Even though Eufy is a smart home startup that specialises in high-quality video doorbells and home security cameras in addition to robot vacuums, its USP is producing devices that are simple to use. As a result, it should come as no surprise that the RoboVac 11S, one of its entry-level models, is incredibly easy to use. A charging station, remote control and a sleek, slimline vacuum cleaner are all that’s required — no apps, WiFi controls or voice commands are available with this vacuum.
However, this does not mean to claim that it is a simple home appliance. There is enough freedom to adjust between spot, overall and perimeter cleaning as well as three power settings, but not so many options that it becomes overwhelming. If anything, its simplicity comes from its smart design as well as a superb balance of utility. It’s easy to set and forget with a programmed timer.
Because it’s only 2.8 inches / 7.25 cm tall, the Eufy RoboVac 11S can fit under most mattresses and other pieces of furniture, keeping dust bunnies at bay. A 0.15-gallon (0.6-litre) dust canister is still buried inside, in spite of its diminutive size.
Even though the Eufy RoboVac 11S does a good job of collecting fine dust and larger debris from hard surfaces, it struggles mightily to effectively deep clean medium and thick pile carpets…. In Standard mode on hard floor, Eufy claims the robot vacuum would run for 100 minutes before needing a recharge.
BoostIQ mode, which alternates between high and low power when the robot vacuum changes from carpet to hard floor, reduces battery life to 60 minutes, while in Max Mode, the battery lasts only 50 minutes. So, if you’re cleaning a lot of huge floors and they’re especially dusty or nasty, it may not finish as quickly.
Robot vacuums for newcomers and technophobes alike will appreciate the Eufy RoboVac 11S. It does a good job of light daily cleaning in vast spaces, but it lacks a slew of functions that might make operating the robot vacuum more difficult.
Price and availability details for the Eufy RoboVac 11S.
$219.99 (US), £188.99 (UK), or AUS$229
The Eufy RoboVac 11S costs $219.99 / £189.99 / AU$229, which is comparable to other similar vacuum cleaners. It’s currently on sale at Eufy or Amazon in the United States and the United Kingdom, and at Kogan.com in Australia.
In the US and UK, the Eufy RoboVac 11S Max, which has a stronger suction, sells for $249 / £239.99, but not in Australia. The Eufy RoboVac 11S Max and the RoboVac 11S are nearly identical but for the power.
Design
15-gallon dustpan (0.6-litre capacity).
There are three power settings and four cleaning modes.
tempered glass top with anti-scratch coating
Despite its size, the Eufy RoboVac 11S is lightweight and portable. It’s only 2.85 inches / 7.25 cm above the floor, so it can scoot under low furniture, and it weighs 5.73lb / 2.6kg, so it’s not too heavy to move from room to room. With a width of 6.5 inches / 16.5 cm, the charging station is very compact, with a recess at the back for storing extra cable. In order to charge this robot vacuum properly you’ll need a little room on either side of the charging station, but because it’s so little this shouldn’t be a problem.
Infrared sensors on the front help it avoids impediments, and a single button on top wakes it up (an on/off switch sits underneath the device for a more permanent turn-off). The design is minimal.
There are two counter-rotating side brushes and a 14.5 cm rolling brush hidden behind. No warning sign indicates when the 0.15-gallon / 0.6-liter dust box is full; we discovered the simplest way to tell when it needs emptying is if the robot vacuum stops picking up as well as usual when it is full.
It’s quick and simple to use right out of the box. Just attach the side brushes, plug it in, and you’re good to go. Auto is the default mode, which ensures that the robot vacuum moves from room to room cleaning as it goes. Other settings include Spot, which cleans specific areas, and Edge, which does perimeter wall cleaning for 20 minutes. There’s also One Room, which, as the name suggests, cleans only one room, and Manual, which lets you use the remote’s directional buttons to direct the vacuum where you want it to go.
The Eufy 11S has three power settings: Standard, BoostIQ (which employs a combination of Standard and Max when going from hard flooring to carpet), and Max.
It’s simple to programme the cleaning system to start at a specific time using the remote control. The main drawback is that you can’t clean every other day or twice a day, but for the most part, a daily vacuum should be enough. It includes an extra set of filters, two side brushes, and even some cable ties to keep power wires out of the way.
Performance
- There is enough suction power for the majority of jobs.
- Use of the product is quite quiet.
- makes a circuitous route around the room at random.
The Eufy RoboVac 11S can manage bigger particles that tend to accumulate in your home. In both medium-pile carpet and hard floor, the vacuum cleaned up dry oats with no problem and without resorting to the higher settings. On a hard floor, finer flour and cookie dust was no problem for it, but on a carpet, the RoboVac 11S labored mightily. Once wheels rolled over the surface and stomped it into the fibers, not even the Max suction setting could free it.
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Because of this randomness in its cleaning pattern, the RoboVac 11S cleans the entire area, even if it takes a while. The RoboVac 11S uses Bounce Navigation to find its way around the room, so it doesn’t always go in straight lines. While it was good at navigating around objects, it struggled with low-level ones such as deep-pile rugs, piano pedals, and pet food bowls, all of which were inaccessible to it.
The Eufy RoboVac picked up other dust, pet dander, and human hair from the corners of our rooms even after we vacuumed them. The human hair, however, tended to tangle around the rolling brush during testing. Our tests revealed that just a small percentage (less than 10%) of rotating brushes were free of filth. Because of this, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the state of these brushes often in order to ensure efficient cleaning.
When cleaning hard floors on the Standard mode, our decibel meter measured 55db; when using the Max mode, the decibel meter measured 60db. When a dishwasher is running, this is what it sounds like. It’s fine.
When the dust box is full, there’s no way to know, so you’ll either have to remember or keep an eye out for signs that it’s underperforming. However, emptying the box is a cinch: simply push a button to release it, flip it open, and tip the dust out. The finer dust tended to collect in the corners, however this was easily remedied by using the included dusting tool. The rolling brush and filters are also cleaned this way, which is a weekly chore.
Battery Life
- Between 50 and 100 minutes of battery life can be expected.
- Recharging a dead battery takes about 5 hours.
- Lack of an indicator for battery life
The battery is supposed to last 100 minutes on basic cleaning, but in our tests, it lasted 105 minutes until the light changed from blue to orange, signalling that it needed to return to the charging station for a recharge.
The lack of a battery level indicator that provides specific statistics on how much charge is left upset us. However, the battery recharged in 4.5 hours, which is faster than Eufy had claimed.
