This robot vacuum is life changing. The relvalation came a few years before getting this one by hearing that these vacuuming robots are improving – I was really sceptical.
Having importing a cheap no name one of these via AliExpress some years ago, it was really interesting. When it worked, it was fantastic! I mean it was so good – you just want to watch it and see where it goes…and you wait for it to finish just to check out how much it had picked up and be so proud like the first time your puppy taps the door to go out for a nature break. It was a Noname QQ5 circular model which didn’t meet the specified run time, it would go for about 8 minutes and then go to recharge which was like…hey? what are you doing? get back to work? I vaccum for longer than that at a time! It turned out that the supplied battery was dodgy and then the list went on, the left wheel stopped rolling, the right wheel, then it would just go in circles…each time it had an ailment we had to wait about 3-5 weeks for a replacement part and change it ourselves. Then it would work and woopee…it was like the lost pet had come home. After a year when it had only worked about 50% of the time…then it had a real break down, something technical and the realisation that this thing should have come with a backup…but we had a great learning curve with it. We have fairly thick carpet and a dalmation who sheds hair like throwing rose petals from a chariot. We learned that clear floors get the best results, and that the robot will never do the enitre surface…there’s always a nook or cranny it can’t get in, or a gap here or there. We also learned a few tips like leaving phone cables on the phone will get it tangled, little things like dolls shoes get picked up a treat. But the reliability of this QQ5 was rubbish…..so it died a natural death.
We kept an eye on sales for ages and saved for the best one we could find. We had the Samsung POWERbot R9350 Turbo Robot Vacuum….after a few months of saving and then a 3 weeks period where the old Dyson didn’t come out, we knew we were ready. We vacuumed with the Dyson like a last drink. We went down to Harvey Norman and looked around and the sales person was helpful and patient – they had a new Electrolux which had come out on the market. It was triangular, around the same price and very compact. We made the quick decision in the shop to buy the Electrolux PURE i9. We were excited.
We took it home, charged it up, connected it to the WiFi, and tried to get it work…but it didn’t work with the Electrolux mobile phone app. There was no separate remote control, and we were pissed. We pressed the button on the unit and it started cleaning…it did a good job…the container had a lot of We contacted Electrolux and tried a few things but it would not work. So we took it back two days after it would not connect with their app. We were a little gutted and after a bit of nudging we got our money back – which was the correct outcome.
We thought again and felt relieved that we got our refund, it could have taken a bit of time, but Harvey Norman were great really and we double checking after this experience if we want to spend over $1200 on a vacuum!….it’s not spare change. After another two weeks we went back (to a different Harvey Norman) and focussed on the Samsung. Back in the shop, we were not swayed by any sexy specials or new kids on the block. We knew would not have the same issues with the Electrolux as the Powerbot worked came with a remote control and with WiFi. The reviews said it had the hardest suction, like that of a ‘real’ vaccum, it had one flat side, so it could get closer to the edges of walls, it had some fandangled room mapping function where you can get it to do only one room, and it had a one hour run time. We got a deal with the Samsung, and after all the prior experience of breakdowns, even took the extended warranty for 6 years. That’s right 6 years. If it was going to work, we wanted it to keep on working, it was the only way it would be worth it.
The better robot vacuum experience we needed!
Well we got it home, charged it, connected to the WiFi, downloaded the app, and pressed start. It was a nervous joy awaiting…due to all the other experiences…but it worked like a charm. It chugged around and picked up fluff the old beloved Dyson missed. Emptying the vacuum (a pet hate) became a science experiment…and watching it was like a vision come true. We named it Sinderella. Relentlessly it worked its was around the three bedroom house, returning to charge once and then picking up where it left off.
We were sold, and then we tried all the combinations of quiet mode which meant we could run it in the middle of the night if we wanted, tried the normal setting, tried vacuuming with the Dyson after the robot had done it’s job and we tried mapping the house for the room by room selection. Definitely there is a challange for the unit to do the house mapping and then the room selection, this doesn’t really work, but it doesn’t matter for us. We used the app inside the home, and the remote is pretty neat with full control and also a red dot control where the robot vacuum will chase the red light on the floor.
We have tried the Powerbot on a combination of carpet and tiles and tried experiments over time with rice, flour, grass, clumps of dog hair, rubber bands and sugar….and being impressed every time as Sinderlla (Samsung and Cinderella!) picked it all up with the highest suction setting….we had grown confidence in it and .
We started the cleaning cycle whilst in the car the next time…and came back to beautifully cleanned carpets…within days there was a layer of stress
removed…the awkard moments of who’s vacuuming, the watching carefully to see if you could go another day without pulling out the clunk machine were done. Our old machine was fading, but this robot vacuum really started to meet our expectations of a consumer unit.
Those moments of relief and belief that you can do something much easier for a sustained period are not often…but after more than 1 year, the unit has rarely missed a beat. A couple of times we had to reconnect it to the WiFi, and occaisinoally when we’re out we can’t start it…but we run it every couple of days, usually when we’re all out of the house. Coming home to see the textured flow of the carpet is actually a joy. As a vacuum, let alone as a programmable robot vacuum which recharges itself and has a big reserviour for dust and debris, it has been remarkable. Samsung’s Powerbot was definitely a keeper!
(We use the Smartthings Samsung app to control the Powerbot, but have not been able to connect it to Amazon Alexa – that would be a little used luxury…ultimately the key necessities are briliant)
PROS: OMG the relief is priceless! Best suction robot vacuum. Great for mid pile carpet and floorboards/tiles. Comes with a remote control. WiFi based app for out of home control. Returns to home for charging or when finished. All the vaccum essentials are top of class.
CONS: Leaves a 0,5″ / 1.5cm gap along the edge of the wall. Home floor plan mapping is slow. Selecting one room to vacuum from the floor plan is not reliable. Occissional WiFi drop out.
Samsung POWERbot R9350 On Amazon
Or it’s cheaper cousin Samsung POWERbot Pro Robot Vacuum (with WiFi)