VIOMI ROBOT VACUUM S9 BLACK V-RVCLMD28B

Now thats a loaded title, but I think that this bot justifies it. Surely I haven't bought every single robot out there and put them to a scientific test (but I have read innumerable reviews for many/most of them) and finally settled in on this one, the Viomi S9. To get into this feature set (self-disposal) today (2021 July) you have to pay considerably more - nearly twice as much for the Roombas or about the 1.5x as much for the Ecovacs combination. And even then then the Roobas come with some major disadvantages (need 2 devices for vacuuming and cleaning, and AFAIK, they cannot navigate in a dark room). As such the real question here is basically this - does this bot deliver a satisfactory experience on the various features it claims at what appears to be a significant discount to the prices of other options?---------- Pros ----------++ Vacuuming and mopping performance is good ++I used the quiet mode (weakest of 3 suction modes) for vacuuming and found it to have sufficient suction already for typical household dirt like hair, dust, small pieces of paper etc. The sound at this mode is like that of a hairdryer running at low-medium and definitely tolerable. The vacuuming proceeds at roughly 1.3 squared meters per minute.Mopping: I used Level 2 (medium) and Level 3 (maximum water usage) for mopping and both work fine. Mop wont clean older dry stains in one pass, but repeating the mopping over an area definitely removes it after 1-2 attempts. S mode is sufficient to clean in my opinion (though Y-mode supposedly gives better cleaning). While I haven't tested it specifically it appears that one filling of the water tank will last ~1600-2000sq ft or more with Level 2 water usage set (which is definitely enough for the mopping).Auto waste disposal from the robot to the base station also works reliably.++ Navigation is robust ++Once the map has been created the robot is very robust in its navigation. It was able to dock successfully with the base station every single time, even when I left less than the recommended clearance around the docking station. If picked up and displaced by hand its capable of returning back to the base station on its own (after the map has been created for the first time) if you press the return to home button on the robot or in the app.It is not affected by randomly appearing/disappearing objects - like walking humans, bean bags, chairs etc being moved around after forming the map for the first time.The anti-drop feature too has worked perfectly every single time I tested it by letting the mop wander off from a ledge - while I was always ready to catch it should it fall, I never needed to (though it mentally always feels a little worrying to see the robot reach the edge of a ledge about 7 ft from the ground - since a fall would basically mean irreparable destruction. But it has always stopped/backed off safely)++ Battery and recharging ++A full recharge of the battery takes about 2.5-3 hours. The robot will return to its base station automatically if its running out of battery and then once topped up with power, will resume its original planVacuuming seems to consume about 1% battery for every 2 squared meters (which takes about 1.5 minutes for our house) at the quiet suction mode (which is sufficient for our needs). I haven't checked battery with mopping enabled.++ Misc. features ++Scheduled cleaning, multiple maps supported (not sure how many - but at least 2 are supported). Multiple virtual walls and no-go areas work reliably. The robot/app supports point and area cleaning as well as cleaning just the wall-floor edges.---------- Cons ---------->> Robot silliness when power is lost on the base stationAs it stands, with the the latest firmware in place, the robot will leave the base station when there is a loss of power (power-cut) - it seems that the robot does not "remember" that it was already docked when the power was lost, and so starts searching for the dock when it (the dock) looses power. I work around this by turning off the robot when its close to the dock and doesn't need recharging (you cant turn off the robot when docked - appears to be a safety feature).I am told by the customer care that they expect a fix for this issue soon - potentially within a month. Its not a deal breaker, but is a definite annoyance on a device/system this expensive.>> Cleaning reachWhile not a big deal for me personally, I think its something every buyer would like to know - in this model the mop (or the vacuum) is not as "wide" as the body of the robot. This means that when mopping close to the wall, the mop will not be able to reach the 3-5 cm of the floor closest to the wall. This is not a problem during vacuuming because the spinning brush "sweeps" the dirt from the edges to the "mouth" of the vacuum (near the walls the robot always moves such that the wall is on its right side so that the brush on the right can be used to "sweep")Also, if your house has a lot of double edged walls (edges like ¯¯|__ when seen from above) then the cleaning around such edges may not be effective since the brush may not reach the inner edge properly. At the outer edge too, about 2-5 cm strip may not be "swept" as the robot tries to avoid the edge and then find the wall again. Obviously this is a small nit pick for me, but hey, its an expensive robot so you need to know what you are paying for.>> MiscThe disposable mop cloths (looks be a fiber-paper composite) are not useful. They dont touch the floor at all points reliably and thus have poor mopping performance and occasionally leave streaks on the floor. I used two of them and have no plans of using the other 8. The reusable mop (microfiber, 1 pc) on the other hand cleans well.My sister also reported that clearing a map cleared both maps we had saved until then for different floors. We havent checked if this was an issue with the app, or if she mis-clicked some option.--------- Tips ---------1. Get a second mop plate (and one or more additional reusable mop cloths). If you have a dusty house then you may want to change the mop cloth when about half the mopping is done. This process involves taking out the mop plate and removing the mop cloth, running it under water to clean the dust/dirt , reattaching it to the mop plate and sliding it back into the back of the robot under the water tank. Now if you have a second mop plate, then you dont have to remove and re-attach the cloth - you can simply slide in the second mop plate with the new mop reusable cloth attached on it. To me this is a definite quality of life improvement.2. Wet the mop cloth when/after attaching it to the mop plate before sliding it under the robot. This ensures good mopping from the get go, instead of waiting for the water pump to wet the mop which takes a few seconds after starting mopping and will leave the first few meters of mopping insufficiently wet. If you are wetting the mop, you can also add a few drops of cleaning fluid (dont add it into the water tank, since its not rated for it) directly to the cloth if you need it (you may also spray the cleaning fluid on the floor if you need more).3. The Mi Home app used to control this robot needs a bunch of permissions to work well. If you are having trouble connecting to the robot for the very first time, make sure your phone's Bluetooth is on and your Wi-Fi network has internet access.---------------------- Overall verdict ----------------------Despite the couple of flaws I noted above, the Viomi S9 definitely met my expectations even if its expensive. I got it for my mother who is finding it hard to bend over occasionally and this looks to be successful in taking over the sweeping and mopping duties from her in this pandemic. There is definitely a learning curve, particularly for older people in using the app and getting familiar with all the various options, but the robot has been reliable in its functioning and I'm happy with the purchase so far (about a month of use). If it lasts a few years, I'd consider it a good buy for my needs.

