VIOMI SE Review - The economic vacuum cleaner that sucks and washes
Just like POCOPHONE F1, which has established itself on the market by eliminating the superfluous to give performance, hardware and competitive price, VIOMI SE also embraces the same philosophy, offering everything you need to start immediately to thoroughly clean your home, at an economic price. without giving up very interesting specifications and functions.
Aesthetically we are faced with a circular robot vacuum cleaner, with a diameter of 35 cm and a height of 9,45 cm, which allows it to fit without too much effort under furniture, beds and raised sofas, for thorough and uniform cleaning. The small appliance also manages to climb over obstacles on the ground thanks to Japanese-made KOSEN-NBR wheels that give VIOMI SE the possibility of climbing up to 2 cm. The small tires are “cushioned” in order to overcome even any uneven floors, such as the typical differences in height created in the joints between the tiles.
Adjacent to the wheels we find the suction mouth that integrates the propeller brush with soft bristles, which can be removed for routine maintenance, such as removing hair and hairs that have become entangled, using the supplied tool, which we find under the lid of the robot, but also the possible washing of the accessory, all acting with a simple click.
Also on the bottom of the vacuum cleaner, we also find a wheel with a 360 ° rotating pin that will be used to direct the robot during its path and a side brush, which will convey the dirt collected from the corners or profiles of the perimeter of the room in which we are staying. carrying out cleaning. In addition, there is a replacement in the package, if the small bristles deteriorate over time, making them less efficient.
Moving on to the circular profiles of the VIOMI SE, in the back we find the two metal pins for charging the battery, which will join with their counterpart located on the charging dock, the latter of very small dimensions but without giving up a small LED on the upper part that certifies the effective implementation.
Next to the charging pins we find the grille for the air vent and the speaker, from which our robot will give us information about the operating status or report errors, but unfortunately only in English and honestly poco understandable. Moving on to the front, we find the cushioned band to cushion any bumps against objects and / or furniture as well as the anti-collision sensor. Precisely at the level of sensors, our VIOMI SE is equipped with 12 sensors, but not all dedicated to cleaning as it features Anti-Collision, Obstacle Detection, Fall Arrest, Suspension in the air, Refill, Washing kit insertion, Water tank induction sensors. , Gyroscope, Wheel speed, Dirt / water tank insertion.
A rather complete sensor system that will therefore allow us to be aware of any anomalies, however also reported on the app to which the laser turret positioned on the top of the robot vacuum cleaner is added, which will be used for mapping the house. In fact, for cleaning, VIOMI SE relies on an LDS + AI navigation algorithm, thus allowing to clean in less time and more effectively, making an intelligent path.
For the actual cleaning, the appliance relies on a Japanese-made NIDEC brushless motor that allows a brush rotation speed of 15000 rpm, offering a suction power that varies from a minimum of 600 Pa to a maximum. 2200 Pa, but also passing through the intermediate powers of 1000 and 1500 Pa, for a total of 4 different suction modes. Despite a much higher power than many rivals on the market, VIOMI SE is not particularly noisy, generating a maximum of 77 dB noise.
But VIOMI SE, despite its economic nature, also offers the possibility of washing floors, in single mode or combined with suction. We have the possibility to set the water supply on 3 different levels that will wet the supplied MOP cloth, which is anchored by means of Velcro and elastic to the washing base, which will be inserted through a clip on the back of the robot . In the package, however, we find a second MOP, which will be used if the dirt on the ground is more stubborn than expected (dry cleaning).
But VIOMI SE is not limited to a simple mop, but we can set an S or Y washing system. In practice VIOMI SE in S mode, will perform a classic serpentine path with changes of directions dictated by obstacles or by walls of the room, while the Y mode will make the robot perform a first vertical line and then move on the left and right diagonals of the imaginary line, forming a Y and this will allow a more thorough cleaning of the floor, however, going to save precious minutes of battery life.
