Bobi is a robotic cleaner manufactured by bObsweep with new and improved features that will make cleaning your house less difficult. The strong sensors that are built into the Bobi will help it effectively avoid any obstacles in its path. And it even comes with a brush cleaning tool for an extra level of convenience.
What sets this product apart from other bObsweep cleaning products mentioned in our best pet vacuum cleaner guide is that it is also able to mop your floors. It also has a function for UV sterilization for an extra level of cleanliness. Not only does this function helps it stand out in terms of bObsweep products, but it also allows it to be a strong competitor for other brands like Roomba.
The new and improved algorithm for the Bobi’s navigation will help it move around your house much easier than most other cleaning robots. The 80 sensors that are built into this product will be able to detect obstacles efficiently. 5 of these sensors are wall sensors and edge sensors.
The Bobi will do an excellent job of cleaning up pet hair and litter from your carpet. With the additional mopping function, your tiled floors will also receive an amazing clean. The rotating bristle brush and the squeegee brush is built sufficiently to help you remove pet hair from your carpet; just keep in mind that you will have to clean the brushes after every cleaning job.
Summary Bobi Pet Robotic Vacuum
- Has a washable dirt bin
- 5-in-1 functionality includes mopping, sweeping, vacuuming, disinfecting and air purification.
- You will be able to block off where you don’t want the Bobi to go.
- Has built-in HEPA filtration
- Has additional brushes and cleaning tools included with the product to help you properly maintain it
- Designed with 80 sensors for navigational purposes
- Has a motor power of 11,500rpm
- Is built shorter than Roomba or Neato cleaners at 3.35” tall. (77)
Pros
- Capable of getting to harder to reach areas
- Has a highly effective navigational system
- Will clean your house thoroughly from dust and debris
- Kitchen tiles can be cleaned amazingly with the mopping feature
Cons
- Dirt bin is built considerably small
- Incapable of seeing chrome or black furniture
- Does not have the ability to deep clean carpets
- Higher price point
- Vacuum motor can be stronger
- Can miss the charging dock if the room layout is out of the ordinary
- The brushes and dust bin requires cleaning after every use
My Expectations of this pet hair cleaning robot
Some of the features of the Bobi may seem quite similar to the Roomba, such as the round shape and built-in side brush. Despite the Bobi having a weak motor, the cleaning brushes will give your carpets an effective cleaning job. However, they are not really built for heavier levels of cleaning.
The remote control function will allow you to set a cleaning mode schedule and control it manually from inside of your house. The two cleaning modes of the Bobi vacuum are Waffle and Go. Go is what is set as the default cleaning mode and Waffle mode is designed for spot cleaning a small area of your carpet.
When your Bobi is in Go mode, refrain from disturbing its cleaning tasks unless there is an unavoidable obstacle in its path. When you manually set the Bobi to juice mode or when it hits 15% battery, it will go back to its charging base to rest and recharge.
Two colors to choose from
The two color options that are available for the Bobi vacuum are silver and scarlet red. Both have a glossy, silicone finish. But the scarlet one is more affordable than the silver one. The three buttons on the top of the product are used to activate the three different modes: Go, Waffle and Juice.
Assembly Instructions
The Bobi will require slight assembly once you take it out of the package. All you will have to do is flip it over and take the battery cover off with a screwdriver and place the NiCad batteries in its proper place.
Useful Mop Function
The microfiber pad that is designed into the Bobi will make it capable of mopping hardwood or tile floors, but only if the surface is mostly clean. The mop function should not be used to clean soiled tile.
Learning to use it
Like any good cleaning product, you will need to know the ins and outs of the machine and all of its capabilities in order to properly use and maintain it. Reading the manual will help you gain an understanding of how to use the product and take advantage of its functionality to the fullest degree. If there is something about your product you may not understand, the product manual may hold the solution you are looking for.
Additionally, it would help to properly prepare there areas where you want the Bobi to clean. Obstacles will make it harder to maneuver so removing those obstacles will make the cleaning process much easier. Obstacles may include long tassels in rugs, power cords and wires, and these items may cause the Bobi to stop cleaning.
