In the past two years, several robots mainly designed for floor washing have emerged in the market. However, due to the lack of experience in research and development, as well as production of sweeping robots and floor washing machines on the part of these brands, the actual user experience of these products has been unsatisfactory.
With the advent of the Ecovacs X8 Pro series, there is finally a product in the market that truly combines the advantages of sweeping robots and floor washing machines. After using it, I even have the feeling that “1+1＞2”.
This article will unravel the mysteries of this floor-washing robot, which represents a significant upgrade rather than a “minor improvement,” through real-life usage scenarios in households and targeted testing.
Constant-pressure Fresh Water, Effortlessly Tackling Heavy Soil
The cleaning effectiveness of traditional sweeping robots is generally inferior to floor washing machines, primarily due to two major flaws in their dual-disk mopping modules: Firstly, the insufficient downward pressure they apply results in limited cleaning power, making it difficult to remove stubborn stains. Secondly, stains adhere to the mop pads, causing them to become dirty and ineffective against contaminants such as oil, soup spills, or mud.
“Constant-Pressure Fresh Water, Clean in One Roll”
TINECO Floor One washing machines stand out among many with their unique Constant-Pressure Fresh Water Technology. The Ecovacs X8 PRO PLUS floor-washing robot adopts a patented roller with constant-pressure fresh water technology, replacing the traditional dual-disk mopping design.
The Ecovacs X8 PRO PLUS floor-washing robot employs a four-step process of spraying, rotating to wash, scraping and squeezing, and recycling fresh water to thoroughly clean oil stains, soup spills, mud, and other contaminants on the ground.
Spraying: The robot is equipped with a 110ml capacity clear water tank. The 16 spray nozzles above the roller continuously spray clear water to evenly wet the mop pad.
Rotating and Washing: The roller continuously rotates at a speed of 200 revolutions per minute and applies a pressure of 4000Pa to the floor, effectively removing oil stains, stubborn dirt, and wastewater from the surface.
Scraping and Squeezing: There is a floating constant-pressure scraper behind the roller that closely adheres to it, promptly scraping off dirt from the roller to keep it clean.
Recovery: In previous sweeping robots, dirt was temporarily stored on the dual-disk mop pads, leading to inevitable “dragging dirt with dirt” when the amount of dirt was high. However, the Ecovacs X8 PRO PLUS quickly recovers dirty water into the machine’s dirt water tank, ensuring that the mop pad remains continuously clean.
Surpassing Manual Cleaning, Leaving a Clean Surface Without Traces
After using the Ecovacs X8 PRO PLUS to clean the floor, it is evident that the water marks are much lighter compared to previous sweeping robots. Especially when using a small amount of water, the marks are only visible when examined closely, and they dry quickly. This effectively avoids making tiles slippery or damaging solid wood floors.
The secret to achieving an “immediate dryness after mopping” effect lies in the constant-pressure scraper, which not only removes dirty water from the roller but also ensures that the humidity of the roller’s ultra-fine mop pad does not become excessively high. The Ecovacs X8 PRO PLUS supports 50 levels of water volume adjustment, allowing users to select the appropriate amount of water based on environmental humidity and floor material. In smart management mode, the robot automatically controls the water usage.
Complete Coverage, Cleaning Without Blind Spots
Compared to floor washing machines and vacuum cleaners, the biggest advantage of sweeping robots is their ability to automatically clean every corner of the home. The shorter the body of the robot, the more low-lying spaces it can access; the closer the robot is to furniture and walls, the fewer blind spots there will be along the edges.
Ultra-thin Body, No Dirt Hidden Under Furniture
In the past, protruding radar modules were the main factor limiting the height of sweeping robots. Ecovacs began experimenting with placing the radar inside the robot body with the X2 model last year, and earlier this year introduced the upgraded X5 model. Other brands have subsequently launched their own sweeping robots with hidden radar designs. As a seasoned user of sweeping robots, I have personally experienced the advantages of embedded navigation radars and understand that they are bound to become the next stage of technology for the sweeping robot industry to follow and imitate.
The Ecovacs X8 PRO PLUS is equipped with an integrated module that combines dToF, dual structured light, and AI cameras, working in coordination. This module is highly precise, and the robot has a thickness of only 98mm.
Despite having used a sweeping robot in my home for many years, and most of the areas under furniture no longer needing cleaning, the ultra-thin design can still easily access areas like under the TV stand that previously required moving. If your home has more low-lying spaces, the advantage of the Ecovacs X8 PRO PLUS’s thin body is undoubtedly more pronounced.
Dual Constant Edge-Hugging, Clean Corners and Edges
The Ecovacs X8 PRO PLUS employs the TruEdge FlexiGap 2.0 dual constant edge-hugging technology, ensuring that the roller mop and side brush always remain close to the edges.
When faced with walls and furniture edges, the Ecovacs X8 PRO PLUS can maintain a zero-distance edge-hugging, and the constant edge-hugging technology of the side brush effortlessly cleans up dry waste like scattered cat food in corners.
Thanks to its three-dimensional omnidirectional perception system and billion-level AI training model, when the Ecovacs X8 PRO PLUS approaches walls and furniture, the roller mop can perform millimeter-level retraction and extension when encountering obstacles or corners.
Personalized Floor Cleaning Strategy
Carpets are undoubtedly one of the soft furnishing items that enhance the warmth of indoor spaces. For cleaning carpeted areas, the Ecovacs X8 PRO PLUS can lift the entire roller mop with a lifting height of 10mm. In my home, we use a wool carpet without fuzz. The robot automatically lifts the mop when passing over the carpet and lowers it back down to resume mopping after leaving the carpeted area.
And for washable floor mats or shaggy carpets that need to avoid water as much as possible, various carpet modes can be used for reasonable matching.
In addition to personalized carpet solutions, the Ecovacs X8 PRO PLUS can also be set to clean according to the direction of the wooden floor laying, ensuring effective removal of dust from the seams while also reducing noise.
Nowadays, some families use natural marble to pave their floors. Natural marble has a natural porous structure, and water stains can affect its gloss. By selecting the newly added marble material option on the map, in AI smart management mode, the robot will lift the roller in rooms with marble floors and only execute the sweeping plan, avoiding damage to the marble from water stains.
Smart Upgrades: Seeing, Hearing, and Thinking
While hardware upgrades are undoubtedly important, the actual effectiveness of these upgrades also depends on the intelligence level of the sweeping robot’s software algorithms.
