Neither the Roba nor the Dyson: we tried the inventaz

Two peculiar devices have fallen into my hands. They are called Roborock Dyad and Tineco Floor One S3. The first brand will ring a bell. It is a young company, which started making robot vacuum cleaners for Xiaomi and has ended up making its own. The second is a brand from the Ecovacs group, which until now had not made much noise in our country, but with a long tradition in other markets.

Well, these two companies have set out to make a type of household cleaning device fashionable, which is not at all easy to define. It is a handheld vacuum cleaner, like the Dyson can be, but at the same time it is capable of scrubbing, as can the combined machines from Cecotec or Roborock itself. And all at the same time. The 'wet' dream, never better said, for many. Nothing to clean before cleaning. An ideal device, on paper, for the 'haters' of cleaning and lazy housework that can even move the robot vacuum cleaner to the top of the wish list.

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It is legal to say that the invention is not new. For years other companies and white brands have made similar proposals to achieve this kind of all-in-one device. Today, it is not difficult to find similar devices, although it is true that in Spain the offer is much smaller than in other markets such as the US or the United Kingdom.

A second chance?

This multipurpose 2.0 mop idea has never caught on. Probably because the technology necessary for a good experience was very expensive and the models that reached the market at affordable prices left something to be desired in their final result. Or because you had to be tied to a cord and plug that never went where you really wanted it to go. For this reason, they have always been perceived as an extravagance that many had not even located as something really useful.

The best example of this, a study without any kind of scientific rigor, is the reaction of my friends on Instagram. When I uploaded a story of how I devoured a mixture (all for experimental purposes) of water and bread that I had intentionally spilled on the parquet floor in my living room, many of them responded very surprised by the result. "This is what I need for my dog's potions", wrote one of my contacts.

Through the testing of these two models, the idea is to solve the question of how effective these devices can be and really see what they are for and what they are not for. Obviously in both cases, these are wireless models. The designs, although they have nuances, are very similar and share several elements in common. The price of one and the other is also found online, although it is not exactly the same. The Roborock Dyad has an official price of 429 euros, but it can already be found between 379 (in AliExpress). In the case of the Tineco model, it can be found for 449 euros.

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It is not a huge distance, but it is true that it can be a small pinch that decides the decision. First of all it is important to know one thing. If you have a house full of carpets, it probably won't interest you much. Because? Because he doesn't get along well with them. You will have to remove them, since it is not effective on these surfaces. That's its biggest downside: it's not just for vacuuming. However, if this is not your case or you have large rooms with hard floors (tiles, parquet, cement) any of these models can be an interesting tool to consider.

We find some very similar vacuum cleaners, which are operated from an upper handle that combines metallic elements and plastic elements. Don't expect grand design approaches. They are appliances and they don't try to hide it. Nor do we have strident colors. It's all very sober. They play with the classic black and white, so it will not clash in any kitchen.

In the case of the Tineco Floor One S3, it is 70 centimeters long, which has been particularly comfortable for me. The weight of the device is 4.5 kilograms. To this we must add the weight of the 0.6 liter clean water tank when it is full. The waste tank is 0.5 liters. In general terms, it can be said that it is a somewhat more stylized design than that of the Roborock. Whatever our choice, in both cases they represent a significant saving of space, since the intention is to replace the vacuum cleaner and the mop.

The Roborock Dyad is a heavier device at 5.2 kg. It is also slightly longer. Its tanks are also more voluminous, with a capacity of 0.85 liters for clean water and 0.62 for dirty. That means that you will have a little more margin when it comes to filling and emptying it.

Personally, I've changed the water pretty much every time I finished cleaning. I have taken care of throwing away the dirty water, because it was something dirty for me to leave it abandoned there until the next time.

At first glance, either of the two models may seem like a good hulk, but both are handled with some ease. Unlike a handheld vacuum, this is not meant to be picked up, but rather to be slid across the floor. It has not been my case, although I understand that they may be somewhat heavy for some, but you must bear in mind that this is about pushing it, not lifting it. Something that the rollers help when they are in operation, they already make a certain force and make it easier for it to slide across the surface of the shift. In summary, it is not the most comfortable device to move, but it is not a huge job to do it. The biggest complication I have encountered is when maneuvering between the legs of the dining room chairs or those of the small desk that I have in the living room.

Each one has its drawbacks and points for improvement. For example, the one from Tineco has a lower foot, so that if we want to introduce it under a closet or a hole, we have more room. With Roborock Dyad you have to do it laterally, because, if not, it doesn't go directly. However, this model turns more easily when it hits a corner or an obstacle.

I insist, they are not abysmal differences, but they are small details that one realizes as one uses these devices. In the case of the Dyad, Roborock has also put a small pin, like the one on bikes or motorcycles, so that it holds up in case you have nowhere to put it at some point and the base is not at hand.

Before assessing the cleaning capacity of each of the models, a series of notes must be made. The Tineco Floor One S3 opts for a single brush while its rival has three, one at the front and two lined up at the rear. Each part is driven by an independent motor that rotates in one direction (front to back and rear to forward) so it could better grab dry and wet dirt at the same time more forcefully or effectively.

They save you in daily cleaning. But don't let the stains dry out. they do not work miracles

Both devices have a very similar approach in their functions. They have an auto mode and they have a Max mode, where it releases more water and revs up for a deeper clean. In automatic mode, both are supposedly capable of detecting how dirty the floor is. Do they make it? Let's say he does it with a broad brush.

With the autopilot activated, I have found that the Tineco took longer to react. With the Roborock the exact opposite has happened to me: it did it too easily and released a lot more water than necessary. In any case, for daily cleaning and maintenance of the floor, unless you have had a domestic accident, a party or your pet has left you an unexpected gift after choking on its own hair, the normal mode should give you surplus. When you finish it, the soil is slightly moist, but not excessively, and it is quickly dry.

