Yeedi Mop Station test: a robot mop like no other

Aesthetically, the Yeedi Mop Station looks more like a robot vacuum cleaner than a robot mop. The Yeedi Mop is only 7 cm high, so it can easily fit under low furniture; iRobot’s Braava or Hobot Legee are much taller. To succeed in this tour de force, this robot bypasses a laser rangefinder – which often overlooks the robots and adds a few centimeters to them – in favor of a camera (Visual SLAM) which allows it to optimize its navigation and its surface coverage.

Presented as a versatile device, the Yeedi Mop Station also provides a suction function. This is the reason why it is equipped with a small waste collector (300 ml) in which we find all the complete equipment of a filtration system (HEPA filter and grid filter). This collector also provides a very small water tank (0.2 l) to keep the pads wet.

It is the charging station that sets the Yeedi Mop Station apart from the competition, not only by its imposing size (44 x 38 cm), but also by its station. This is not used to suck up waste, but to wet and clean the pads. For this, it accommodates two water tanks of 3.5 l each. One is to be filled by the user with clean water which will be used to clean the pads of the robot on its return to the station. It will then be sucked up and poured into the second tank, only for waste water therefore.

This is how the Yeedi Mop Station can return to its station several times during a cleaning cycle to pick up where it left off with rinsed pads. At the end of the cycle, the pads are rinsed again, then dried by air flow, to avoid bad odors.

On the cover of the washing station, there are three touch buttons that can be used to start the cleaning of the mops, a washing session (in intermediate mode) or to order a return to the base.

Connectivity and application

Yeedi being a brand of Ecovacs, the application looks exactly like the one that allows you to control Deebot N8 + and T9 +. The connection to the wifi network is done very quickly via the application. Here too, you have to go through the QR Code stuck under the hood to complete the pairing. The robot then appears on the home page with shortcuts to start an automatic cleaning or request its return to the base.

The different cleaning and programming options can be found in the smart cleaning menu, under a card that not only allows you to follow the Yeedi when it cleans, but also to choose the different suction powers (on 4 levels) and ‘water humidification (on 3 levels). From the map drawn by the robot in real time, it is possible to return the robot to its base to clean its wipes or to remotely control a drying operation.

Since the maps which are far from being precision models, the user will be able to define virtual zones and limits to prevent the robot from going into certain rooms or zones of the room. A few more options are finally offered in the settings menu, which also gives access to the cleaning log. It is also here that the various indications relating to the maintenance of the components of the device are identified. The set is therefore quite complete and sufficiently well organized to navigate easily, even on first use.

The 0.3 l dust collector is in the form of a cassette closed by a HEPA type filter. This filter must be unclipped to empty the collector. In use, emptying can be a bit tedious because of the large opening on the opposite wall; waste can escape there. This system is not the most hygienic, because it necessarily forces the user to put his hands in the sludge to release the waste.

Under the robot, there is a rubber roller which collects the sucked waste. Its design, devoid of nylon bristles, prevents hair tangling around the roller as much as possible, which is really very practical. Finally, the pads are covered with a microfiber wipe that can be easily removed for machine washing (60 ° C).

Finally, the most difficult to maintain is the charging station. Of course, you can easily fill the tank with clean water, with a generous capacity of 3.5 liters, and you can access it easily using a handle. The catch is that the station cleans the pads and it is not uncommon for the recovery water to soil the platter. Proof in support, in images. If it is very pleasant to dispense with the chore of cleaning the pads, you must however remember not only to empty the dust container, but also to clean the station. The system is not optimal.

The camera of the Yeedi Mop Station provides, in theory, a rather effective coverage of surfaces. But the reality is different. The robot lacks method in some room configurations. Sometimes it happens to pass several times to the same places; sometimes it performs a zigzag trajectory and covers surfaces well.

In the absence of a laser rangefinder, the Yeedi Mop Station has a bit of trouble finding its way in a poorly lit room, and it also tends to mistake curtains for walls. However, the management of obstacles is rather good. The robot visualizes them relatively well and always defends itself from approaching them to avoid hitting them.

He easily manages to get past door sills, cross chair legs and prevents himself from climbing on carpets. Trapped between 20 feet of chairs and tables, it easily manages to extricate itself without ever asking the user for help. As for the electric cables, he never got entangled in them.

To evaluate the washing efficiency, we deliberately dirtied the floor of our test lab by carrying out several types of stains on the floor: sugary drink, mixture of water and carbon black, oil and lipstick. (fat).

After a first pass of the robot set in intermediate mode, the result was impeccable, or almost. The grease stain was completely gone where there was oil. Ditto for soda and mixed carbon. The lipstick marks were still there, but very light. A second passage (in muscular humidification) will have finished completing the cleaning session. We have to admit that on this point, the Yeedi Mop Station does better than the Hobot Legee 7 – the benchmark in our comparison – which managed to achieve this feat once configured in Kitchen mode (mode suitable for spills and stubborn stains).

On the other hand, with the Yeedi, you have to deal with a fairly long cleaning time because of the many back and forth trips – which depend on the surface to be cleaned – which it needs to rinse its skates and leave with clean water.