A couple of years ago I tested a Eufy robovac. It’s an easy sell – never vacuum again. However, just a few years ago this wasn’t the case. As cool as the robovacs were, you still had to have a regular vacuum. How else would you clean the stairs or the car?
I gave up on those older robovacs that would just bash themselves off everything in sight to navigate your home, hopefully hitting all the dust. A couple of years later and that tech has come a long, long way. so far, in fact, that I’ve been left calling this the most complete robovac on the market. The Eufy E20. A robovac that does it all.
Disclosure: This product was gifted to the author. This means it was provided free of charge to be reviewed but the brand supplying it did not insist on a review, nor do they have any control over the content within this review.
Design
Where I live has stairs, and I have a car. So you might be wondering just how exactly a robovac can tackle that. Simply put, it’s down to clever design. The robovac comes in two parts. The driving bit and the vacuum bit. This is clever, because when you separate the two, the vacuum bit is a regular “stick vacuum”. Included in the box is everything you would need to run around the house giving a regular vacuum job. I mostly use this on the stairs – the biggest barrier to some buying a robovac at all.
When you pop it back into the driving shell, it becomes a full on robovac, capable of automated cleaning around the home. One nozzle is fitted into the machine itself for handheld use, so it’s always nearby and ready to go if you need some quick handheld cleaning. I think the idea here is that you would leave the other “stick” accessories elsewhere in the home where you’d use them. Because one oversight is that Eufy has absolutely nowhere for you to put any of the accessories. Which seems odd given there is a full sized self-cleaning docking station which could be home to some accessories.
Functionality
That self-cleaning docking station is where your robovac (mine is called Piper by the way) comes home to charge after cleaning and even empties into a removable, but unfortunately not reusable, dust bag. I’m looking out for a reusable alternative.
I think the biggest leap forward in robovacs for me is that LiDAR has become nearly a global standard on these machines. No more bashing itself of everything. The E20 maps out my home and learns where it can and can’t go. In fact, it’s so good that you can ask it just to vacuum one area – great if you have an open-plan space and just want the kitchen done after dinner.
The combination of great design and function means that every evening, my home gets a great clean. An important note I nearly omitted is the cleaning quality of the E20 itself is perfect. Now, even with LiDAR, you will need to vacuum the “corners” of your robovac area once a week because all the clever design in the world doesn’t mean robovac get everywhere. In fact, LiDAR adds a little height to the device, which means under some cupboards become no-go areas for my robovac. But overall, this is the most complete robovac solution I’ve seen to date. It doesn’t lean on gimmicks, just clever design and functionality.
The App
Eufy has just released a new “super app” which is home to Eufy security and clean products. Until now these were two separate worlds. I’ve tested Eufy security products in the past and it is nice to finally have everything in the one location. Beyond that, I don’t really have too much to say about the app. It works and has all the information I could want.
One very niche issue I’ve found so far, and it genuinely won’t be an issue for most is, Home Assistant. I have just started building a custom smart home integration where I control all of my own technology from my own Home Assistant platform. Eufy doesn’t officially support this. Now, while I realise just how niche a topic this is, it’s problematic because everything else in my home, with the exception of my 12-year-old smart plugs which just need replacing anyway, worked straight away. For me, it’s unusual that this wasn’t considered and if you are a Home Assistant user, it’s a very considerable blocker – not to say I won’t work it out.
Noise Levels
I live in a pretty noisy area, but even so I don’t want a vacuum being noisy. This was a concern when I first ran the E20 because when it finishes the cycle and goes home to empty itself, it’s possibly the noisiest appliance I’ve ever had. To my pleasant surprise, Eufy thought of this.
The vacuum will only empty during assigned times. So if it does a clean at 2am and you’ve said this is a quiet time, it will skip until the next day. This is a thoughtful feature I really liked.
Goosed Verdict: Eufy E20 Robovac
Retailing at €479, but available for as little as €379 if you find it in a sale, the Eufy E20 Robovac is on the very high end of “regular vacuums” and the middle shelf of robovacs. Given this is a stick vacuum too, it’s an easy recommendation from me. I like to walk around my home in my bare feet and because I live in a city, no matter what I do that floor is nearly always covered in dust. Highly irritating in bare feet and, I’m sorry, but vacuuming every single day just isn’t going to happen.
The Eufy E20 means I can have my apartment cleaned every night while I sleep. Making a coffee in my bare feet with no annoying debris everywhere after making dinner last night. When the weekend rolls around, I can clean the car or spruce up the stairs. In general, my home is cleaner with less work, all thanks to the Eufy E20. Making it a strong recommend.
The Eufy E20 Robovac is available now from Harvey Norman, Currys, Euronics and Amazon.ie. But do shop around for the best price.
