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MagyarEcovacs Deebot T20 Omni practice test: vacuum mopping robot with hip swing and hot water mop cleaning
In addition to this innovation, the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni offers a few more practical features, such as mop lifting on carpet, which are not a matter of course. Our test of the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni clarifies what these are and how well the new vacuuming and mopping robot works in practice.
What does the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni have to offer?
The Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni is, strictly speaking, a mid-range model, as it belongs to the manufacturer's T-series. It is thus among the top models Deebot X1 Omni (approx. 970 Euros/~$1060 at Amazon) and Deebot X1e Omni (approx. 970 Euros at Amazon). However, it is still priced around 1,000 Euros (~$1093), which is quite steep for the mentioned classification.
However, the vacuuming and wiping robot also offers a lot of features that are not or only rarely available in other mid-range models. First and foremost, there is the comprehensive cleaning station. In addition to extracting the dirt from the dust container in the robot into a 3-liter disposable dust bag in the station, it also takes care of moistening and cleaning the mop unit with its large fresh and dirty water tanks. In addition, the mops are dried afterwards with hot air. More details on this below.
TrueDetect 3D 3.0 and TrueMapping 2.0 are used for navigation and obstacle detection. A difference to the top models is noticeable here, since AIVI 3D with an RGB camera is not in the front. In return, the suction power of 6,000 Pa is even a bit higher. A rubber roller brush is also installed on the underside, which reduces hair tangles.
In addition, the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni offers many other features that are featured on the X1 models. These include the robot's own voice assistant YIKO, which can be used to control the robot via a whole range of voice commands. Of course, the control via app is obligatory, which offers a number of settings in the usual manner (but not as many as in the X1 series).
Impressions
Technical data and scope of delivery
Before we go into more detail about all the features, let's first look at a few tangible facts in the form of the technical specifications:
| Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni | |
|---|---|
| Product type | Sucking and mopping robot |
| Design | Round |
| Navigation | TrueMapping 2.0, TrueDetect 3D 3.0 |
| Suction power | up to 6,000 Pa |
| Dust/water tank | 300 ml/3 l / 2x 4 l |
| Wiping system | rotating wiping system OZMO Turbo 2.0 |
| battery | 5,200 mAh |
| Battery life | min. 260 minutes |
| Capabilities | Auto cleaning with hot water and hot air, edge cleaning, YIKO voice assistant and more. |
The scope of delivery is somewhat more spartan than that of the X1 top models. Two mops and side brushes each are included for initial assembly, but there are no replacements. A cleaning brush is also included, but it is not conveniently stowed in the station. The class difference is evident here.
Easy setup and comprehensive app
Setting up the Deebot T20 Omni via the Ecovacs app is quick and easy. Simply scan the QR code hidden under the robot's removable lid with the app and follow the German-language instructions on the display. There were never any problems here in the past with other models from the manufacturer, and everything ran smoothly this time as well.
Once set up, all aspects of the floor cleaning robot can be controlled via smartphone or tablet. In addition to firmware updates and the editing and management as well as editing of the virtual maps (several floors possible), the setting of the cleaning performance is of course particularly important here. Among other things, the cleaning efficiency can be set in three levels (standard, deep, fast), the corner deep cleaning can be activated, and the cleaning sequence (sequence of rooms) can be defined. The housekeeper mode also seems to be practical. Here, the robot independently detects quickly soiled areas in the household and automatically adjusts the cleaning strategy accordingly.
Downsized wiping function with new hot water mop cleaning
The flagship of the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni is the station's hot water mop cleaning. Here, for the first time, hot water of around 55 °C (131 °F) is used to rinse the two round and rotating mops under the robot. This has several advantages. Among other things, cleaning is more hygienic because the warm water can remove more dirt, oil, bacteria and germs from the mops. In addition, the cloths remain softer over time.
Unfortunately, long-term experience was lacking during the test period in order to be able to make a truly final assessment of this. We will provide empirical values here if required, should there be no improvement to cold water mop cleaning. A small disadvantage of the innovation is a slightly higher power consumption. However, the water is heated directly in the inlet and not in the water tank. This is followed by hot air drying, which is familiar from the X1 models and other manufacturers like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra (approx. 1,500 Euros/~$1640 on Amazon).
The mopping process of the new model runs like in the Ecovacs Deebot X1e Omni, i.e. the slimmed-down top model. This means that the robot itself does not have a water tank that is filled by the station. Instead, the station moistens the wipes before the robot gets to work. This process is repeated several times in the course of a floor cleaning to ensure fresh wetness again and again.
This not only results in more driving and thus a slightly longer cleaning time, but also means that the amount of water is not controlled evenly. However, the practical test did not reveal any real disadvantages in terms of cleaning performance. In addition, the settings can be adjusted in three stages to determine how much the mops should be moistened.
Hip swing for edge cleaning and mop lifting
The "Smart Wave" function is particularly successful and practical. Here, the robot swings its hips and rotates a bit around its own axis every few centimeters when moving along edges such as baseboards or furniture. In this way, one of the two mops is brought to within a few millimeters of the edge, resulting in particularly thorough corner and edge cleaning. Other models usually leave a margin of a few centimeters here.
Carpet cleaning is good, within the capabilities of a robot vacuum. A practical feature is that the mops are automatically raised by 9 mm (~0.35 in) when carpet is detected. Thus, the mops' fringes hover a few millimeters above the carpet, which should be enough for short-pile models to not wet or dirty it.
Overall, the vacuuming and mopping robot did a more than decent job in the test. The navigation was not quite as perfect as in the top models and it bumped into smaller obstacles like thin chair legs once or twice.
Pro
+ good suction power and solid navigation
+ thorough edge cleaning
+ sophisticated and comprehensive app
+ cleaning station with hot water mop cleaning
+ high-quality workmanship
Con
- slightly reduced wiping function
- trimmed down obstacle detection
- sensitive (white) design
- high space requirement of the station
Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni in test: Expensive mid-range model with a certain something
Overall, the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni does its job well. The innovation of hot water mop cleaning makes sense and will probably also soon find its way into the successors of the current X-series top models.
What is difficult, however, is the matter of the price - at least in relation to the Deebot X1 Omni. If we look at the recommended retail prices, everything is still within reason. At 1,099 Euros (~$1200), the Deebot T20 Omni is at least 400 Euros (~$437) cheaper than the top model, the Deebot X1 Omni. However, the latter is now available in stores for just under 1,000 Euros (~$1093) - and thus for about the same amount of money as the introductory price of the new mid-range top model.
This inevitably raises the question of which is the better choice. Overall, the Deebot X1 Omni offers exciting features, among others, with the continuous water feed during wiping and its integrated camera function. On the other hand, the Deebot T20 Omni scores with its hot water mop washing function and edge cleaning. Ultimately, everyone has to decide for themselves which features are more important to them. If you want to spend around 1,000 Euros for a vacuuming and mopping robot at all...
Price and availability of the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni
In the USA, users can purchase Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni via retailers such as Amazon.
Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
