ILIFE V5s Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo, Works with 2.4G WiFi, Alexa/App/Remote Control, Automatic Self-Charging Robotic Vacuum Cleaner, for Pet Hair, Hard Floor, Low Carpet (V5s Pro Upgraded)

The media could not be loaded. This is part 1 of what may end up a much longer review. For those in a rush, read this summary and watch the very short video!Summary: At about 1/2 the price of the two “big” brands (both of which I have used) this one is quieter and easier to clean. There are far less fidgety parts to unsnap to simply empty the container holding the debris. The remote control does a fine job when needed, and the vacuum does actually return to the docking station when needed. It is quiet, not frightening to cats and comes with spare parts. The “damp mop" does exactly that. It is not a scrubber, but a micro-fiber damp cloth that picks up fine dust. A solid unit. Now, if you want more info, read on.###First, a few points: I am not a robot enthusiast who is forgiving of robotic devices that don’t work well. I also do not expect any robot to do heavy housework, especially at this price point. If you are expecting a robot to relieve you of household drudgery, come back in 50 years.At about 1/2 the price of the two “big” brands (both of which I have used) this one holds it’s own and more. It is more attractive, more effective and less trouble to use and clean. This unit is logically designed, easy to maintain and, again, also quiet.Because it is designed for WOOD and TILE floors, NOT CARPET, it does not have the rubber rolling beater that others use to get debris out of carpet pile. It uses an effective vacuum built into a mobile chassis. If you imagine a decent “Dustbuster” type mechanism on wheels, you get the idea.The center of the unit has a box-like chamber a bit smaller than a 1 lb butter package or 3x5“ card recipe box. If you put the vacuum module in, it collects debris and exhausts air through a small HEPA filter. The filter is cleanable and comes with extras. You can order more if needed.In vacuum mode, the unit moves around the room at a steady pace with two brushes spinning that direct debris towards center vacuum area. While it will gently bump into chair legs, etc., it seems to sense walls and backs away without touching them. It also has a mode that hugs the wall to brush debris out of the edges of the room into the unit. There is also a “spill” mode where the unit circles around in an ever-larger circle for those times when dry coffee grounds, flour, ashes, etc. are dropped. There is also a “turbo” mode where the vacuum strength is increased. This produces more noise. As our 1900 farmhouse is mostly troubled by road dust and cat hair or tracked litter, the regular setting was fine.You will need to check the debris container fairly often. Even in a well-maintained house like ours, it is surprising how quickly the iHome “Beetle” fills up with found dust and fur!Yes, it would be nice to have a larger debris receptacle, but then EVERYTHING would have to be larger..larger vacuum motor, larger housing, larger battery, larger motor for transport, etc. You would end up with something bigger and heavier than a Thanksgiving turkey that could not get into tight places.I did bring the iHome Beetle into what call my “torture track.” My home recording studio is often messy with extension cords, twist-ties from product packaging that missed the trash can and just the stuff that gets left in my sort of technological “man cave.” The Beetle handled it well, getting over wires and dealing with just about everything...except those twist ties, which it ignored. By the way, there have been no jam-ups plugging the vacuum path as it is pretty straight. The only time I thought it was jammed turned out that the debris chamber was full!Replace the vacuum box with the water box and you have a damp-mop system AFTER you add a simple bracket to the underside to hold the micro-fiber cloth. It takes a bit, but the cloth does get damp and collects fine dust as the Beetle makes it way around the room. Damp-mopping is not the same as scrubbing! This is not going to take a dingy kitchen floor, clean it and make it sparkle! But being very, very familiar with damp-mopping Army barracks floors, I can tell you that it does make floors look better!This unit comes with a dock, or you can plug the charger directly into the unit. I’m not sure how it works, but when you hit the “home” button on the remote, the Beetle stops what it is doing and heads right over to the dock and settles in. Fascinating! It even did it when certain wise-guy cats tried to knock it off course.Speaking of cats, I repeat that there is no rapidly spinning rubber axel on the front used to beat carpet fibers because this is not for carpets. The first time I used another brand (we’ll call it “R”), a cat got in the way and got it’s tail yanked by the vacuum. My other vac (we’ll call in “N”) never got that far, as the electronics were all messed up from the moment I opened the box.Using the dock and the remote, you can tell the Beetle when to start and when to quit and go back home. I have not used it long enough to make use of this, but from what I can see, there is no reason to doubt it works. I have also not tested the “cliff detection” and note that even the instructions caution it may not work in all circumstances. The edges of our steep wood stairway have rounded edges after 117 years, and the Beetle might not realize that!The instructions are quite good and the unit, in it’s attractive box, is very easy to set up. Great wedding gift!A final important note: This is not one of those products, like so many coffee makers and kitchen items, that are sold “generically” to an importer and found with five brand names and no support. iHome is making a very serious effort in this marketplace and has a website and help, not just a name attached to a product that nobody knows much about. Definitely worth your consideration.This is part 1 of what may end up a much longer review. For those in a rush, read this summary and watch the very short video!Summary: At about 1/2 the price of the two “big” brands (both of which I have used) this one is quieter and easier to clean. There are far less fidgety parts to unsnap to simply empty the container holding the debris. The remote control does a fine job when needed, and the vacuum does actually return to the docking station when needed. It is quiet, not frightening to cats and comes with spare parts. The “damp mop" does exactly that. It is not a scrubber, but a micro-fiber damp cloth that picks up fine dust. A solid unit. Now, if you want more info, read on.