Looking for an efficient, versatile, and cost-effective robot vacuum? Look no further than the Eufy X8 Pro. I was sceptical of cheaper models until I used this in my house and now I'm sold.
Historically, the world of robot vacuums has been dominated by iRobot and Shark. Whilst I love their reliable designs, I was curious to see whether a cheaper model could still make a play for the title of one of the best vacuums on the market.
In my hunt for the best cheap alternative to more expensive robot vacuums, I came across Eufy their X8 Pro. This is half the price of most other decent robot vacuums on the market and yet it has a LIDAR-based laser navigation (to look after your skirting boards), an integrated mop, and twin turbine suction power (that should make it twice as powerful as other models in this price range). The only way to know if this is all good to be true or another thing that I wish I knew to avoid before buying a robot vacuum is to test it. So that's exactly what I did.
Specifications
Unboxing
I couldn't wait to see what the Eufy X8 Pro looks like in person, because in all the pictures that I'd seen online, it looked as slick and smart as models twice the price. You'll be pleased to know that this is as eegant as it looks online. The matte black finish makes this look like a really premium vacuum: I actually think I'd be happy to have this out and on display.
The Eufy comes with its base station, mop, mop guards, and a cleaning brush. This is all you need to get going really. There are some non-recyclable plastic bags that you'll need to dispose of (you can take them to a large supermarket to recycle them) and some basic set-up instructions (which are mostly pictures), but aside from that, it doesn't take much to get this running. All the troubleshooting and details will be available on Eufy's website.
Who would it suit?
Having lived with the Eufy X8 Pro Robot Vacuum, it's clear to imagine which homes this would work well in. For a start, the mapping system and ease with which it crossed room thresholds, makes this perfect for small to medium flats and homes. It won't need emptying often and can be left to relative independence, unlike other models out there.
I'd caveat the home size with the types of floor that you have though. Whilst the Eufy is faultless on hard floors and low pile carpets, it struggled more significantly on deeper carpets and when I put obstacles in its way. There are other models, such as the Shark PowerDetect, which are much more sensitive to home clutter and more adept at handling deep carpets.
As for the type of people who this suits, well, the range is pretty vast. If you have pets and you struggle with keeping on top of their hair, the Eufy's brush system is generally good with hair tangles (although you'll still need to clear out he roller). I wouldn't lean too heavily on the mopping needs, because this is better for light maintenance, but it's great for a superficial clean. This is also quiet and the app will let you map zones (although it requires some tech savviness to get your head around). I probably wouldn't lean too heavily on the scheduling, unless you'll be at home, because I think the Eufy's obstacle difficulties could get in the way.
What is it like to use?
The model that I tested arrived full of charge, so I could start vacuuming without needing to sit the Eufy in its station. I've read that this works without the app, so I wanted to give the X8 Pro some time to roam around before it got a proper map of my home. I have to say, it's actually pretty impressive. This worked in a methodical square, going up and down the room.
I have some awkward shapes and books lying around, so I was curious to see what a map-free Eufy would do. It's pretty impressive. This has sensitive bumpers, so as soon as it came close to skirting boards, my bed, the table, and my sofa, it quickly changed direction. You don't need to worry about chipped skirting boards.
After that, I connected the app (with some help from my more techy partner) and set up a map of my house. On the app, you can control how wet you want the X8 Pro to mop, where it should go in the house, you can set no-go zones and no-mop zones, and much more. It's an impressive piece of technology that works really well.
Test 1: flour sugar, oats
The first test that I put all vacuums through is on the kind of cupboard cereals and ingredients that might scatter themselves over the floor when you're cooking, baking, and battling with normal life. I do this on carpets and hardwood floors (because messes don't discriminate) and set the Eufy running.
This doesn't have a sensor or detection camera that will alert it to mess, so I had to sit and let the Eufy run it's methodical lines over the floor. Whilst it wasn't quick to find the flour, sugar, and oats, it did clear them up quickly when it rolled over them. The cracks between my floor did end up with some flour pressed between them - you'll need a tool to lift these out - and the spinning brush did send the oats spinning across the floor, but it picked up the oats and the small flour trail left behind it when it spun round and made a second pass.
When I put the oats, sugar, and flour on my carpet, the Eufy had to go over this mess a few times. The oats were easily lifted up on the first pass, but the flour and sugar seemed to be more persistent. After three passes, I got involved with a handheld vacuum, because it was clear that finer particles are more tricky for the Eufy.
Test 2: hair
If you have pets or long hair, you'll know that it can be your vacuum's biggest hurdle. I scattered hair extensions over my carpet and used the Eufy to collect them up. Normal corded or upright vacuums wouldn't struggle with this, but it was quite an intense test for the Eufy, which is fine (it looks quite extreme anyway).
Instead, I let the Eufy roam around my flat. I wear hair extensions and I have a dog, and so we have quite a lot of hair around the home. The Eufy was generally good at picking up hair on hard floors in the bathroom and kitchen. The suction power is really effective with single strands and these didn't tend to detangle around the brush system in smaller amounts (I imagine this is the work of Eufy's detangling feature). After a few days, I did spot that some of my longer hair extensions were wrapping around the roller. I thought I would wait to see whether the Eufy could manage these, but it will need some manual intervention. So, generally, this was good with a moderate amount of hair and some regular interventions, but more heavy-duty homes might need more help.
Test 3: mopping
When the X8 Pro was first launched, mopping was new and exciting to the market. I think this is reflected in how it performed mopping my kitchen and bathroom. To use the mop function, I just clipped the mop onto the base of the Eufy. There's a handy mat that you can put by the station so that the mop doesn't end up damaging or dripping on your carpet. You will, however, need to set no-mop zones on the app, otherwise this will mop over carpets and rugs when its on its way back to the station.
I set the Eufy on its mopping cycle and was impressed that it could vacuum, even with the mop fitted. Whilst it's not the optimal set-up, this is useful for lazy cleaners like me. On general tasks, the integrated water tank did a great job of light cleaning. You can customise how wet you want the mop to get using the app and I did see real-time results here, which is impressive.
Whilst I would be happy to let this run on a normal cycle, the Eufy doesn't have any scrubbing or oscillation (newer models do), so it's hard for the Eufy to properly lift tough stains and dirt.
How does it compare?
As a budget robot vacuum, the Eufy really holds its own. The twin turbines boast some impressive suction power, the laser radar mapping is effective and accurate, and the mop is a nice extra to have around for lighter cleans. If you're happy with the basics, you can't go wrong here. However, if you'd like better mopping, more power, or better obstacle detection, I'd recommend looking at the Roborock S7 MaxV robot vacuum, the iRobot Rooma s9+, or the Shark PowerDetect.
All three of these are notably more powerful (I had no issues with hair pick up, or flour pick up on the carpet), with comparable sensitivity. I also found that these struggled less when there were obstacles on the floor and were generally less likely to get tangles of hair in the brushes, especially the iRobot and the Shark. The only downside with all three of these is that they're more expensive. If you know you'll use your robot vacuum, they're worth the splurge. Otherwise, you might want to save and still enjoy a great vacuuming experience with the Eufy.
Should you buy it?
As a budget buy, the Eufy is brilliant. It covers a whole host of cleaning functions really well: it vacuumed hard floors faultlessly, the app is really easy to use (once it's set up), and all the strands of hair left around the house by me and my dog were spun away really easily. You'll just need to prepare yourself to have to do some manual vacuuming to touch-up spots, clear obstacles off the floor, and you'll also want to do a more thorough mop by hand on occasion too.
