Professional’s Ranking
Execs
- 50% smaller than common
- 2500Pa suction
- LiDAR navigation
- Quiet operation
Cons
- No water tank
- Mopping is de facto only a light wipe
- Can’t vacuum and mop concurrently
- The supplied damp disposable cloths dry out
Our Verdict
It’s cute. It’s intelligent. It could possibly weave round obstacles and tuck into corners. This robotic vacuum is an efficient choice for folks on the lookout for a extra compact various to generally obtainable fashions. Nonetheless, its mopping operate is extra like damp dusting and also you’ll want to decide on whether or not to hoover or mop as a result of the K10+ can’t do each directly.
Value When Reviewed
$499.99
Finest Costs At present: SwitchBot Mini Robotic Vacuum K10+
$499.99
Let’s say you may have a small residence or the rooms in your home are fairly cosy. You have a look at a typical robotic vacuum and assume: that’s greater than my espresso desk and I’ve nowhere to place it. What do you do?
It’s this predicament that has led SwitchBot, the exuberant firm that makes with aplomb all method of ingenious good devices, to launch the K10+. It’s smaller than a dinner plate and never solely vacuums however mops as effectively – though not on the similar time.
Alex Greenwood / Foundry
Add to that the 2500Pa suction, a quiet 48dB operational noise, an auto-empty dock that guarantees as much as 70 days of hands-free cleansing, and LiDAR navigation that plots out your rooms and exhibits obstacles on the ground, and the K10+ may very effectively be the reply to the small house downside.
Design & Construct
- Robotic 50% smaller than commonplace fashions
- Compact auto-empty station
- Comes with spare filter and mud bag
- Makes use of disposable mop cloths
Within the field is an auto-empty station, the mini robotic vacuum and mop, a bag with a spare filter, mud bag and a packet of disposable mop cloths, a fast begin information and a consumer guide.
The auto-empty station is manufactured from onerous, white plastic, with an influence cable and built-in plug. The highest lid opens to disclose the mud bag compartment with the mop plate conveniently clipped into the underside of the lid, and there’s a small cleansing device mounted into the chamber that has a brush at one finish and a scalpel edge on the different.
The K10+ is round 50% smaller than commonplace fashions, and that is obvious as quickly as you unbox the shiny white robotic
Standing at 32cm, we discovered the station was roughly degree with the highest of a typical UK energy socket, so there’s capability to position it beneath a desk or excessive console desk. At 26cm large and 21cm deep, the station itself is compact and doesn’t overwhelm a small room; nevertheless, when the robotic is charging, the footprint extends outwards into the room to roughly 38cm, so bear that in thoughts if house is at a premium.
The K10+ is round 50% smaller than commonplace fashions, and that is obvious as quickly as you unbox the shiny white robotic itself. It’s chunkier than rivals and appears to have a character proper from the off. You simply really feel reasonably keen on it: it’s acquired the lovable issue.
It costs on the station through metallic contacts and the highest plate of the robotic vacuum lifts off to disclose the on/off slider swap. There’s a Residence button on prime of the robotic vacuum, which sends the vac again to the station for recharging or to pause cleansing, and the Clear button, which allows you to flip the vac on and off or begin or pause cleansing.
Switchbot additionally offers a spare mud bag, filter and a pack of thirty moist disposable cloths for the mopping plate.
Arrange & App
- Easy set-up
- App controls entire SwitchBot universe
- Good LiDAR mapping
After unpacking, arrange the auto-empty station in a viable spot with good Wi-Fi protection with 0.5m clearance on all sides and 1.5m clearance in entrance. Plug within the station, wrap the wire neatly on the again, and set up the sting sweeping brush. Then take away the highest plate, slide the facility swap on, and place the robotic subsequent to the charging factors on the station and the sunshine ring will illuminate – on contact, the robotic vacuum ought to play an ident and let you know that it’s charging.
Then, obtain the SwitchBot app. The app controls every little thing within the SwitchBot universe, so you’ll be able to join any SwitchBot good gadget via it, which suggests you’ll be able to create scenes that begin processes when one other SwitchBot product is activated: say, a contact sensor that triggers while you shut your entrance door can then activate the robotic vacuum to start out cleansing.
Switchbot provides a QR code to the app within the consumer guide for each Apple and Android. As soon as the app has put in, add the gadget, begin the Wi-Fi configuration by urgent the Clear and Residence buttons on the robotic vacuum and then you definately’ll get a immediate on your Wi-Fi password to pair the gadget.
The subsequent step is to set the vacuum to map the house you want to clear.
The K10+ appears to map in a short time. We set it to map two rooms with an interlocking hallway, and the LiDAR navigation managed to partially map three rooms past a sunk staircase touchdown some ten ft or extra away. The rooms will probably be picked out in several colors, though you’ll most likely must edit the map to exactly designate room parameters.
Alex Greenwood / Foundry
Efficiency & Options
- 4 suction modes
- Scheduled cleans
- Vacuums in locations others can’t attain
To hoover, merely open the app, press ‘Clear’ or ‘Extra’, which is able to convey up the map, after which press ‘Clear’.
You may select to scrub by room, entire home, or space, and to scrub a few times over, and there are 4 suction ranges: quiet, commonplace, sturdy and max.
