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Between work, family and children, we have less and less free time available and having to dedicate a good part of it to house cleaning certainly does not help to enjoy some of the well-deserved rest that is achieved in the weekend.
It is from this starting point that the review of ILIFE X5 was born, a robotic vacuum cleaner that cleans the floor of the house in total autonomy: an ingenious device that we have recently tried on our skin , appreciating the undoubted advantages especially when compared to the price and quality of the product, in parallel with the functions offered.
Unboxing
In the package, in addition to the vacuum cleaner, there are a series of interesting accessories. First of all the charging base, the “home” where the vacuum cleaner goes autonomously when the battery is about to run out. The latter is connected to the power socket through the power supply with American plug, the only flaw of all the accessories included and which will force us to use one of the many adapters available on the market to connect it correctly to the socket in our country.
Equally effective is the remote control, thanks to which it is possible to start and stop the vacuum cleaner, program it to switch on and adjust all its functions, which we will discuss in more detail in the chapter on field tests. Another drawback is the user manual, available only in Chinese and English, although in the latter the translation leaves something to be desired, making the understanding of some functions more complicated than expected.
Also included in the purchase is a filter, a cloth and two spare propellers, as well as two trays for two different types of cleaning (wet and dry), a sensor to limit the movements of the robot and a brush for cleaning and maintenance of the 'vacuum cleaner.
what the inside of the box looks like 
package contents 
the two spare brushes 
the brush 
the charger with US plug 
the remote control 
there are already batteries 
the sensor 
here too the batteries are included 
the spare cloth 
the filter 
the wet cleaning tray 
here the cap to fill the water 
the charging base 
the power is connected here
How it's made
Taken in the hand (an action that will be repeated only when emptying the tray), the vacuum cleaner appears very sturdy and quite heavy. Cylindrical in shape, similar to that of many other products of this kind, it is made entirely of rigid plastic of excellent quality, satin in the gold and black parts, while it appears shiny in the white ones.
On the upper side there is a door, with a circular cut, which can be accessed simply by pressing it slightly downwards. This is where the tray is located where all the dirt sucked up by the machine during cleaning will be collected. It attaches and removes easily, simply by inserting it in the right direction and pulling it away through the practical retractable handle.
An LCD display shows at a glance the active mode during operation, in addition to the bars battery charging while charging. It is accompanied by four touch-sensitive touch buttons that allow you to adjust the main functions of the robot (Clean, Plan, Home and Spot) even without the remote control.
the vacuum cleaner 
by pressing here … 
… the door opens 
here is the tray already inserted 
it rises like this 
the aspirator hole 
a look at the base 
the wheels … 
are amortized 
the flaps … 
close on contact with an obstacle, signaling its presence to the system 
the cloth is attached with a hook and loop system 
the suction nozzle 
the on / off 
On bottom two wheels, cushioned by a spring system, and a third one in the center, smaller, controlled by the AI to direct the vacuum cleaner, guarantee the robot the right movements. On the upper sides, in the outermost area, there are two rotating brushes, each characterized by three tufts of plastic that rotate on the floor and direct the dirt collected on the sides to the center of the vacuum cleaner, where the mouth of the vacuum cleaner is located.
A microfibre cloth in the shape of a semicircle is hooked onto the lower area of the base: generally it should be placed side by side only in wet cleaning even if, according to our tests, it also finds the right space in that dry. The cloth is easily replaced thanks to the hook and loop system while, if you intend to do without it, it is necessary to remove all the plastic component (and not just the cloth) to which it attaches, in order to avoid scratching the floor or a more delicate parquet.
Finally, at the edges there are an On / Off switch and two flaps, the strong point of this device, which crush slightly when they encounter an obstacle: at the end of the stroke it is in fact thanks to a sensor that the vacuum cleaner recognizes and adjusts to the situation, turning around to avoid it. On half of the frame there are also some proximity sensors that help the vacuum cleaner to orient itself during cleaning: an additional sensor is placed on the back.
