Robot vacuum cleaners are pretty much the same, with differences in how they clean and, of course, how well they clean. The Ecovacs DEEBOT X12S Omnicyclone is different though, bringing a new design to the robot vacuum cleaner market.
Not only does the vacuum look different, but the base station does too. But looks don’t matter if it doesn’t perform, which is why we’ve been putting the X12S Omnicyclone through its paces for the past few weeks.
The DEEBOT X12S Omnicyclone impresses with its specs and features:
“The DEEBOT X12S OmniCyclone showcases the next chapter of ECOVACS innovation. Building on our pioneering roller-washing technology, we’ve developed a robotic cleaning system that not only tackles visible messes with greater efficiency but also addresses the hidden dust, debris and allergens that impact everyday home hygiene”, says Karen Powell, ECOVACS Regional Director of Australia and New Zealand.
Most other robot vacuums use a design where the docking station and vacuum fit seamlessly into a room, so they look stylish and don’t stand out. The DEEBOT X12S Omnicyclone doesn’t quite fit in though. Imagine an old Dyson turbo vac fitting seamlessly into your decor; this is much the same. It kind of looks like a toy; luckily, it cleans better than one.
If you are looking for a robot vacuum that looks stylish in your house, then don’t look here. The roaming robot vacuum is two-toned, and although I don’t love it, it doesn’t affect how well it cleans.
The base station is much the same, with the dustbin (and dust, etc.) visible for anyone who looks at it. That’s a… choice. Once again, this won’t win any stylish design awards, even fewer than the roaming robot.
The robot may look cheap but it is packed with great hardware and features. The front of the robot has the usual cameras and sensors that we see in the high-end robot vacuums but ECOVACS has also included its “FocusJet Stain Pre-dissolving Technology,” which basically is two spray nozzles that spray water onto stains that the camera detects in front of it. This softens up the stain, making it easier to clean away.
Underneath the robot is a single roller, and I’m not sure how, but so far it has not gotten tangled. Most newer vacuums come with multiple rollers to prevent hair and long threads from tangling, but this one does not. It’s been a couple of weeks, and it hasn’t tangled or shown any sign of hair wrapping around the roller. So far so good.
Gone are the two swirling mopping pads with the mopping roller present. This extends out the side of the vacuum for greater reach into those hard-to-reach places. The single side brush also extends.
Setting up the vacuum and mapping my house with the X12S Omnicyclone was fast, quick, and, most importantly, accurate. It was possibly the most accurate mapping I’ve had for a robot vacuum, not only knowing where the windows to the alfresco were (some vacuums have thought it was a room out there) but also getting the rooms right without me having to split any up.
For the X12S Omnicyclone, set no-mop and no-go regions, as well as no-spray regions, so the vacuum doesn’t detect a carpet or rug stain and try to spray it with water to soften it. This is pretty simple, though, and the app walks you through setting it up, but you can also go back into map management and do it afterwards.
The DEEBOT X12S Omnicyclone includes 27,000 Pa BLAST Suction with 53 AW of suction power and Zero Tangle 4.0 brushes to clean dirt and loose debris off your floor. At first, I tested the vacuum power using the usual breadcrumbs on the carpet but this time added a crushed biscuit, with some large pieces still visible.
Given the vacuum’s apparent suction power, the clean was a bit disappointing. I put it on full power, with two passes and it still failed to pick up some of the biscuit and some of the breadcrumbs. The AI camera of the vacuum is meant to be able to “see” crumbs etc that are left behind and prioritise those areas but it just didn’t seem to do that. I set it to go a second time and it worked fine the second time, cleaning up the debris it missed the first time.
While it cleaned okay, it was not up to the same standard of cleaning capabilities as some other flagship vacuums I have reviewed recently.
For mopping, I put the X12S Omnicyclone through a very hard test of smeared jam, Vegemite, some cordial and breadcrumbs mixed in. The robot was set to full cleaning capabilities and it performed well. Like most vacuums, it didn’t quite get it all cleaned but it was one of the best so far. Two extremely small patches of smeared Vegemite remained on the floor (no more than 0.5cm x 0.5cm) and a couple of breadcrumbs mixed with jam, another extremely small amount. A quick redo using standard settings and the floor was clean.
From this, I can say that if you have an extremely dirty and smeared floor, you may need a couple of passes to get the floor fully clean but for everyday mess and spills, the X12S Omnicyclone will perform admirably and get your floor looking spotless.
