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The Ecovacs Deebot D83 Floor Cleaning Robot is a puck-shaped robot vacuum with wet and dry mop attachments—and at $354.99, a relatively affordable price. Unfortunately, while the cost is appealing, the Deebot D83 has too many issues to really be worth it. It made multiple navigation gaffes in testing, and didn’t adequately suck up dirt on my apartment floor. The mop attachments didn’t pass muster, either, fraying easily with use. The Moneual Rydis H68 Pro Hybrid ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is a better choice for a mop/vacuum combo, while the Neato XV Signature Pro remains our Editors’ Choice for robot vacuums.
Design and Features
Similar to the iRobot Roomba 980 , the Deebot D83 is shaped like a large puck. It measures 3.5 by 13.3 by 13.3 (HWD) and weighs 6.2 pounds. The robot’s chassis is mostly gold plastic, with black trim around the sides. It has a smooth, almost glossy surface. Unlike the Neato Signature XV, it has no handle, though the ‘bot is still easy to pick up. There is no LCD panel with controls, either. Instead, you’ll find five buttons: Start/Pause, Spot Cleaning, Edge Cleaning, Intensive Cleaning, and Return to Charger. You can also control the Deebot D83 with the included remote. The dustbin is located beneath a removable cover on top of the chassis. It has a handle and lock and uses disposable filters.
On the bottom of the Deebot D83 are notches where you can connect two rotating side brushes (most robotic vacuums use one), a removable main brush, driving wheels, a battery cover, slots where you can install the included cleaning cloth plate, and a power switch. Two metal strips on the bottom are used to charge the vacuum when it docks with the base. The sides contain exhaust vents and anti-collision sensors (more on those later).
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In the box you’ll find the Deebot D83 robot vacuum, its charging dock, a remote control with batteries, four spinning side brushes, a microfiber cleaning cloth, a cleaning cloth plate, a cleaning tool, 10 disposable dry cleaning cloths, and 10 disposable wet cleaning cloths. You can attach the disposable cloths or the microfiber cloth to the plate, which you install on the bottom of the bot.
As for the remote, it contains an LED screen, directional controls, time and scheduling buttons, as well as the same controls that are on the Deebot D83’s chassis.
Setup and Performance
The Deebot D83 takes a couple of minutes to set up. After removing it from its box, you flip it over and install two of the four spinning side brushes by simply pushing them into their respective notches. Then attach the plastic cleaning cloth plate into the two slots, with either the microfiber cloth or one of the disposable cloths. After that, flip the bottom power switch to the On position. The Deebot D83 plays a little jingle, and the Play/Pause button lights up to let you know it’s activated.
The manual recommends removing power cords and pet toys from the floor. It also recommends putting a physical barrier at the edge of stairs to prevent the Deebot D83 from falling. That’s troubling, since it’s supposed to avoid stairs using anti-drop sensors. (No virtual barriers or magnetic tape is included that would prevent the robot from going somewhere it’s not supposed to go, like you get with the Roomba 980 and the Neato Botvac Connected (499.00 Code: Neato10 for 10% off! at Neato Robotics)(Opens in a new window) .)
To test the Deebot D83, I pressed the Play/Pause button and let it loose in my apartment’s small living area, which contains a coffee table, a rug, a TV stand, and an L-shaped sofa. The vacuum immediately veered off into the kitchen and got stuck on the corner of a counter. It sat there spinning its wheels like a truck stuck in mud. It never stopped or entered an error mode, so I picked it up and set it back down away from the counter. It puttered around the kitchen, where I had scattered some large cat food pellets. Its dual spinning brushes knocked them out of the way, but didn’t actually suck any up. The Neato Botvac Connected is the only robot I’ve tested that can pick up the pellets.
After that, I attached one of the disposable wet cleaning cloths, which are used for mopping, to the underside of the robot. I set the it down in the foyer, which leads into the bathroom and the living room, and watched it erratically bounce into walls and my front door, until it eventually veered back into the living room. It left some trails of moisture in its wake, but I didn’t see any noticeable dirt apparent on the cleaning cloth. In addition, the microfiber cleaning cloth began to fray after just a couple of uses. The iRobot Braava 320 ($141.95 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is faster and more effective at mopping.
Finally, I removed the mopping cloth and gave the ‘bot another dry run. It got stuck in another corner, this time near the fridge. I picked it up and put it down and dropped it off in the living room. The Deebot D83 ran over the rug, but wasn’t powerful enough to pick up dust bunnies (something the Neato and Roomba vacs can do with ease). The robot then knocked into the table and spun its wheels again. I tried to control it with the remote, which didn’t work. Troubleshooting, including replacing the batteries and wiping the IR sensors, did not help. At this point I turned the Deebot D83 off and manually placed it into its charging dock. On the plus side, battery life is good, with a long two-hour run time.
Conclusions
The Ecovacs Deebot D83 is a clumsy robot vacuum in need of an upgrade. Considering it got tripped up by relatively simple obstacles like counters and coffee tables, I wouldn’t trust it near steps. And it couldn’t pick up dust bunnies on my rug or cat food on my kitchen floor. Even for its relatively affordable price, the Deebot D83 just isn’t worth it. For a similar cost, you’re better off with the Moneual Rydis H68 Pro Hybrid, a more capable cleaner with a similar feature that also mops and vacuums. The Editors’ Choice Neato XV Signature Pro doesn’t mop, but it offers much more powerful cleaning and a laser-guided navigation system.
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The Ecovacs Deebot D83 Floor Cleaning Robot mops and vacuums your floors, but suction and navigational issues make it tough to recommend.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/ecovacs-deebot-d83-floor-cleaning-robot