If you’re looking for a vacuum and mop robot combo, you have many options – but if you want to be as hands-off as possible, then Ecovacs’ Deebot X1 line is what you want.
These are one of the best robot vacuum cleaners money can buy, with cameras for better navigation and even home surveillance, powerful mopping action with a self-cleaning station, plus voice commands via Ecovacs’ own voice assistant.
To find the best balance between features and price, I chose the middle option, the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Turbo robot vacuum.
When it arrived, I knew what to expect in terms of specs but I still had a big question: what can a robot vacuum do to justify an over $1,000 price tag?
In this case, we’re looking at a device that had a launching price of $1,300. This is a sum that would normally never leave my wallet for an appliance but now I’d buy this robot vacuum in a heartbeat.
I personally believe that, after a certain price point, you hit the law of diminishing returns. That happens even faster with modern appliances, which tend to be pretty much the same quality, from entry level to upper midrange.
However, after watching the Deebot X1 Turbo diligently scrub my floors, I am happy to report that almost every aspect of this robot mopper justifies the price tag. It’s a luxury appliance that indeed makes life a lot easier. A home baker obsessed with sourdough dreams of a Gaggenau oven and a home dweller with little time should dream of a Deebot.
But before going into each and every detail, let’s see what the full Deebot X1 lineup has to offer. Facing those options, we settled on the middle of the road model. If you’re not looking for full home automation Jetsons-style, you could do so too (and save a few bucks!).
Deebot X1 Turbo price comparison and specs
First off, the Deebot X1 series has three options, all of them featuring the Ecovacs Yiko voice assistant.
There’s the ultra expensive Deebot X1 Omni, retailing for over $1,600, which self empties both the dust and water compartment. It’s a tempting proposition but so is having 1600 extra in your checking account.
Then, there’s the Deebot X1 Turbo we’re talking about today, which is basically the robot mopper option. It vacuums but you have to empty the dustbin by hand, since this device only empties its water tank. Because it doesn’t self empty the dust compartment, it’s also significantly cheaper. It has a $1350 MSRP but we’ve seen sales bring the price closer to 1000, which is definitely a significant difference compared to the top-of-the-line model.
Lastly, there’s the Deebot X1 Plus, which self-empties the dust bin into a disposable bag hidden in the cleaning station. This one launched with a $1.149 price tag that regularly dips under 950 during a sale. If you’re on the market and looking to buy a Deebot, this holiday season will probably come with some significant discounts.
Now let’s get back to the Deebot X1 Turbo and see what this baby can do.
Deebot X1 Turbo: all about the mopping action
The Deebot X1 Turbo specs include a list of features that every busy person will drool over.
It’s a large, beautiful appliance capable of cleaning a big house and itself at the same time.
It features a 4-stage deep cleaning system consisting of dual side brushes that scoop the dirt into the 5000Pa suction power vacuum, plus 2 mopping pads that scrub the floor at the same time. You can even control it with voice commands!
After each room is cleaned, the Deebot X1 Turbo returns to the self Clean Station to wash its mops. At the end of the entire cleaning, it will go back to wash and also automatically air dry the pads. With two very large water tanks, one for clean water and one where it automatically empties dirt, the Deebot X1 Turbo can do about 200 sqm of cleaning before you have to interact with the station.
Deebot X1 Turbo empty station and design
The Deebot X1 Turbo screams “premium” thanks to the brushed steel look and sleek charging station, which will draw comments from guests.
It’s also a very well designed appliance with few nooks or crannies to trap dirt in. After a month, it was enough to wipe it down with a wet rag to return it to a spotless condition, and the same can be said about the dock itself.
Open the dock lid and you’ll see a big sticker with easy instructions to connect the Deebot X1 Turbo to Wifi and install the Ecovacs app.
Inside the dock, you’ll also find two very large water tanks, one for clean and one for dirty water, separated by a sliding tray where you can keep spare mopping pads.
The vacuum comes with two extra pads and a cleaning brush, and spares can be bought from Ecovacs for about $30 for a 4-piece pack. They aren’t the cheapest consumables but you’ll very rarely need them.
After two months of daily use, the initial mopping pads show little sign of wear and they’ll probably need replacing in about 3 months. In my estimation, you’ll only need about four pads per year and two side brushes, if that.
Deebot X1 Turbo navigation and durability
Since this vacuum is equipped with a camera that uses AI to detect obstacles, I suspect you’ll rarely need to change those side brushes. After two months of testing, the Deebot X1 Turbo only got stuck in a bunch of cables twice.
The first time, I heard the vacuum say “The mopping pad plate is tangled, please check!” so, after a quick service, I got it to go back to cleaning the room using the “OK, Yiko, continue” command.
The second time, I had been away from home, which meant poor Yiko remained stuck until the battery was drained completely. That proved to be a minor headache, since the vacuum doesn’t have any indicator on it to show battery levels. That time, the Deebot had to stay in its charging station for about a day until I figured out how to reset it.
