More than a year ago, instead of an iPhone 11 Pro Max, I bought my wife an iPhone 11 and a couple of additional gadgets for the difference in their cost. I took an air humidifier and one of the top Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P robotic vacuum cleaners with wet cleaning capabilities. I paid almost 30 thousand rubles for the “electric broom”.
Would you buy it again if you could go back in time a year ago? It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally. Rather yes than no. It does not replace a regular vacuum cleaner and mop with a bucket of water . However, it makes it possible to take them out of the closet a couple of times less often. Now I’ll tell you more.
First, briefly about Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P
Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P is one of the manufacturer’s top models, if you do not take into account the more advanced line of Roborock robotic vacuum cleaners. It not only supports wet cleaning, but can also work in combined mode : both sucking in dust and washing floors.
Like other Xiaomi devices, this one links to the Mi Home mobile app. It allows you to control the power of the vacuum cleaner (silent, standard, medium, turbo) and the water level for the mop (low, medium, high). Through it you can update software and create automation.
Yes, the vacuum cleaner can be programmed to clean at a specific time every day. It will automatically turn on, vacuum and return to charge for further instructions. This technique will not work with wet cleaning, because a wet mop will remain on it, which will ruin the floor covering.
The vacuum cleaner can be either white or black. The dust on the body of the latter is very visible, so I recommend choosing a light one. By the way, the plastic is quite practical; after a year of daily cleaning, the robot vacuum cleaner looks like it came straight from the store : it was not used particularly carefully.
On the top of the vacuum cleaner there is an analogue of the LiDAR from the iPhone 12 Pro for laser navigation. It scans the space at a height of several centimeters from the surface. For the rest of the space, there are a couple of sensors and a bumper that understands when the robot bumps into something.
Xiaomi Mijia Sweeping Robot G1
I want to say that despite the small difference in price of only 1000 rubles between Xiaomi Robot Vacuum Cleaner Lite and Xiaomi Mijia Sweeping Robot G1, these models are very different.
Xiaomi Mijia Sweeping Robot G1 now has an additional wet cleaning function. If you have an apartment with linoleum or laminate parquet, the cleaning quality of this model will be much better than that of the previous version of the vacuum cleaner. With regards to intellectual abilities . They coincide with the first strategic missiles with which the USSR and the USA frightened each other. The fact is that it has a mapping function; it builds a map using an odometer and an accelerometer. That is, he, in fact, drives through, bumps into it, and writes down all his routes. After some time, he collects information and has an intelligent route between rooms. Please note that this is the only model that has two brushes ! Therefore, from the point of view of cleaning corners, this robot, which works on the principle of a blind kitten, will do the best job. Therefore, cleaning with this robot vacuum cleaner will be much better than you originally expected.
Technical specifications of Xiaomi Mijia Sweeping Robot G1
For whom will Xiaomi Mijia Sweeping Robot G1 be optimal?
Firstly, if you have a small apartment and do not have children, you do not need to zone some places (where this robot should not go at all, otherwise you will need to use magnetic tape).
Secondly, your entire surface or most of it is ideal for wet cleaning, you don’t have carpets, rugs, you have floor tiles, laminate, linoleum, in this case G1 is the best option.
This vacuum cleaner is only suitable for daily cleaning.
In order to keep the apartment clean and calmly walk on the floor in white socks, previously it was necessary to clean at least twice a week: vacuuming and washing the floors. When a smart robot drives around the house every morning, the intervals between full cleaning can be extended to a week, a week and a half, or even two.
However, you won’t be able to completely give up cleaning yourself. To confirm this fact, I conducted an experiment. I left two types of debris on the floor: needles that fell off the Christmas tree after installation, as well as sawdust after sawing the trunk for installation in a stand with water.
For the purity of the experience, I chose the maximum power of the vacuum cleaner and forced it to clean the entire apartment not once, but twice. After the first run, his tank overflowed, so he began simply spreading garbage throughout the apartment. But after the second I collected about 90–95% of everything that was scattered.
The photographs clearly show that both needles and sawdust remained on the floor. A regular vacuum cleaner would do a much better job and faster. But to do this, I would have to put aside writing the introduction for this article and pick it up. Therefore, I emphasize: the robot is good for daily cleaning, but not for full cleaning.
