Nowadays, it’s a lot more manageable to do household chores. With the advancement of technology, you can now rely on smart cleaning gadgets like robot vacuums to make your cleaning life easier. Floor mopping has gone high-tech as well.
A robot mop is a valuable device especially in homes with heavy traffic areas. You can also use it in your bathroom and other rooms that you simply hate mopping. Hence, this gadget is truly the dream of all housewives out there.
In this robot mop review, we will take a closer look at the ILIFE Shinebot W400. The floor washing robot is not your average mopping robot since it will scrub your floors using clean water. Afterward, it will suck up all the filthy water in. But does its overall performance at par with the best robot mops on the market? Keep on reading to find out.
iLife Shinebot W400 Overview
iLife manufactures a variety of smart gadgets, particularly vacuums, that automate the way you do chores at home. The company now jumped on board the mopping robot game with the Shinebot W400 Floor Washing Robot. This unit is a delightful break from your usual robot mop. To describe it more accurately, most of W400’s competitions are robot floor wipers. That’s because you will not be able to get the same outcomes as what you’d achieve from manually mopping your floors using your good old stick mop.
However, the impressive performance of this robotic mop allows you to achieve that goal a lot closer. It will scrub your surfaces diligently and will provide you with enough agitation to lift up all those stubborn stains off your floors, leaving them spotless.
The Shinebot W400 shines best in washing hard floors. It comes with a fairly large water tank that lets you mop for longer. On top of that, its secondary reservoir for filthy water and a scraper ensures that every dirt that goes in its way is removed. This makes the bot an improvement over the hybrid robot mops that merely wipe your floors, leaving behind unsightly water.
Specs:
- Dimensions: 11 x 11 x 4.5 inches
- Battery Life: 130 minutes
- Mop/Vacuum Hybrid: No
- Scheduling: N/A
- Virtual Walls: N/A
- Remote Control: Yes
- Smartphone Control: N/A
What About The Price?
The retail price of iLife W400 in Amazon is $249.99, which is cheaper in comparison to the iRobot Braava Jet M6. Although it does not come with all the bells and whistles of expensive models, its battery life is good, quiet, and easy to operate for its price point.
Similar to most robotic floor-washing mops out there, it only mops with water. It is not advisable to use the unit with a cleaning solution, which may be a deal-breaker for some considering we are in the Covid-19 age. Furthermore, the Shinebot W400 sacrificed features like automatic charging and app integration. Nevertheless, it does an excellent job at eliminating smudges, dirt, and even footprints from surfaces.
So if you want a one-button operation device that’s simple to use, the iLife W400 is for you. It offers a hassle-free, straightforward mopping and will do what it is supposed to do.
Design
Straight off the bat, you’ll notice that the iLife Shinebot W400 is bigger than most mopping bots on the market. Likewise, it is heavier at 7 pounds. The top of the unit has a multifunctional panel that holds the buttons for starting and stopping washing sessions. Here you can switch among the cleaning modes, as well as receive voice notifications on the whereabouts of your robot. You will also find LEDs here that indicate the level of the battery charge and water. Additionally, there’s a retractable handle below the panel, making it less difficult to tote the device from one room to the next.
To scrub and get rid of dirt, the W400 floor-washing robot has a scraper and microfiber brush that rotates swiftly. Meanwhile, the two containers within the machine have different inlets and outlets to ensure dirty and clean water does not mix. Along with that, this iLife robot mop features several anti-drop and anti-collision sensors. These will give you peace of mind knowing that your bot can traverse the terrain of your house cautiously.
Easy Setup
The box of the iLife Shinebot W400 includes:
- The robot itself
- Two rotating brushes
- A pair of water tanks
- A squeegee
- A cleaning tool
- Remote control
- Batteries
Putting the unit together is easy and you’ll be able to set it up in about 5 minutes or so. After you’ve installed everything, it needs an initial charging of 4.5 to 5 hours.
Overall Performance
To start a mopping session, simply fill the tank for clean water. It will easily pop up once you press on the tank’s release button located at the top of your device. Then, press the clean button either on the remote control or the unit. You will hear a voice prompt asking you to pick a cleaning mode for wet mopping. The options you have are the following:
- Path mode. The mopping robot will wash your floors in straight lines, avoiding obstacles. When done, it will return to the spot where it started.
- Area mode. It will clean in a similar pattern as with the path mode. However, it will only tackle a 16 x 16 ft area working from starting position.
- Spot mode. For this mode, the iLife W400 will take a spiral path twice covering a spot with concentrated dirt. It will then take that same path to return to its starting point.
- Edge mode. Your robot will navigate an area’s perimeter while mopping the corners and edges.
You also have an option to manually control your smart mop with the help of the directional button on its remote. Although all these modes have their uses, the path mode is the best when it comes to maintenance cleaning.
What separates the Shinebot from other mopping robots on the market is that it utilizes the TidalPower Cleaning System. This mopping method includes four steps:
- The little nozzles below the robot’s front part moisten your surfaces with clean water. This will help loosen the blemishes and grime.
- Then, it will use its microfiber roller brush to scrub the filth and smudges free.
- Afterward, the W400 sucks the dirty water in.
- Finally, the scraper will take care of every bit of debris left behind.
This robot mop is quite efficient. It will scrub and clean high-traffic areas with flying colors, leaving them gleaming and free of nasty paw prints, footprints, and other dirt. However, its size is one of its major downsides. It’s a bit tall and bulky, which makes it challenging for the unit to handle tight spots such as between a wall and a toilet.
It’s a good thing that it has voice alerts to update you about the status of your iLife Shinebot W400. These include when the robot is done with its task and whenever its battery is running low. The feature is pretty handy since it will get your attention when you’re busy doing something else. Additionally, iLife’s official website has a frequently asked questions page you can check out if you’re having trouble with the setup or operation of your device.
Verdict
The four-step mopping system of the iLife W400 is very efficient. Likewise, it does a great job at nearly replicating what you can achieve with cleaning using a traditional push mop. It can navigate around your home on its own and will not require much help on your part.
Read Also: Thunderobot Thor Zero Releasing On 11 May With Intel Tiger Lake-H45
If you live in a home with tight areas or an apartment, you may find its size a hindrance. So you may want to look for a smaller model instead. However, if your home has reasonably open spaces and mostly hard floors, the iLife Shinebot W400 Floor Washing Robot is worth investing in.