INTRODUCTION

   Regardless of whether or not you're living alone tasks like floor cleaning may not be something you'd like to repeat on a daily basis, i certainly don't. Granted, normally you may not need to clean the floor of your house and/or office daily but when you have pets just like i do that's not something you can avoid (especially during the summer period). This is why i truly believe robot vacuum cleaners are among the most useful and without doubt advanced home appliances one can buy today. In late 2020 Liectroux send me their ZK901 robot vacuum cleaner model which unfortunately arrived with its box in bad shape (and its water tank broken) so even though i was able to test it and put the results in my charts i was unable to actually do a regular review. Luckily Liectroux further updated the ZK901 model late last year and so a few months back i got the new Rev.B model.

   Liectroux, the leading global consumer robot company, designs and manufacture robots that empower people to do more both inside and outside home. Liectroux's products, have been welcomed into millions of homes around the world. Liectroux Robotics has been engaged in improving people's life and helping people to enjoy life more and more! Visit http://www.liectroux.us/.

   Just like with most mid-end robot vacuum cleaners today the ZK901 Rev.B by Liectroux (available in black and white colors) uses an LDS (laser distance sensor - Lidar) navigation for 360 degrees scanning for multi-floor real time mapping and SLAM algorithm for improved area mapping and cleaning. Liectroux has also equipped the ZK901 Rev.B with a strong Japanese brushless NIDEC motor rated for up to 65000Pa of suction power (4000Pa effective), dual side brushes (extra length for better cleaning), HEPA filters, large electronic water bin (450ml), 450ml dust container, V-shaped roller brush, 13 different types of sensors (including anti-fall, anti-collision, twining-proof and edge-cleaning sensors), WiFi 2.4GHz connectivity, 5000mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack (LG Cells) which can power the ZK901 for up to 150 minutes and support for smart home integration via voice commands (Siri, Alexa & Google Home). For complete control over the ZK901 Rev.B you'll obviously need to use the corresponding Android/iOS app (includes several functions/commands such as auto-clean, spot & edge clean, manual control, clean zones, no-go zones and virtual wall) and as for warranty Liectroux covers their ZK901 Rev.B robot vacuum cleaner with a limited 5-year one.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Liectroux ships their ZK901 Rev.B inside a plain cardboard box that has a product drawing at the front along with a product description and the company logo.

The product features are printed on the right side of the box.

The ZK901 Rev.B is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed inside a formed piece of cardboard whereas the rest of the bundle is placed in a white piece of foam located over it.

Along with the ZK901 Rev.B (dust bin is pre-mounted) inside the box you'll also find 2 side brushes (plus two pre-installed ones), brush & cutter tool (mounted on the dust bin), extra HEPA filter, mop attachment (mop cloth pre-mounted), extra mop cloth, electronically controlled water tank, charging base, charging adapter, Android/iOS app manual and the user manual.

THE ZK901 REV.B

The Liectroux ZK901 Rev.B has a diameter of 346mm and a height of 99mm.

As with most robot vacuums the LDS sensor and the on/off and charging/dock buttons are located on top.

The top opens up to reveal the bin area and a reset button.

Both the dust bin and the water tank have a capacity of 450ml.

Liectroux has equipped the ZK901 Rev.B with 360 degrees sensors, as expected from a mid-end model.

Turning the ZK901 Rev.B over we see two rubber coated wheels, V-shaped rolling brush, dual side brushes, center wheel and a total of 4 sensors (anti-fall and edge cleaning).

According to Liectroux the V-shaped rolling brush is more effective compared to regular ones.

Here you can see the base of the ZK901 Rev.B with the mop attachment.

The charging base is typical in both shape and size so nothing new here.

LASER ROBOT APP

The Laser Robot app may not have the best detail on the map but i guess it gets the job done.

One of the things you can control from the main app screen is of course suction power (3 modes).

From the more tab you can create zones, create clean plans, adjust activity lights (volume control for the audio feedback is also included here), check the logs, check the current state of the cleaning accessories, perform diagnostics, manually control the robot and more.

Finally, from the general settings tab you can update the app and robot firmware, restore factory settings, check information about the robot, change the language and read the user agreement and privacy policy.

TEST RESULTS

Robot Vacuums may be home appliances but they are very advanced ones so I thought about running some tests like I do with most electronic devices. So here you can see the maximum cleaned area during all tests (single pass, start to finish), total battery life (in quiet - standard/balanced - strong/max modes) and noise levels again in quiet - standard/balanced - strong/max suction modes.

CONCLUSION

   The original Liectroux ZK901 was a good robot vacuum but since its water tank arrived broken, I was only able to test its dry cleaning function which was actually surprisingly good. Well as you can clearly see the upgraded ZK901 Rev.B model surpasses its predecessor in all tests, noise levels included of course. This is due to the fact that the new brushless motor used is far more powerful so it only makes sense that it would also be noisier. Of course, the lithium-ion battery pack used (LG cells this time over) is also significantly larger in capacity which in turn explains the increase in battery life (even though the motor is more powerful). Overall, the ZK901 Rev.B did extremely well in terms of performance the entire 2 months I ended up using it so no complaints from me. Also, the first ZK901 arrived in white color so I didn’t know just how good the black would look like and after seeing it I clearly prefer it over the white version.

   Even though availability for the ZK901 Rev.B Robot Vacuum Cleaner by Liectroux is not good currently still you can find it online for around USD330/380Euros a price tag which is actually very balanced for what you’re getting. Unfortunately, even though performance is there and so are the features the lack of availability is really something I hope Liectroux resolves sooner rather than later. That being said the ZK901 Rev.B delivers on pretty much everything I expect from a mid-end robot vacuum cleaner and for that it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality
- Size / Height
- Suction Power (6500Pa)
- Battery Life
- Electronic Water Tank
- Left & Right Extra Length Cleaning Brushes
- Available Colors
- Price (USA)

CONS

- General Availability
- Charging Base Size (Vacuum Is Exposed)