Yeedi K700 review: This robot vacuum/mop hybrid delivers smart navigation at a budget price

Yeedi may not be a household name, but the brand’s robot vacuums warrant your attention. The K600, which we reviewed earlier, delivers first-class cleaning without the complexity or price of more budget-brushing models. And its successor, reviewed here, retains those qualities and adds excellent camera navigation for an even more attractive offering.

The K700 measures 12.8 x 12.8 x 3.19 inches and weighs 6.7 pounds. On the top of scratch-resistant glass cover is an auto-mode button and a VSLAM camera. The latter allows the vacuum to map its surroundings and plot a methodical zig-zag path through the room. On the bottom are two drive wheels and one omni-directional wheel, a V-shaped roller brush, and studs for two supplied side brushes.

This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best robot vacuums, where you’ll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping.

A 0.6L dustbin slots into the back of the K700. This can be swapped out for a 0.3L water reservoir with microfiber cloth to mop hard floors. The vacuum comes with a charging dock, two AAA batteries, and a multi-function cleaning tool.

Yeedi

As there is no companion app to futz with, setting up the K700 is pretty easy. The two side brushes need to be snapped onto their posts on the vacuum’s underside. Then you just plug in the charging dock, flip the power switch on the side of the vacuum to “on,” and place it on the charging contacts. Fully charged, the K700 will give you up to 110 minutes of vacuuming or 250 minutes of mopping. When the battery runs low, it will automatically return to its dock to recharge.

You can initiate cleaning by pressing the auto clean button on the vacuum or the one on the remote control. In this mode, the K700 vacuums in an up-and-down pattern to completely cover the area. Two other modes can only be selected from the remote: Edge mode, which cleans around the perimeter of the room, giving special attention to the dirt along walls and baseboards, and spot cleaning mode which spirals over concentrated dirt for a deeper clean.

I used the K700 in my downstairs level so I could easily test it on a variety of surfaces: carpeting, hardwood and vinyl tiling. Once the vacuum mapped the whole downstairs level on its initial cleaning, it moved purposefully through each room. That result was much better room coverage than I experienced with the vacuum’s non-mapping K600 predecessor. Every open area of the floor got equal attention, and cleaning jobs were quick and thorough.

Yeedi

The vacuum deftly avoided furniture and most larger obstacles, such as the dog’s food and water dishes. Small obstacles and power cables still need to be tidied up before vacuuming, so they don’t get snared in the spinning edge brushes or lodged in the roller brush. Its low height enabled it to slip in and out from under the couch and dip in the toe spaces under the kitchen cabinets.

The vacuum has a top suction power of 2000Pa, and that was adequate to get the pet hair out of the carpeting and more than enough to suck up looser debris, sujch as dust and food crumbs. It’s able to cross height differentials up to 1.6 cm, so it had no trouble transitioning between different floor types or getting over the edge of a throw rug.

I used the optional mopping system to scrub my kitchen floors. It’s similar to many other hybrid robot vacuums—you fill the reservoir with tap water through a small opening on the bottom, and then Velcro the cleaning cloth to the bottom. Next, you remove the dustbin and replace it with the reservoir. Finally, set it on the floor and activate it with the Auto button.

Unlike with some app-operated robots, you can’t control the amount of water used to mop; it is dispensed in preprogrammed amounts. The system works well, lifting all but the most stubborn dirt and leaving the floors mostly dry when it’s finished. If the floor you’re mopping adjoins carpet, as my kitchen does with my living room, you’ll need to supervise mopping to ensure the K700 doesn’t wander and water your rug. Some magnetic tape or other boundary marking system would have been helpful here.

That’s a minor criticism of an otherwise well-designed robot vacuum. The K700 delivered hours of efficient cleaning during my time with it, and I came to rely on it for daily vacuuming of my home’s most high-traffic areas. It skillfully matches the simple operation and price of a budget vacuum with the camera navigation of more advanced offerings, and that makes it well worth your consideration.

• The Yeedi K700 skillfully combines advanced room-mapping technology with simple operation and a budget price.

  Pros

  • Multiple cleaning modes with powerful suction
  • VSLAM-enabled mapping
  • Budget price

  Cons

  • No virtual boundary system included
  • Mopping system isn’t vigorous enough for tougch stains

Michael Ansaldo is a veteran consumer and small-business technology journalist. He contributes regularly to TechHive and writes the Max Productivity column for PCWorld.