As a result of it’s so small, the K10+ can attain all over the place
Quiet mode appears to be round 30-40 decibels, and we discovered it quieter than a mean desktop PC. Most is a typical vacuum cleaner noise degree, and you may really feel the air outlet from the filter from a couple of foot or extra away.
And sure, as a result of it’s so small, the K10+ can attain all over the place. It even managed to hoover beneath a child doll’s toy cot. The auto-empty is loud although – as this characteristic all the time is – so be ready to expertise what seems like a small jet engine firing up in your house. On the plus aspect, you’ll be able to schedule this mud assortment in order that it doesn’t happen at an inopportune time.
As with most robotic vacuums, the K10+ can’t climb a step increased than 2cm, which is difficult if in case you have an uneven flooring floor, however one barely uncommon characteristic is that via the app, it’s also possible to distant management the robotic vacuum on a direct foundation, transferring it in all instructions like a drone.
Once more, you’ll be able to schedule cleans and generate reviews. The app may also let you know the standing of the filter, aspect brush, brush roll, mud bag and whether or not it’s good to wipe the sensors. You may also set a don’t disturb interval and a baby lock.
In our assessments, the K10+ cleaned 8m2 in about 11 minutes. One factor we observed is that the K10+ will try to vacuum beneath just about beneath something, so it does nudge gentle furnishings a bit – a baby’s wicker rocking chair was all the time at a little bit of an angle afterwards.
If you wish to mop, then the method is a bit more concerned. The mop plate is housed on the underside of the auto-empty station lid, and it’s good to match a moist wipe material to the mop plate – SwitchBot provides you with a pack of 30 or you should use your individual – by wrapping it across the plate and securing it with each the integral Velcro and hooks.
We should admit that we acquired this mistaken at first and needed to reposition the wipe, and since it’s a moist wipe, it misplaced some moisture earlier than we managed to get it on the plate. That mentioned, when you match the plate excessive of the comb, the K10+ goes instantly into mop mode, which we thought was reasonably spectacular, and while you set it to scrub, it mops your flooring.
Now this isn’t mopping as most individuals would outline it. As a substitute, it’s extra of a moist mud. What the K10+ is doing is wiping a moist wipe throughout your onerous flooring. So it might probably’t take away ground-in grime or convey up your tiles when what they actually need is sizzling water, sugar cleaning soap and vigorous scrub with a brush that resembles a hedgehog.
However for damp dusting, we thought it was reasonably good. And it didn’t go away a streak on our tiles.
In our check, we mopped two rooms and located the wipe lasted about 20 minutes earlier than it actually dried out. It picked up fairly a little bit of common fluff. It’s not one thing that may take away a puddle of spilt juice although. It’s extra of a mud elimination and buffing course of.
The K10+ works with Alexa, Google Residence, Siri shortcuts, IFTTT, and SmartThings for all you Samsung bods.
At current, a substitute equipment for a yr’s use, which incorporates two new edge sweeping brushes, 5 bin filters, 5 extra mud baggage, eight packs of thirty mopping cloths and a brand new cleansing device prices $59.99/ £59.99, though there’s at present a deal for 20% off. You may see the low cost code on the web page.
Value & Availability
The SwitchBot Mini K10+ is out there within the US for $499.99. There’s at present a $100 off voucher deal on Amazon, and it’s obtainable at full worth direct from SwitchBot.
Within the UK, it’s priced at £499.99, with the identical shopping for choices obtainable. Once more, on the time of writing, the place to purchase is Amazon, which is providing £100 off with a voucher code on the web page. You may also purchase from the SwitchBot web site.
Notably with the low cost, and considering the self-emptying station, this makes the K10+ a very good worth choice for anybody on the lookout for a smaller robotic vacuum. For extra choices throughout a variety of worth factors, take a look at our round-up of one of the best robotic vacuums we’ve examined.
By the way, SwitchBot is about to launch the S10, which is the following degree in automated flooring cleansing and is not less than double the value of the K10+ ($1,199.99/£999.99 and obtainable for pre-order). Not solely does this robotic vacuum and mop have 6500Pa suction, a curler mop and an auto-empty and dry station, it additionally comes with an auto-fill and drain water station that you just plumb into your water provide and wastewater pipe, and the S10 has the flexibility to refill humidifiers and empty de-humidifiers as well.
At this level, it’s all getting a bit just like the Self Actuated Residential Automated Habitat – or SARAH for brief – that Jack Carter discovered himself dwelling in when he grew to become sheriff of Eureka. SwitchBot additionally makes good hubs, locks, keypads, movement sensors, contact sensors, indoor cams, bulbs, plugs, meters, curtain openers and the well-known, unique “bot” that can activate a primary gentle swap.
The scene programming prospects inside this gadget universe are countless. In some unspecified time in the future, somebody will make a movie that echoes Residence Alone, solely it received’t be slightly boy known as Kevin repelling a duo of dastardly burglars, it is going to be a SwitchBot mini hub as an alternative.
Do you have to purchase the the Switchbot Mini Robotic Vacuum K10+?
We just like the K10+. It’s dinky and cute, and handles small areas effectively, albeit barely erratically as a result of it will get into locations different robotic vacuums can’t. It’s additionally not a dominating presence so can sit in a small room simply and nobody goes to make use of the auto-empty station as a surrogate stool.
You probably have a small dwelling house, and also you need a robotic vacuum to maintain the mud beneath management, we’d say the K10+ may very effectively be for you.