Eufy had some good robot vacuums in the past, real high-end models that were better than everyone else, but not. That could change with the X8 Hybrid, after all, the vacuum cleaner comes on the market with an RRP of 500 euros and wants to score with a “twin turbine”, which is supposed to give it a suction power of 2x 2000 Pa. Sounds good, but is it?
scope of delivery
The most unusual thing about the scope of delivery of the Eufy Robovac X8 Hybrid is probably the cable ties included, in order to be able to defuse potential pitfalls (aka cables) in the apartment. Otherwise everything is standard: vacuum cleaner, charging station with cable management, spare side brush and air filter and some paper to read through. There are also a few disposable wipes in the delivery box and a base plate to prevent the vacuum robot from softening the floor at the charging station with a damp wipe.
design and processing
Unlike most competitors, the Eufy Robovac X8 Hybrid does not come to the customer in white or pure black, but with a carbon look and golden accents. It looks nice and is something different. The rest is typical of the manufacturer: round housing with a laser tower that is slightly offset from the center, three control buttons in front of it, the top is made of glass. Accordingly, it cannot be opened like many other models, instead the dust container with its 400 ml capacity is located at the rear.
Everything is the same downstairs. The touch brush with amazingly soft bristles is floating, four fall sensors prevent the vacuum robot from involuntarily falling to its death and a side brush at the front right shovels dirt from the edge of the room or on furniture in the direction of the main brush. For wiping, the robot uses a clipped wiping plate, the flat tank holds 250 ml of liquid.
Unfortunately, the water supply of this mopping kit is not electronically regulated – which can lead to damage to water-sensitive floors if you are not careful. Because the water just runs out of the tank little by little into the cloth – even when the vacuum cleaner is no longer active. At some point the underlay no longer helps and a small puddle forms.
Although the manual warns of this danger, it is technically so far removed from what is possible (and from competing models) that one has to ask oneself how on earth Eufy saves money in this wrong place. Then, as with the X8 without a hybrid name suffix, it’s better to do without a wiping function altogether!
App and commissioning
The connection between the app and the vacuum robot was quick and easy in the test – despite initial complications. For unknown reasons, there have been a few robots that could only be integrated into the test WLAN network after umpteen unsuccessful attempts – as happened with Proscenic models, for example. However, Eufy offers a direct solution for this: If the desired network is not found, it can be entered manually. The connection then worked immediately.
After that, there are no surprises. The app offers all the typical setting options such as virtual walls, no-go and no-wash areas, schedules, an automatic increase in suction power for carpets (BoostIQ) and much more. It can also be connected to language assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. Nice: Not only can several cards be stored in the app, they can also be rotated with a single tap of the finger – not all competitors offer this! Otherwise, after a short period of familiarization, the app is clear and easy to use because the menu items are not always self-explanatory.
All pictures of the Eufy Robovac X8 Hybrid in the test
navigation and cleaning performance
The navigation has noticeably improved with the last updates. Compared to previous models, the Eufy Robovac X8 Hybrid is no longer as rough on furniture and detects obstacles more reliably. In the meantime, the robot is therefore quite good – just as you can expect from a laser-navigated vacuum robot. The rather mediocre climbing ability is striking. Even on medium-high carpets with stiff edges, the bot sometimes doesn’t get up at a right angle, but then has to start again and make a small curve. Otherwise there is nothing wrong with the navigation.
When it comes to cleaning power, the Eufy Robovac X8 Hybrid should really shine, after all it is advertised with two suction motors. In fact, that’s true for two out of three scenarios.
- Scenario 1: The bot cuts an excellent figure on hard floors and the cleaning performance is excellent.
- Scenario 2: animal hair. Thanks to the soft brush made up of rows of brushes and rubber lamellae, it catches hair lying on top of the carpet quite well, which some competitors do worse – even if it is advertised specifically for animal hair. For that he cuts in
- scenario 3 mediocre at best: with “normal” carpet cleaning. Because even if the manufacturer is apparently particularly proud of the 2x 2000 Pa suction power of this robot model, that is apparently not enough to transport dirt from deeper regions to the daylight. Even top models don’t do that very well, because the general suction power of robots is still not enough for that – but they sometimes do it much better than the Robovac X8 Hybrid.
Emptying the dirt container is easy to do. The fact that there is no retaining flap on the suction opening of the container is a bit annoying here – if you don’t hold it straight on the way to the waste bin, you can vacuum again afterwards (or have it). As always, we didn’t even look at the wiping performance with such simple wiping techniques (and with the Eufy Robovac X8 Hybrid three years ago it was no longer dewy…). It can still be helpful for allergy sufferers, because it should be enough for dusting. Attention: Even with the mopping equipment attached, the vacuum cleaner moves on carpets.
The battery has a capacity of 5200 mAh and should be able to suck for up to 180 minutes at a time. In everyday life, this is less and less – how much depends on the layout of the area to be cleaned and the soil conditions. When BoostIQ is activated, carpet not only ensures higher power consumption due to increased suction power, but also possibly due to higher resistance of the floor when simply driving. Complicated floor plans also require significantly more maneuvering. However, we consider around 80 to 100 minutes or around 120 m² of usable space to be realistic in an average apartment in one go.
If desired, the bot then starts up again automatically as soon as it is 80 percent charged – the app claims. Driving off is also correct, unfortunately the app does not give a percentage for the remaining battery power. Instead, there is just a simple and imprecise icon.
Price
Not much is left of the manufacturer’s initial RRP. At the time of testing, the model cost around 338 euros.
Conclusion
The Eufy Robovac X8 Hybrid is really not bad – but unfortunately not perfect either. It navigates properly, sucks up animal hair properly on hard floors and carpets, but if you have higher-pile carpets, you should look at another vacuum robot model.
If the wiping function is also important, the X8 Hybrid is the wrong choice anyway – at least if it is supposed to offer more than dusting. Because even if the robot now “only” costs just under 340 euros, there are better vacuum robots available from the competition for less money. It’s a pity Eufy, but the Robovac X8 Hybrid is not the big hit.