###First, a few points: I am not a robot enthusiast who is forgiving of robotic devices that don’t work well. I also do not expect any robot to do heavy housework, especially at this price point. If you are expecting a robot to relieve you of household drudgery, come back in 50 years.At about 1/2 the price of the two “big” brands (both of which I have used) this one holds it’s own and more. It is more attractive, more effective and less trouble to use and clean. This unit is logically designed, easy to maintain and, again, also quiet.Because it is designed for WOOD and TILE floors, NOT CARPET, it does not have the rubber rolling beater that others use to get debris out of carpet pile. It uses an effective vacuum built into a mobile chassis. If you imagine a decent “Dustbuster” type mechanism on wheels, you get the idea.The center of the unit has a box-like chamber a bit smaller than a 1 lb butter package or 3x5“ card recipe box. If you put the vacuum module in, it collects debris and exhausts air through a small HEPA filter. The filter is cleanable and comes with extras. You can order more if needed.In vacuum mode, the unit moves around the room at a steady pace with two brushes spinning that direct debris towards center vacuum area. While it will gently bump into chair legs, etc., it seems to sense walls and backs away without touching them. It also has a mode that hugs the wall to brush debris out of the edges of the room into the unit. There is also a “spill” mode where the unit circles around in an ever-larger circle for those times when dry coffee grounds, flour, ashes, etc. are dropped. There is also a “turbo” mode where the vacuum strength is increased. This produces more noise. As our 1900 farmhouse is mostly troubled by road dust and cat hair or tracked litter, the regular setting was fine.You will need to check the debris container fairly often. Even in a well-maintained house like ours, it is surprising how quickly the iHome “Beetle” fills up with found dust and fur!Yes, it would be nice to have a larger debris receptacle, but then EVERYTHING would have to be larger..larger vacuum motor, larger housing, larger battery, larger motor for transport, etc. You would end up with something bigger and heavier than a Thanksgiving turkey that could not get into tight places.I did bring the iHome Beetle into what call my “torture track.” My home recording studio is often messy with extension cords, twist-ties from product packaging that missed the trash can and just the stuff that gets left in my sort of technological “man cave.” The Beetle handled it well, getting over wires and dealing with just about everything...except those twist ties, which it ignored. By the way, there have been no jam-ups plugging the vacuum path as it is pretty straight. The only time I thought it was jammed turned out that the debris chamber was full!Replace the vacuum box with the water box and you have a damp-mop system AFTER you add a simple bracket to the underside to hold the micro-fiber cloth. It takes a bit, but the cloth does get damp and collects fine dust as the Beetle makes it way around the room. Damp-mopping is not the same as scrubbing! This is not going to take a dingy kitchen floor, clean it and make it sparkle! But being very, very familiar with damp-mopping Army barracks floors, I can tell you that it does make floors look better!This unit comes with a dock, or you can plug the charger directly into the unit. I’m not sure how it works, but when you hit the “home” button on the remote, the Beetle stops what it is doing and heads right over to the dock and settles in. Fascinating! It even did it when certain wise-guy cats tried to knock it off course.Speaking of cats, I repeat that there is no rapidly spinning rubber axel on the front used to beat carpet fibers because this is not for carpets. The first time I used another brand (we’ll call it “R”), a cat got in the way and got it’s tail yanked by the vacuum. My other vac (we’ll call in “N”) never got that far, as the electronics were all messed up from the moment I opened the box.Using the dock and the remote, you can tell the Beetle when to start and when to quit and go back home. I have not used it long enough to make use of this, but from what I can see, there is no reason to doubt it works. I have also not tested the “cliff detection” and note that even the instructions caution it may not work in all circumstances. The edges of our steep wood stairway have rounded edges after 117 years, and the Beetle might not realize that!The instructions are quite good and the unit, in its attractive box, is very easy to set up. Great wedding gift!A final important note: This is not one of those products, like so many coffee makers and kitchen items, that are sold “generically” to an importer and found with five brand names and no support. iLife is making a very serious effort in this marketplace and has a website and help, not just a name attached to a product that nobody knows much about. Definitely worth your consideration.

