For cleanliness in my gaming room, robotic vacuum cleaners have been working for 2 years. Here I will show you why the combination of a robot and a cordless handheld vacuum cleaner works so well for me as a gamer.
Have you already thought about buying a robotic vacuum cleaner or maybe even have one in your possession? After two years of use, I can tell you what is annoying and where the robot is worth it for me.
Spoiler: Loose cables are not liked by these devices at all. But in the end, you’ll have clean computers.
Which robotic vacuum cleaners have I tried?
My entry-level one: First of all, I bought a robotic vacuum cleaner from Medion, which was priced at around 70 €. However, I was so dissatisfied that I returned it the same day. It operated without a map and followed a chaotic principle. This means: It drives until it hits a wall, then turns around at a certain angle, and then drives until it hits the next wall. This left dirty spots behind and annoyed me just by watching.
I then read about robotic vacuum cleaners in forums, what to look for, which model is suitable for which budget, and watched YouTube videos on the topic. My first “real” entry-level model was the Tesvor X500 Pro.
My current one: Almost a year later, the model was no longer enough for me, and I switched to the Roborock S50 from Xiaomi. It has been accompanying me until September 2021. For a little over a month now, I’ve been using the Anker eufy RoboVac X8 Hybrid in combination with the eufy HomeVac H30.
Both eufy products were released by Anker in September and provided us for testing.
In this article, I will compare the products I have been able to test in different categories. As a hint, here is a price orientation with current prices:
- Tesvor X500 Pro ~ 210 €
- Xiaomi Roborock S5 ~ 400 €
- Anker eufy X8 Hybrid ~ 550 €
1. My floor is always clean, whenever I want
One of the great advantages of robotic vacuum cleaners is that I just have to press a button and the three-wheeled turbine scooter drives out of its charging station and immediately starts its job. If I want and my daily routine allows it, I can also program fixed times for when the vacuum should do its job.
If I’m not in the rooms that are to be cleaned at a specific time each day and give the robot a clear path, then let it work in peace during that time, rather than having it navigate around me and my desk chair.
Since there are no fixed times for this, the X8 Hybrid cleans when I cook. Sometimes even twice a day when my dog is changing her fur.
The practical thing is: When I need to vacuum, I issue the command and do something else in the meantime, often something productive. This function is supported seamlessly by the Tesvor X500 Pro, the Roborock S5, and the eufy X8 Hybrid.
This obvious point also brings another advantage:
2. Less dust on the floor = Less dust in the PC
Less dust on the floor ensures that my PC sucks in less dust. I have a gaming PC with a side window. While this looks cool, it also clearly shows me when it’s dusty inside. Thanks to the robot, my floor gets vacuumed daily, thereby reducing the dust that my PC can draw into the case through the filters.
Because the less dust is on the floor, the less dust is stirred up when walking, resulting in less dust flying through the air that can be sucked in by the case fans.
Especially with pets and a fireplace, it is important for me to vacuum every day.
In the long run, I clearly notice that I need to open my PC less often and clean it from dust. Because simply less dust comes into the case from the room. And when it does come to that, I now grab the cordless handheld vacuum:
(Bonus) A cordless handheld vacuum is great for cleaning cases
Usually, I would grab the corded vacuum when cleaning my PC. I would remove the long hose and then use the nozzle to vacuum the fan blades on the GPU and CPU fans (of course I held the fans firmly). The annoying part was that the vacuum cleaner itself takes up a lot of space, and the long hose is unwieldy.
A cordless vacuum like the eufy HomeVac H30 makes everything much more convenient. Because …
- it has no cable that you need to pull through the room or search for an outlet
- it is ready to use immediately
- you can dismantle it to the point where you only hold the small, handy vacuum in your hand
Especially if your PC is under the desk and can only be awkwardly pulled out, a cordless vacuum is practical.
If you are considering the HomeVac H30, then you should know:
- It costs 180 € (RRP)
- Has good suction power with 80AW/16kpa
- Weighs 808 grams and is quite light and comfortable to hold
- Comes with various attachments that allow you to reach up to the ceiling but also clean small places like the inside of a PC
- It is really loud, and that in high frequencies
3. Quiet enough to use Discord while vacuuming
The eufy X8 Hybrid can clearly distance itself from the loudness problems of handheld vacuums. Because modern robotic vacuum cleaners have different suction levels to regulate the performance. On my laminate, it usually doesn’t need to be vacuumed at a high level when the robot is in use daily.
The cool thing about it is that I can use the robot while I’m on Discord without disturbing the other participants. Even if I speak and my microphone is active, the vacuum is hardly audible.
Sure, only utterly horrible people touch a controller with greasy fingers, but when I do spill some chips on the floor at my desk, I call my robot. It clears the crumbs while I can continue chatting with my friends on Discord.
