It has been a competitive few years in the robotic vacuum scene.
iRobot Roomba, Samsung POWERbot, BISSELL SmartClean, Neato, bObswep, Infinuvo, Moneual, Miele and there is LG with their Hom-Bot Square Robotic Vaccums.
Let’s take a look at the LG Hom-Bot Square Robotic Vacuum (VR65704LVM).
I. WHAT’S INSIDE THE BOX:
– Robot Cleaner
– Remote Controller + two AAA batteries
– Home Station + Adapter
– Cleaning tool
– Dust Bin
– Dustin Bin Filter (Spare)
– Cleaning Brush (on the dust bin cover) to clean sensors and filter
– Quick Guide/Owner’s Manual
– Mop Plate
– Ultra Microfiber Mop (2 pieces)
– Side brush (two + spare)
– Brush (inside)
II. The Robot Vacuum and it’s modes
There are two ways to control the vacuum. One is on top of the robot vacuum but the other is via the remote control.
The robot vacuum features several cleaning modes (which will be indicated on the top screen of the vacuum in the digital panel):
a. Zigzag cleaning
b. Cell by cell cleaning – For those who want more of meticulous cleaning.
c. My Space Cleaning – It focuses on an area to clean
d. Manual Cleaning – Cleaning via the arrow buttons on the remote
e. Spot Cleaning – It goes on a spiral cleaning
There are other modes that also can be set such as:
– Turbo Mode (more powerful clean but uses battery power up quickly)
– Repeat Mode – Repeats the cleaning in progress until the battery runs out and returns to the home station.
– Learning Mode – Memorizes the cleaning environment
– Schedule Cleaning Mode – You can also adjust the timer of the clock in Schedule Cleaning Mode
– Mop Cleaning – Primarily to remove dust on hardwood floors. You have to attach the ultra microfiber mop in the Robot Clear mop plate.
Another interesting part about the LG Hom-Bot Square Robotic Vacuum is that it has a location search function and remembers its location while cleaning.
In case things go wrong, there is a smart diagnosis feature.
III. TESTING THE VACUUM
I had a good week of testing the vacuum and the LG Hom-Bot Square Robotic Vacuum did a fantastic job. I set the vacuum in turbo mode and tested the various modes with Cell by Cell cleaning being my favorite.
The vacuum did a magnificent job in cleaning up my pug’s shedded hair on the carpet. Of course, it required multiple emptying of the dust bin. But the vacuum did a fantastic job of cleaning. The only thing I recommend is removing the cleaning brush from the dust bin and keep it in a safe place as it can accidentally be dumped into the garbage when emptying.
The vacuum did a great job of memorizing locations and also getting into areas and collecting dirt, pet hair into the vacuum. It also did a great job in our tile flooring area and cleaning it as well.
The only time I did have problems is when it got closer to a few cables and it got stuck. So, I made sure from here on in that I had to block any wires when the robotic vacuum was nearby or removing any wiring to prevent the vacuum from getting stuck.
The other time I saw the robotic vacuum get stuck is when it went near a pet kennel as the side brush got stuck into the gate. So, it’s another area that I had to make sure the vacuum didn’t get too close to.
The third time, while not getting stuck but found it amusing is how it kept bumping into the docking home station and pushing it sideways. Making us adjusting the home station, so it can dock after the battery died. So, that was interesting to see, but I was hoping it would not do that to its own home station.
And this was also the case with hitting our dogs water bowl and food bowl. It’s important to note that it’s done it once, and has not done it again, so perhaps it memorized not to do it again.
Fortunately, turbo mode allowed the robotic vacuum climb over our carpet areas and it managed to climb over it. But the robotic vacuum managed to figure out getting over higher levels. But was glad to see this vacuum perform well.
Pressing the Home Button, it does take the Hom-Bot awhile to dock (not too long). Even though it was close to it, at times it had to circle around to make sure it was on the right path.
I also wanted to test on how the LG Hom-Bot Square Robotic Vacuum did with rubberbands and thumbtacks. The rubber bands did get caught on the brush, while the thumbtack (pushpin) was spitted out. But otherwise, everything else, it vacuumed well.
IV. CLEANING THE VACUUM
After each thorough vacuum, I used the cleaning brush to make sure it brushed away any tangles on the side brushes.
I also cleaned out the dust filter with my regular vacuum cleaner suction nozzle (note: The filter is not to be cleaned in water) and used the cleaning brush to clean the sponge filter. The sponge filter does allow for cleaning with water but you must allow it to dry completely in the shade before refitting.
I also cleaned the sensors with the brush.
V. JUDGMENT CALL:
The LG Hom-Bot Square Robotic Vacuum (VR65704LVM) is no doubt a major upgrade from previous incarnations.
The Dual Eye 2.0 mapping system definitely did a great job of learning our home’s layout, it did well of avoiding areas and not bump into furniture and household items.
It did a magnificent job of cleaning carpets of pet hair, cleaning dust off tile and hardwood floor.
While I expected battery decrease with turbo mode, while you do get around 100 minutes of run time, turbo mode cuts it a little more than half.
The LG Hom-Bot Square Robotic Vacuum is easy to empty, but one should take the cleaning brush off the dust bin and also properly maintain the side and main brush but also cleaning the sensors.
The voice alerts are clear and easy to understand and the various modes and scheduling modes worked effectively.
Unfortunately, there are no wi-fi function or app control for its price range which was surprising.
The LG Hom-Bot Square Robotic Vacuum was not very loud at all and that’s a plus. But it’s cleaning is a major improvement but the problem that LG Hom-Bot Square Robotic Vacuums have received for so long is its price. There are other robotic vacuums that cleans carpets, tiles and hardwood floors very well and are much cheaper.
At $200 less, this LG Hom-Bot Square would be perfect.
Overall, the LG Hom-Bot Square Robotic Vacuum (VR65704LVM) is fantastic. It cleaned our carpets, tile remarkably well. The functions and various modes are wonderful. But it did have its slight issues and its quite expensive with no wi-fi or app support.
Otherwise, if you are looking at the LG Hom-Bot Square Robotic Vacuum (VR65704LVM), it’s recommended!
UPDATE – September 2016:
The LG Hom-Bot has died. It will no longer recharge or turn on. And unfortunately, LG was unable to fix it. So, while it worked well for a few months, for long-term use, while I recommended the vacuum at the time… I’m not sure if mine was just a bad robotic vacuum unit or what. But I am disappointed that this vacuum did not last that long.
