Product test
A robot vacuum cleaner with a roller instead of a mop – what’s the point?
by Lorenz Keller
Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo 950 tested: In love-hate relationship with the robot hoover
11.2.2020
Translation: machine translated
Cleaning robots take an incredible amount of work out of the household. The Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo 950 even works on two floors and vacuums and mops the home simultaneously according to a schedule or by voice command - whenever I want. However, the system isn't quite perfect yet.
Before the cleaning robot can get started, you need to take action. In order for the Ozmo 950 to be able to clean unhindered, the home must be tidy, as with any other robot hoover Nothing should stand in its way. You can find out why this is particularly important for this model further down in the test.
Design and dimensions
The Deebot Ozmo 950 is round and has a diameter of 35 centimetres. This is similar to competitor products. However, it is only 9.3 centimetres high, which means it fits well under cupboards, sofas and beds and even ensures cleanliness in these hidden areas without you having to move your furniture.
The battery has a capacity of 5200 mAh and lasts for around 3:20 hours of operation. It is fully charged again after five hours. This large battery also means that it weighs a little more than other models: the Ozmo 950 weighs just under 4.5 kilograms.
The dust container has a capacity of 430 millilitres and the water tank holds 240 millilitres. Everything you need to get started right away is included in the scope of delivery. The package also includes replacement brushes, filters and cleaning cloths. There is even an additional suction module for direct suction without a brush. This is particularly suitable for hair, as it can otherwise easily get tangled up in the brush.
Set-up and functions
Then activate the "advanced mode" so that the app saves the floor map and gives it a name after the first complete vacuuming process. If you also want to use the Ozmo 950 on a second floor, take the charging station and robot upstairs, for example, and repeat the process there.
Now you can access all kinds of different cleaning modes and clean individual rooms or specific areas. Unfortunately, the rooms are created automatically and cannot be changed manually. For example, if you have a living room/kitchen, you cannot specify the dining area as a separate room. If you don't want the robot to clean there, you can only create exclusion zones in the app. Unfortunately, these virtual lines are only possible horizontally or vertically.
Vacuuming and mopping on two floors
The Ozmo 950 can overcome door thresholds up to two centimetres high. This was particularly important to me personally, as this is where most robot hoovers fail. Unfortunately, my thresholds in my old building are still a few millimetres too high, so the Deebot regularly gets stuck or doesn't make it back. What's more, the robot only manages the promised two centimetres when the mopping module is not plugged in.
Cleaning results
An aggressive contemporary
The robot takes a lot of work off my hands because I really don't feel like hoovering and mopping. And I want to love it, but it makes it very difficult for me. It's really great that it moves quickly and can also lift up steps of up to two centimetres. But he needs a certain amount of power for that, which turns him into a bit of a troublemaker.
I play instruments and therefore often have a music stand with loose sheet music in the living room. The three legs are quite narrow and reflective, so the robot doesn't recognise them and runs into them at full speed. The result: the music stand falls over and my sheet music is scattered all over the floor. Now the Ozmo 950 continues on its merry way and nibbles at my sheets of paper.
My wooden easel and my dressmaker's dummy (both also tripods) are also among its victims. I got curious and watched him cleaning for a while. He usually slows down when he approaches an object, but for some inexplicable reason he occasionally rams into furniture. If you have delicate furniture, you should be particularly careful here, as the force is greater than you would imagine for a small robot.
It is also particularly important that you have put all cables in cable ducts. Because if the robot gets tangled up in one, it doesn't stop the cleaning process immediately, but tries to free itself with jerky, fast movements - which only makes things worse. For example, it pulled the LAN cable out of my computer. With his strength, I'm sure he can also pull a small device off the table.
If you have several rooms cleaned at once, you should also fix the doors with a stopper. During testing, it happened to me that the robot slammed a door shut and blocked its way back.
Conclusion: it's complicated
Most of the time I'm living between bits and bytes, testing alternative Android operating systems and trying to make my life smarter with Open Source technology - always with a focus on privacy and data protection. When I'm not testing cool gadgets, I'm developing video games, writing stories and playing the accordion.
