Alfawise V8S Max robotic vacuum cleaner - the smart choice

You cannot go into battle without weapons, just as you cannot clean up without the right tools. The Alfawise V8S MAX, the manufacturer’s new robotic vacuum cleaner, has been taken quite seriously to fight cartilage, not a remote-controlled cat walker, so we put it into operation and tested it.

Introduction, accessories

The biggest advantage of robotic vacuum cleaners is that they save us some of the time spent on cleaning, so we have to sacrifice less of our valuable free time to keep our home clean. Modernized cleaning slaves are becoming more and more popular, but let’s not wait for a miracle, you need one to operate them.

Purchasing a good little cleaner UFO doesn’t necessarily have to empty your hidden reserves. What’s more, it’s not even certain that our home is an overpriced candidate for a brand you’ve seen on a television, a washing machine, or the front of a toaster before. Alfawise, which is the Gearbest web store its own brand, it represents quite good quality and the pricing of the products has not bounced off the ground either. The robots are not manufactured by Gearbest itself, but by manufacturers with extensive experience in this field, such as ILIFE, Roborock and others. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find out who made the V8S Max, but we can talk about a product from an "ODM" (Original Design Manufacturer) with the Alfawise logo. This is a common custom in the modern digital world, the best known example of which is perhaps Apple, whose products are made on Foxconn’s production lines.

They were sure about the packaging, a recycled cardboard box hid the also recycled storage box in which the device and accessories were packed. In addition to the robotic vacuum cleaner, you get the following accessories:

• docking station and associated EU standard power adapter,
• remote control (without batteries),
• 1 roll brush,
• 1 dust collector with a capacity of 600 ml,
• 1 2 in 1 tank (350 ml water tank + 250 ml dust collector),
• 2 HEPA filters,
• 2 right and 2 left side brushes,
• 2 washable floor polishing pads (mop),
• 1 cleaning brush,
• User's Guide.

External

The vacuum cleaner itself is a whole-sized, massive item, weighing 2,7 kg, 330 millimeters in diameter and 76 millimeters high. It fits under most furniture and cleans it wherever it is old school version tube cannot be passed. When cleaning corners, a square counterpart is clearly preferred, as a square vacuum cleaner fits the corners better than a circular one. Are manufacturers forcing the flying saucer design to take on hard-to-reach parts to clean a 2 in 1 wireless vacuum cleaner too?

Holding the robotic vacuum cleaner in your hand, you can feel the good choice of materials, the assembly quality is flawless, we can talk about a rugged and well-built device. The matte black color, the gray Alfawise lettering and the silver control buttons uplift the otherwise boring standard design and give the little favorite a lovable look. The On / Off switch and the Home (return to dock) button work well and with a definite pressure point. There is also a status LED here, which flashes green if everything is OK, yellow if the charge is 20%, and red if there is a fault. In case of a problem, it does not strain for a long time, it simply stops, the buttons and the LED light up red and say that you are asking for help. I think this is a good solution.

At the front of the V8S Max is a semicircular plastic bumper (Bumper) with built-in infrared sensors. The sensors detect obstacles, the robot only approaches the detected objects so far that the side brush point reaches the surface to be cleaned. Quite rarely, but if the stunt doesn’t come together and go into something, the indentation of the rubberized bumper gives the vacuum cleaner information to change direction. 

At the back of the machine we find a speaker that communicates everything (also) to us in a powerful voice, a lovely female voice, all in English, of course. It notifies you to start, stop, low battery, jam, and even when dust has entered the sensors or when the tank is full. A little knowledge of English does not hurt.

Also on the rear cover of the V8S Max is a replaceable powder and water tank. Drawers that can be pulled out like a drawer can be removed after pressing the yellow spring latch. The air exits the opening on the left side of the 600 ml dust collector with a noise filter sponge, which flows through a mesh plastic filter and a HEPA filter, which feels pretty good. The air outlet grille on the right is just an ornament, no air comes out here. On the right side of the back there is also an on / off button and a charging port, so you can charge without a dock.  

The combined tank, which can be used for mopping and vacuuming, consists of 3 parts. These are the 250 ml dust collector and the 350 ml two-part water tank, into the upper part of which you can pour the floor washing liquid and into the lower space the water. It is advisable to use soft water so that there will be no problem with limescale formation and the surface will also dry without stains.

The lower part of the Alfawise is much more spectacular. At the front we find the small wheel that rotates 360 degrees, next to which are the metal contacts of the dock on two sides, through which the machine receives the charge. A UV lamp is located between the cover of the removable battery and the suction opening. At the edges are three-pronged side brushes that rotate against each other and push the dirt towards the main brush and the suction opening, respectively. In addition to the 2 spring sprockets responsible for progress, a total of 6 infrared sensors have been installed on the right and left edges and in front of the first freely rotating planetary gear. 

Test run

There are four ways to send our slave to work. The easiest way to do this is to press the Start button on the body of the robot. The second mode, using the remote control, allows you to select the cleaning modes and manually control the path of the structure. The third option is to control the vacuum cleaner by voice using Amazon Alexa or Google Home Assistant. Unfortunately, this requires a separate tool, I don’t have one, so it hasn’t been tried.

