The only vacuum you’ll ever need

The market for robot vacuums has become increasingly competitive, with many brands introducing powerful and fully autonomous models. Ecovacs has taken things even further by introducing versatile models like the Deebot X2 Combo, which combines a robovac with a hand vacuum. Sadly, the latter is particularly expensive, and the brand has developed a more affordable solution: the Ecovacs Deebot T30s Combo.

It’s a two-in-one appliance that features a robot vacuum and mop, with the addition of a hand unit. The latter comes with accessories to clean where the robot can’t go. This allows you to clean virtually anywhere, including stairs and upholstery. The robot and dock also feature all advanced cleaning features, including hot water mop washing, extending mop pads, and strong suction power, making it a recommended choice to keep your house clean.

Price and availability

The price of a robovac, for more cleaning options

The Ecovacs Deebot T30s Combo is sold for $1,200 on Amazon and directly from Ecovacs. As a launch offer, it comes with an additional $150 coupon. Considering it’s two devices in one, it’s not too expensive, as it even costs less than some of the most costly robovacs on the market. In addition, since both the robot and hand unit are emptied using the same station, this saves space and dust bags.

What’s good about the Ecovacs Deebot T30s Combo

Multifaceted cleaning

The Ecovacs Deebot T30s Combo features a particularly strong 11,000Pa suction power, making it highly effective at removing dirt, debris, and pet hair from various surfaces, including carpets and hard floors. The bristled roller brush enhances its ability to lift and sweep debris while rotating mop pads help it clean along baseboards and furniture. In addition, the mop pads are washed with hot water and dried with hot air, maximizing hygiene and avoiding odors.

In addition to cleaning your floors, the Ecovacs Deebot T30s Combo comes with a hand vacuum, which is especially handy for vacuuming spots the robot can’t reach, thanks to the included accessories. These include a two-in-one flat brush, a crevice tool, and a mini brush. They simplify cleaning most surfaces, including baseboards, corners, couches, car seats, stairs, and more. The hand vacuum is lightweight and easy to maneuver, making it ideal for quick cleanups in small areas. Ecovacs also plans to offer an additional floor tool accessory, enabling the T30s Combo to fully replace a stick vacuum.

The Ecovacs Deebot T30s Combo features a particularly strong 11,000Pa suction power, making it highly effective at removing dirt, debris, and pet hair from various surfaces, including carpets and hard floors.

After using the hand vacuum for more than 30 seconds, you need to place it back for it to empty itself into the dock’s dust bag. This makes overall maintenance easier, with the dock caring for both the hand unit and the robot. Your only maintenance tasks are refilling and emptying the water tanks and occasionally cleaning the baseplate. Speaking of which, the latter is fully removable, making it a breeze to take out and wash under the sink.

Another feature I appreciated about the Ecovacs Deebot T30s Combo is its built-in Yiko assistant, which lets you control it without the app or smart speakers. Unfortunately, it often struggled to understand my commands, and I’ve often had to take my phone out to start a cleaning cycle.

What’s bad about the Ecovacs Deebot T30s Combo

Navigation and obstacles are a challenge

Despite being a very convenient appliance, the Deebot T30s Combo has some shortcomings. While overall cleaning performance is excellent, the T30s Combo struggles with navigation and obstacle detection. While it can effectively avoid large objects like furniture and walls, it often misses smaller items such as cables and socks. This can lead to the robot getting stuck or tangled, interrupting the cleaning process. Similarly, it’s not the best navigator and sometimes tries to enter rooms with closed doors while occasionally missing spots.

In addition, using a bristled brush roller is a questionable choice from Ecovacs. While effective at deep cleaning, it’s prone to tangles, especially with long hair and pet fur. Despite Ecovacs’ claims of anti-tangle technology, I’ve still had to manually remove tangled pet hair from it, which rarely happens with bristleless brushes.

Moreover, while the Ecovacs app offers essential controls and mapping capabilities, it lacks some advanced features available on competitor apps. The interface can feel outdated, sometimes requiring some fiddling to find the settings you’re looking for. Also, obstacles the robot detects aren’t shown on the map, which competing products indicate in real-time.

Finally, it’s important to remember that the T30s Combo is a more affordable device and lacks some features. For example, it doesn’t have a built-in camera for obstacle detection or live video streaming. Also, while large, the dock doesn’t have a built-in detergent dispenser, which would have been a nice addition to minimize maintenance. If you’re missing out on that, you can always spring for the Deebot X2 Combo, but that comes with a higher price tag.

Should you buy it?

The Ecovacs Deebot T30s Combo is a well-rounded robot vacuum and mop combo. It offers strong suction, efficient mopping, and a hand vacuum attachment to clean virtually any surface. However, the robot struggles with small obstacles, especially cables, which can be annoying if you have loose cables at home. Also, the Ecovacs app is less user-friendly than some competitors’ apps, making it less intuitive to use daily.

That said, if you prioritize powerful cleaning and mopping performance with the added benefit of a hand unit, the Ecovacs Deebot T30s Combo is a worthy investment. It offers good value for money and can easily handle most cleaning tasks. However, if your floors aren’t always clean of obstacles and cables, it might be worth exploring other options or ensuring your floors are clear before each cleaning session.