ILIFE V7s Review: Will This Be the Robot Vacuum?

ILIFE is a Chinese manufacturing company that has been coming out with robot vacuums that are seen to compete with iRobot’s immensely popular Roomba. ILIFE’s robot vacuums aim to deliver the same level of cleaning as comparable Roombas but with a friendlier price tag.  Indeed, ILIFE has been gunning for value-for-money robot vacuums that strike the perfect balance between quality and price.   

Features of ILIFE V7s

The ILIFE V7s is seen as an improvement over the ILIFE V7s.

Here Are Its Features

• Automatic Recharge. The ILIFE V7s will automatically go back to its charging base to recharge when the power runs low.   
• Better water tank. The V7s comes equipped with a water tank that will not drip when the robot stops or when it is charging. It only drips when the robot vacuum is cleaning. The water tank can hold up to 450 ml, enough to mop your floors.
• Anti-drop sensors and anti-collision system. The ILIFE V7s has infrared sensors that enable it to avoid obstacles and sharp drops. It can stay away from stairs and clean effortlessly around all your furniture.
• Wet and dry modes. You can use the ILIFE V7s to mop or sweep your floors. All you need to do is to put in the dustbin if you want to sweep or the water tank if you want to mop. 
• Remote control. The robot vacuum comes with a remote control that you can use to operate your robot vacuum. The remote control also allows you to select from four cleaning modes: Automatic cleaning, border cleaning, spot cleaning, and scheduled cleaning. 
• Cleans all floor types. The ILIFE V7s can help you clean ceramic tile, cement, and wooden floors.  It can even clean carpeted floors. You can use it to clean day-to-day dust, cigarette ash, and butts, confetti, and bigger particles of dirt.   
• Low noise. The V7s operates with a sound level of less than 60dB, which is very quiet for such a powerful vacuum. No need to turn up the volume on your TV even if it cleans in the same room. You can even sleep while it cleans.   
• Dual filter. The ILIFE V7s uses two filters to keep the dust from being recycled back into the air you breathe.  It also uses a roughing filter to sift out the dirt particles from the water when it is mopping. 

Other Features You Should Know About

• Dimensions: 13.4 inches in diameter and 3.5 inches in height. 
• Weight: 6.5 pounds 
• Big dust box: Can hold up to 500 ml of dirt and dust. 
• Big water tank: Can hold up to 450 ml of water 
• Range: A 4-meter range for remote control 
• Battery life: Lithium-ion 2600mAh battery 
• Charging time: 5 hours 
• Running time: Up to 2 hours and 20 minutes 
• Coverage: Can clean anywhere between 80 to 220 square meters 

How the ILIFE V7s Cleans?

 

The suction power of the V7s is also very strong, rating a 600 Pa suction power. You would love its double-V brush, which agitates the dirt and dust from your floors and then efficiently gathers them for the suction to do its work. The side brushes will also work to help clean wall edges. On top of the side brushes and the main brush, the V7s also has a soft rubber layer that can effectively do the work of a scraper.   

In short, you really have the same cleaning system that you see on a Roomba. The main brush agitates and sweeps the dirt, while the side brushes work on the edges of walls and furniture. The brush roll has rubber layers to help scrape stubborn dirt. In addition, the powerful suction sends all of the dust and debris into the dustbin. 

Additionally, it has the mopping feature that adds a completely new layer of clean. The mopping capability of the V7s is just perfect for tiled and cement floors.   

What’s in the Box?

Every Box Includes

• ILIFE V7s 
• Remote control with two AAA batteries 
• Charging Dock 
• Adapter 
• Removable mop bracket  
• Water tank 
• Dustbin  
• Cleaning tool 
• Extra side brush 
• Two Extra cloth filters 
• Extra mop cloth 
• User manual and quick start guide 

What Would You Like About the ILIFE V7s?

The cleaning modes on the ILIFE V7s are very similar to the cleaning modes you find on most Roombas. Auto cleaning directs the robot vacuum to clean and automatically adjust itself based on what is necessary for a thorough clean. Spot-cleaning, on the other hand, directs the robot to clean a smaller area repeatedly, while edge cleaning directs it to follow the edges.   

You can schedule the ILIFE V7s to work at a particular time. This means that you can just leave it charging overnight and then expect it to start cleaning in the morning even when you are not at home. You can even schedule it to clean when you are sleeping.

The good news is that the ILIFE V7s is pretty quiet when it works, so you would not hear it when it cleans your living area while you are resting in the bedroom. One feature that the ILIFE V7s has that a Roomba does not is the mopping capability. With this feature, you can make sure that your floors are extra clean after the sweeping.

The ILIFE V7s measures 13.4 inches in diameter, meaning that it has a wide sweep and can cover more area with a single pass. It is also 3.5 inches high and has a lower profile than most Roombas, thus allowing it to go under more furniture.

What Could Be Better?

You need to be very attentive to the ILIFE V7s when you have the water tank inside it. Even with its anti-dripping mechanism, the manufacturer still recommends taking out the water tank when the robot vacuum is not in use.  In fact, this is one of the weaker features of the V7s.

It needs more attention and having to put in the water tank for mopping your floors or the dustbin for sweeping can be quite a hassle.

Also, you might find the five-hour charging time a little too long because it will run for only up to 140 minutes. The V7s might take a long time if you have a large room to clean. Thankfully, you can schedule it to run even when you are not home. 

Before You Buy

The ILIFE V7s has a manufacturer’s price of $400, but you can buy it for a lower price on Amazon (For the latest prices and discounts, check here). As you can see, the ILIFE V7s is cheaper than a Roomba but is very capable as far as cleaning is concerned.  There are some weaknesses but these are minor drawbacks rather than deal-breakers.   

It is worth noting that the Roomba 690 is currently retailing at this price. While the Roomba 690 and the ILIFE V7s deliver the same level of clean, the higher price tag is because of the Wi-Fi connectivity.

You can control the Roomba 690 with your smartphone no matter where you are in the world. That gives you a higher degree of control as far as cleaning is concerned. You can use the mobile app to see if the Roomba 690 is currently cleaning or if it has cleaned for the day and if you decide to have it clean again, you can. It does not matter if you are in the office or not. However, the Roomba 690 does not include a mopping function.  

When it comes to these models, you could choose the ILIFE V7s if you also want to mop the floors after sweeping, or if you just want to save while still having a highly capable robot vacuum. A Roomba 690 also won’t make sense if there is always somebody at home who can just start the V7s when the battery is full.   

However, if you do not need the mopping feature, and you are willing to pay extra for the Wi-Fi connectivity and smartphone control, then you should consider the Roomba 690.