A few weeks ago Zigma sent me their Zigma Spark Robot vacuum cleaner with mopping function to review ahead of it’s UK launch. I’ve been using it for a few weeks and here are my thoughts.

The Zigma Spark is one of the most well thought out products I’ve come across for a while and it basically gets everything right.

The spec of this vacuum is pretty impressive: it has 1,500PA suction power which can be adjusted in the app, a cliff-detection setting to stop it falling, an impressive 600ml dust tray (double that of my existing robot vacuum) and up to 120 minutes of battery…which you’ll never get through unless you live in a mansion!

On top of that the bump on the top of the device is a laser which spins round to accurately map your room. This means you can watch the map fill in via the smartphone app as it cleans your house (it’s really quite mesmerising). This also adds a huge amount of logic to the hoovering routine, it covers the whole place once, knows its done and takes itself back to charge.

In the box you get: the vacuum, the charger, the dust tray, a spare filter, some spare brushes, a brush to clean the removable roller blade, a remote control and a mopping accessory with two cloths.

The design is black and will fit nicely into any home. The front bumper is soft to protect your furniture from bumps and the dust tray slides out easily. It’s pretty slim too which means it can get under some furniture.

Once it’s unboxed setting up is as simple as download the Zigma app (for iOs and Android), creating an account and following the steps. From there you can start it via the app, via Alexa or Google Assistant, via the remote or by pressing the button on top of the device.

The app has some really clever UI tweaks depending on the function the vacuum is performing to avoid overwhelming you with menus. For example when you start the vacuum process you can then adjust the suction power via a sub menu that appears, the same applies to water flow with the mopping function.

Within the app you can also view the map created (with a function to save maps to reload later coming soon), add specific areas to concentrate on cleaning or avoid and add virtual walls. You can even record your own voice (on the off chance you wish to make your vacuum speak in your voice!). The map updates in real-time which shows you just how accurate this device is at cleaning your rooms effectively.

But how well does it clean?

The simple answer? Incredibly well! – It picks up 99% of things with no issues and even during the toughest test I gave it which involved me emptying the cat little mat out on the floor it picked up pretty much everything after 2 trips round without flicking too much of it around.

The automation features which let you programme how often it runs automatically also mean you don’t even need to worry about starting it (you just have to empty the dust tray every so often).

The mopping function is another well thought out function. To use it you simply add water (which should be cold but floor cleaner is ok) into the tank and swap the tank out with the dust tray. The vacuum automatically detects that it has the mop and let’s you adjust the mopping pattern and water flow. The Y pattern option means that it goes over each part of the floor from different angles.

This function is great to have but certainly more for everyday mopping and not tough stains…it didn’t get a tomato stain off the kitchen floor (but did loosen it).

What’s the verdict?

The Zigma Spark Robot Vacuum packs in tons of features and most importantly actually cleans your house effectively. The laser mapping means it does it in a logical way, it can get into corners and rarely gets trapped.

The post Zigma Spark Smart Robot Vacuum Cleaner Review appeared first on Mark's Tech Blogs.

Here’s my opinion of it after 2 weeks of usage…(You can also watch a video review here)

Design

The iLife v3 has a round design and looks like every other robot vacuum cleaner out there. It has padded rubber edging at the front to prevent damage to walls and furniture and has brushes that stick out from underneath.

It comes in white and looks pretty modern. The body has one button on the top which is used to turn it on and start cleaning and the top also has a push area to open up the vacuum and remove the 0.3l dust bin.

The base has two chunky retractable wheels which help it climb over small raises but also maintain a close profile to the floor when it’s working. There’s also a small wheel for direction.

In terms of size it is 30cm in diameter and about 8cm thick…which is about average for these devices.

iLife pack a lot into the box and you get the vacuum itself, the charging base (which is mains powered), some spare filters and brushes, a remote control and batteries for the remote.

When it comes to battery life iLife claim you can get 2 hours and actually I find that it regularly performs better than this. When the battery gets low it event returns itself home to charge.

Usability

So, how does it work?

You set the iLife V3S off by pressing the button on top of the device or by using the remote (more on the remote later). It then bursts into life and sets itself about hoovering.

It seems to take a fairly random route around the house and I don’t understand the logic but it does seem to get everywhere eventually. There occasions when it gets a shoe lace tangled up in the brushes or when it gets trapped between table and chair legs but for the most part it’s goes about its duty trouble free!

It’s also really good at finding its way back to base at the end of the cycle…which amazes me considering the random route it takes!

But…does it actually clean?!

At this point in the review it’s worth saying that it’s not going to replace your traditional vacuum cleaner for deep cleaning but for keeping your house nice and clean on the day to day I’ve been really impressed!

Over the two weeks of daily use from it I’ve noticed our short pile carpet look cleaner and I’ve been amazed (and slightly disgusted) at how much it’s picked up from around the house.

iLife don’t commit to how much power the suction has but it’s certainly enough and the option to give it a boost with the spot cleaning is useful. It does flick stuff across the floor whilst cleaning but does eventually pick everything up.

It also has really effective anti-drop sensors which stop it falling down the stairs and doesn’t damage anything when it bumps into things.

Let’s talk a little about the remote control…

The bundled remote adds some extra functionality…

1 – You can start it using the play/pause button and use the arrows to steer it…you need to be close to it as the remote is only infrared
2 – The home button sends it back to base
3 – There are buttons for spot and edge cleaning…these don’t make a huge difference but are nice to have.
4 – You use the remote to set the time and a timer. This means you can choose for your robot to start work at a given time each day. This is handy however you can’t choose how long for or which days, it just happens daily, until it’s out of energy.

So, what are the downsides of this robot vacuum?

As an overall…actually relatively few
– It’s a little noisy at times…but still quieter than a normal vacuum
– Sometimes it gets tangled or trapped
– The timer function is basic…options for days of the week and length of time would be great to have.

But that’s it! Overall this is a great little robot vacuum which I love having around and would certainly recommend. It lacks some of the smarter features found with more expensive vacuums but does a great job at cleaning short pile carpet and wooden floors.

Think you want to pick one up? Find the iLife V3S on Amazon here

The post iLife V3s Robot Vacuum Cleaner – Review appeared first on Mark's Tech Blogs.