As for the wet cleaning mode, it works normally only if you manually wet the included mop and only then install it on the vacuum cleaner. Otherwise, it simply does not have time to become wet, and most of the floor of my small apartment is simply rubbed to a shine.
The positive aspects of this particular robot vacuum cleaner
Good quality of cleaning. I have no questions about the quality of the robot vacuum cleaner. When I bought it, I thought that it would only keep the house clean. He will not be able to clean up even a small apartment on his own, so there is simply no need for high expectations.
Do-it-yourself dry cleaning. In my apartment, the robot cleans 34 square meters (58 in total, but the rest is discarded due to furniture). In such an area, its tank becomes clogged with dust by about 70–80% in 3–4 days. It turns out that for dry cleaning, it is enough to flush the contents of the tank down the toilet twice a week.
Full Russian localization. I use the international version, which is completely translated into Russian. This is not only about the Mi Home menu, but also about voice notifications. You don’t need to dance with a tambourine for this: you just need to update to the latest firmware.
Building a room map. Not all robot vacuum cleaners do this. This feature allows you to choose the cleaning location: either a specific area or a room. It also makes it possible to add virtual walls and limit the area in other ways. Without this it wouldn't be the same.
Usually the map is not built by the cheapest robots. For them, an apartment or office is a surprise every time. That’s why they take a very long time to clean, and may not enter some rooms, and work unpredictably. In general, I would not call such vacuum cleaners smart.
Pets are not afraid of him. In addition to the vacuum cleaner, which we called “Arkasha” (I don’t know why: guys with that name, sorry!), there is also a dog in the apartment at all times.
She hasn’t ridden the robot yet, but after a week she’s no longer afraid of it. By the way, the security alarm also does not respond to the device.
How to choose and what to pay attention to?
The main requirement for any robot vacuum cleaner is fast and high-quality cleaning as much as possible without human intervention.
And in order for the desired purchase to bring exceptionally joyful impressions, before purchasing it, you must carefully study the following parameters of the device:
- the type of device itself - robot vacuum cleaners can perform dry cleaning, wet cleaning, or combine both of these types;
- battery capacity - most models are designed for 1.5-2.5 hours of battery life, as a rule, this time is enough to completely clean a 2-3 room apartment;
- suction power - this parameter for most models is 20-22 W, which is enough for daily cleaning of small debris, crumbs, hair and animal fur;
- volume of containers (for collecting dust, for clean and dirty water) - usually such containers are limited in size to 200-600 ml;
- type of dust collector - most robot vacuum cleaners are equipped with a clear, reliable and easy-to-clean cyclone filter, however, modern models are increasingly using an aquafilter - a more expensive, but effective and environmentally friendly dust collector;
- the presence of a base and the ability of the device to reach it independently - “smart” models find the base and start charging on their own, but many budget models need to be recharged manually;
- navigation system - consists of different types of sensors (ultrasonic, optical, infrared) and allows the vacuum cleaner to avoid obstacles and not fall from a height; it can be non-contact (when obstacles are detected in advance and avoided) and contact (when, when encountering an obstacle, the device turns around and goes to another side);
- cleaning principle - simpler models carry out cleaning according to preset algorithms, “zigzag”, “along the perimeter”, etc.) without remembering obstacles and already cleaned areas; more “smart” devices are able to draw and save in memory a map of the premises, taking into account which they carry out cleaning, while the owner can mark special zones on the created map, for example, a cat’s bed or a high podium, which will not be cleaned automatically with a vacuum cleaner;
- noise level - if you plan to turn on the vacuum cleaner mainly when the owners are away, then this indicator is not too important, however, it is worth keeping in mind that noise more than 50 dB is considered quite loud and can cause discomfort, especially when the device is used for a long time;
- equipment - it is welcome to have several options for brushes designed for various surfaces, pipe brushes, etc., however, you should not overpay for types of brushes that are unlikely to be used;
- additional functionality - the presence of functions that make using the device simpler and more comfortable, for example: indication of the fullness of the dust collector, soft bumpers, visual display of the charge level, display of actual time, work according to a schedule, sound and other signals indicating the end of work and sending the device to the charger base, etc.
Where exactly did the Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner disappoint me?
Manufacturing defect. This is not the first robot vacuum cleaner that has come into my hands. First I received a defective model with a problem on one of the electric drives. The device first spun in place, and then gave an error. I returned it and took another one just like it: there haven’t been any troubles in a year, but anyone can get into trouble.
