Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus robot vacuum, mop and auto-empty station for $899 (cleaning review)

28/07/2023
By Ray Shaw
In Reviews

The Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus is a lower-cost robot vacuum and mop with an auto-empty dust station.

It is part of the N-range – entry-level and price driven. Next is the T-range, and the top is the X-range. Even though it is a value bot, it has LiDAR navigation, dTof Laser depth and Ecovac’s TrueMapping 2.0 to create an accurate map. It is ahead of the low-cost bump-and-grind robovacs that can damage furniture.

The Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus is about half the price of the new Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni – faster, cheaper and better with the proverbial Swiss Army knife of features. But it has Ecovacs heritage (Est. 1998), number one in Australian market share and over 25 million robot vacuums sold.

This review is based on four weeks of use on 70% hard floors and 30% short pile sisal carpet.

Australian Review – Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus

Website	Website, Product Page and Manual
Price	$899
From	Ecovacs Online, JB Hi-Fi, Bing Lee, Good Guys, eBay Ecovacs store Avoid online and international stores as they don’t have an AU warranty.
Colours	White
Warranty	2-year ACL
Made in	China
Company	Ecovacs Robotics is a Chinese technology company best known for leading the development of in-home robotic appliances. Est 1998 by Qian Dongqi. According to Statistica, Ecovacs Robotics had 41% of the Chinese market for robovacs/mops by 2018. Globally in 2020, it was #2 at 17% market share.
About	CyberShack news and reviews Robovacs and Robomops

We use Fail (below expectations), Passable (meets low expectations), Pass (meets expectations), Pass+ (near Exceed but not class-leading) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

Market Position – value with an auto-empty station

Let’s call it the workhorse. It can:

Generate an interactive, editable map.
Has 4300pA maximum suction – enough vacuum power for hard and soft floors (T20 has 6,000).
Uses the Ecovacs Home app and a set of features tailored to its design (T20 same).
Multi-level mapping (no quick mapping).
Has a 420ml dustbin and a 2.5L auto-empty station.
Has a 240ml water reservoir and static mop pad (160RPM rotating mops).
Ultrasonic carpet sensor – will not travel over carpet when mopping.
OZMO Mopping – four water levels to suit different floors.
5200mAH battery/6.5-hour charge for up to 300 minutes run time and 400m2 area (caveats apply).
Left and Right whisker brushes for better edge cleaning.
Voice control – Alexa or Google Assistant (No Yiko)
Edge/Cliff fall detection

First impression – Pass+

It is a value robovac/mop, and we are pleasantly surprised at the build quality and eco-packaging.

First, let me point you to our Five tips for choosing a robovac/mop (2023 update guide) but, more importantly, allocating this to a robovac category.

It bridges Gen 2 Dimbots (2D Lidar mapping and some smarts) and Gen 3 Brainybots (add dToF, higher levels of AI, and other sensors). Let’s call it Gen 2.5 with some smarts from Gen 3. While it efficiently cleans, it does so via the continuous U-shape cleaning pattern.

Mopping is a static platen – no downward force or lift. It is strictly for maintenance mops of hard floors in good condition.

It is fashion white, has a removable dustbin, a removable mop reservoir and mop platen, and front/side bumpers. It is 350 round x 93mm.

The empty station is 300 x 420 x 430, but it is 550mm deep with a plastic waterproof ramp. Then it needs at least a metre in front to back out.

Setup – Easy – Pass+

Ecovacs Home is easy to use and connects to Wi-Fi 4 N 2.4Ghz. You must set up an Ecovacs account (email and password), give the App location and find nearby devices permission. The Terms of Use and Privacy provisions are benign. The App provides lots of functionality and firmware updates.

App and Modes

You will mostly use Auto – standard vacuum, medium water, and a continuous U-shape cleaning pattern.

You can select:

Quiet (65dB) 2000pA
Standard (66dB) 2800pA
Strong (71dB) 3800pA
Max+ (74dB) 4800pA

Max is 4800pA, and we have estimated the other vacuum levels.

Cleaning speed (Standard mode) – Pass

Most robots clean between 1 and 2m2 per minute – in our opinion, speed is not as important as cleaning power. This cleans at a little over 1m2 per minute, which aligns with Ecovac’s claims.

