With more robot vacuums entering homes, I’ve made it a mission to test and review as many of these products as possible. The latest product to enter my house is the Eureka J20 robot vacuum. This isn’t a brand I’d heard of previously. Still, with a belt-mop design and good suction power, I thought it was important to test this new technology to see if it was better (or worse) than the traditional rotating mop pads found on most robot vacuums with floor mopping.
The Eureka J20 is priced at AUD$2,499 and is available exclusively on Amazon, making it one of the more expensive devices on the market. However, after a month of use, I wanted to see if it could fill the gap left by cheaper machines, such as the ECOVACS Deebot T30 Pro Omni, which I returned just before testing.
My review below will detail the J20’s software, mopping, and vacuum performance.
Pros:
- The belt mop with 17N downward force is among the best we’ve tested.
- 8,000 Pa suction power is good.
- Battery life is great at 130 minutes.
Cons:
- Primitive LiDAR navigation often resorts to bump-style navigation.
- It gets stuck on carpets easily, even with avoidance turned on.
- Expensive, yet missing key features found on competitor products.
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What is the Battery Life, Water Reserve, and Cleaning Time?
Here are the key stats and figures for the Eureka J20:
- Clean water tank: 3.5-litres
- Dirty water tank: 3.5-litres
- Dust bag volume: 3.0-litres
- Cleaning solution: 300ml (suitable for most floors)
- Drying temperature: 45 degrees Celsius
- Automation: Mop-washing, mop-drying, dirty water collection, dust emptying, clean water refilling, detergent dispensing, vacuuming, etc.
- Battery life: 6,000mAh, up to 130 minutes of operation, 400m² on a single charge
I only cleaned one section of my living room, and using my standardised testing space, the Eureka J20 takes 40-50 minutes to vacuum and mop the 44m² area. This is around 5-10mins slower than other devices at this price point. However, it never struggles to complete this room on one charge and completes the cleaning without refilling the clean water tank, which is impressive.
What is the Software Like?
Don’t get me wrong—it cleans the floor very well. The 8,000Pa suction power is amongst the best on the market, and the 17N downward force is impressive.
Tech-wise, the J20 uses LiDAR to map and navigate. However, it doesn’t always clean the floor logically like other devices. While most vacuum and mop like you would mow a lawn (up and down), the Eureka J20 often drives around the floor in an illogical pattern. When it runs into something that it hasn’t seen before, such as a pair of shoes, it defaults back to bump-style navigation. This means it regularly runs into and over things that it should best avoid.
Bump-style navigation is mostly an issue around carpets, where the J20 confused itself and continuously attempted to mount my rug before getting stuck. This is despite having carpet detection turned on, which lifts the mop and shifts to a non-absorbent side to keep carpets dry and clean. It works well on traditional rugs but not shag-style rugs. I tried this with carpet detection on and off, but neither stopped the J20 from getting stuck.
It ultimately cleans the floor, but tracking its movements is hard. There’s a large amount of lag between what the Eureka J20 is doing on the app and what you’re watching it do on the floor.
NOTE: The latest software update significantly improves the issue of cleaning paths. However, it’s still not great, and it regularly bumps into walls and struggles to avoid some obstacles.
Does It Mop the Floor Well?
The belt-mop design “RollRenew” effectively keeps the mop clean by circulating fresh water over it as it cleans, which can also help reduce the chance of micro-scratches. It also applies more downward pressure than your average pad-style mop, and the 17N of downward force is significantly more than the most popular options on the market, such as the ECOVACS Deebot X2 Omni, which only applied 6N of downward pressure. This is an advantage for high-foot-traffic areas like hallways and entrances.
Pressure is great, but the belt-mop design doesn’t get into crevices (along skirting boards, etc.) like the aforementioned ECOVACS Deebot T30 Pro Omni (see image). If you truly want to clean the floors, you’ll still have to get the mop and bucket out and clean around the edges of your room once the Eureka J20 has finished its cycle.
The belt mop also suffers from regular tangling without any built-in anti-tangle technology. The included cutting tool can easily remove hair and fur, but it’s another unnecessary step.
How Well Does It Vacuum?
Like the mopping performance, the vacuum performance is only ‘good’. Suction-wise, it has enough performance to pick up dust, small particles, sugar, flour, rice, bread crumbs, and anything else you might spill while cooking, thanks to the 8,000 PA suction power. However, it struggles with larger items, such as cereal and small tissues, and it’s quite loud at 65dB on the lowest noise level, which doesn’t make it great for apartments.
The vacuum suction power is only good, but not great, compared to other options at this price point. The ECOVACS Deebot T30 Pro Omni has 11,000 PA suction power, and the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra Robot Vacuum has 10,000 PA suction power.
Should You Buy the Eureka J20 Robot Vacuum?
It might seem like I’m harsh on the Eureka J20 Robot Vacuum. However, it is hard to recommend when a device is priced this high and doesn’t include many features that have become commonplace in today’s robot vacuum market. Still, it’s a great option if you’re looking for a device that puts mopping power above all else, and it will clean your floors better than any other robot vacuum I’ve personally tested.
The Eureka J20 is priced at AUD$2,499 and is available exclusively on Amazon.
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