Insufficient autonomy. The manufacturer claims more than 200 square meters of cleaning. In practice, dry cleaning of 34 squares at full power takes about 35-40%, wet - about 45-50%, combined mode - at least 65-70%. Most often it’s enough for me, but the apartment is small.
Inconvenient wet cleaning. To do this, you need to pour water into a universal tank, remove the filter from it, install it in the robot, and attach a mop with a wet rag to it. After cleaning, it is important to remove all this so that the laminate or parquet does not get wet under the vacuum cleaner.
All this makes regular wet cleaning impossible. You have to monitor the vacuum cleaner while remaining indoors. This is not completely, but still negates the process of cleaning floors yourself. Plus, you can’t put on the whole body kit in advance, so you won’t be able to plan a regime either.
The need for regular cleaning. Long hair is very tightly wound around the circular brush, which, one way or another, falls from the head. The more there are, the less effective the cleaning is: moreover, the robot does not report this in any way. It needs to be pulled out and cleaned at least once a week or more often.
Total omnivorousness of the robot. There are more expensive and smart vacuum cleaners on the market that recognize objects scattered around the house. This one can’t do anything like that, so it has no problem snacking on a curtain that hangs on the floor, a dog’s diaper and other small objects.
Xiaomi Dreame F9
In fact, this is a vacuum cleaner from the line of robot vacuum cleaners from the Chinese Dyson.
Specifications
Firstly , please note that this robot vacuum cleaner model is not equipped with Lidar; it uses a computer vision system using optics. There is an optical sensor here, ultra-wide-angle optics, which allows you to navigate quite well, but of course it’s still worse than lidar.
Secondly , please note that this is the lowest robot vacuum cleaner in today's review. Its height is only 8 centimeters. If you don’t know, the height of the legs of ordinary kitchen furniture is 11 cm, so there is the least chance that this robot vacuum cleaner will get stuck somewhere under the sofa, it is the lowest.
On the other hand, they had to decide how to position the wet cleaning system. Please note that a system is used here that combines both a cloth and a reservoir on one container. Here is a system that intelligently distributes water evenly across the cloth. Water is poured into the removable container itself.
The main feature is, of course, that the Dreame F9 is the most powerful of all its Xiaomi brothers. Its suction power is 2500 Pa, which is very high, no brand can boast of such data and this is super. It will suck up everything that is not nailed down and is of optimal size.
Among the disadvantages, well, firstly, about a glass of water is poured into this tank. It is capable of selecting an area of approximately 50 square meters, so it is not very suitable for large apartments or apartments with complex configurations. But if your apartment area is up to 80 square meters, I think that Dreame F9 because the main quality, namely the cleaning quality of this robot, is excellent
What nuances in the operation of a vacuum cleaner are also important to consider?
Using wet mode. The robot kit includes two tanks: for dry cleaning and a universal one for dry and wet cleaning. With the second, floor washing without dust suction will not start until you remove the special filter located on the back of it. I found out this a couple of months after the purchase.
Special knife for hair. Under the top cover of the robot, which you need to open to pull out the tank, there is also a convenient knife for cutting hair. Using it, it is convenient to clean the rotating brush on the bottom of the vacuum cleaner. The wife learned about the purpose of this thing only a year later.
Carpets and thresholds in the room. I have a couple of small rugs with long soft pile, and the vacuum cleaner can handle them without any problems. It also easily moves over the horizontal legs of a dryer up to a centimeter high with washed clothes when it has to be removed from the balcony.
Yes, I have no problems with this. But if there are large thresholds between rooms and carpets covering the entire floor, you need to think twice about buying such a device. It is unlikely to overcome high obstacles, especially with a mop. And the effectiveness of carpet cleaning, it seems to me, will be close to zero.
Second floor in a house or office. There are special sensors on the bottom of the robot that control that it is on the floor. If you pick him up, he will immediately become indignant. They won’t let him fall down the stairs, if there is one. But there are no maps for two floors, so each needs a separate device.
International or Chinese. All my Xiaomi smart devices are international and are linked to one local account. They cannot be added to a Chinese account, just as Chinese gadgets do not support international ones. This is extremely important to keep in mind when purchasing.
