DEEBOT T30S COMBO review: Robot vacuum with a handheld vac
Households nationwide now own two of this essential, but this new ‘all-in-one answer’ will put an end to that.
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If this is a peek into what we’re sweeping towards, I’m here for it.
With more households now owning two vacuums, partially thanks to the rise of robot cleaners, a two-in-one unit with fully automatic stations like the Ecovacs DEEBOT T30S Combo could be the – I hate to say it – game changer we’ve been waiting for.
Nicknamed after seeing the DEEBOT tackle the impossible kitchen rug and climb over the fan leg that stumped many robot vacs before it, Queen Clean-o-patra is the epitome of versatility and convenience. It’s one of the only robot cleaners with a fully automatic station as well as a handheld vacuum (which can transition to a full size stick vacuum).
Here are my thoughts after spending a few weeks with Ecovacs’ “all-in-one answer to everyday cleaning hassles”.
HOW WE TESTED THE ECOVACS DEEBOT T30S COMBO
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IN THIS ARTICLE
- One-minute review
- What’s in the box
- Features
- Runtime
- Design and set up
- Ecovacs handheld stick vacuum
- How much is the Ecovacs DEEBOT T30S Combo?
- Is the Ecovacs DEEBOT T30S Combo worth buying?
ONE-MINUTE REVIEW
Ecovacs DEEBOT T30S Combo Robotic Vacuum
The Ecovacs DEEBOT T30S Combo did a good job at general upkeep, including giving tiles a refresh and mopping small spills. It didn’t leave the floors sticky or overly wet, and everything dried quickly. Vacuuming similarly got everything after two runs, which I found quite common compared with other robot vacuums I’ve previously tested.
I was also so impressed to see how incredibly well both vacuums were emptied after each cleaning session, including the brush which usually have a few long black hairs and pet hair wedged inside waiting to be unclogged.
The convenience is unmatched. The OMNI station is auto-refilling, self-emptying, self-cleaning and charges everything at once while offering a storage space and requiring limited floor space.
But it still has a few quirks and comes with a high price tag.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
This three-in-one appliance comes neatly packaged in one box. Here’s what you can expect:
OMNI Station
• 4L clean water tank
• 3.5L dirty water tank
• Holder
• OMNI Station base
• Instruction manual.
Robot vacuum
• Side brush
• Extra 3L dust bag.
Stick vacuum
• Main unit with a HEPA filter and 0.3L dustbin
• ZeroTangle Power Brush
• Mini Power Brush
• Flat Brush
• Crevice Tool
• Extension hose.
FEATURES
Here are some noteworthy features on the Ecovacs DEEBOT T30S Combo.
• OMNI station can automatically re-fill the DEEBOT, wash and hot air dry the mop pads, and empty both vacuum cleaners
• Includes YIKO, Ecovacs’ built-in voice assistant
• TrueDetect 3D Sensor can help create a 3D map (which you can fill in later by adding furniture and customising spaces)
• OZMO Turbo 2.0 includes a dual-plate rotating mop system for deep scrubbing
• LDS laser navigation technology
• Has edge and anti-collision sensors, and a carpet detect sensor to ensure the DEEBOT adjusts how and where it cleans
• Has an anti-drop sensor, with a 60mm trigger distance.
DESIGN AND SET UP
OMNI STATION
The robot vacuum, stick vacuum and base station are all very easy to assemble, especially with the all-in-one station acting as a charger for both vacuum cleaners as well as a convenient and space-saving home for the different accessories. You don’t need to mount anything to a wall and the only thing that needs to be attached is the side brush.
Design wise, the Ecovacs DEEBOT T30S Combo is surprisingly compact for what’s essentially three fairly powerful appliances (plus a few accessories) packed together – especially compared to other fully automatic base stations.
In addition to the dust collection cabin and separate clean and dirty water tanks, there’s also a slide-out storage compartment for the accessories and a button which can be used to activate auto-empty, self-clean and start/pause clean.
DEEBOT ROBOT VACUUM
The DEEBOT looks similar to your typical Ecovacs robot vacuum, boasting three buttons for manual control for spot cleaning, child lock, spot/pause/continue and power on/off. It also includes a TrueDetect 3D Sensor, TrueMapping Distance Sensor, edge sensor and the anti-collision sensor and bumper.
Under the top cover, you can also find the dustbin, anti-drop sensors, carpet detection sensor, driving wheels, washable mop and both the main and side brushes.
On the bottom, you can also find the anti-drop sensors, carpet detection sensor, driving wheels, washable mop pads and both the main and side brushes.
HANDHELD VACUUM
The attachments all slide into each other easily and feel secure once popped into place.
Special shout out to the dual-comb-teeth-array and antistatic V-shaped bristles on the ZeroTangle Power Brush which, when combined with the self-emptying base station, still manages to look pretty new and free from wound up hair and clumps of pet fur.
HOW MUCH IS THE ECOVACS DEEBOT T30S COMBO?
The Ecovacs DEEBOT T30S Combo is available from $2299 from ECOVACS Online and retailers such as Amazon Australia and The Good Guys.
RUNTIME
Ecovacs DEEBOT robot vacuum
The robot vacuum cleaner can last up to 290 minutes on a single charge, which is a little under five hours. If you’re using the Vacuum and Mop mode, this drops down to 220 minutes, which is still a respectable 3.6 hours. I have a small home and can get a few whole house cleans plus specific room cleans with one charge, despite working a little slower
ECOVACS HANDHELD VACUUM
The handheld vacuum offers pretty standard battery life, offering up to 60 minutes on Silent mode and 15 minutes on MAX mode. It takes between four to five hours to fully recharge.
