coolness score? A+++!

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  Posted 8 years ago by JimC

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Great little bot for the price

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  I researched a lot of robot vacuum cleaners before purchasing this one. Best Buy had it on sale, so I thought I would give it a try. The price point was in my range, and for the money this little guy does a great job of cleaning. It uses a random path to clean, and eventually gets it all. It does have a few sensors to help it find it's way: bump, infrared to detect obstacles, and step to prevent falls. It cleans 800 sq ft in about 45 min. Easy to empty dust bin is a cinch. HEPA filter to keep it in. And a mopping attachment that does a pretty decent job and cleaning up more than dust. Only thing it doesn't have is a "room mapping" feature, but for the extra money to get that feature, I'll pass. All-in-all a great little bot. Would buy again.

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  Posted 6 years ago by Jkeltonga

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Excellent Vacuum at a Reasonable Price

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  There are a handful of robotic vacuums on the market these days. This one falls in the middle of the high end and low end from a price perspective. With performance, it leans toward the high end, making it a good value purchase. My other robotic vacuum has ledge sensors that prevents it from vacuuming over anything black. This prevents me from using it in my living room which has a carpet with multiple black circles. This was very annoying and I didn't have that problem with his unit. It will go anywhere you need it to go, over multiple surface types. For cleaning purposes, this model performed almost as well as my more expensive model vacuum. Suction power seemed to be just a hair less. With this unit, and all robotic vacuums, just make sure you are changing the dust bin frequently and also cleaning the filter. It will improve the life of your unit and cleaning will be more efficient. This vacuum seemed to have solid programming that allowed it to cover all areas without missing any spots. There are several modes you can use to get the job done. Spot cleaning is my favorite for cleaning up the living room where the kids have had snacks. The app is very handy for programming how and when you want to clean. Battery life was up to par, and allowed me to clean the entire first story of my home on one charge. I have not yet tried out the mopping feature but I look forward to doing so. Most other offerings do not have this capability so it helps this model stand out due to that versatility. Overall, this is a solid buy and a great starter vacuum for those that aren't willing to spend up to $700 for the best options out there.

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  Posted 8 years ago by jsisko76