Hobot Legee-688: the best washing robot vacuum cleaner of 2019

In this review, we will look at the best robot vacuum cleaner in 2019 (namely washing, and not for dry and wet cleaning) — Hobot Legee-688. This model is also appropriately called a robotic floor cleaner. This is due to the floor wetting system, which uses nozzles mounted on the bottom, rather than a separate tank or wet cleaning attachment. Furthermore, this robot is equipped with two moving blocks on which cloths are attached, mimicking the movements of human hands. This new model has many interesting features and advantages over its competitors, which we'll discuss below.

Equipment

Let's start with an overview of the package contents. The following items are included:

1. The robot vacuum cleaner itself.
2. Charging base.
3. Power adapter.
4. Remote control.
5. Side brushes (3 pcs., including 2 spare).
6. HEPA filter (3 pcs., 2 of which are spare).
7. Microfiber cloths for wet cleaning (2 sets, including 1 on the robot and 1 spare).
8. Bottle for filling the reservoir.
9. Injectors (4 pcs, 2 of them spare).
10. Operating instructions.

The manufacturer thoughtfully included batteries for the remote control, so there's no need to purchase them separately. It's important to note that the charging base has a special wall mount to prevent the robot vacuum from moving while cleaning or when returning to the base. It seems like a simple solution, but we haven't seen this with other manufacturers.

Unfortunately, there is no movement limiter included.

Design

The Hobot Legee-688 has a D-shaped body, which has proven effective for cleaning corners. The top houses two mechanical control buttons (Start/Pause and Return to Home), as well as a lid that houses the dust collector and water tank. Unlike previous models, 668th and the 669th model, this robot has a blue circle in the center, it looks quite stylish.

At the front there is a movable bumper (mechanical touch sensor), on which laser sensors are installed, which are used to navigate the robot vacuum cleaner.

Turning the robot over reveals that it moves using tracks rather than wheels like many other models. The larger grip area ensures non-slip properties even on wet, glossy floors. The bottom of the Hobot Legee-688 features two movable blocks that hold the microfiber pads. Between these blocks are nozzles that dispense liquid while mopping. The Hobot Legee-688 has only one side brush, but it's sufficient for effective cleaning in corners and along walls.

Like its predecessors, this robot is 9.5 cm tall and can crawl under furniture and into hard-to-reach places.

Technical specifications

We have summarized all the important characteristics of the Hobot Legee-688 in the table:

Battery	Li-Ion, 2750 mAh
Suction power	Up to 2100 Pa
Cleaning area	Up to 150 sq.m.
Battery life	Up to 90 min
Dust collector	500 ml
Water container	320 ml
Dimensions	340*330*95 mm
Noise level	56 dB

It's important to note that the robot vacuum cleaner under review has increased its maximum suction power to 2100 Pa, compared to 1800 Pa in its predecessors. This increased suction power is due to the installation of a new brushless motor with a metal impeller. This also reduces noise levels in Economy mode from 62 to 56 dB.

Functional capabilities

The most important part of the review is the new model's features. Let's start with the navigation: laser-based, it allows the robot to navigate well in spaces divided into up to eight rooms (for example, eight rooms). The Hobot Legee-688 follows parallel lines, ensuring it doesn't miss any uncleaned areas. In addition to laser sensors, the robot is equipped with an encoder (rotation angle sensor), a gyroscope, and an electronic compass.

There are 8 cleaning modes in total:

1. Kitchen - Effective cleaning of dried-on stains by making a double pass over the area to be cleaned, thoroughly wetting the floor on the first pass and wiping away dissolved stains on the second pass.
2. Pet - Increases suction power to collect pet hair and sprays water to remove paw prints from the floor.
3. Powerful – fast cleaning with maximum suction power and high wiper speed. Increased water spray.
4. Economical – by reducing suction power, the robot cleans more quietly, while the battery charge lasts for a larger cleaning area.
5. Polishing – a moderate wetting of the floor with a higher frequency of wiper movements. This allows the robot vacuum to polish the floor to a high shine.
6. Standard – optimal settings for everyday cleaning.
7. Dry – The vacuum is engaged to suck up debris, but the water spray is turned off.
8. Your mode – you can set individual settings by combining the liquid spray level, suction power, wiper movement frequency, and cleaning speed.

The Hobot Legee-688 is controlled via a mobile app. It's in Russian and very user-friendly. Since this robot vacuum cleaner can create a map of the room, it's displayed in the app in real time. You can track the robot's location, where it has cleaned, and its movements.

In addition, in the app, you can set a cleaning schedule, monitor the battery level, select the optimal mode, or send the robot vacuum to the charging base. The cleaning log can store up to the last 10 cycles.

The cleaning technology itself is unique. No other robot can scrub floors so effectively, or rather, clean them. The moving units can move back and forth up to 10 times per second. This technology mimics the motion of a human hand while mopping.

Since the Hobot Legee-688 has a separate water tank next to the dust collector, the robot can simultaneously perform dry and wet cleaning. This means it can vacuum and mop floors at the same time.

The robot vacuum cleaner cleans extremely well. You can see for yourself by watching our video review of the Hobot Legee-688:

Hobot robots for disinfection

Due to the viral pandemic, Rospotrebnadzor (the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing) recommends wet cleaning of premises using disinfectants.

As a rule, when using such disinfectants, it is necessary to take a number of measures to prevent direct contact of the disinfectant liquid with the skin of your hands and mucous membranes, and to take precautions in the presence of small children or animals, not leaving chemicals freely accessible.

HOBOT robotic cleaners, with your peace of mind, will clean, disinfect, and sanitize your home's floors without risking your health and with economical use of disinfectant.

 

HOBOT conducted a series of tests with window-cleaning robots and floor-cleaning robots and selected products that could be used as disinfectants and sanitizers without causing malfunctions.

Read more in the article: .

Pros and cons

To summarize, I'd like to highlight the main advantages and disadvantages of this robot vacuum cleaner. Among its advantages, we highlight:

1. D-shaped body for improved cleaning in corners.
2. Laser navigation.
3. Building a map of the premises.
4. Control via mobile application.
5. Highly efficient cleaning technology based on moving modules.
6. Full floor wash.
7. A large number of operating modes.
8. Low noise level.

Apart from the lack of a virtual wall, no significant drawbacks were discovered during testing. The only drawback is the robot's difficulty negotiating obstacles taller than 0.5 cm. However, given that this model is designed for cleaning hard floors (laminate, tile, linoleum), this drawback is more likely a limitation of its intended use. This model is not suitable for cleaning carpets, as it simply isn't designed for that purpose. Otherwise, the Hobot Legee-688 pleasantly surprised us, demonstrating incredible cleaning performance on tile. For $350 (current price as of 2019), it's objectively the best robotic vacuum cleaner available.

Incidentally, Hobot also offers the Legee-669 for $290 and the Legee-668 for $260, both offering similar cleaning performance but without the app and with fewer programs. Consider these robotic vacuum cleaners if your budget doesn't allow for the latest model!

That concludes our review. If you have any questions about this model, please ask them in the comments below!

Analogues:

• iLife W400
• iRobot Scooba 230
• Everybot RS700
• iRobot Braava Jet m6
• Everybot RS500
• iRobot Braava 390T
• HOBOT Legee 669