I got a Nimble T7 Robot Vacuum and Mop for Christmas − courtesy of VacTidy, rather than Santa Claus. My package made it through customs and arrived just in time for the holidays. While my little cousins played with their new toys, I played with mine, putting this combination cleaner through its paces.
I tested the VacTidy Nimble T7 in my family home, which features a mixture of carpet, tile, and wooden floors. My mom keeps the place pretty spotless, so I had to manufacture messes, scattering rice grains and spilling sauce across the surfaces. While the VacTidy Nimble T7 struggled to target mess and navigate awkward corners, it made a good go of quick, light cleans over the festive season.
I'm part of the product testing team here at H&G. Together, we've reviewed the best vacuums on the market, which is how I can spot a flaw in design from a mile away. The VacTidy Nimble T7 can clean quickly, but not intelligently. It's designed for light maintenance, not deep cleans.
If all you want is a decent robot vacuum that won't break the bank, you might get a lot of use out of the VacTidy Nimble T7. For something smarter, I'd recommend one of the best robot vacuums, instead.
VacTidy Nimble T7 Robot Vacuum and Mop Specifications
Unboxing the VacTidy Nimble T7 Robot Vacuum and Mop
The VacTidy Nimble T7 arrived double-wrapped in two cardboard boxes and cushioned by egg crates, presumably to protect against knocks and bumps in transit. Each component, from the base to the body to the cleaning tools, was individually wrapped in plastic. This is always disappointing to see, especially when so many of the best vacuum brands are making good use of sustainable packaging.
On the plus side, this machine comes with an illustrated instruction manual, as well as a quick start guide. I wouldn't throw these away, especially if this is your first robot vacuum. There's a very good troubleshooting section towards the back of the manual. Whenever I ran into trouble with my remote control, or struggled to charge my machine, I could quickly locate an answer to my question.
The first thing that struck me about the VacTidy Nimble T7 was its height – or, rather, the lack thereof. This robot vacuum is less than three inches tall and slots easily beneath beds and sofa seats to clean hard-to-reach corners. The machine boasts four cleaning modes − automatic, room, edge, and spot − and claims to clean all kinds of floors, from high-pile carpet to wood and tile.
You can switch between cleaning modes using your remote control, which comes with batteries included, or via the VacTidy app. I'm always a bit skeptical about cleaning apps, but this one ticks all the main boxes. You can use it to check your charge or schedule cleanings while you're out of the house, so that you come home to nice, clean floors. If you prefer, you can activate voice command to take control of cleaning: the VacTidy Nimble T7 is fully compatible with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.
Test 1: Carpet
Like I said, my mom takes a lot of pride in keeping her house clean, especially over the holidays. I knew I'd have to make my own mess, so I took a handful of wholegrain rice and scattered across the living room carpet. I wanted to see how the VacTidy Nimble T7 coped with larger pieces of debris: these rice grains were a stand-in for the sorts of everyday mess made by crumbs and small stones.
I activated the VacTidy Nimble T7 and used the remote control to maneuver towards the mess. I set the vacuum to clean on automatic and watched as it made its first few sweeps. Occasionally, the grains of rice were spread around, instead of sucked up, but I was otherwise satisfied with the quality of the clean. Then the Nimble T7 decided (prematurely) that its work was done and went careening round the corner.
That's the problem with automatic mode. It's an effective setting for a casual clean, but it fails to target specific areas. That's an issue with robot vacuums as a whole, though, not just with the VacTidy Nimble T7, so I'll let it slide. I switched to the spot clean function and managed to pick up most of the mess.
After three of four minutes of cleaning, I was left with a few rice grains and some unsightly streaks on the carpet. This might not be a dealbreaker for you, but it certainly was for my mom. She made a great point that vacuums are supposed to keep things neat, not just clean. If she were cleaning with her upright vacuum, she could have swept up the mess in a matter of seconds in three neat lines.
Then, there's the noise. My cousin, who's a bit of a tech whiz and came out to have a go on the Nimble T7, was making all kinds of helpful quips and comments. I wanted to write them down and remember them for this review, but I couldn't always hear him over the noise of the vacuum. According to the VacTidy website, the Nimble T7 shouldn't exceed volumes of 68 dB, which is no louder than a normal conversation. To me, it sounded more like the whir of a washing machine, or an induction hob: hardly deafening, but quickly irritating. I wouldn't want to run the Nimble T7 while I was on the phone or working from home.
In order to test the Nimble T7's edge cleaning function, I ran one final carpet test. I scattered another handful of whole grain rice where the carpet met the kickboard. I wanted to see whether this robot vacuum could clean as effectively in tight corners as it could in wide open spaces.
After a few bumps against the baseboard, the VacTidy Nimble T7 made a slow, straight line across the carpet. The whirring fans worked to whip the rice grains out of the cracks and into the dust bag. When the vacuum came close to the stairs, it sensed the drop, and backed away before it fell.