Lithium-ion battery produced by Samsung with a capacity of 3200 mAh, which according to the company declares would allow the cleaning of at least 200 square meters and / or 120 minutes of session, with recharging that takes place in about 3/4 hours. Too bad that in real life things are different, as the values dictated by the company refer to the minimum suction power and with a path dictated by zero obstacles, but between furniture, tables, chairs etc .. in reality our VIOMI SE will have to to deal with many things and above all we should make use of at least the 3rd level of aspiration. All this translates into a cleaning of about 70 square meters with a maximum autonomy of around 65/70 minutes. More than enough values for most common homes, but in any case poco badly, because in the event of a low charge, the robot will return by itself to the charging base and then restart the cleaning from the precise point where it left it, as soon as it has reached a charge of 80%.
Returning to the discourse of washing floors, the water is conveyed by a 200 ml tank which is integrated into the dirt collection tray, the latter with a capacity of 300 ml to which the HEPA filter is also anchored. All the elements are washable, but honestly I found the dirt tray emptying system not exactly the best of comfort, but just get used to it. However, you must not be afraid to leave water in the tank even when you are not washing floors, because VIOMI SE integrates an electric water pump, which stops supplying the liquid when it is being charged.
The weight of VIOMI SE is only 4,4 kg and this allows us to lift it and take it to other rooms or to other floors of the house, taking advantage of the possibility offered by the companion app Mi Home, or we could set up to 7 different programs of cleaning and storing up to 5 different maps. This means that we could for example give a cleaning program targeted to certain rooms at certain times, and then carry out other cleaning in other rooms at still other times. In short, for example, we could clean the kitchen at 12:00, clean the bathroom at 14:00 and then proceed with the rest of the cleaning at 16:00, but above all, having in memory several maps we can also program targeted cleaning for certain areas.
What is certain is that for cleaning on different floors we must necessarily be present in the house, but for more normal situations we can also control our robot remotely, naturally after an active WiFi connection. Of course, with the app we can meticulously set all the cleaning and washing parameters, but if necessary VIOMI SE can work even without the support of the app, using the two buttons located on the "hood", one to start the cleaning / washing program (if the kit is inserted) and the other will make the robot recharge.
Ok many words and I still have to face the paragraph on the application, but on balance how does this VIOMI SE robot clean? I have to be honest, this product is not better than many others but it is not even worse, what makes it extraordinary and perfect for many users is the sale price that with a dedicated coupon on the Gearbest store, is around 263 euros with shipping from 'Europe.
VIOMI SE was found to be efficient in cleaning as well as washing, allowing me to concentrate on other things at home or directly on the drafting of articles etc .. In short, it is certainly a companion to rely on for cleaning your home when you are away for work , leisure or other. Of course, the efficiency is inversely proportional to the size of the house, not so much for cleaning, because as already mentioned, even if a single charge is not enough to cover the entire square footage, VIOMI SE will automatically recharge and return to cleaning from the point where he had left, but mostly for washing, as to obtain good results we should set the water supply to at least an average level, which will guarantee us a coverage of about 50 square meters. But as recommended poco ago, it is preferable to wash in your presence, also because the floor is dried quickly.
I was therefore pleased with the degree of cleanliness and washing of this robot, much more than the 360 S7 we reviewed, for example poco time ago. Ok, but now let's take a quick look at the application, Mi Home, the one who manages the entire Xiaomi ecosystem. From the app we can manage the map, renaming the rooms, or inserting virtual walls, manage the areas to be cleaned or excluded as well as set the suction power and water supply flow for washing. We can enable the S or Y washing program, set cleaning plans for certain areas, days and times. We can also check the maintenance status of consumables, update firmware and much more. Too bad that the Italian translation leaves a lot to be desired, also throwing a bit of confusion in the choice of the setting to be changed. Finally, it is worth noting the lack of support for voice commands with virtual assistants such as Alexa or Google Home.
Conclusions
VIOMI SE is an inexpensive robot vacuum cleaner that still offers high-end features such as floor washing, as well as a rather complete range of accessories. At the design level it is minimal but elegant and as regards the technical specifications, well it is certainly not inferior to competing devices. The particularly aggressive price places it at the top of the ranking in terms of quality / price ratio, offering a laser navigation system that allows it to map domestic environments in an excellent way. VIOMI SE is not a maid, but she does her job very well so I recommend it hands down.
tylko kolejny, który wygląda jak inne podróbki, ja mam roomba i tylko on ma dwa wałki, sprząta to jednak lepiej
No roomba niezawodna moim zdaniem i na wszystko wjedzie!