How it works
First of all it is necessary to recharge the battery. In this sense, you can proceed in two ways: via cable, by connecting the power supply through the appropriate input located next to the On / Off switch, or by placing the vacuum cleaner by matching the contacts with those of the base, suitably connected to the Power supply. In both cases it will be necessary to turn on the switch: if left off, the vacuum cleaner will emit an annoying beep and the battery will not be recharged.
Some bars on the screen will signal the start of charging the battery, which will end when the word 'Full' appears. At that point all that remains is to connect the desired tray, close the door, disconnect the power cable if you have chosen the direct connection and finally press the 'Clean' button on the remote control (use two AAA batteries already included in the package) or on the vacuum cleaner itself.
The vacuum cleaner will immediately start moving forward by activating the rotation of the brushes and the vacuum cleaner. If when you click on 'Clean' the machine is hooked to the base, then it will first automatically release by moving in reverse for 30-40 centimeters, then it will rotate 90 degrees on one side and start cleaning.
The Automatic mode
At start-up using the 'Clean' button, the message 'Auto' will appear on the screen, indicating the activation of the automatic mode. In this condition, the vacuum cleaner will move randomly around the room and, if it encounters open doors, it will pass them without thinking twice, wandering around the house.
To keep it longer inside a room it will therefore be necessary to close the door or use the portable sensor (works with two AA batteries included in the package) which will emit an infrared signal to make the vacuum cleaner move back when it tries to pass it.
The vacuum cleaner “sees” obstacles and, as soon as it encounters one during its journey, it slows down until it approaches a few centimeters, then turns slightly to one side and takes another direction. The system is very intelligent as it recognizes the legs of tables and chairs by turning around them, but also the furniture by temporarily activating the 'Edge' mode which makes it circumnavigate the entire perimeter.
Manual, Edge and Programmed Modes
It is also possible to remotely control the vacuum cleaner, a very useful function when we need to move it to a particular area of the house. Thanks to the directional arrows on the remote control it will be possible to make it move forward, backward and rotate left to right, deciding exactly the path to follow.
Using the 'Max' button on the remote control it is possible to increase the rotation speed of the brushes and the power of the vacuum cleaner, very useful when manually cleaning carpets. There is also a button to activate the 'Edge' mode which forces the vacuum cleaner to go around an obstacle, cleaning it on all sides.
Finally, through an additional button you can program the cleaning : the time selected via the remote control and visible on the vacuum cleaner display does not indicate the exact time at which cleaning must be started as you might assume, but in how many hours it must be started. So if we set 6:15, the vacuum cleaner will switch on in Automatic mode between six hours and fifteen minutes. To reset the programming, the only way is to turn the vacuum cleaner off and on using the switch.
Field test
After two weeks of daily use we can say for sure: we love ILIFE X5. This vacuum cleaner has finally taken away the anguish of having to clean the house over the weekend, getting up from the sofa and postponing the reading of the classic “Sunday book”. The Automatic mode is smarter than we thought: on a couple of occasions we heard the robot get stuck on a carpet we have in the bathroom, slightly thicker (about 1 centimeter) than the one in the kitchen which never gave any problems, and on both occasions, although we had rushed to settle the matter promptly, we did not have to do anything. After having rolled up part of the carpet by mistake, the vacuum cleaner in fact “realized” the problem and took a step back, making it return to its position, and then retry the climb, if we can call it that.
Established that the vacuum cleaner could move freely throughout the house without hitches, for the cleaning of the following days we started it just before leaving the apartment, leaving it free while we were instead at work or engaged in some other outdoor activity. Upon returning, ILIFE X5 was always there, hooked to the base with the battery already charging.
As soon as the battery is close to running out completely (according to our tests, after almost 2 hours of uninterrupted cleaning ), Low will appear on the display and the vacuum cleaner will automatically move to the base search mode. The latter, in the same way, will emit an ultrasonic signal almost inaudible by the human ear (we perceived it as we approached about 20 centimeters at the base) but which will be recognized by the vacuum cleaner, which will use it to orient itself inside the home and reach the base before completely depleting the battery.
Only once, when the vacuum cleaner was on the opposite side of the apartment (about 80sqm large, with two rooms to separate them), did not was able to hear the beep, stopping at a random spot in the room.
