Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo 920 review: this combo robot vacuum/mop is great for multi-level homes

Deebot has added the Ozmo 920 to the swelling ranks of robot vacuum/mop hybrids. Like most products in this category, it offers excellent vacuuming and serviceable mopping, but it also includes a wealth of cleaning customization options, including multi-floor mapping and area cleaning that should make it particularly attractive to owners of larger, multiple-story homes.

Design-wise, the Ozmo 920 sticks close to the robot-vacuum blueprint: It measures 13.7 inches across and 3.7 inches high due to its laser turret, which employs Smart Navi 3.0 technology to navigate and create an interactive map of your floor plan, so you can customize cleanings.

Down under are a roller brush and a pair of spinning edge brushes. The Ozmo 920 also includes a direct suction option that involves removing the roller brush and replacing it with a special vent that allows the vacuum to suck up pet hair and other fibers without them getting tangled in the roller.

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A relatively small 0.43-liter dustbin is housed beneath a lid on top of the vacuum, while a water reservoir for the mopping function is slotted in the back. The vacuum comes with a reusable microfiber mopping cloth and several disposable ones, along with a cloth plate to which they attach.

Setup and usage

The Ozmo 920 requires the same basic setup as most robot vacuums: Assemble the charging dock and plug it in, and then set the vacuum on the contacts. Next, download the Ecovacs Home app and scan the vacuum’s QR code. Like the Ozmo 930 we reviewed previously, the Ozmo 920 is chatty and will talk you through the installation steps from this point, but they’re pretty straightforward: press the vacuum’s reset button to enter pairing mode, login to your Wi-Fi network, and so on. The Ozmo 920 takes about four hours to charge fully and promises 110 minutes of run time.

The vacuum can vacuum on any surface, which made it perfect for my downstairs floor, which consists of carpet, hardwood, and linoleum. By default, an auto-boost feature can be enabled to increases the suction power when the vacuum is on carpet.

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Ecovacs recommends direct suction mode for daily vacuuming and using the main brush when you want deeper cleanings. As I have a quartet of furry four-legged family members, that sounded good to me. I removed and replaced the roller brush with the direct suction vent and turned the 920 loose. It ping-ponged around, getting the lay of the living room, kitchen and bathroom. When it was done, I had a much cleaner floor and a map of the downstairs.

During cleaning jobs, you’re notified when the Ozmo 920 gets into trouble via app alerts and the voice reporter. Although the notifications I got were very specific—the roller brush was tangled, there was a problem with the driving wheel—most of the time the vacuum was just stuck, typically under the couch thanks to its high turret. While the tall profile makes it tough for it to get under furniture and cabinets, the Ozmo 920 did an excellent job along walls and in clear open space, expertly navigating around obstacles.

Once a map is saved in the app, you can view the location of the Ozmo 920 on it even as it’s cleaning. It comes in handy if you ever lose track of the vacuum or it gets stuck out of sight. It also gives you more control over your cleaning jobs, allowing you to create virtual boundaries around areas you want the vacuum to stay out of, create custom cleanings, and select specific rooms to clean. If you live in a multi-floor dwelling, you can create and save a separate map for each floor (up to three).

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On top of the maps, the Ecovacs Home app provides data and customization options you can’t access without it, including detailed cleaning logs, scheduling options, and the means to manage everything, from the suction power to the voice reporter.

On hard floors the Ozmo 920 can vacuum and mop simultaneously. I used it to mop the kitchen and bathroom. Prep involves removing the reservoir and filling it with tap water, then attaching one of the mopping cloths to the plate and snapping the plate onto the bottom of the reservoir before returning the whole thing to the vacuum. I particularly like the design of the mopping plate; a thin pocket on the end of the cloth slips over the lip of the plate, enabling a much snugger fit than just the velcro could provide. This allowed for more even coverage of the floor. Dragging a moist cloth over the floor is never going to give it the through cleaning you’d get with a stick mop and some elbow grease, but it’s enough keep a sheen on it between manual mopping sessions.

The smaller dustbin—most robot vacuums I’ve tested have a capacity around 0.6 liters—meant more frequent emptying. Fortunately, it pops easily out of the vacuum with a tug of its handle and opens to release a plume of dust and debris. The high efficiency filter can be cleaned with tap water, and a replacement filter is included with the vacuum.

Verdict

The Deebot Ozmo 920 is a good robot vacuum/mop, but it is not a cheap one. At $700, it’s probably best reserved for folks with larger two- and three-story homes who can best take advantage of the multi-floor mapping, area cleaning, and other advanced features. If you have more hard flooring than carpet, you might consider a dedicated robot mop like the iLife Shinebot W400 , which offers plenty of custom cleaning options, plus more dirt agitation than any currently available vacuum/mop combo.