How powerful is Anker's cheap robot vacuum cleaner? I tried to fight Rumba 5 years ago

From Anker's home appliance brand "Eufy", a new cleaning robot with attractive price and functionality has appeared. Review by Wes Davis, a reporter from Gizmodo.

Eufy's "RoboVac G30 Hybrid" is a robot vacuum cleaner that can suck and wipe with water. Apparently, it has higher performance than the "Roomba 650" that I was crazy about when I bought it 5 years ago. It may be multifunctional for a reasonable price, but what you want is a robot vacuum cleaner that has all the excellent functions. This product was a little disappointing in that respect.

The RoboVac G30 Hybrid has a crisp shape with a height of 2.85 inches (about 7 cm) and a diameter of just over 1 foot (about 30 cm), which is completely different from the solid figure of Roomba that I bought five years ago. Round like many robot vacuums. The back is very similar to its predecessor robot vacuum, but with one rotating brush and one side brush, two wheels, and a rotating wheel on the front. The dust container can be removed with an intuitive sliding button and can be opened with the same button when emptying. The filter inside the container can be washed with water. I'm grateful for this. The overall impression is solid, and almost all parts are replaceable.

The charging station has a storage space for the power cord on the back side, so it can be organized without cluttering, so people who want to keep the wiring clean will like it. In addition to the basic charging station, the G30 Hybrid also comes with a waterproof pad for wiping with water (more on this later). It also has a function to create a map of the room and a function to automatically return to the charging station when the battery level is low and restart cleaning from the position where it was interrupted after charging is completed.

Eufy RoboVac G30 Hybrid

What is this? : Eufy's latest version of RoboVac. With mop function!

Price: $ 370 (about 38,400 yen)

Favorite place: It moves in a quiet and regular driving pattern, and can be wiped with water if necessary.

What I don't like: I tend to scatter large trash and fail to collect it later.

RoboVac G30 Hybrid is operated by Anker's smart home home appliance control app "EufyHome". The vacuum cleaner is displayed as a widget on the home screen of the app, from which you can start cleaning, make various settings, and perform operations such as charging. Tap the widget to move to the screen showing the appearance of your RoboVac and its current status (cleaning, charging, etc.). At the top of the screen, the device name and current status, the area of ​​the cleaning area and the cleaning time are displayed. Operation menus are lined up at the bottom of the screen, where you can start or stop cleaning, adjust or charge the suction level, clean the specified area, set a schedule, and check the cleaning history.

The suction power level can be set from 4 types: standard, maximum for turbo, and Boost IQ mode that automatically adjusts to the optimum suction power. When you press the map icon, a home map similar to the Atari 2600 created by the vacuum cleaner will be displayed and will be updated in real time. Cleaning reservations are easy to use, and there is a toggle button for each day of the week so you can set the start time and even the suction level individually. I thought this was well thought out.

Return to the main screen and select the three dots in the upper right to open the vacuum cleaner settings menu. On this screen, you can set voice-related items, the amount of water for wiping, and switching to manual mode. In addition, you can check the recommended replacement time of parts in the maintenance item. Of particular note is the detailed explanation with images on how to replace the parts. Of course, Eufy also sells parts.

RoboVac G30 Hybrid can be linked to a voice assistant. It is compatible with the Google Assistant and Alexa, and you can use basic voice commands such as starting and stopping cleaning, returning to the charging station, and locating to find it. I actually tried the command, but it was easy to use. However, it was a little troublesome when connecting for the first time. The EufyHome app seemed to work, but Google Home didn't recognize the vacuum cleaner. After trying some troubleshooting, I gave up because the time was up, but the next morning I found that it was recognized normally. Success ... Is it?

Even if it can't be helped, what about the essential cleaning ability? First of all, I noticed that there was almost no operating noise. Whispering is exaggerated, but unlike the terrible noise of the Roomba 650, it was very quiet. It's a lot of fun to see the driving pattern of the G30 Hybrid that moves indoors in an S shape. There are some models that move randomly, but I was much more satisfied than that. However, it seemed too early to move to the edge of the room, and even if I left some dust in the middle of the floor, I didn't bother to come back. In addition, I can easily climb any carpet, but it seems that suction is not so good. Only the low pile rugs in the corridor could be cleaned enough.

