Six months down the road since launch in March 2022, the EcoVac Deebot X1 Omni robot cleaner has made its way to the top of users’ favorite home essentials list. The Deebot X1 Omni is a robotic vacuuming and mopping system that includes an all-in-one Omni station with self-cleaning and drying capabilities, auto-emptying of dust, and automatic water refills with each round of cleaning.
One of the first things you notice about the Deebot X1 Omni is the size and weight of its docking station. Despite Danish company Jacob Jensen Design’s attempt to create something sleek and minimalistic, so that it looks more like “art” and less like a cleaning system, it can be difficult to find the right place for it in the home.
It’s recommended to place the Omni station near a power outlet, according to the manual. It also requires clearance space of 1.5 meters at the front and 0.5 meters on either side, so there’s enough space for the X1 Omni to enter and exit the self-cleaning station.
For users living in luxurious four-story mini mansions, this may not be a problem, but if you live in a smaller space, you might’ve to think twice.
Looking under the hood of the all-in-one station, it carries two four-liter water tanks – one for clean water and one for storing all the dirty water generated while cleaning the mopping maps. Also, a storage for cleaning brushes and extra mopping pads.
The X1 Omni is a highly effective robot mop aided by two thick mopping pads that spin at 180 RPM instead of a thin scrap of cloth used by other robot mops. The robot’s rug-avoidance technology prevents it from dragging wet cloths over rugs or carpets, so they must be removed if you wish to vacuum rugs.
Installing or uninstalling them requires flipping over the entire robot, and the Omni base has no place to store them.
Even though it can handle light spills and pick up fine debris the vacuum missed, it’s not up to handling tougher messes like ketchup or dried-up milk. Moreover, the X1 can’t be used with a cleaning solution for thorough scrubbing.
Another feature worth noting is Yiko – Deebot’s built-in interactive AI voice assistant. By saying, “Okay Yiko,” the X1 Omni will respond and await your specific commands, such as coming towards you, cleaning an area of the house, or cleaning around a particular piece of furniture. It took more than a couple of attempts in proximity before Yiko responded, making the experience less than seamless in comparison to what was expected.
The Ecovacs Home mobile app gives you the same control options. You can access a saved map of your home, created by the X1 Omni’s integrated TrueMapping technology. This app makes it possible to customize the way the X1 Omni cleans, including when and where it cleans.
The app’s Home section features a video manager, a handy tool that can be used to access the built-in cameras on the X1 Omni to view the cleaning action from that device’s perspective, especially when you’re out and about or trying to locate it in your home.
Additionally, the X1 Omni has a two-way voice function, so you can use it as a walkie-talkie at home, to take photos or record videos. Ecovacs claims it’s “committed to protecting user privacy and security” by integrating security into its software and hardware and using encryption. The Deebot X1 family is also the first robotic vacuum cleaner with TÜV Rheinland privacy and safety certificates for hardware and software.
With its 5000Pa suction power, Ecovacs boasts that their X1 Omni vacuum has the strongest suction power of any vacuum in the company. This makes it ideal for picking up dirt from carpets and rugs. To use this vacuum to its fullest, be sure to change the setting, otherwise it’ll vacuum at the default suction power of 2000Pa.
The X1 Omni has a 5,200mAh battery that promises over four hours of cleaning in quiet mode. On testing, it ran steadily in standard mode during cleaning. However, when it was turned up the power to maximum suction and high water flow in two passes, it needed to charge again after 70 minutes.
The robot uses 3D obstacle detection technology to navigate the home more precisely. Deebot automatically slows down its suction when it detects an object blocking its path. In spite of its ability to navigate around larger objects, it may still chew up smaller items such as phone charger cords.
All in all, the X1 Omni provides an impressive clean with most of the stubborn stains removed by the second attempt. Its flaws aren’t deal-breakers as these are common issues for any robot cleaners.
It’s available on Amazon.