If there is enough space to access it, the vacuum cleaner will also pass through beds and sofas (ILIFE X5 is 7 cm high), also thoroughly cleaning those areas where you rarely have the opportunity to clean with a vacuum cleaner, relying rather on cloths and rags. In this regard, blankets and curtains are recognized as obstacles, so if the interest is to also clean these areas with the automatic mode, then before leaving the ap partamento it is good to remember to withdraw the curtains and raise the covers, at least on one of the two sides, to guarantee the passage.
As if that were not enough, the vacuum cleaner recognizes the steps avoiding to pass them in time . Not having any available in our apartment we did a test by placing the vacuum cleaner on the table: after starting the automatic mode, the vacuum cleaner began to brush it thoroughly, going back slightly and changing direction every time it approached the edge.
Final thoughts after use
With a tenant who is obsessed with cleanliness and very faithful to the classic Kobold, we had doubts about effective effectiveness of this type of vacuum cleaner, of which we had no experience in this regard. ILIFE X5 cleans very well and, not having to pay attention to it, it is also possible to carry out two or more cleanings during the day, thus making sure to cover the whole house well (in the case of our apartment, we repeat, of 80 square meters, a two-hour cleaning is more than enough to remove dust and dirt in all the rooms).
The battery is fully recharged in about 5 hours and the noise is practically halved compared to that of a common vacuum cleaner, then almost imperceptible if wet cleaning is performed: with the latter, the brushes rotate much more slowly, almost caressing the floor, and the suction power is considerably reduced. The manual recommends using it after a complete dry cleaning as it is a finishing, rather than a consistent cleaning. the cloth and leaving behind a strip about 20 centimeters wide. Here, too, the vacuum cleaner will move through the room in a completely random way, collecting that thin layer of dust that may still be left on the floor.
the two trays in comparison 
on the left the dry one, on the right the wet one 
we open the dry one 
here's what it is made up of 
first cleaning 
the cloth after dry cleaning first cleaning completed…. we are preparing to empty the tray 
!!! 
brush where possible … and wash the tray
Personally, we much preferred dry cleaning, using wet cleaning only on a couple of occasions for the record. This is because, in comparison, the former seemed sufficient for the purpose. Perhaps performing both can be useful when leaving the apartment for a few days, but for those who live in the house daily, starting the vacuum cleaner once a day, even just before leaving, costs nothing and ensures total and constant cleaning.
The tray must be emptied at the end of each cleaning, even if a little dust has been removed, this is to ensure correct operation of the appliance, freeing all the ways that may have become blocked during the aspiration. It is sufficient to remove the filter, empty the tray, brush the removable parts and wash the main casing under tap water. After leaving it to dry, all that remains is to reassemble the parts and insert the tray back into its housing to have everything ready for the next use.
Conclusions
Can't bear the idea of having to vacuum? Buy ILIFE X5. You will not regret the purchase, you will have more free time and an equally clean house. In our opinion, the system is brilliant as it covers all areas of the house, goes around tables and chairs, also passes under the beds and when it is unloaded it returns to the base to recharge. The only thing you still have to do by hand is to empty the tray and brush the filter well: otherwise you will forget what “vacuuming” means.
Pro
– Total and effective cleaning – Minimum maintenance – Noise halved compared to that of classic vacuum cleaners – Automatic mode – Recognizes obstacles and bypasses them – Returns to the base to recharge when the battery is almost exhausted – Cleaning at dry and wet – Programmable automatic start – Remote control with manual guide
Against
– Charger with US plug – Unclear English manual
Retail price
ILIFE X5 is on sale on GearBest for € 158.42, a price of far lower than that of well-known brands such as Roomba, Ariete and Kobold. We have no experience with other brands but for our tests it has proved to be completely up to any other classic vacuum cleaner which, on the other hand, still requires constant human intervention.
The model is not available on Amazon Italia which presents the V5 version which offers not only the vacuum system but also the floor washing system with a special interchangeable water tank. In this case the cost is 199 Euro including VAT.
Spare parts for X5 and V5 (compatible with each other) are also available on Amazon Italy.
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