There are currently several models of robotic vacuum cleaners from various manufacturers on the market. Cheaper and more expensive, smarter, more powerful, even those with basic equipment. We selected about a year ago. We looked at several reviews and various video tests before the purchase.
In the end, he won with us Xiaomi Roborock S50, for the then best ratio of features, performance and price. We must note that we looked at the offers of various manufacturers, but the Roborock S50 simply had no competition.
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I would like a discount on the Roborock S50
First, let's recall the basic parameters of this great helper.
Xiaomi Roborock S50 basic parameters:
- Suction power: 2000 pa, noise level: up to 68 dB
- features: Vacuuming, washing, zone cleaning
- Application: Connection with Mi Home application, complete control, WiFi, timer, automatic updates, voice control
- Pickups: LDS laser navigation sensor, sensors against falling down stairs
- battery: 5200 mAh, 2 hours vacuuming time or 250 m2
- vacuuming: container volume 480 ml, double filtration system, effective dust filter
- washing: 150 ml water tank, removable mop
- Other: base 10 cm hole, can overcome 2 cm obstacle, remote control driving direction, automatic carpet recognition
What awaited us in the package
After delivery, the Roborock S50 vacuum cleaner was waiting for us in a neatly arranged box, along with a charging dock and a rubber pad. We also found a dust container with two dust filters, a water container with two mops, a cleaning brush.
With all these accessories, we lasted all year. We didn't have to change, buy or repair anything. Only routine and easy maintenance was enough - occasional cleaning of the filter and, of course, emptying the waste container.
Commissioning
First we found the most suitable place in the household. We were looking near an electrical plug. It should be an area where a parked vacuum cleaner will not interfere and have a smooth exit. Managed to. After connecting the dock, charging started and we could start pairing the device with the smartphone.
We were the first to install the Mi Home smart home application. We searched for devices in its menu and after the discovery of the Roborock S50 it was already a toy. Pairing took place and immediately the vacuum cleaner software was updated. It didn't take long and he was ready for the first use.
vacuuming
First vacuuming:
Since we had never seen such a "miracle" in actual operation before, we managed to watch the whole process of the first vacuuming. Even before the start of vacuuming, we decided to remove all obstructing movables from the premises.
We lifted the chairs, lifted and dusted the small rugs, removed the shoes and slippers from the floor, and lifted the sofa bedding, which reached to the floor. However, you can completely skip this activity, because the Roborock S50 can handle everything.
However, it has proved to us that the fewer objects the vacuum cleaner has in its way, the shorter and more efficient the vacuuming is. We did this activity, which did not take up much time, before each vacuuming, throughout the year.
To clarify, it is good to say that we tested the vacuum cleaner at home in a family house without stairs, where a family of three lives with a dog. Vacuuming always took place in the presence of a person and during the whole year we did not have time to try the vacuuming timer or start remotely.
The reason was also a dog in the household, which we did not want to unnecessarily stress or irritate the running electronic housewife. Occasionally, due to a sudden change in the daily program, the vacuum cleaner was left directly in operation without the presence of the home. However, it was no problem to check its operation via a remote application.
But let's go back to the first vacuuming. The application has a choice of several vacuuming modes. It is a moping and 4 other modes that set the intensity of the suction power - quiet, balanced, turbo and max. We chose a balanced mode with the ability to save the map and carpet mode. This is used to identify the carpet and add suction power.
After starting the vacuuming, Roborock ran, which was announced by a pleasant female voice in the set, English language. You will not find Slovak in the Mi Home application or in the language of the vacuum cleaner. It can be started by voice command, via the Mi Home application or by using one of the three buttons directly on the vacuum cleaner.
The very first impression of the vacuum cleaner when it was switched on was the feeling of quiet operation, quieter than ordinary vacuum cleaners and at the same time a relatively pleasant sound of its movement. No rumble, banging, squeaking or whistling, just the monotonous noiseless sound of a suction electric motor and the cultivated sound of moving electric motors.
The device backed out of the charging dock and found the first support point on its right side, on which it has a side rotating brush. In our case, it was a perimeter partition. He began to move forward parallel to the rail.
At the same time, he moved the sensors and sensors to check the presence of the partition on his right, and at the same time he started drawing the first map of the space in the Mi Home application. After a few meters, he stopped about halfway up the partition, turned left, and continued perpendicular to the center of the room. From there, left again and then back to where he started.
With this movement, he walked around the perimeter of the zone in the room he had created himself and began to vacuum its surface. When he was done with her, he walked around another part of the room and then another and another. Gradually, he went through the available part of the house, which he divided into smaller sections. When he finished with the last place, he announced the end of the vacuum cleaner and returned to the dock by the shortest route, where charging started.
The first vacuuming took him 55 minutes, for which he managed 52 m2. In total, he passed through the hall with the kitchen, one room and the L-shaped corridor. The balance of the battery energy was at the level of 77%, which pleasantly surprised us. So it can really handle 150 m on one charge without any problems2.
In about the same way, with few exceptions, our Roborock S50 continued its work throughout the year. We used it to vacuum the busiest areas. The other areas of the house separated by a door were closed.
