Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo review: Comprehensive cleaning

Price When Reviewed

$1,199.99

Best Prices Today: Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo

I can’t remember ever thinking that two vacuums would be better than one for keeping my floors clean, but Ecovacs has clearly bought into the idea. Its Deebot T30S Combo pairs a 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop with a handheld vacuum to make a more comprehensive cleaning solution. (The pricier Deebot T30S Combo Complete includes a full-size stick vacuum.)

Ecovacs introduced this combo approach with the Deebot X2 Omni Combo Complete, which we reviewed earlier this year. Like that product, the T30S Combo consists of three components: the robot vacuum and mop, its base station, and a supplementary vacuum—in this case, a handheld model.

Design and features

The T30S robot is rated at 11,000 Pa, which is the most powerful suction I can recall seeing in a robot vacuum. A single side brush whisks debris into a roller with V-shaped bristles that minimize tangles. At the back are dual mop heads that lift 0.35 inches off the floor when the robot detects carpet.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

The T30S’ LiDAR system provides advanced mapping capabilities, including multi-floor mapping, which enables the robot to efficiently navigate and clean multiple levels in a home. Maps are managed through the Ecovacs Home app, which also allows you to control the vacuum remotely, set cleaning schedules, and customize cleaning modes.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best robot vacuums.

Alternatively, you can control the robot with voice commands using its built-in voice assistant, Yiko. It’s also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

The base station is one of the largest I’ve tested, but it is tasked with a host of duties, including holding a pair of water tanks, a dust bag, the hand vacuum and its accessories, and a docking port for the robot.

The base is efficiently organized, with the tanks in a compartment at the top, the dustbag accessible through a front panel, and the hand vac in its own charging slot on the side. The hand vac’s accessories—a mini power brush, flat brush, and crevice tool—fit neatly in a small drawer beneath the hand vac dock.

Ecovacs didn’t supply details on the hand vacuum, but it appears to be the same one used with the X2 Combo. It operates with a trigger mechanism and offers two suction settings: silent and max. There’s an LED panel on the vacuum, but it only shows the current battery level.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Setup

The T30S doesn’t require much assembly. You need to insert a plastic ramp into the base station and attach the spinning brush to the bottom of the robot vacuum. Once the base station is plugged in and the two vacuums are in their docks, the system is ready to go. Pairing it with the Ecovacs home app is a straightforward process guided by the app that takes just 1-2 minutes.

Once the T30S is connected, the app prompts you to run a quick-mapping job. During this run, it scans your home environment and creates a map.

The length of the job will depend on the size of your home, but it took about 10 minutes to map my 1100 square foot space. The finished map was accurately divided into color-coded rooms to which I then applied proper names. You can also edit the map for accuracy and add virtual barriers.

Performance

I’ve gotten consistently good results with Ecovacs vacuums in general, and the T30S continued that trend. It easily removed dust, food crumbs, and pet hair from my laminate floors and a couple of area rugs, leaving them visibly cleaner. To confirm its cleaning prowess, I spread a half-cup of dry rice on each surface. After a few passes, the T30S left them both spotless.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

The robot mops in an orderly pattern, scrubbing with its rotating mop heads. That was effective in loosening and lifting some dried tracked-in dirt from my floors along with various food stains in my kitchen. It also had no problem removing the teaspoon of jelly I smeared on the floor for controlled testing.

Read more about how we test robot vacuums at TechHive.

When the robot returns to its dock, its dustbin is automatically emptied, and its mop pads are washed with 158-degree F (70 degrees C) water and air dried. Of these functions, the dust collection is unsurprisingly the loudest at 78 dBA. The noise level of the mop washing is only 65 dBA, which is comparable to the volume of the robot when it’s cleaning your floors.

During my testing period, I used the hand vacuum to clean cat hair off my couch and bedding and to dust windowsills and shelves. It has plenty of power and battery life for these types of tasks and the ability to store and charge it along with the robot vacuum is an added convenience.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

App and voice control

The Ecovacs Home app makes navigating the various features of the T30S simple. Adjusting cleaning parameters like suction and water level, setting schedules, and managing your maps is intuitive thanks to clear labels and a tab-style interface.

Yiko-assisted voice control was my go-to for hand-free operation because it didn’t require connecting and I could issue more precise controls than with Alexa or Google Assistant. By using the trigger phrase “OK Yiko” (pronounced “eeco”), you can issue specific commands like “OK Yiko, clean the living room” or “OK Yiko, clean under the couch.” You can also provide more detailed directions, such as “OK Yiko, turn left, move forward one meter, and clean there.”

Should you buy the Deebot T30S Combo?

Ecovacs is currently selling the Deebot T30S Combo for $999, which is a $200 discount on its original price. That seems like a fair investment for such an effective balance of powerful cleaning, user-friendly features, and smart home integration.

If you prize convenience as much as cleanliness, this all-in-one floor cleaning solution should serve you well.