Ecovacs Deebot M80 Pro Robot Vac

Okay, so this product is wonderful! I didn't know what to expect because I have only seen shopping networks present the more expensive brands. I thought for a fraction of the price, it will do a so-so .. but I was wrong!! It does a great job for a fraction of the cost! I fell in love with this little robot. It was an easy set up. It came with a quick start guide, for those of you like my husband, who does not like to go through a booklet of instructions to get started. As for me, I am a booklet kind of gal and it aimed to please because it had a more detailed booklet as well. I ran it on the vacuum setting first. My case: Use it mainly on the first level of my home. I have hardwood floors with low pile area rugs. I have a preschooler, a cat that sheds like crazy, and a puppy who loves to topple over his kibble from the bowl and play in it, sliding across the floor; needless to say, I have a whole lot of mess going on. It's a high traffic area that always seems to collect a lot of dust and debris, even with shoes off at the door. I am a nurse, work 12 hour shifts and I try to put in a lot of time with my family. But if I have a lot of chores to do, that time becomes limited. I figured my family is worth me upgrading my home appliances to allow me to have more time with them. This robot was one of the things on my list in accomplishing that. This would benefit a stay-at-home mom as well! I was a stay-at-home mom when my son was younger, but yet it is a job that is never done. This would have helped me greatly! It always seems like there is so much to do at home; never ending! LOL I didn't know which brand or model to get, so I came on Amazon and did comparisons as well as searched the net for some tech reviews on robotic vacuums. This one was ranked high everywhere I checked! It was a plus that it had a mop feature, which is pretty much like a Swiffer mop and it is optional to use. Note: The mop feature is for maintenance of floors that are pretty much mopped clean of major stuff already. I think some people have high expectations and think it's going to scrub down gunky floors, but no... that's not the case people! Okay, so the size is a little larger than one of those LP records, but it's height is not taller than my ankle (I'm 5'4"). I like the color, it pretty much goes with my stainless steel and black kitchen. It also has like a pearl white top, though in the picture, it looks pretty much gray (it appears that way at certain angles in person.) You must have a certain amount of room 24" to the right and left, as well as a 5 foot path in front of the charging base. How strict is it? I would say about 85%. It needs this distance so that whenever it starts to run out of battery or you send it back to the charging base, the sensor can guide Deebot back correctly. Otherwise, you can guide it back with assistance with the remote. I do have an area for it on my main level, but I don't have those specs for my rooms upstairs. I like to use my Dee Dee (that's her name now, LOL) on the main level, where I have the most traffic. I have an open layout. The kitchen, dining room and living room are not separated by walls, so it is a large area to cover. I will start Dee Dee whenever the dog has made a mess with his food (small dry puppy kibble) or snacks (usually Frosted Flakes). I used to sweep 2-3 times a day for maintenance or more when there is a sudden dry spill somewhere. Now I use Dee Dee! I love that the robot is quiet enough for us to continue watching tv, but you can still hear a small hum so that you know it is around and you will not step on it when moving about. It is pretty cool how it learns the area. It has bump technology and will avoid large objects in its path. However, at times it will lightly bump into objects, but will learn those as well and will try to maneuver around them. It will go over flat door jambs, because my closet has a small track and it will go over it and clean the bottom of the closet as well. Make sure you have large debris off of the floor! It works great, but it is not a miracle worker! I make sure my son has picked up all his little Hot Wheels cars or Thomas engines before starting Dee Dee. I use low setting for during the day, and the high suction setting at night when we are all heading to bed. At that time, I stack my dining room chairs upside down on the table and my counter stools upside down on the kitchen island; so it gets a through cleaning. (Similar to how the teachers would have us put the chairs on Fridays for the janitors in school; smile). Dee Bot can maneuver itself eventually without me doing this, but it will take a lot more time and the battery may die out before it gets a thorough job done for the entire space. This is a great time to do a wet mop run. I used to sweep, then Swiffer before bed, but thank goodness for Dee Dee, I can let the bot do it while I go to bed like the rest of the family and maybe catch up on an episode of Being Mary Jane! Side note: I have never had Dee Dee run out of battery before the job was done, Dee Dee can easily go from bare floor to low pile area rugs; doing a great job on both. When using the mop feature I roll the edges under of the area rugs so that she will not go on them. I love that she can go under the sofa and my entertainment center. She even gets to the little space under my baseboard heaters, using the little rotating brushes! I love that! Just when you think Dee Dee will not get to something, eventually, she gets to that place. You just have to let her run her course. She will even maneuver herself into small areas, only to emerge and get to another spot! Did I say I love it? LOL When Dee Dee is done, it feels like my house got a thorough cleaning like from the dentist. The proof is in the pudding when you open up the collection compartment to empty it! I get so much kibble, frosted flakes and cat hair! OMG, the cat hair it accumulates! I didn't even notice anything there on the floor before Dee Dee picked it up. You cannot always get up everything when sweeping with a broom into a dustpan, there is always that little edge of dust/dirt that remains no matter how you try to sweep it in! LOL I usually have to wet a paper towel to get that... but ohhh wait.. I have Dee Dee now, she just sucks that up in one step! You can use the remote or use the app you can download to your phone. I haven't tried the app yet, but will try it soon and will update. I also do not know if I can use it with my Amazon Echo. Will update on that as well. So far, I am sold! It has made life a little easier, because a woman can do but so much in a little bit of time. We all want to get quality time with the family. I cannot employ a cleaner to come to my home everyday, so I can make a one time investment in a robot that can help me out! And at the price, it sure beats the competition! I even got a super deal because I got it on Prime Day, when it was super discounted and it came the next day! Booyah! I have a new found love of home robotics! I see there is one that does windows and bathroom tiles! I wonder if Ecovacs makes one of those? :-)