Overcoming obstacles:
Sometimes we left an open room in addition, into which the passage is a wooden threshold 2 cm high. According to the manufacturer, this should not be a problem, but practice has shown otherwise. Several times, the vacuum cleaner has managed to overcome this obstacle without any problems. Other times he couldn't get on it at all and was stuck on it several times.
Apparently it was the limit height of the obstacle, which has just the most unsuitable width, the beveled edges and a successful pass probably also depended on the speed and angle of the approach. We had no problem lifting Robrock and moving him to the desired room.
We left it closed there until the end of the vacuuming process. After such a vacuuming outside the normal route, the primary map was redrawn. However, it returned to normal during the next vacuuming.
When climbing under furniture, it sometimes happened to us that one of the beds caught a vacuum cleaner. Roborock S50 has a height of 96 mm. The higher, the lower, the lower, it does not force there. In our premises, however, there was one bed, the lower grate of which bordered on the clear height for the vacuum cleaner.
Occasionally, he snuggled under the bed and reported a malfunction. It came through a voice announcement and a notification on a smartphone. After releasing and pressing the red flashing button on the vacuum cleaner, he resumed operation where he stopped. But he no longer went under the bed.
Zone cleaning:
We also tried so-called zone cleaning. In the Mi Home application, you simply draw the desired zone in space on the rendered map and start vacuuming. The vacuum cleaner moved to the marked place, which it cleaned. You can draw up to three different zones at the same time in one vacuum.
Moping:
We often used the moping function. We will pause at it. Even before we bought the Roborock S50, we knew that the moping function did not mean washing the floor. It does not remove dried stains from the floor, as the device does not have the necessary pressure.
It's more about pulling a wet cloth on the floor. Thanks to this function, even small particles of dust are captured on the mop and these no longer swirl in the air.
We used moping often, usually after the initial vacuuming. When the moping mode was chosen, the vacuum cleaner had the same cleaning route, but the turns and individual routes were tighter and more thorough than when vacuuming.
If we used vacuuming one day and then moping, the space looked perfectly cleaned. No more than 50% of the battery capacity has been lost.
stats:
Let's now look at a few numbers that are directly related to the annual operation of the tested vacuum cleaner. During approximately one year of operation, the Roborock S50 vacuumed 218 times. He spent a total of 157 hours in operation, during which he cleaned 8013 m2 of space. That's a pretty decent performance.
During that time, we did not notice significant wear and tear on any part. We also do not feel a decrease in battery capacity. When the vacuum cleaner was not working, he was resting in the connected charging dock, still switched on and ready to go.
Maintenance
We have to admit that we exaggerated a bit with the maintenance of the equipment. Mainly because we did not want any neglected maintenance to be the cause of failures or imperfect cleaning. We never waited for an automatic report of a dust container or a clogged filter.
After each vacuuming, a container of dust was emptied on our vacuum cleaner, and not only that. After each vacuuming, we rinsed the container and the filter with a strong stream of water and allowed to dry. If the vacuum cleaner moped, we always rinsed the mop and the water container after the operation and let it dry as well.
We only cleaned the rotary brush at the suction opening in the case of tangled hair and other dirt. Its cleaning goes smoothly thanks to the cutter on the cleaning brush, which is an accessory of the vacuum cleaner.
It happened about twice during the whole period that limescale settled on the discharge nozzles of the water container and prevented the passage of water. We removed it by mechanically cleaning the nozzles.
The vacuum cleaner is used to announcing the filter contamination by a notification in the application on the smartphone. This function seems to be limited in time because we cleaned the filter after each vacuuming. It was enough to mark the filter in the application as cleaned and it was quiet for a while.
Another time, there was a notification about the clogging of optical sensors. They are at the bottom and their surface becomes clogged with dust over time. Just wipe them with a damp cloth and reset the message in the application.
That was all from our maintenance throughout the year. The vacuum cleaner still works without problems, without obvious wear.
What to add at the end?
We had no experience with another robotic vacuum cleaner, but the Roborock S50 did not disappoint us. On the contrary. He fulfilled our expectations without any problems and even excited us. With a clear conscience, we can say that buying this device was one of the best investments. The reason is a lot of time saved, which we would spend vacuuming that year.
However, we must admit that it does not completely replace human activity with a regular vacuum cleaner. We used to vacuum with a regular vacuum cleaner about two to three times a week. After buying a robotic helper, we could limit this activity to 1 to 2 times a month.
EU stock coupon
I would like a discount on the Roborock S50
The Roborock S50 pleasantly surprised us with the endurance of the battery and the fact that its capacity did not decrease even after a year of operation, without any worries about its charging. Another advantage is only minimal maintenance and high resistance of the device and components to wear. And last but not least, we evaluate positively its systematicness with which it moves in space and cleans.
So that we don't just write praises, we will also mention his minuses. Some may miss the application menu as well as voice commands, or its speech localized into the Slovak language. We were satisfied with English, but the Slovak localization would be more pleasant.
More intensive moping and sometimes a tighter route around the legs of the furniture would also be useful. We also mentioned the automatic recognition of the carpet, which sometimes happens late.
However, our overall rating after one year of operation is very positive and we can only recommend the Roborock S50. We dare to say that it will certainly not disappoint you.