The 300-minute/400m2 claim is for Quiet vacuum only. If using Auto vacuum/mop mode, that reduces to about 200 minutes/250m2. We did not test Strong and Max+ extensively, but we estimate vacuum/mop run times at 150/100 minutes.

Cleaning efficiency (standard brush) – Pass

Our standard vacuum test is 100ml of detritus ranging from sand to Nutrigrain (although the latter is too big for any robovac).

Hard floors standard mode: 90% and acceptable for particle sizes up to Rice Bubbles.
Hard floor Strong/Max: 96%
Sisal ridged carpet standard: 75% leaving lint in the valleys and larger particles.
Sisal carpet Strong/Max+: 80% but left detritus in the valleys and removed most larger particles to Rice Bubble size.

This is typical of any brand of entry-level robovacs. If you want a better job, set it to clean twice.

The images below represent the N10 on the right (53m2), and the same area done with the Dyson V15 Detect immediately afterwards. Note that it does not have a bin full detector, and you can set a time limit in the App.

The Dyson picked up 2 billion extra particles, mainly in fines and dust. This is a typical result for an entry-level device.

Edge Clean – Pass

The dual whiskers are more to feed detritus into the rotating brush. It is <95mmm high and fits under most cupboard overhangs, under beds and furniture etc. You still need a stick vac to get the edges, do stairs and dust.

Pet Hair – Pass

Pet and longer hair will wrap around the standard brush. The rubber brush option is less prone to that.

Mopping efficiency – Pass

All static mop platens drag a microfibre pad over the floor. They collect dust and fines at the front of the platen, and after 20m2 or so need to be rinsed, or starts using dirty water to mop.

The four water levels are suitable for different floor types. There is no water tank level sensor, so you must check that occasionally.

There is an argument over whether you can use a cleaning solution in the water reservoir. Our best advice is no – any solution can gum up the water jets.

Summary: It gives maintenance clean like all static platen mops.

One pass clean – Pass

Given that it vacuums and mops simultaneously, has carpet detection and editable map zones, there is no reason it cannot do the whole home in one pass.

The caveat is that carpets are short pile and are not affected by the mop platen (no water is released).

Another caveat is that a separate vacuum first reduces the potential for the mop platen to be clogged faster with more dust.

Obstacle detection – Pass

It gets tied up with shoelaces and cables. It avoids chair/table legs and furniture. House prep is necessary.

Sill efficiency – Pass+

It handles 20mm sills; if it encounters a difficult one, it will keep trying by edging around until it succeeds.

Auto-empty Station and Power

It plugs into 240V and draws a maximum of 4.17A/1000W when emptying the N10. It charges the battery at 20V/1A/20W taking about 6.5 hours.

The station has a 2.5L dust bag and is good for about six full empties. There is a replaceable dust filter as well.

Maintenance – Pass+

The problem with generic brands is that you have to buy spares from Alibaba or overseas. Ecovacs has a complete range of reasonably priced spares.

Disposable mopping pads (25 pack) $29.90
Washable microfibre mop pads (3) $29.95 (replace after 50 washes)
Side brushes pair $14.90 (replace 3-6 months)
Floating rubber brush kit $39.99 (best for pet hair and carpet – replaces bristled main brush). Replace every 6-12 months.
Auto-empty station 2.5L dust bag (3) $29.90 (replace when indicator lights)
Auto-empty station antibacterial .3um filter (3) $16.90. (replace every 3-6 months)

You should check and clean brushes and sensors etc., after each use.

CyberShack’s view – The Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus is a good value entry-level robot vacuum, mop and auto-empty station.

Having experienced the best, like the Deebot X1 Omni (at nearly three times the price), it is hard to be overly enthusiastic about lesser robovacs.

But for the money, it does what it promises – a reasonably good clean and maintenance mop. Add Ecovacs heritage, and it’s a winner.

Ratings

Rated as a Gen 2.5 robot vacuum and static platen mop

Features: 80 LiDAR and dTof effectively navigate the home and do not miss spots. The App covers essential elements, including go/no go zones, mopping zones, cleaning priority, scheduling, battery percentage etc. It lacks the more sophisticated features of the X1 Omni.
Value: 85 with an auto-empty dustbin station is reasonable value.
Performance: 85 – it meets or exceeds what you could expect from other brands.
Ease of Use: 85 – The App is easy to set up and for customisation.
Design: 80 – It is another round robovac/mop.