A few days ago, I shared a little bit about Whiskers - The Dirt Devil Robotic Vacuum. So I've tried it and here is what I think about Whiskers. And guys, if you are reading this, listen, your lady who holds your fort might appreciate this as a Valentine's Day gift!
Whiskers™ SV Robotic Vacuum BD70000
Firstly, we "love" the name. Whiskers. If I ask my son to go get Whiskers, he's off to get it and appears in a few seconds, carrying Whiskers. It is that light, not heavy at all.
He does look it at it like a pet and throws papers at it asking it to "eat" ( or clean?) it. It is not noisy and my son doesn't run away and hop, skip and jump when I turn on Whiskers. Not that it has to child friendly to do its job but it will not wake up a sleeping baby. We all know how we tip-toe around when it's baby's sleeping time. Now you can clean when your baby sleeps!
Assembly was a breeze, like less than 3 mins to put the dust cup with the filter.Lift the top round, thin cover and you will find the slot for the cup.Make sure that the cup rests properly and snap the lid on.
Whiskers has to be charged for 4 hrs every time after use. It automatically shuts off charge at the end of 4 hrs.So even if you go out and forgot to turn it off, you do not have to worry.That's the point where you plug in the adaptor that comes with it. It is marked with a sticker which I thought was a great idea as I often get confused with so many chargers and adaptors for all the gadgets at home. Wrong charger for the wrong gadget could be a really bad idea!
Now I placed the whiskers - which are the long bristles that rotate in circular motion and bring the dust inwards where the dust sucking valve is located. The grey valve in the center is the one that takes in the dust. Although the entire circle goes around the floor, the part of the floor that comes in contact with the valve is the part that will be actually cleaned.
If you wonder, how this robotic vacuum moves around like it knows every corner of your home, there are 3 cleaning patterns with which Whiskers does the job:
3 Cleaning Patterns – first the random pattern covers from wall to wall, then moves into circular pattern for larger open areas, and finally moves into perimeter pattern to clean along baseboards and corners. It is best suited for tile, linoleum, and wood flooring.
- It is great for closed spaces like kitchen and bathrooms. It did an excellent job in cleaning the floor, corners and the intersection of the floor and wall.
- For larger spaces like dining space- I found that I could help Whiskers be more efficient by moving the chairs and just leaving the empty floor. It does recognize an obstacle but it will change its pattern at the obstacle and may go back to clean the same part again. If you have toys lying around, scoop them all up and leave the dirty floor to Whiskers.
- It can clean up to 2 medium sized rooms after a 4 hr recharge. Again, I want to emphasize that cleaning is most effective with less obstacles like toys etc.
- It is sleek and can easily go under a dresser or a settee to clean the space underneath.
- It is suggested that the filter be cleaned and rinsed after every use. I rinsed it with a bit of soap after 3 uses and it was white as new. I emptied the dust cup after every use.
- If the battery runs out while cleaning, it stays where it is. It does not come back to the charging station.
- It ignores and drives over cables as it is not equipped with a brush, which is a great feature.
- The wheels are well-designed and they go around smoothly.They tend to get stuck when they meet an object that is smaller than the wheel. Like a small stone from my boot got stuck in the wheel.It moves around big objects though.
- I am so happy that it is such a compact vacuum and doesn't need a lot of space to store it.
I love the quiet feature that I have really grown to appreciate a lot. Since we live in an apartment, Whiskers is perfect for our space. I push away my son's toys to a corner , roll up the carpet as it doesn't clean rugs/ carpets and let Whiskers run around on the floor.
I lay down on the couch and catch up on my reading. Cleaning isn't intrusive to my reading anymore.
If I plan my cleaning and schedule it for the week, I can make the best use of Whiskers. It takes around 20 minutes to clean my living room. It is a long duration as the suction air path is small. But since I do not have to bend down with a broom, I do not mind the 20 minute run time. My other vacuum is very noisy which is why I resorted to my broom.
I also like how it cleans out the edges with its bristles. Here are some photos:
If you are looking for a hands-free approach to cleaning, Whiskers is great option for small, flat spaces.
MSRP: $119.00
Availability: In-stores now at Canadian Tire, or visit DirtDevil.com
Disclaimer: I received a sample for review purpose only. No monetary compensation was received. The above post reflects my personal opinion.