The Bagless Omnicycone station (base station) isn’t stylish, and it likely won’t fit seamlessly into your room’s decor, but it is incredibly functional.
The station has a bagless dustbin (that everyone can see) and includes all the features you would expect from a high-end robot vacuum cleaner. It automatically dries the mop, dustbin, and air path to keep those areas from getting wet and to prevent dust and debris from sticking to walls.
After mopping, the robot returns to the base station, where water flushes dirt and residue from the tray; at the same time, heated, high-pressure water loosens dirt on the roller, while dual squeegees remove the dirty water, which is then drained away. I am not convinced this works all that well — after my mopping test there was still a lot of debris in the bottom of the tray so you may need to keep an eye on that.
The Omnicycone station charges the vacuum when it returns for mop cleaning. It also supports fast charging and can charge up to 13% in just three minutes. As with all vacuums, though, it takes a while to fully charge, so if you need to clean a large area, make sure you leave enough time for the vacuum to charge on the go.
The Omnicycone station also houses cleaning solutions that help clean floors better, with more bacterial removal and more effective cleaning. Small bottles of these solutions are included in the box.
In practice, the bagless dustbin just doesn’t work as it should. It picks up all of the dust and other dirt from the robot, but it seems to get stuck in the top section of the dustbin, held up there by the rubber separator. The dirt, etc., is meant to fall to the bottom of the dustbin, but it doesn’t, backing up at the top, stopped from falling to the bottom by the blue rubber ring. I had to go in and manually pull out the collected dirt and hair that had accumulated above this ring. Not a massive issue, but it doesn’t function as it should, and you have to clean it out yourself every week or so. I’ve found this with my handheld Dyson vacuums too.
ECOVACS has included more accessories than any other robot vacuum I have encountered.
The bagless dustbin has a filter at the top, and while I thought it wouldn’t last long, you can clean it with water and dry it in the sun; just make sure it’s fully dry before reinserting it into the dustbin. The best way I found is to use one of the three spares ECOVACS includes in the box while the cleaned, wet one dries. That way, you will have a few weeks for it to dry before you can swap and repeat the process. The app will notify you when the filter needs replacing or cleaning.
The box also includes four spare side brushes, two ZeroTangle 4.0 brushes, and three robot filters. These will last for years, so ECOVACS has done a great job including these accessories, meaning the only ongoing cost will be cleaning solutions, should you wish or need to keep using them.
The Ecovacs DEEBOT X12S Omnicyclone robot vacuum is different. It looks different and functions differently to others but that is not a bad thing. It looks out of place in your home with an almost toy-like appearance but maybe that is your decor and in the end does it really matter what your vacuum cleaner and docking station look like? No one is going to be fooled as to what it is anyway.
It vacuums well, but not the best among flagship robot vacuums, but it mops extremely well on all types of floor stains, thanks to its AI Jet Mop technology.
The main issue I had with the vacuum was the bagless dustbin. I love the idea of a bagless dustbin, but in reality, the design of it prevented much of the debris from actually filling the dustbin, instead backing it up back into the docking station. This is just something you will need to be aware of if you buy one of these and make sure you clean it out every week and more often if you have especially dirty floors.
Currently, the Ecovacs DEEBOT X12S Omnicyclone robot vacuum is on sale at various outlets for
The DEEBOT X12S Omnicyclone includes 27,000 Pa BLAST Suction with 53 AW of suction power and Zero Tangle 4.0 brushes to clean dirt and loose debris off your floor. At first, I tested the vacuum power using the usual breadcrumbs on the carpet but this time added a crushed biscuit, with some large pieces still visible.
Given the vacuum’s apparent suction power, the clean was a bit disappointing. I put it on full power, with two passes and it still failed to pick up some of the biscuit and some of the breadcrumbs. The AI camera of the vacuum is meant to be able to “see” crumbs etc that are left behind and prioritise those areas but it just didn’t seem to do that. I set it to go a second time and it worked fine the second time, cleaning up the debris it missed the first time.
While it cleaned okay, it was not up to the same standard of cleaning capabilities as some other flagship vacuums I have reviewed recently.