Edit : since my earlier review, the vacuum broke down 5 months before warranty expiry. Then after dilly dallying for a month, Cambrium finally took our vacuum, kept it for testing etc for a few months and returned it after warranty. Now it doesn’t function and they aren’t entertaining a replacement. Really frustrating we have gone through months of wiping the floor manually after spending this much of money. DO NOT BUY. This is a fraud company.Edit : Since my earlier review, the issue of vacuum disconnecting from the base has been rectified. I am happy with its performance and will buy a second one for another floor of the house in due time so I can control both with the same app.The product works as advertised. The battery life is great, the mapping features work, the app is easy to use, the suction power is great, it climbs well on small carpets, alerts when it is stuck and mops well too.A major con is that it disconnects itself from the dock and roams around the entire house when there is a power cut. During a power cut, our generator switches on anywhere between 10 seconds to 2 minutes. In this time, the device roams around the entire floor, spreading the dirt in the mop pad as well as scrubbing dirt across the house since the vacuum is not on while it roams to find the dock and fails spectacularly.While there are ways around this issue - stopping the device from moving around each time from the app, switching off the dock and the device after charging etc.., this brings in manual effort which should not be required in the first place. This is supposed to be a home automation device and when you've sprung for the top end model to avoid even the dust dumping work, it is highly frustrating to think about manual turnarounds and being around the device 24x7.The customer support number worked great only once - when they called me immediately after purchase. Other than that, it is a never ending wait for someone to pick up the call - No one has ever called me back either after I receive the whole spiel of "your call is important to us, all our agents are busy, we will call you back".They even gave me a whatsapp number which has been MIA since day 1. I was able to google my way through Cambrium and find a contact number of a person in Mumbai who has been kind enough to listen to my rant and make promises of connecting me with the tech team. It has been 10 days since my first request and I have followed up twice.If this does not work, I will have to go through the ordeal of social media ranting etc.. and get a refund if they aren't able to solve the issue.Is this hassle worth fifty thousand of my rupees? Probably not. We'll know if and when I get a response fro Viomi/Cambrium. Until then, I suggest you do buy this (because it works as advertised) but knowing fully well you will have to figure out a solution if your power supply is interrupted.