4. A great nerd toy in combination with software
As a technology enthusiast, I must highlight that calling a vacuum cleaner via app is genius. But the apps for the robots can do even more.
With the Tesvor X500 Pro, the Roborock S5, and the eufy X8 Hybrid, I can issue commands to start and stop or send them to specific points on the recorded map. I can specify no-go zones on the maps and say: please do not go there. During the vacuuming process, I can adjust the suction strength or remotely steer exactly where I want cleaning to take place.
What impressed me about the X8 Hybrid is the map storage for multiple floors. So there’s one map with restricted areas in my apartment and another when I take the robot upstairs for cleaning.
The software has many cool features like scheduling, precise navigation to a point in the apartment, a log of cleaning histories, a remote control function, and adjusting the map. That’s fun.
If you don’t want to deal with any of that, you can just press “Start” and let the robot do its job. It works too.
Robotic vacuum cleaners in gaming rooms – Yay or Nay?
What are the advantages? A major plus point is that your floor is cleaned satisfactorily without you having to do it yourself. For thicker plush carpets, it is indeed beneficial to use a handheld vacuum for targeted vacuuming. Wood, tiles, and low carpets are no problem for the robots.
Even if you’re not home, you can start the robots via app and let them vacuum the apartment or room.
Convenience is the main selling point of these robots. Especially the newer models that come with incredible suction power are an alternative to regular vacuum cleaners.
If you want to try these devices, you can do so for a low price of around 100 – 150 € and already have decent models at home. If you like it, you can spend more money and get even better suction performance, advanced apps, and new technologies like maps recorded by laser scanning.
The eufy X8 with dust container 
With a dog in the household, the dust container looks like this after 2 days
What are the disadvantages? Your floor must be robot-safe. Loose cables, shoelaces, small animals, and similar things do not combine well with a robot. You must ensure before each start that no phone charging cable is lying on the floor in such a way that the vacuum can wind it up and pull your phone off the table.
Additionally, you should check furniture for ground clearance. Robots tend to operate under couches and can get stuck there. Such “traps” need to be discovered.
Furthermore, you should not expect too much from the mopping features.
Moreover, if you want a good robotic vacuum cleaner with the latest technology, you will have to put down some cash. This is a luxury that you indulge in.
Who is a robotic vacuum cleaner worth it for? For anyone who is into new technology and has no problem with letting a robot roam around their apartment. It is best suited for a robot if it doesn’t just clean a small room but has to vacuum a whole apartment or multiple rooms, as that’s what the battery life is designed for.
But you should be clear that this can quickly become an expensive hobby if you tend to always want the newest model.
If you are rather lazy and don’t like vacuuming, you should consider a purchase.
*Affiliate-Links. Wir erhalten bei einem Kauf eine kleine Provision von Amazon. Vielen Dank für Eure Unterstützung!
The eufy X8 Hybrid in a brief test – Conclusion after one month
The technical details:
| Price | 550 € |
| Suction power | 2,000 Pa x2 |
| Navigation | iPath Laser Navigation |
| Mopping function | Available |
| Multiple floors | Possible |
| No-Go zones | Freely adjustable |
| Map recording | Yes |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi + Alexa + Google Assistant |
| Dust collector | 400 ml |
| Water tank | 250 ml |
| Runtime | Up to 180 minutes |
How well does the X8 Hybrid vacuum? In my test in the gaming room, the X8 Hybrid copes very well. Under my desk, I was forced to manage cables well because as soon as a loose cable lies on the floor, the X8 Hybrid winds it up and gets tangled in it. But this is not a flaw of this model, but a general disadvantage of all robotic vacuum cleaners I have tested.
It is therefore crucial to clear the floors of cables before cleaning or secure them with clips or behind baseboards.
The suction power is impressive and makes the Tesvor X500 Pro and the Roborock S5 look hopelessly outclassed. On carpets and even laminate, the X8 makes a strong showing. The wide opening for the dust container is particularly important to me because it allows for the suction of many pet hairs without the opening quickly getting clogged.
The robot recognizes walls and edges well, so it doesn’t bump against everything at first but knows in advance with the laser: Here, it can’t go further.
However, the mopping is, as with all the hybrid robots that I have tested, at most “okay”. Since robotic vacuum cleaners do not weigh much, they pull the wiping cloth over the floor with little pressure, thus only resolving light spots at most. Sadly, it doesn’t do much more. Another disadvantage of the X8 Hybrid is that you cannot set how much water is used for the mopping function. Other models handle this better.
Overall, I am very satisfied with the X8 Hybrid as an automatic vacuum for my gaming room. However, I prefer to continue mopping by hand.