For the price point, works very well on hardwood floors. Will get stuck easily under furniture or on curtains. Mopping works well for an every day mop, but not a deep clean

i spent a long long time deciding if and which robot vacuum i'd buy. i've had ILife v5s Pro over a month.Pros:1. the price. you can't beat it. it's much cheaper than the more known brands like roomba. side note, i did find it up to $40 less on other sites, and frankly think $159 is a more accurate price for this product, but when buying a product made in china, the amazon superior customer service tilted me toward paying the extra.2. noise level. it's quieter than my dirt devil, so i can hear the tv and do other things without feeling disturbed.3. height. I LOVE THE HEIGHT. it easily goes under my dressers, armoire. So if this is a function you want measure and compare before you buy. I tried another vacuum that was just a tad under 3 inches and it didn’t go under as easily.4. the brushes. i love there are two because it really does allow the vacuum to get dirt by the floorboards. Further, the brushes are plastic but not so hard they scratch my hardwoods.5. sensors. this is a pro and a con. the pro is they're not so sensitive the brushes can't get dirt by the floorboards. However, because they are not sensitive, if the vacuum encounters a light weight object, it will push against it and if it can, roll over it and keep going.6. the mop. i actually love this function. the tank is small but holds more than enough liquid to mop my 750 sq ft apartment. Based on other reviews, before I mop I run the vacuum. Recharge, then mop. When I mop, I dampen the mop pad slightly, and the liquid I use is either a water diluted hardwood floor cleaner or water diluted tile cleaner. Both cleaners are thinnish so the water holes don’t clog. It really does clean my floor.7. dustbin. I can do 2 plus cleanings before I need to empty. However, before each cleaning I check the suction chamber to make sure nothing is stuck.8. running time. Mine runs about 75 minutes on a full charge. If I use the max function it runs maybe half the time.9. suction. The suction is more than sufficient for my hardwoods and tile, however it does not work as well on my thin rugs. It does work well enough, and if some lint is not picked up I just run my hand-held vacuum or dirt devil. Further, if it encounters something too big to suck up into the dustbin but small enough to suck up, the suction will hold on to the item and keep going. Usually I can hear when this happens so I just remove the item.10. remote. Love this remote. Easy to use and read, and the robot obeys commands. I especially like that when I tell it to go in a specific direction I don’t have to keep my finger on the arrow button so it continues in that direction.11. spot/edge functions. They really work. With the spot function, the vacuum goes in a small circle then gradually widens the circle. The edge function works well for floorboards and closed closets.12. rugs. My rugs are thin, so the vacuum has no problem moving from hardwood/tile to the rug and back again. I did notice if it hits the rug on a corner it may push the corner up. Then it will either back up and change directions, or keep going and clean that corner later. Lol13. cords. Only once did my vacuum get stuck. I forgot to push the cords against the wall. To get more corners/floorboards cleaned, I bought cord clips so the cords are now off the floor.14. customer service. Avalon Direct. I was missing the mop holder. The seller was on holiday and not returning until after my 30-day return period. When I contacted the “on holiday” seller, they could not have been more helpful, and really went out of their way to make me satisfied. In fact, they were so helpful, even though I knew I would not get the part until after the return period, I felt I could trust them to make things right. They did. Again, this is why I paid $40 extra to purchase from amazon. Great seller backed by amazon.Cons:1. sensors. there is no virtual wall. it will fall off a stair.2. random cleaning. i put dirt (potting soil, popcorn kernels, lint, ... ) on different spots, including under a dresser. the larger the space, the less chance the vacuum will pick up something. my kitchen and bathroom are small so they were cleaned 99%. the bedroom and living room are larger spaces so the cleaning was about 95%.3. removing and replacing dustbin/water basin. You pop the lid open (I usually have to push the pop button several times because you have to hit it just right), then pull the dustbin or basin out. Don’t pull too hard you can break the handle, but you have to pull hard enough to get it to come out. I would prefer if it just slid in and out like some other robot vacuums.4. no brush. I really wish it had a brush with the suction.Additional notes:- the mop function was important to me. if it's not as important to you, there are other vacuums like the A4 by iLife that probably are fantastic and inexpensive.- I have hardwoods and tile. i found it vacuums and mops both equally well. if there's a spot that needs extra cleaning, use the spot cleaning function.- I also bought a Coredy robotic vacuum. It was taller so had more difficulty getting under furniture. Worse it was loud. I returned it.- finally, my test for how much I like a product is whether I would buy it again. I say yes, but with a caveat. iLife is coming out with new models this year. If there is a better model, I’ll be upset because buying another robot vacuum is not in my budget. But for this, heck yes, I’d buy again.Feel free to ask me any questions, and I’ll try to update after I’ve had it a few months.UPDATE: i've had my vacuum a couple of months and i still love it. i use it once a week to vacuum, then mop the next day. i like that i can add my regular hardwood and tile cleaner to the water dispenser. the pads really do pick up things the vacuum may have missed, and if you spot clean with the pad 98% of the time the stain is gone. So overall, i'm still very happy with this choice and have recommended a robotic vacuum to several friends with the same warning given above ... buy the vacuum that fits YOUR needs. that may not be the most popular!!