OKP K5 – (some would say) THE BEST ROBOT VACUUM CLEANER UNDER €100
We have often witnessed the launch of robot vacuum cleaners that offered incredible performance and unique functions but at prices that were decidedly out of budget for most users, who would like to taste the thrill of owning a device capable of cleaning for them but who don't want to spend a lot of money. exorbitant. Among the economical robots that can still lend a hand in household cleaning we find the OKP K5, which is decidedly essential but which, with a price of around €100, can be a valid help at home. Today we find out in detail in our review.
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Design and materials
OKP K5 has the classic circular shape, a diameter of 280 mm and a height of 77 mm which gives it the opportunity to easily slip under furniture, beds and sofas, thus managing to clean corners that we would hardly be able to reach with ordinary ones. cleaning tools. If on the one hand the reduced height is an advantage, on the other it is a disadvantage because our robot does not adopt navigation systems using a laser turret or LIDAR, therefore moving on domestic surfaces somewhat randomly.
The plastic body offers a black and white livery, while the button positioned on the top is in silver with red, purple and blue LED lighting based on the notification it wants to communicate. The upper cover hides an on/off switch inside and the dirt tank, with built-in HEPA filter, with a capacity of 500 ml to accommodate even several days' worth of dirt, although for hygiene reasons we recommend emptying it at least every two days. cleaning cycles. In this regard I found another small flaw, relating precisely to the HEPA filter which is still washable under running water, but which is very thick and with a sort of protective sponge which actually retains the most solid parts of the dirt but above all hair and hair, therefore having to manually remove them during the emptying operation.
On the sides of the robot we find a perforated surface with a honeycomb style, so as to circulate the air more easily, avoiding overheating. On the lower part of the OKP K5, the one in contact with the floors, we find two three-branched side brushes (two spare ones are also included in the package) and two rubberized and bodied wheels that help the domestic helper to easily climb over the little ones obstacles (max 1,5 cm). We also find a wheel that serves to direct the robot with the possibility of 360° rotations and finally a large suction mouth. The OKP K5 is therefore essential also in this area, not offering a rotating brush and honestly I appreciated this, because any hair or fur does not get tangled.
The charging base is also essential, small and rectangular in shape, which has a small ramp with connectors for magnetic charging. Finally, in the sales package we also find a brush with a built-in micro cutter for cleaning and removing hair/hair as well as the instruction manual (also in Italian).
How does OKP K5 clean?
First of all, the essential nature of the OKP K5 also has a positive impact on its use, which is truly within everyone's reach. Simply pair it via its companion app, available for both Android and iOS, and immediately start using the home gadget. The application does not offer great functions and considering the absence of dedicated navigation systems, we do not find a mode dedicated to home mapping, therefore we could not create cleaning automations for certain rooms. However, we can plan a cleaning on certain days and times, associate the robot with Alexa or Google Assistant, but also control the OKP K5 via a virtual remote control to manually maneuver the robot vacuum cleaner, as well as deciding the suction intensity or type cleaning between 4 different modes.
The maximum suction power is 2500 Pa, not very high but still capable of capturing dust, even coarse dirt such as biscuit crumbs as well as pet hair and hair in a more than satisfactory way. In my tests, the OKP K5 was not always able to collect the pebbles from the cat's litter with a single pass, but not so much because of the "poor" suction power, but due to the fact that the side brushes are not always successful to direct what is captured inside, but sometimes they push it outwards. Here I make this observation as the owner of 3 cats, but for a single user, or for cleaning offices or in any case environments where there are no particularities relating to dirt, the robot in question is able to capture well what is present on the ground already with a first pass.
Equipped with a 2200 mAh battery, the autonomy should be around 120 minutes but in reality considering that you will practically always use all the suction power available, the KP K5 will not be able to clean a house with a single charge common of 80 square meters, but at most it will reach 45/50. Fortunately, the domestic gadget is able to return to the base autonomously and then restart from where it left off after about two hours. As already mentioned, we do not have a smart navigation system, but OKP equips its K5 with the Freemove 3.0 algorithm which makes the vacuum cleaner move in an S-shaped path, but we can also decide to have only the perimeter of the rooms cleaned or adopt a random path zig-zag but also have a specific area cleaned, but only after having "accompanied" the robot into position via navigation with a virtual remote control. In any case, the autonomy is always insufficient to clean an entire house since in the absence of dedicated systems, the robot often cleans the same point several times, leaving out others where it had not previously passed.
However, we find an anti-collision and anti-fall system that works very well, even if in some cases the device tends to require an extra maneuver to be sure of hitting your target. The anti-fall system really amazed me: when placed on a table, the OKP K5 did not commit suicide. For those who have carpets, there is a sort of turbo mode which allows for more thorough cleaning. Furthermore, the robot can also be used in the evening thanks to a noise level that never exceeds 56 dB and therefore does not annoy the neighbors.
On offer on Amazon
Conclusions and price
OKP K5 offers all the basic functions of a robot vacuum cleaner, completing cleaning sessions optimally. Simple, without unnecessary frills and straight to the point. It doesn't promise miracles but what it promises it does well but it's not for everyone, or at least not for cleanliness fanatics or for those with a large family or lots of animals. For offices, singles but also for standard families, OKP K5 can be a valid help in daily cleaning. It should always be remembered that we are talking about an entry-level but that for around 100 euros it is absolutely especially if you do not require extreme levels of cleanliness.
