INTRODUCTION

   It may have taken over 30 years for robot vacuum cleaners to earn their place in countless homes all over the world but now that they have it's hard to imagine going back to how things were before. Now i may sound like a broken record but ever since i started using robot vacuum cleaners many years ago I’ve spent an inconsequential amount of time cleaning the floors of both my house and office/lab and that's coming from someone with pets. Yes, not all robot vacuum models are created equal but for the most part they all work have something to offer, especially when manufactured by a well-established company. Eufy last year released their RoboVac LR30 Hybrid+ Robotic Vacuum Cleaner and after quite a few reader requests i decided to check it out and see just how it does.

   eufy’s motto of “Smart Home Simplified” is what drives us to build easy-to-use smart home devices and appliances that are designed to enhance your life. From laser-guided robotic vacuum cleaners to wireless security systems, every eufy product is developed using cutting-edge technologies and is designed for your convenience. eufy is developing a new generation of connected devices and appliances that work seamlessly together to simplify the complete smart home experience. eufy is part of Anker Innovations, one of the leading and most trusted consumer electronics brands in America.

   The LR30 Hybrid+ is yet another robot vacuum cleaner that uses LiDAR navigation with LDS laser mapping algorithms and Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technologies to navigate, avoid obstacles and create a valid 3D map of the area (eufy calls this iPath Laser Navigation technology). Just like with most robot vacuum cleaners to get introduced into the market lately the LR30 Hybrid+ comes ready with its own auto empty station which thanks to its 25.000Pa motor and 3 litre dust bag can hold up to 60 days’ worth of dirt. Of course, that's not all the LR30 Hybrid+ offers and so inside the chassis we find a 3000Pa motor (4 suction modes), 360 degree sensors (including anti-fall and edge cleaning ones), dual-purpose bin with mopping pad (200ml for dust and debris and 200ml for water - allows for vacuuming and mopping at the same time - 3 mopping modes), dual size brushes, main roller brush and a 3200mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack which always according to eufy can keep the LR30 Hybrid+ going for up to 145 minutes (quiet mode). Needless to say, via the eufy SmartHome Android/iOS app you can pretty much control all aspects of the LR30 Hybrid+ (compatible with amazon alexa and Google Assistant).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Two product pictures are placed at the front of the box right under the company logo and just over the main product features.

At the rear of the box eufy has placed 6 pictures which are used to showcase the main product features in 8 languages (the bundle contents are also listed here).

As expected, the auto empty station is not in the same box as the robot vacuum for maximum protection during shipping.

So along with the LR30 Hybrid+ Robotic Vacuum Cleaner and its auto empty station inside the box you'll also find a clear plastic pad for the auto empty station, power cable, 2 washable mopping clothes (one is already attached onto the mopping module which in turn is attached onto the vacuum), 4 side brushes, cleaning brush/cutting tool, 2 air filters (again one is already attached onto the dust bin/water tank), two dust bags (placed inside the auto empty station), auto empty station air filter (again placed inside the auto empty station), limited warranty paper, owner’s manual and the quick start guide.

THE ROBOVAC LR30 HYBRID PLUS

Measuring 350mm in diameter and 100mm in height the RoboVac LR30 Hybrid+ is more or less identical to most robot vacuum models in the market today.

Typically, at the top of the LR30 Hybrid+ we find the LiDAR sensor and the on/off/clean and recall buttons.

The LR30 Hybrid+ comes with a single dust bin which also doubles as an electronic water tank (200ml for each part).

Turning the robot vacuum over we find two large rubberized side wheels, main round wheel, main roller brush, two ports for the side brushes, 3 anti-fall sensors and 4 charging contacts (2 are located beneath the mopping module - to use the auto empty station the mopping module needs to be removed).

As mentioned earlier the LR30 Hybrid+ comes with just a single dust bin/electronic water tank which allows it to vacuum and mop at the same time.

The auto empty station is quite compact compared to other similar ones and so it measures just 394mm in height, 220mm in depth and 245mm in width.

Opening the top, we find two 3 litre dust bags and an air filter.

The exhaust port for the 25.000Pa motor is located at the rear right over the power port.

Here you can see just how compact the auto-empty station really is.

EUFY SMARTHOME APP

As with most smartphone apps you will first need to select the robot vacuum model from a list.

The main app tab shows all your registered eufy devices (just the RoboVac LR30 Hybrid+ in this case) and their current status.

Aside the 4 different suction levels the RoboVac LR30 Hybrid+ also offers 3 water levels.

The app also allows you to choose different cleaning modes and set the priority (sequence) for each room.

As with many other models eufy has used the auto-return feature which basically means the robot vacuum will return to recharge when needed and continue cleaning from where it left off.

Of course, the SmartHome app also allows you to adjust volume levels, change voice language, change area units and enable/disable the auto-empty and BoostIQ (suction power increase when carpets are detected) features.

The manual mode is not something I’ve used in a long time but it could come in handy if the vacuum gets stuck in a hard to reach place.

Another feature that older models don't have is the ability for the robot vacuum to store more than just one 3D map.

As you can see 3D map detail is very good and as expected from the app you can select specific rooms and zones and set no go zones and virtual boundaries/walls.

The cleaning history tab allows you to check just how long you've used the LR30 Hybrid+ and how much space it has cleaned.

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 (mopping oriented models like the ECOVACS X1 OMNI and the Narwal Freo will be tested with the vacuum and mop mode).

CONCLUSION

   The RoboVac LR30 Hybrid+ robotic vacuum cleaner may not be the most feature rich model in the market but it did a surprisingly good job in regards to cleaning the entire 3 weeks i ended up using it. Eufy is using a Z shaped cleaning strategy which works very well, especially in regards to vacuuming. Unfortunately, the small dustbin means that you either have to empty it 2-3 times per day or use the auto empty station. Granted, you should only be getting such a model when using the auto empty station but due to the rather loud noise made by its 25.000Pa motor (surpasses 80dB even from 1 meter away) it may not be something you can use at all times. The same however applies for the small water tank and unlike the dustbin there’s no “workaround” this time over. The good news is that the water tank is electronically controlled but again 200ml is not nearly enough to cover a large area. These aside however the RoboVac LR30 Hybrid+ produced some of the best vacuum results I’ve seen, even compared to models worth a lot more. As for the control app it’s very easy to use and lacks nothing in terms of available settings (however since i don’t use amazon alexa or Google Assistant these two are features i didn’t test out).

   As i type these lines the RoboVac LR30 Hybrid+ Robotic Vacuum Cleaner by eufy retails for USD349.99 inside the USA (eufy.com) and for 384.50Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which is surprisingly balanced for such a model. Recently eufy announced more robotic vacuum cleaner models (will try to get those as well) but if perfect mopping is not on top of your wanted list, then the RoboVac LR30 Hybrid+ is a great choice and since it delivers on everything eufy claims it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality
- Suction Power (3000Pa Effective)
- Good Battery Life
- Vacuuming Performance
- Electronic Water Tank
- Auto Empty Station (3 Litre Bag / Size)
- eufy SmartHome App
- Current Price (For Some)

CONS

- Water Tank Capacity (200ml)
- Auto Empty Station Size (Exposed Vacuum)