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ILife V80 Max review: Extra large dustbin and powerful carpet cleaning from a two-in-one robot
ILife V80 Max robot vacuum
pros and cons
- Superb remote control management
- Powerful 2000Pa suction
- 750ml dustbin
- Noisy
- Limited functionality with app
- Water tank not included
The ILife V80 Max robot vacuum looks very similar to the A80 Max robot vacuum I looked at last week. The two units are so alike that I had to place stickers on each unit and remote control unit so I could tell them apart.
But the differentiating factor of the ILife V series, is that most of the V series robots are multi-function robots and have mopping as well as sweeping capability.
The V80 Max water tank is not included in the box with the vacuum, it must be purchased separately. However, I can not find links to it on Amazon – nor on ILife's own site.
I did not receive the water tank with the V80 Max sample so I can not cover this feature. Instead, I can only review its use as a single function robot.
The dustbin must be removed before the water tank is inserted which means you need to sweep the floor properly before using the tank. Many other 2-in-1 robots will sweep and mop at the same time.
Like the A80 Max the V80 Max has a powerful 2000 Pa suction which means that it is excellent on carpets, vacuuming carpet fibres out of even really old carpets (over 20 years old). It has a remote control and an app to manage the schedule and cleaning modes.
The app is a generic app across the ILife series of robot vacuums, and shows two modes for cleaning: auto and s-shaped cleaning.
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If you want to use spot or edge cleaning, these need to be set in the remote control – not the app. You can also completely manage the robot using the remote control – so the app is not strictly necessary.
The dustbin size is impressive. At 750ml capacity, I think that it is the largest dustbin capacity I have seen. This gives space for an extra large filter to get rid of particles. Most dustbins are around the 400-500ml size, and can fill up quickly if you have a lot of dirt, or pet hair to remove from your floors.
The V80 Max will automatically return to the charging station to recharge if the battery gets low, but I am not certain that it goes directly back to the place it last cleaned. It does seem to wander around a little.
The mapping feature on the app is fairly primitive and nowhere near as accurate as the mapping on LIDAR models. However at under $200 with the coupon, the V80 Max is significantly cheaper than any vacuum with LIDAR.
Another differentiator to the A80 Max is that the V80 Max does not have a roller brush. Instead there is a U-shaped rubber strip to push dirt into the path of the two side sweepers and the suction hole.
On the plus side, you do not need to detangle the roller brushes , but if you are used to roller sweepers picking up extra pet hair you might prefer the A80 Max with its roller brush.
The V80 Max is really noisy, and though it is supposed to be 60db whilst in use, at 100% suction power it certainly seems far louder than this – something to watch if your space is entirely surfaced with hard flooring.
I like the simplicity of the ILife vacuums, there are no voice prompts and only three types of beeps to remember to let you know if the robot is stuck or has cliff sensor, or wheel/brush issues. It beeps if you can not find it and does not beep in use. It is a nice simple robot vacuum.
All in all for $220, less $30 coupon and extra 5% discount using the code 05ILIFEV80X the ILife V80 Max is certainly one to look at. It is an affordable powerful (albeit noisy) vacuum with a simplified app, and a comprehensive remote control to manage its features.
If you are wary of giving your data away through an app, then the ILife range of robot vacuums with superb remote control functionality are certainly the vacuums for you.