Eufy X8 Hybrid RoboVac review: New tech passes the ultimate test

The humble robovac has been set against its greatest nemesis — an irrepressible toddler — and surprisingly, it emerged with a resounding win.

My house is normally in a permanent state of disarray.

The human whirlwind, otherwise known as my two-year-old daughter, is almost entirely to blame.

So when Eufy sent me a X8 Hybrid RoboVac to review — I knew it was facing its ultimate test.

Could it handle the constant stream of crumbs and track down food scraps that inevitably end up in difficult-to-reach places?

The answer was a resounding yes.

The Eufy X8 Hybrid RoboVac roving around my unit — hunting dirt. Picture: Andrew Backhouse

Setting up the Eufy X8 Hybrid RoboVac

I have never used a robovac before.

But setting up the Eufy X8 Hybrid RoboVac was a surprisingly simple proposition.

I chose an area for the charging base (the robovac’s new home) and plugged it in.

I then downloaded the EufyHome app on my phone and it was good to go.

My new friend told me it was “heading home” and then informed it was “charging”.

The X8 also has Voice Assistant technology, which works with the Google Assistant and Alexa.

The X8 deftly avoided walls and other obstacles in my unit. Picture: Andrew Backhouse

The map of my humble abode.

How it works

The X8 Hybrid RoboVac navigates your home with iPath Laser Navigation using a LiDAR (laser imaging, detection, and ranging).

The first step on the path to cleanliness is to create a map of your home — which the X8 does using AI Map Technology 2.0.

The X8 memorises your home’s layout and creates a virtual map that is stored in your phone.

Anker Innovation says this helps it detect exactly which rooms to clean for efficient cleaning around the home.

The X8 Hybrid RoboVac uses UltraPack Dust-Compression Technology to collect more dust than before.

The X8 detects areas to avoid when cleaning and can cleverly sense stairs. It also knows how to find its way out of trouble spots.

I watched the X8 venture underneath my work desk — home to a tangle of cords — expecting things to go badly wrong. But the robovac kept backing out at the first sign of trouble.

It also managed to avoid (what I thought was certain) disaster by skilfully navigating around the legs of chairs around my dining room table and avoiding entrapment.

The X8 uses two turbines, each generating up to 2000Pa of intense suction.

Technical stuff

The X8 Hybrid RoboVac has some pretty serious hardware.

It’s packing Eufy’s world-first Twin Turbine Technology — two turbines that each generate 2000Pa of intense suction. It can operate for 180 minutes of vacuuming.

Anker Innovation says the Twin Turbine Technology increases overall airflow by 80 per cent for maximum cleaning performance and a deeper level of clean.

It uses BoostIQ Technology to ramp up the power when needed — for example when moving from a hard floor to a rug.

Pet owners will also be happy. Anker Innovation says the new model’s pet-hair cleaning capabilities have increased by almost 57.6 per cent compared to previous models.

The X8 hybrid model includes a 2-in-1 mop and vacuum function with a 250ml water tank. It can simultaneously mob and vacuum the floor for about 140 minutes.

The takeaway

So how did it fare in my unit which gets destroyed on the daily by my young daughter?

The answer is surprisingly well. We live near the park and have a recurring dust problem in the house.

I politely asked my daughter to steer clear of the X8 while it’s “at home” and let it loose after bedtime.

The floors are clean and I’m considering imposing a new “shoes off when you enter” rule for the house.

My favourite thing is that the X8 quietly cleans my house while busy doing other things.

It’s definitely a buy from me.

The X8 Hybrid is exclusively available from JB Hi-Fi.

The X8 is available via the Eufy website, Myer and Costco.

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