The VacTidy Nimble T7 made it through the edge cleaning test in one piece, but it didn't make the most thorough job of cleaning. A good chunk of the rice grains stayed stuck between the carpet and the kickboard. I had to pick them out with my fingers, even though the whole point of a robot vacuum is to enable hands-free cleaning.
Test 2: Tile
The VacTidy Nimble T7 is a combination cleaner: not just a robot vacuum, but a robot mop, too. I moved from the carpeted living room into the tiled entryway to test this new function on a different floor.
I stuck the washable rag onto the tacky strips to avoid scratching the tiles. All I had left to do was open the lid of the dust box (which doubles as a water tank), fill it with water, and seal it shut until I heard a click. I inserted the mop pad holder and attached the washable rag to avoid scratching the tiles.
I took a bottle of ranch and squeezed it straight onto the black and white tiles. The color contrast helped me to keep track of the ranch as the VacTidy Nimble T7 went to work.
The robot mop made a few big streaks right through the center of the spill. When it tried to sweep off in the other direction, I used the remote control to direct it towards the mess. On the whole, the VacTidy Nimble T7 made a better mop than vacuum, but it didn't always clean intelligently.
While the vast majority of the ranch was cleaned up in the first few seconds, some was smeared across the tiles, and still more was stuck between the cracks. In the end, I had to grab our hand-held mop from the cleaning closet to pick up the rest of the mess. As a mop and as a vacuum, the VacTidy Nimble T7 seems better suited to cleaning dust and dirt than actual spills and stains.
Test 3: Hard wood floors
My parents have a laundry room round the back of the house, all kitted out with hard wood floors, so that's where I took the VacTidy Nimble T7 for its final test. I squeezed a bottle of dish soap onto the floor and set the robot mop to clean. I wondered whether the ranch from the entryway would end up smeared across the hard wood floor, but there was little to no cross contamination.
After a minute or two of mopping, I was left with a little bit of foam, but a far cleaner floor than I'd found before. The VacTidy Nimble T7 cleaned most effectively on hard wood floors – probably because there were no long carpet fibers to wrap around dirt or cracks in the tiles to trap spills and stains.
Cleaning the VacTidy Nimble T7 Robot Vacuum and Mop
The VacTidy Nimble T7 requires different styles of cleaning as a mop and as a vacuum. Following my tile and hard wood floor tests, I detached the washable rag and the mop pad holder to get a good look at the water tank. I rinsed it out and left it to dry on the countertop. As for the body, I dried it with a soft cloth to avoid mold and odor and give it a bit of a buff after a few hours' hard work.
Cleaning the vacuum dust box is a far less involved task. I simply pressed down on the dust box button the remove the box and opened the cover to clean it. I found that the VacTidy Nimble T7 had picked up a fair amount of unseen dirt and dust, as well as hairs, without getting too tangled in the brush roll. I combed through the filters to remove as much of the mess as I could. Cleaning a robot vacuum is never a pleasant task, but it was quick and easy with the VacTidy Nimble T7.
How does the VacTidy Nimble T7 Robot Vacuum and Mop rate online?
The VacTidy Nimble T7 boasts hundreds of four- and five-star reviews online, praising its ease of assembly, value for money, and its particular proclivity for picking up hair. Several customers commend the efficiency of a two-in-one robot vacuum and mop, eliminating the need to switch between different devices. However, several other customers have noted the same erratic cleaning patterns that I spotted on test, as well as a limited runtime and problems with the charging portal.
How does the VacTidy Nimble T7 Robot Vacuum and Mop compare to other robot vacuums?
One of the VacTidy Nimble T7's biggest selling points is its status as a combination cleaner. The iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ does a much better job of both tasks. It's simply a better cleaner, and boasts a larger dust bin and a longer runtime than the VacTidy Nimble T7. It incorporates smart mapping technology to navigate tight corners and avoid obstacles to clean your home efficiently and effectively. However, it's nearly $1400, so it's not surprising that it's better. A fairer comparison is the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum, which also mops, though it's still significantly more expensive than the VacTidy Nimble T7.
Should I buy the VacTidy Nimble T7 Robot Vacuum and Mop?
The Nimble T7 Robot Vacuum and Mop retails for $259 on the VacTidy site, and around half that price on Amazon. It's certainly on the more affordable side for a robot vacuum. If you're looking for a second pair of hands to give each room a quick onceover and pick up any dirt you might have missed, then you could get a lot of use out of the VacTidy Nimble T7. I scheduled a cleaning in the living room while I made my dinner in the kitchen, and came out an hour later to a nice, clean carpet.
The VacTidy Nimble T7 excels in these sorts of areas: aesthetic, additional. I wouldn't rely on it as my primary cleaning companion or wait for it to pick up spills and stains that I could clean myself, more quickly and easily. If you've got some cash to spare, and you want spotless floors, you'll be far better off with one of the best vacuums.