The fourth option is through an application with our phone. To do this, the first step is to download the WeBack from the Play Store or the App Store. By registering your phone number or email address, you will register and then enter the return verification code. We will add the device with the QR code on the side of the robotic vacuum cleaner, I would like to note here that it is worth saving the code, because if the sticker is worn off later, the mobile pairing will not come together for another phone.

Then enter your Wi-Fi username and password. Then, in the next step, press and hold the Start / Pause button on the vacuum cleaner for 3-5 seconds, which should only be released after the appliance beeps. In the next step, press Next on the phone display and the pairing of the app and the V8S Max will start, which will run within 1 minute, after which the fun can begin.

Through the application we can control the movement of the robot as well as choose cleaning modes. In the settings, you can set a timed cleaning, add your family members as a new user, or update the robotic vacuum cleaner software.

The Alfawise V8S Max has 3 cleaning modes, these are vacuum, vacuum and mop at the same time, and mop only. UV lamp disinfection is not fake, it works in all three modes. The principle of operation of a UV lamp is simple. It is known that UV radiation from sunlight kills microorganisms. The disinfecting (sterilizing) effect of UV light is also used by UV lamps.

For cleanliness, the Nidec brushless motor inside the robotic vacuum cleaner is responsible for providing a suction force of 1800 Pa. The larger dirt, but not even grains of rice, no smaller screws on it, sucked everything in nicely. The suction power can be adjusted in 3 steps via the mobile application or the remote control. By default, it cleans with a medium suction power, but this can be switched to Quiet or Strong mode as required.

Alfawise has equipped the little ones with a navigation system running under the fantasy name Dual SLAM. It essentially uses a gyroscope and PSD position sensors for orientation, which is also supported by an ARM chip, thus optimizing cleaning. After starting, the vacuum cleaner is oriented for a few seconds and then moves back and forth in steps until it goes around all parts of the room. After this procedure, the tool automatically switches to Edge mode and cleans corners and wall surfaces.

The Alfawise V8S Max notes where it was cleaned and no longer returns. After cleaning all areas, the vacuum cleaner returns to the starting point and enters standby mode. It draws a map of the route, indicates the size of the cleaned surface and the time required for this, which can also be viewed in the application. Focus Clean is a good choice if you just want to clean in a certain area, such as where something is upset.

Our robot friend is also very good at washing. Replace the dust container with the combination unit, which already has the floor polishing pad on it. The system is equipped with an electric fluid dispenser that drips moisture based on the movement of the machine. The amount of water can also be adjusted manually in three stages. Also noteworthy is the device’s low noise level of 30 decibels when mopping and 65 decibels when vacuuming.

Maintenance, summary

The robot housekeeper needs minimal maintenance, emptying the dust container and checking the side brushes and main brush for dirt (hair, thread) are among the things to do before starting. The tank can be removed in one go and dirt can be easily poured out of it. Due to the built-in electronics, do not immerse the tanks directly in water. The HEPA filter is blown out with air, replaced after three months in case of daily use and five to six months in case of a couple of times a week! It also doesn't hurt to wipe the sensors at the bottom of the robot sometimes, and the mop used for washing should also be rinsed after each use.

The replaceable 2600 mAh capacity Lithium-Ion battery allows 90-120 minutes of working time. This is enough time to clean an apartment of 150 square meters according to the factory description. If the charge drops below 20%, the robot independently finds the source of energy, recharges itself, and then goes back to where it stopped cleaning. It can be recharged in 240 minutes to 100%.

I was completely satisfied with the cleaning quality. Additional cleaning was only required in places where the robot could not enter due to its physical size, such as behind furniture. To work more efficiently, you may want to make your home compatible with your robot. It must be packed in such a way that the machine can move freely with as few obstacles as possible. Broken cables, toys, densely woven shaggy rugs give up the lesson and our smart vacuum cleaner gets stuck, requiring human intervention. 

According to factory data, it still copes with 1.8 cm thresholds, which is pretty much realistic. There is also no problem with carpets, they can be even thicker varieties. In case you have an area where you don't want the machine to go in, you may want to get another one. wall magnetic stripe. The cut-to-size strip acts on the sensor on the front of the robotic vacuum cleaner. Creates a virtual wall that the machine does not cross. 

 The Alfawise V8S Max does not have a LIDAR sensor, but cleans systematically and smartly. On average, you need 15-20% more time to clean an average apartment than your robot counterparts using laser sensor mapping, which costs twice as much. The V8S Max also cleverly maps rooms, notes the position of fixtures, and traverses the area in lanes, one after the other, just as we would. With similar knowledge, i.e. vacuuming, mopping and even doing the two activities at the same time, all combined with UV lamp sterilization, we won’t find much better than Alfawise’s.

Az Alfawise V8S Max it is now available from an EU (PL) warehouse for USD 182,99, which is still the cost of delivery, so the amount to be paid to the postman will be HUF 69. If you want cheaper, so do you You can order the Alfawise V8S from an EU warehouse, which together with delivery costs only 46 thousand forints. You can read our test about the cheaper Alfawise here: ALFAWISE V8S ROBOT VACUUM CLEANER TEST - THE AFFORDABLE AND SMART