Chuwi Ilife V7s Robot, we have tested it

In recent years we have become familiar with cleaning robots and not only because YouTube is full of videos of them with cats flying them. One of the best known species of these little home helpers are those of the Roomba iRobot series , but if a “defect” of them must be highlighted, it is their high price. For this reason, due to the great demand that has arisen in recent times, cheaper alternatives have not stopped emerging that although they are not the same, they can give us a hand, in addition to healing our pocket a little.

We have tried one of these alternatives, it is the Ilife V7 from the Chinese brand Chuwi - better known for manufacturing mobile phones and tablets. This robot with HEPA filter of perfect dimensions, has many positive things, and among its functions are to vacuum and mop the floor.

We are going to tell you all the details about this little robot vacuum cleaner, which you can find in the Gearbest store at a cost of only 135 euros .

Dimensions and layout

The  Chuwi Ilife V7s Robot has a rounded design like most of its kind. This is an impediment when it comes to reaching the dirt in the corners, but to counteract this, its dimensions are quite small (34.00 x 34.00 x 8.00 cm ), and especially its weight that does not even reach 3 kilograms . The upper part is made of polycarbonate and is available in two colors, pink and blue . On this same cover there is a small LED indicator that through color changes indicates the battery level of the robot and also when it is fully charged or in the process of charging.

The home button is located just below the mops , so starting it up if you don't know where it is is a bit tedious at first. Two faults that we have found when starting it are that, on the one hand, it  does not have a European charger and we have needed an adapter and, on the other, the instructions are in Chinese , although with a little common sense and some time in the end we get that it worked.

In general, the materials with which it is designed can be quite flimsy to the touch but, despite this, it performs its function in a more than acceptable way for a robot that is below 150 euros.

Box contents

The robot includes two extra side brushes and two chamois that can be easily interchanged and machine washed. It also includes a dust tank with interchangeable HEPA filters and a water tank. The robot can be controlled by remote control and charging is done on a base that connects to the robot with two small magnets.

Start up

To start using it we have to connect its base to the electrical network , on the ground and held firmly against a wall. These conditions are necessary because the robot autonomously searches for the base to recharge and if we put obstacles in between it will have something complicated. We will see how the LED located in the center will begin to emit different colors, we hope that it is completely green, which will mean that it is charged. If we press and hold the physical start button on the robot while charging, it will only come out to clean when it is 100% , otherwise we will have to activate it manually by clicking on the "clean" button. from the lid or with the remote control.

Cleaning

Before starting with our opinion on the test, we want to emphasize that we have tested the robot in an extreme situation: a chalet in the field where two humans and six animals live , ergo, dust and hair everywhere . Although the results are not as good as we expected, we must be understanding and understand that perhaps it has been too much for a robot of this price range  and that in less extreme conditions, we are sure that it would give excellent results.

The suction mode does this very well, especially around the edges , where it easily brushes away dirt and then absorbs it. The ideal is to use a mop, but in our case we had to use both in each cleaning session, one for vacuuming and the other for scrubbing, since the animal hairs remained attached. To start vacuuming we must enter the suction tank and that's it , we just have to empty it at the end. Emptying the tanks is exchanging them is very simple, just press on the lid and it opens automatically, then just take the tank from its handle to remove or insert it.

The way that has surprised us the most is mopping , which is actually like scrubbing the floor . To start it, you have to change the powder tank for the water tank, fill it with the element liquid to the indicated mark and that's it, the robot will soak the mop at its base and scrub the floor as it goes.

The scrub mode is very useful when you do not have time and you want to have the floor sanitized, but if you are a bit maniac it is better that you do not start it since, although it fulfills its function that after all is cleaning, leave all ground full of marks.

Another thing you have to keep in mind is that you cannot leave cables on the ground, since the robot hooks up and automatically turns off . For the rest, it perfectly recognizes the steps and also the obstacles and, despite the fact that the first cleaning cycle was quite repetitive and was dedicated to going through the same room fifty times, in the end the software learns the areas and does everything at once .

With normal mode it  takes around 90 minutes to vacuum and scrub the entire surface of the house, which in our case is 150 square meters . The battery is lithium , with 260 mAh and allows a complete cleaning of an hour and a half. If we leave the base connected on the ground, the robot approaches by itself and docks to charge when it runs out of battery, and the same when it is charged, it goes out to clean again.

Another very positive thing about the  Chuwi Ilife V7s Robo t is that it is super quiet (60 decibels) , something to be especially grateful for if you use it while you are at home working.

Conclusions

In general, the conclusions of the Ilife V7s Robot are good . Although this robot does not cover the needs of a house with a lot of dirt, it is ideal for small to medium-sized apartments where animals or children do not live. It is very quiet, as well as easy to use. Its autonomy is good and without a doubt its price is far from what we can find in the market, so if your needs are not very demanding and you don't want to spend too much, this robot is perfect for you. And it is that 135 euros for a robot cleaner with vacuum and scrubbing that works acceptably is a bargain. By the way, with the V7SES codeyou get a discount of around five euros. Also, if you want other types of vacuum cleaners you can find some interesting offers on Gearbest .

Chuwi ILIFE V7s Robot