After a few regular cleanings, go to the G30 Hybrid suction test with specific debris. Although I was sucking small dust such as ordinary dust and broken glass, I seemed to have trouble with pieces of paper, glass pieces larger than coin size, twist ties and hairpins. After that, I decided to sprinkle some troublesome sugar, flour, and rice on the kitchen floor.

This is an unpleasant result ...

It depends on what you are aiming for. If your goal is to spread the powder or rice grains evenly and stick them to the soles of your feet as you walk, the G30 Hybrid is likely to win. But if your goal is to get rid of it, you need to put out a broom.

Next, I wanted to see how the 2020 middle range model would compete with the 2012 entry model Roomba, so I devised a simple test. Create two rectangular areas of the same size as much as possible, sprinkle dust and dirt collected from the outside in them, and spread them evenly with a broom. Both cleaning robots were set in the center of the rectangle and started cleaning at the same time.

Aside from the exhilaration of competing with the round robots, I was once again nailed to the way the two cars worked. Roomba moves around vigorously, plunging into all boundaries and heading in random directions. On the other hand, the G30 Hybrid takes a slower and more calm approach, and the occasional two cars meet and go in different directions seems to be a robot-like nod. A little after 14 minutes, the G30 Hybrid declared cleaning complete, but it wasn't cleaned up. I resumed cleaning, but I just attacked every corner of this mediocre arena and continued to pass through the dust. In the end, by that time, I had to let Roomba, which had been cleaning for a while, clean up the leftovers.

When I defended the G30 Hybrid, there was a lot of garbage, and when I checked it, the dust container was full, so the product itself is not bad. Still, I was really surprised at how Roomba worked.

Next is a step detection test. I watched the G30 Hybrid on a cardboard box about half a foot high and slammed against an invisible wall for a few minutes. And finally, I put it back on the floor to test the mop function.

First of all, the G30 Hybrid's water wipe is not intended to remove stubborn stains. The instruction manual prohibits the use of detergents and recommends the use of water. Place the water in a water tank that sits underneath the dust container and attach a washable or disposable mopping cloth.

Once the mop is attached to the body, simply place it on the ground and press the start button. There is no special mode, and it winds through the designated place, and the floor becomes slightly wet and glossy. When I spilled several liquids with different viscosities on the floor, they were all wiped off, but the paint left by my daughter on the same day remained (although I didn't expect it ...). It feels like dragging a wet cloth all over the floor because it doesn't have the vibrations needed to scrape off hard dirt and dry, solidified liquid. For some reason, the floor has become clean.

In the process of testing, I decided to read a review of the previous model of this cleaning robot, the RoboVac G30 Edge. Most of the complaints written are focused on mapping and routing issues, such as the G30 being lost frequently, tending to clean one place relentlessly, and not being able to return to the station after cleaning. It was. I actually saw all the phenomena on the G30 Hybrid. When I started cleaning in another room, I couldn't return to the station, ruining the saved map of my home. I can only say from my own experience, but none of the complaints I read were surprising.

After all, Eufy's RoboVac G30 Hybrid seems to have a reason to favor it. It offers some of the features that are only found in high-end cleaning robots that cost twice as much. I also like the fact that it's a physically sturdy machine and many parts are replaceable. The app is easy to operate and responsive. However, the wiping function may not be very effective at the cost of preparation and aftercare of parts after use. Even so, it's good to have the same functionality. Alas, it seems that one of the expected fields is not good enough, and it's been about 20 years since the robot vacuum cleaner was born, but it doesn't suck up properly. After playing the G30 Hybrid, there was always a small piece of debris on the floor that Roomba would have sucked.

I don't think this is a hardware failure, as I'm sucking in most of the debris on the path, but sometimes the side brushes don't scoop it up. When I started cleaning the corners of the room, I didn't want to go back to the center, so the trash that had been thrown away was forgotten, and it stuck to the soles of my feet and was discovered later. The G30 Hybrid is perfect for cleaning your home if you can make a reservation without worrying about inhaling your child's toys.

The app's interface is straightforward and stable, with a very quiet operating sound and ease of maintenance, Eufy's RoboVac G30 Hybrid fits comfortably in the $ 370 price range. Cospa may be good for people who are cleaning up enough to have the cleaning robot clean it on schedule. Don't expect amazing work.

summary

Source: Eufy,