Let's get to the important stuff. Does it free you from the broom and the mop? In the regular and daily maintenance of the house, yes. I would dare to say that in 95% of the cases, as long as there is not a carpet in the middle, too. There was a moment, a concrete test, in which the two devices choked. I dumped a cup of water and half a packet of ground coffee on the floor. When trying to devour it, since the mound was so big, what they did was drag it and stain more. It was hard for him to swallow so much and so concentrated.

How about dealing with floor stains? The first thing I will say is that both models scrub much better (and when I say it is much better, it is much better) than one of those robot vacuum cleaners that is dedicated to passing a wet mop over the floor. In daily contingencies, I have been able to leave the floor nickel-plated without much effort. But it is also true that, with dried dirt, the result depends a lot on what it is. For example, when I have left Coca-Cola for several hours on the kitchen tiles until it dries, I have not had a problem, although it has required some additional swipe.

It's a vacuum cleaner and a mop. At once. There is no option for me to vacuum or scrub. that's sticky

However, when the stain has some substance (a homemade tomato sauce) and has dried, the story changes. Neither of them has managed to get it out completely, despite several passes, and I had to 'scratch' a bit. Three quarters of the same thing happens with the mop. It should be noted that it is normal to clean after cooking or eating, so there is no room for it to dry out if we have dropped something like that. Also, the excuse of having to sweep and prepare the mop, does not work directly here. It really is something very comfortable to do and very fast.

As a vacuum cleaner, it can be said that the nominal power of the Roborock is 250W, somewhat higher than the 220W of the Tineco model. In tests, I have not seen that this difference was a really noticeable drag.

Both come equipped with HEPA filters and claim to make a maximum noise of 78 decibels when operating at full revs. To get an idea of ​​their capacity, both have been able to swallow small objects such as five-cent coins or earrings that I left on their way and that later had to be recovered from the dirty water tank. By the way, both have an LED display on which you can see information about the battery, mode or water level. Both also have a complementary 'app' that is used to control cleaning modes, brush status or autonomy, among other things.

In general terms, I would say that the Roborock Dyad, the one with the highest price, is somewhat more solvent when it comes to cleaning, due to its double roller system and because the brushes reach the edge. That allows you to avoid having to need multiple passes. In any case, it is like comparing a car that travels 120 kilometers and one that travels 135. The latter will arrive sooner, but not much sooner in a short journey. In this sense, with the Tineco Floor One S3 I have noticed that I have had to make more passes and maneuver a little more at some point.

In both cases, the brands have created their own cleaning solution. Tineco recommends his, but admits that others could be used. In the case of Roborock, they are not excessively clear. This is more common than it seems. iRobot, for example, also says that you should ideally use their own cleaning products for their Braava Jet (robot scrubbers). My recommendation is to relatively ignore this. In these situations, I try to use non-soap floor cleaners or, in any case, a few drops of highly diluted perfumed ammonia in water. I have done it and no problem.

We can use, in both models, the cleaning modes with only water or with the product that we decide. In my daily passes I have used the first mode. When I have wanted to clean the kitchen or bathroom or do a more in-depth cleaning, I have opted for the latter.

Where we have a victory for Tineco is in autonomy. Using automatic mode, the battery will last 35 minutes. Max mode leaves it around 25 minutes. One brand more than enough to clean several rooms. In the case of the Roborock Dyan, we are talking about just under 30 and 20, respectively, according to my tests.

These times will be a problem or not depending on the size of your house. My apartment was more than enough in just over 10 minutes. Roborock, for example, ensures that with the auto mode you can clean 280 square meters. I wish I had them to vouch for them. It is true that, if you have a large house, with a couple of floors and you need a couple of 'trips', it can be a bit of a pain because none of them are particularly fast charging. About four hours.

The charging base, by the way, allows us to clean the device automatically. Using some water from the upper tank, it 'rinses' the dirty water tank and rollers. It's useful, but it doesn't work miracles, so at some point you'll have to give it a little rub and put the spare while the main roller dries. Both models are accompanied by a 'mini-brush', because it is true that, as the days go by, there is part of the residue that remains in the margins and it is convenient to give it a little brush.

Are they worth it?

Particularly, I found it a curious device. I would say that it is interesting, as I pointed out at the beginning, for the 'haters' of cleaning, those who are extremely lazy about sweeping and scrubbing. It saves time and is convenient to use.

It is no less true that it is a proposal that many are going to discard due to the issue of carpets. It is an 'all in one' for the good and the bad. Opting for one model or another, in this case, depends more on small details than on big differences. It is likely that, if you have a Roborock robot vacuum cleaner and you are comfortable with it, you bet on it. Are both necessary? No. Do they make a good tandem? Yeah.

The one from Roborock is slightly more advanced and can be found at a lower price than the Tineco, which costs 449 euros. It is also true that the Floor One model has a slightly longer autonomy. Particularly, if you are thinking of getting a Conga or a Roomba or this, I think that the result of these devices can be finer, especially when scrubbing. The bad thing is that you can't automate tasks.

It is also likely that you will go from leaving 400 euros and opt for a much cheaper proposal. In this case, my recommendation would be that you opt for a cordless model and look at the autonomy, power, number of brushes and the capacity of the water tanks so as not to buy something that is not very useful for you either. And, if you are not convinced by the idea, which is also very respectable, you can send all this technology for a walk and keep the broom and mop, like all your life. That in the end all these things are whims of the first world.

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So far our experience. If you have any questions or comments about both this comparison and other technological products that are on your mind, you can write to us at teknautas@elconfidencial.com