I’ve been using robot vacuum cleaners for more than a decade now and in 2023, it’s a really competitive landscape. The concept is an easy one, cleaning is a chore that almost nobody enjoys, so having the ability to deploy a robot on the task makes a whole lot of sense.
When floor cleaning robots first arrived on the scene, they were basic, they’d pick up dust from your floors, but would often get stuck and leave many of the other cleaning tasks for the homeowners to do. With so many tasks left on the table, it was clear robots had to step up their game, and in the decade since, they certainly have.
The Deebot T20 OMNI vacuum represents a significant step in home cleaning technology. No longer do we have drunk robots bouncing off the walls at every turn, instead they use technology to map the home using lidar, building a model for the home that allows you to select a portion of the floorplan and clean specific high-use areas of the home.
Cleaning now is a full-service offering, no longer do they just pick up dust, but they also mop the hard surfaces, but the T20 goes a step further and applies heat to the mopping cycle to provide an even more thorough clean, removing stubborn spills.
We’ve had mopping robots for a couple of generations now, but their surface detection wasn’t great. I’m happy to confirm that’s no longer an issue, as I watched the robot move seamlessly between our wood floor, to then lift up the mopping pads and seamlessly switch to vacuum mode.
Another common problem with robots of the past was having their dirt bins fill up, which then complained to the owner, demanding their attention to empty, further removing their benefits.
Thankfully the Deebot T20 OMNI features a massive cleaning bin that allows the robot to return home, empty its contents and resume cleaning, great for larger homes. This dock not only provides charging capabilities but also contains 2 water containers, one filled with clean water and the other which is used to empty the dirty water after the hard work is done.
Having emptied this, it’s almost alarming how dirty the water is after cleaning what appeared as fairly clean floors. Given the volume of the dock, it allows the vacuum to run multiple times through the week before requiring assistance. This means you can really let the robot do the work of cleaning your floors and spend 30 seconds on the weekend replenishing it for the week ahead. This is a massive win in terms of your time spent cleaning.
The value which you place on your own time is certainly an individual assessment, but personally, I had cleaned a lot and the price tag for this can easily be justified, despite it being a significant investment.
Design
The design of the T20 is a very welcome white/silver combo and with its sleek and modern design, the Deebot T20 OMNI offers both aesthetic appeal and practical functionality. The build quality is robust, utilizing high-grade materials that ensure durability.
Its size and weight have been optimized for seamless movement, and the user-friendly interface allows effortless control over the various cleaning modes and functions.
The storage bin is large, necessary to accommodate the large clean and dirty water containers, along with the additional bin to empty the dust bin. Given the small size of this in the vacuum itself, this was often the first thing that required your attention, but the T20 can return to base, empty its load, and then continue vacuuming the house until complete. This means you can have it run multiple times through the week before requiring your help to empty it.
Features
This vacuum cleaner boasts a wide array of features that make it stand out in the market. Its technical specifications include a powerful suction motor, an intelligent navigation system, and extended battery life.
The inclusion of special technologies like OMNI navigation offers precise and adaptive movement through different spaces, ensuring comprehensive and hassle-free cleaning.
From the mobile app, you can control the cleaning tasks, setting it to clean the whole home, or just specific parts of it. There’s also the ability to layout your furniture in 3D, so you can set the robot to go clean under a table etc. To get started with home cleaning, you need to open all your doors, clean the floor and let the robot scan your environment with the onboard lidar to build the map.
You can also use the robot as a security bot by accessing and even controlling the robot remotely from your phone.
Performance
Performance-wise, the Deebot T20 OMNI excels on various surfaces, from hard floors to carpets. Its intelligent navigation ensures it reaches every nook and cranny, and the battery life supports extended cleaning sessions without frequent recharging.
The noise level is pleasantly low, and additional functions such as optional mopping make it an all-around household cleaning tool. The volume is ultimately configurable through the mobile app, which correlates to the suction strength and depth of clean possible. If you have people at home, you may want to use the quieter options, but if you leave it cleaning while you’re at work, then have it use the max strength.
Issues
As smart as the Deebot T20 is, I found it still fell foul of a long-running challenge, cables. As it cleaned the dust from under our entertainment unit, it managed to collect the power cable to our lights.
This issue triggered a notification to the mobile app to let me know the robot was stuck. It wasn’t a major issue as the resolution took just seconds to untangle and have the robot on its merry way again, but still, this happened when I was home and able to attend quickly. If I left the robot cleaning when I was at work, and expected the house to be clean when I arrived home, it’s possible this happened early in the cleaning cycle, leaving most of the house uncleaned, not great.
With all the smarts on board, I’d hope cable recognition and avoidance would be a feature of cleaning robots in 2023, but maybe we have to wait till next year to get this fixed.
Price & Availability
When you consider a flagship robot vacuum like this, with all the bells and whistles, you shouldn’t expect the solution to come cheap.
With a price tag that aligns with its quality and features, the Deebot T20 OMNI costs A$1,799 from the manufacturer Ecovacs.
It is also available from a range of online and retail outlets, where the price varies considerably.
- JB Hi-Fi – $1,799.00
- Harvey Norman – $1,799.00
- Amazon – A$1,673.32
Overall
The Deebot T20 OMNI vacuum cleaner embodies a blend of innovative technology and practical design. It’s suited for various users, from pet owners to those with larger homes, offering convenience and efficiency.
Its overall performance, ease of use, and thoughtful features earn it a high overall rating, and it comes highly recommended for anyone seeking a modern cleaning solution.