The performance of this robot is much better than more expensive robots like Roomba and Braava from iRobot. I have been using iRobot Roomba for vacuuming and iRobot Braava for mopping, and purchased the Viomi Apha S9 as an extra device. Apart from doing multitasking of both vacuum cleaner and mopping device, this device is also much more efficient. It shows live location of the device with path of area already cleaned, and also continues to mop even after the water tank is empty, unlike the iRobot Braava that starts mopping only when the tank is exactly 100% full and stops/pauses mopping after a couple of teaspoons of water have been used, that is after mopping less than 10 sq.ft., till the tank is filled to 100% again.

Hi, there is no list of items in the box. Therefore, we do not know what has come and not come.Secondly, we found a card saying "Gift inside". However, we did not find any gifts.Please provide clarity for the above.B N Ramgopal

Amazing product. Worth every paisa.Pros-Good suction,Auto dirt disposal that works like a charmBig battery that supplies enough juice to clean the entire home of 1200 sq ft thrice over.Good implementation of LiDAR tech with sensitive obstacle management - does not keep bumping obstacles meaning our legsTop of the line features - great app integration and control with multiple maps and schedules, Y style mopping pattern meaning it will get rid nearly most of the dirt, no go zone,remote control,Cons - none.No problem that is unique to the maintenance of this product, similar to any of robot vacuum out there in the market. Watch out for any sudden noise as it may picked a child's toy. This will damage the axle roller (an expected and common issue in every robot vacuum).availability of spares is yet to be ascertained (HEPA filter, mop, dirt bag, tank, axle roller). The seller has assured that as this was launched in India a month ago, the spares would be listed my 3rd week of May2021.It has been 2 weeks of use now. And so far it has been plug and play and absolutely...5th week update -It Is still going great.This is still is the only product on the market with 2700 pa suction powered, 5700 mAH battery, auto dust disposal LiDAR enabled robot vacuum with mop function at this price point. And our family super happy about it.Heads up - before initiating a cleaning session it is cautioned that small objects like children's toys, crayons, pen caps, long threads, cellphone charging cables or hair bands etc be removed from the floor. These are death knell to the cleaning brush. Good thing Xiaomi has programmed it to sense when any of the moving parts (side brush or axle brush or wheels) get stuck and trigger auto shut off with a loud warning that it is stuck. Fortunately a replacement would cost @₹600/- unlike other brands.. (cough... iRoomba).It also struggles to make its way across memory foam padded foot rugs.Please note that this is an XIAOMI product, imported by Cambium Retail Pvt Ltd based out of Mumbai. So the integration with MI home app is effortless, the quality of build, construction and design are pretty decent. A word about the Cambium Retail employees (both the sales and support customer care guys) managing the call center - they are highlycourteous, friendly, considerate and thoughtful, not to mention knowledgeable and they know their products well. And they deserve credit to the success of this product.Summary:Think of it like a top load washing machine - would it clean a highly soiled and dried stain? Nope. Similarly neither would this product clean a dried sambar or ketchup spilt on the floor. Those would still require some good old elbow grease. Apart from those, this will get the job done effortlessly and a complete peace of mind