Still, two incidents in two months is an impressive feat for a robotic vacuum, since most of them seem to be magnetically drawn to cable, socks and drying racks. In this case, the improved detection means you won’t have to keep replacing damaged side brushes or spend your time detangling cables from the vacuum.
Deebot X1 Turbo camera and voice assistant
The best part of the camera though? You can also access that to turn it into a home guardian and keep an eye on your pets while you’re away. With a couple of taps, you can turn on the camera and speakers, so you can even talk to the pets.
My living room already has a camera to check on the cats but I wasn’t prepared to buy one for each room, so having the Deebot available was a great help when spending a lot of time away from home.
The Deebot X1 line is also the first Ecovacs line to come with a built-in voice assistant called Yiko.
Using the wake command “Ok, Yiko”, you can send the vacuum to various areas of the house or make it follow your voice around. While I was initially skeptical of using voice commands, after a couple of weeks of learning the list, I barely went into the app. It’s so much easier to simply say “OK Yiko, start cleaning the kitchen”.
The only problem with using Yiko is in noisy environments, like when running the TV at a high volume. Since the sound will cover your commands, the vacuum has issues identifying them.
The app itself doesn’t impress with its UX, which feels a bit clunky thanks to all the different options. You can build an impressive 3D map of your house, placing furniture around like in a Sims game, but I found the map that was auto-generated to be more than enough for my needs.
Deebot X1 Turbo vacuum review
Another one of the downsides of this particular robot vacuum is the smaller dust compartment. Being used to Xiaomi’s wares, which let you get away with emptying the dust compartment after 2 or 3 full cleanings, the Deebot X1 Turbo’s compartment feels smaller.
For a 70mp apartment in which the Deebot X1 Turbo can clean about 50-60mp, depending on the clutter on the floor, the dust compartment was juust enough for a full clean. Still, it’s worth mentioning that this is a household with three cats, so any vacuum has to struggle with abundant amounts of pet hair on a daily basis.
And, unfortunately, the Deebot X1 Turbo does struggle a bit. Beyond the problem of a smaller dust compartment, the design of it itself makes it hard to fill. Somehow, the pet hair the vacuum picks up gets bundled in a ball in the middle of the compartment instead of being spread around to fill the compartment, which means that about half of that space remains unused.
I tested the vacuum in a pet-free environment and, picking up just dust and debris, the dirt was distributed evenly in the compartment. It seems that this is an issue only because of pet hair, so I suspect the small opening on the compartment might be to blame here.
Still, if you expect the Deebot X1 Turbo to handle lots of fur, you will be disappointed.
If you expect it to clean the floor so well, your white socks show no signs of dirt, it will deliver.
Since mopping the floor is, by far, my most hated and postponed chore, the Deebot X1 Turbo gave me, for probably the first time in my life, a spotless floor on a daily basis.
Deebot X1 Turbo mopping review
Never in my adult life have I had the time to mop the floors daily, so a small amount of grime was something I just had to cope with – but no more!
Yes, this is a very expensive robotic vacuum, but I’d justify the splurge by saying it’s much cheaper than doing it yourself AND paying a regular cleaner to come help fill in the gaps. You also save money by not buying a floor cleaner, since the Deebot X1 Turbo only cleans with water or Ecovacs’ cleaning liquid.
Like with most robotic cleaners that have a mopping function, using an unapproved detergent means risking the deterioration of the rubber gaskets of the tank. Ecovacs sells an approved cleaning solution but I have an older cat with asthma in my home who gets triggered by any amount of perfume, so I skipped that entirely.
Having previously owned robotic vacuum cleaners that drag a wet mopping pad on the floor, the X1 Turbo’s intense scrubbing action was surprisingly effective.
This vacuum handled dried wine and spilled juice just fine, without having to use detergent in the tank. Of course, it can’t handle the bits of dried grease that inevitably show up on a kitchen floor, but those were easily picked up by a paper towel after the Deebot finished its routine.
The Deebot X1 Turbo cleans so well, it even passes the white socks test. Having guests over now doesn’t mean having to furiously mop the floor beforehand and hunt for extra slippers. Is this high living or what?
Also the Deebot X1 Turbo automatically comes back to the dock to periodically clean its mopping pads and dries them at the end of the routine. That means they’re never icky or smelly and you don’t have to rinse them.
Deebot X1 Turbo pros and cons
Overall, the Deebot X1 Turbo is one of the best appliances in 2022. Based on its sleek but sturdy build and host of features, it’s a future-proof choice that will feel high-end for years to come but that does come at a cost.
At a glance, here are the major pros and cons of this robotic vacuum cleaner:
Deebot X1 Turbo pros:
- Fantastic autonomy, navigation and self-cleaning capabilities
- Cleans very well, even without detergent
- Useful voice commands and lots of options in the app
- Overall, one of the best robot vacuum cleaners money can buy
Deebot X1 Turbo cons:
- Still an expensive appliance
- Small dustbin without self-emptying
- Not the best choice for homes with pets
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