ECOVACS DEEBOT T30S COMBO – ROBOT VACUUM AND MOP
VACUUMING
The DEEBOT robot vacuum actually did a better job at picking up a wider variety of debris than the handheld vacuum, which typically did well on dust, pet hair and small pieces of dirt but not larger chunks.
This isn’t overly surprising since Ecovacs has always been a robot cleaner brand, at least until recently, so it makes sense the DEEBOT is more efficient and generally a better vacuum overall.
The robot cleaner is also a master at handling edges and working its way around furniture and other items, including dog toys and heavier pet bowls.
It’s even rug and mat friendly. This robot vacuum was also the first to survive the lightweight yet thick rug in the kitchen. While it managed to clean some of the rug’s surface, the fabric eventually got caught under but Clean-o-patra still managed to hop over and continue cleaning the rest of the room.
And instead of getting stuck on cords and gadgets, the DEEBOT made a habit of rolling over cables and climbing over the legs of a floor fan.
MOPPING
Prepping the floors with the Vacuum + Mop and Mop After Vacuum modes made mopping easy, and I could get a few cleans before having to replace the clean water tank.
As part of the testing process, I chucked some instant powder and a garlic replacer (which has a very similar consistency to flour) to see how it handles these different textures.
Vacuuming gobbled up all the instant powder granules and most of the garlic replacer, aside from the sticky residue which the mop washed away. There was some mess still leftover on the edge of the area rug.
Surprisingly though, the TruEdge technology on the DEEBOT was one of my favourite features, constantly extending the mop plate for maximum coverage. Clean-o-patra was fantastic at getting super close to wall edges, rugs, around table and chair legs, and anything else where the mop will fit (which is most things).
But when it came to testing how well the robot vacuum does on big spills, the unit painted the floors with fresh coffee.
I tried running two sweeps on standard mode and two sweeps on deep clean mode, but both ended up pushing the liquid around the room until I was left with a patchy, sticky, strong espresso-scented hell.
But overall, Clean-o-patra did a good job at mopping tiles and hardwood floors.
NAVIGATION AND MAPPING
Clean-o-patra was nothing short of being an absolute self-sufficient beast when it came to getting itself out of sticky situations. Got a floor fan or cables in the way? Don’t worry, the DEEBOT will probably hop over it and wipe it down like Clean-o-patra did.
I loved how well the DEEBOT detected objects, even if it ended up climbing over certain furniture legs. If you find the robot isn’t detecting items enough or too cautious, there’s an option to change the sensitivity via the app.
The Ecovacs app offers so much freedom with a wide range of customisable features, from adjusting the voice control volume or how powerfully the robot vacuum moves, or whether you want to avoid the certain rooms or carpets and rugs completely. You can also add furniture, create multiple maps, make no-go zones, as well as spot clean and room clean.
The most annoying thing was getting false starts when I brought the DEEBOT into the mapped area without the OMNI Station. It had some trouble figuring out where it was but this slowly improved.
Generally, the DEEBOT typically needed to make two sweeps to do a proper clean on standard mode, which is pretty common compared to other models I’ve tested. Corners are likely to be missed, unsurprising given its round shape, although the side brush and extended mop plate get decent reach.
ECOVACS DEEBOT T30S COMBO – HANDHELD VACUUM
The handheld stick vacuum component on the Ecovacs DEEBOT T30S Combo is fairly basic with just two power settings (MAX and Silent) and display screen to show the remaining battery time. There’s also a Mode button switch settings, otherwise you can press the trigger button.
I found the ZeroTangle Power Brush particularly handy for getting under furniture, thanks to its flexible, low profile design and the headlights to brighten whatever’s hiding in the dark. Although if you’re hoping for something similar to Dyson’s fluffy optic head to illuminate the dusty horrors lurking on your floor, these lights aren’t as dramatic but still useful.
I also liked using the hand vacuum to clean any dust and rogue pet hair on the mattress, dressing table and windowsills. It’s lightweight, doesn’t use a power button that needs constant holding down, and has good battery life for these types of tasks.
Most of the accessories had trouble with larger debris, such as broken pieces of crackers, which was disappointing considering other stick vacuums I’ve tested could handle them easily – including the DEEBOT on this Combo.
It would also nice if there were three power settings, similar to other high end stick vacuums, so there’s a middle ground option for when the power might be a bit too strong or weak for what you’re cleaning. I personally wouldn’t call this a deal breaker for options, but for $2299 I want maximum options.
The ability to extend the handheld vacuum kind of made up for that, making it easy to clean window sills and desks close up as well as reach the tops of bookshelves and ceiling walls without feeling shaky or too heavy.
IS THE ECOVACS DEEBOT T30S COMBO WORTH BUYING?
If you’re planning on buying a Combo for yourself, the handheld vacuum will likely be a nice complementary device rather than the robot vac.
This two-for-one special is worth checking out if you’re already in the market for a new vacuum and willing to fork out for a premium option.
More Coverage
To be honest, the OMNI station and DEEBOT do a lot of the heavy lifting. The station is fully automatic for easy maintenance, can charge two vacuum cleaners at the same time and doesn’t require a lot of space. And the DEEBOT itself is a great vacuum.
If we split the costs, the handheld vacuum probably isn’t worth $1149. But it’s still good and the versatility of the attachments make cleaning easier.
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