When Robot Vacuums became first “a thing” - I rushed to try one, marvelling at the thought of a machine cleaning up all the pet hair and kid messes that were the blight of my life. The machine I tested cost close to £,1000 though back in 2019 - I just wouldn’t have believed you if you told me that fast-forward five years and you can snap one up for under £100!
I shop Amazon for a living and the deal on the LeFant M210 Robot Vacuum caught my eye immediately. You can currently snap one of the trending cleaners up for £99.98 (or $99.99 in the US) instead of 239.99 pounds/dollars which is 58% saving. This is a trending product - over 600 of the robot vacuums were bought in the last month in the UK and over 2,000 in the US!
But can a machine that’s 90% cheaper than the premium iRobot Roomba models really get the job done? I took a deep dive into the specs and the reviews by verified Amazon shoppers to see if it’s worth taking advantage of the deal.
The specs
LeFant is a brand that prides itself on making innovative home products accessible to people with all budgets, and their robot vacuums are amongst the most popular on Amazon. The M210P is definitely an entry-level robot vacuum cleaner - but for a machine at the bottom of the price bracket, it holds up well.
It has four cleaning modes - automatic, planning, fixed point, and edge, and it intelligently identifies carpets and increases maximum suction power for optimal cleaning performance.
Its suction power comes in at a respectable 2200pa, which is sufficient to deal with everyday dirt loads and messes on hard floors and most low-pile carpets. In general, robot vacuums fall between 1500pa and 2500pa, with the deluxe models going up to 3000pa.
It’s slimline - just 7.8 cm tall and a body of 28cm x 28cm, meaning it’s a good size to get under coffee tables, beds and sofas and into tight corners, but it still has a 500ml large dust container and a run time of 120 minutes - which is more than decent.
It has a built-in sensor which lets it monitor 720 degrees for potential collisions and adjust its course accordingly. It also defects stairs automatically to prevent falls.
The M20P is controllable via the LeFant app and can also be controlled by Alexa & Google Home voice commands. In the app, you can monitor the cleaning path, schedule a cleaning plan, adjust the suction level and change the cleaning mode.
One word of warning - It only supports 2. 4GHz Wi-Fi, so you should check on your home settings before ordering. Also, It doesn’t come with a mop - though there is an option to purchase one separately
What are Amazon shoppers saying about it?
The robot vacuum has over 2,000 five-star reviews and a respectable 67% five-star rating at Amazon. Verified shoppers have consistently given it the thumbs up for being good value for money, performing well, having a great navigation system and doing a good job both on carpets and hard floors. The noise level was also rated as being good.
Most shoppers were drawn to it initially because of the price, but were pleasantly surprised. Writes one reviewer: “We decided to try a robot vacuum but having absolutely no idea of their effectiveness we picked this “entry-level” machine on the basis that we could afford to scrap it if we were wrong."
Their verdict? “We have been extremely pleased with the unit and surprised by the effective cleaning. We have operated it on a wide selection of floors, from wood to tiles and both low and deep pile carpeting, new and old. We even ran it over very dirty doormats. Our house is stone built and some 300 years old with undulating floors and odd corners. The unit seems to manage the 4000 sq ft area and handles this a couple of times each week."
They were particularly impressed with the robot’s “ability to avoid falling down stairs and also to clean a complex series of rooms without our intervention," adding: "Just leave the doors open and it will do the rest. In all cases it performed exceptionally well."
However, they did note that “We did use the maximum suction power which reduced run time to about 1 hour.”
Writes another shopper: “I wasn't sure what to expect, as this is my first purchase of a robotic vacuum cleaner, and it's at the cheaper end of the budget, but I'm actually very impressed. It's made my life so much easier and my house looks clean each day. So far I haven't needed to get out my Shark upright cleaner, but will probably use it every now and again to give a deeper clean.”
“We have laminate, tiles and the odd rugs downstairs, and he's managed them all fine,” NB - this shopper named their robot Bob and refers to it as 'he'. “The only thing he doesn't manage to get off the carpet is the odd bit of sock fluff. I love that when he's finished his rounds, he just heads off for his charger and goes home."
Were there any quibbles? Some shoppers reported that the robot’s performance was lacking on high-pile carpets. “It can wheel out of a hardwood room onto the carpet but then gives up (and also leaves wheel imprints behind), says one shopper. “Overall, if you have hardwood floor only I would recommend. It cleans my kitchen floor well so for me it’s worth having for that room alone.”
Others had a bit of a fiddle to split their Wi-Fi because they only had 5 GHz Wi-Fi - although one reviewer noted: “If you don't use the app or want it, the robot will do a basic clean with one press of the power button and will return home with two presses.”
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Price: At £99 / $99 it’s 90% cheaper than the latest Roomba iRobot models - which is a big difference, whichever way you look at it.
- Ease of use: Can be easily controlled and programmed via the Lefant app or Alexa or work without Wi-Fi control at the push of a button.
- Size: At 28cm x 28cm x 7.8cm it’s a lot more slimline than your average robot vacuum - good size for getting under sofas, coffee tables and into tight corners.
- Remote sensor: Allows for 720-degree detection of the environment to avoid it getting stuck or having collisions with furniture.
- Run time: Respectable run time of 120 minutes and heads back to charging station after it’s done.
- Suction power: A decent 2200pa which works well on hard floors and most low-pile carpets.
Cons:
- Performance is lacking on high-pile carpet, according to some shoppers
- Only supports 2. 4GHz Wi-Fi
- Bin is not self-emptying like some of the more expensive models
- Doesn’t have a wet mop function (though the mop attachement can be purchased separately.)