For mopping, I put the X12S Omnicyclone through a very hard test of smeared jam, Vegemite, some cordial and breadcrumbs mixed in. The robot was set to full cleaning capabilities and it performed well. Like most vacuums, it didn’t quite get it all cleaned but it was one of the best so far. Two extremely small patches of smeared Vegemite remained on the floor (no more than 0.5cm x 0.5cm) and a couple of breadcrumbs mixed with jam, another extremely small amount. A quick redo using standard settings and the floor was clean.
From this, I can say that if you have an extremely dirty and smeared floor, you may need a couple of passes to get the floor fully clean but for everyday mess and spills, the X12S Omnicyclone will perform admirably and get your floor looking spotless.
The Bagless Omnicycone station (base station) isn’t stylish, and it likely won’t fit seamlessly into your room’s decor, but it is incredibly functional.
The station has a bagless dustbin (that everyone can see) and includes all the features you would expect from a high-end robot vacuum cleaner. It automatically dries the mop, dustbin, and air path to keep those areas from getting wet and to prevent dust and debris from sticking to walls.
After mopping, the robot returns to the base station, where water flushes dirt and residue from the tray; at the same time, heated, high-pressure water loosens dirt on the roller, while dual squeegees remove the dirty water, which is then drained away. I am not convinced this works all that well — after my mopping test there was still a lot of debris in the bottom of the tray so you may need to keep an eye on that.
The Omnicycone station charges the vacuum when it returns for mop cleaning. It also supports fast charging and can charge up to 13% in just three minutes. As with all vacuums, though, it takes a while to fully charge, so if you need to clean a large area, make sure you leave enough time for the vacuum to charge on the go.
The Omnicycone station also houses cleaning solutions that help clean floors better, with more bacterial removal and more effective cleaning. Small bottles of these solutions are included in the box.
In practice, the bagless dustbin just doesn’t work as it should. It picks up all of the dust and other dirt from the robot, but it seems to get stuck in the top section of the dustbin, held up there by the rubber separator. The dirt, etc., is meant to fall to the bottom of the dustbin, but it doesn’t, backing up at the top, stopped from falling to the bottom by the blue rubber ring. I had to go in and manually pull out the collected dirt and hair that had accumulated above this ring. Not a massive issue, but it doesn’t function as it should, and you have to clean it out yourself every week or so. I’ve found this with my handheld Dyson vacuums too.
ECOVACS has included more accessories than any other robot vacuum I have encountered.
The bagless dustbin has a filter at the top, and while I thought it wouldn’t last long, you can clean it with water and dry it in the sun; just make sure it’s fully dry before reinserting it into the dustbin. The best way I found is to use one of the three spares ECOVACS includes in the box while the cleaned, wet one dries. That way, you will have a few weeks for it to dry before you can swap and repeat the process. The app will notify you when the filter needs replacing or cleaning.
The box also includes four spare side brushes, two ZeroTangle 4.0 brushes, and three robot filters. These will last for years, so ECOVACS has done a great job including these accessories, meaning the only ongoing cost will be cleaning solutions, should you wish or need to keep using them.
The Ecovacs DEEBOT X12S Omnicyclone robot vacuum is different. It looks different and functions differently to others but that is not a bad thing. It looks out of place in your home with an almost toy-like appearance but maybe that is your decor and in the end does it really matter what your vacuum cleaner and docking station look like? No one is going to be fooled as to what it is anyway.
It vacuums well, but not the best among flagship robot vacuums, but it mops extremely well on all types of floor stains, thanks to its AI Jet Mop technology.
The main issue I had with the vacuum was the bagless dustbin. I love the idea of a bagless dustbin, but in reality, the design of it prevented much of the debris from actually filling the dustbin, instead backing it up back into the docking station. This is just something you will need to be aware of if you buy one of these and make sure you clean it out every week and more often if you have especially dirty floors.
Currently, the Ecovacs DEEBOT X12S Omnicyclone robot vacuum is on sale at various outlets for $2,499, including Ecovacs online, Amazon, Bing Lee, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Retravisison and The Good Guys. At that price, it is slightly cheaper than other flagship robot vacuums and well worth a look to save you a few hundred dollars.
Scott is our resident open technology expert. If you can mod it, or want to use it your way, Scott has probably done it. From Laptops to phones, headphones and game consoles, he’s played with it and wants to see the next generation.
Scott is our resident open technology expert. If you can mod it, or want to use it your way, Scott has probably done it. From Laptops to phones, headphones and game consoles, he’s played with it and wants to see the next generation.
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