As for the Bobi’s charging station, leave plenty of space to keep the base. Rest it against a sturdy wall to keep it in place. Keep it clear around 10 feet in front of and to the sides of it so your Bobi can dock properly on the charging station.
UV Cleaning
The ultraviolet waves from the Bobi gives it the ability to disinfect the surface it cleans. This is not a normal function for other cleaning robots, which is another thing that sets the Bobi aside from its competitors. For an extra measure of cleanliness, you may want to follow up the Bobi’s disinfection job with some cleaning chemicals.
Silent Operation
The Bobi cleaning robot’s biggest noise level reaches only 60 decibels. This noise level is much lower than that of a Neato or Roomba vacuum cleaner. With this low level of noise, you will no longer have to worry about scaring your pets or other people.
Navigation
Bobsweep has upgraded their navigation system to make it more efficient by adding more sensors to the Bobi Pet. 80 sensors all work to keep the Bobi Pet moving in the right direction without having to worry about bumping into things or making redundant passes. Five wall sensors remove the risk of damage to your baseboards or wallpaper from aimless bumps into the walls. This keep your Bobi Pet from bumping and banging into things, but also allows it to get as close to the wall as possible to clean everything it can.
A cliff sensor has been included to allow the Bobi Pet to clean around stairs and other spaces with edges without tumbling off. It senses where the line is that it cannot cross and cleans up to it, but no further. However, the Bobi Pet does still have difficulty distinguishing chrome items and items with black finishes. If you have these items your Bobi Pet may bump into them so you should move them before cleaning. Or you can also add some tape or paper to the bottom to change the appearance to the vacuum.
Check Out The Way Bobi Navigates Around
The Bobi Pet comes with two cleaning modes for you to choose from. If you want to use the default cleaning mode then you simply need to press the Go button on the vacuum. It will then start cleaning by making its way to the edges of your room and working inwards.
A Bobi block is included to create a virtual wall to block the robot from going into a certain area. Infrared signals show the robot that there is something blocking that path and restricts it from going any further. Sadly, there is only one Bobi block available per robot. If you want to put up more blocks you can buy them separately on Amazon.
The Bobi Pet will continue to clean until it is shut off or the battery gets too low. Once the battery level drops to 15 percent, the robot will stop cleaning and make its way back to its docking station. Once it is fully charged, it will start cleaning again. For the best results, you should allow ten feet of space open in front of the charging station, and two feet on either side.
Cleaning Bare Floor
Because the Bobi Pet also has a mopping feature, it can take on cleaning bare floors like wood, tile and lament. But before the mopping can happen, the floor needs to be vacuumed to remove the bigger parts of the mess. The Bobi Pet’s motor does not have as much power as other robot vacuums, making it harder for it to suck up all the dirt and debris on bare floors. This means it relies more on the squeegee brush to clean up things like dust and pet hair.
Larger pieces of dirt can be difficult to pick up for the Bobi and may be moved around by the brush rather the sucked up. The mopping feature will work on basic messes as well as keeping your floors looking good. But harder to clean messes like oils may need to be scrubbed first to properly remove it all. Damp areas like bathrooms should also be avoided.
Carpet Cleaning
The Bobi Pet is designed to work best on carpet because of the bristle and squeegee brushes. The brushes disturb the debris, ground in or not, so it can easily be sucked up by the vacuum. However, the Bobi Pet cannot provide your carpets with a deep clean that they may require.
The Bobi Pet vacuum works best on shorter carpets that can easily be picked up, rather than plush carpets or rugs. That means that this particular robotic vacuum works great for average, everyday messes and regular cleanings, rather than large or complex messes.
Pet Hair Removal
The Bobi vacuum can take on pet hair messes because of the squeegee and bristle brush combination. But it will have a harder time picking up pet hair that has built up over time. This is why it is recommended that you use an upright vacuum for the big mess and then use the Bobi going forward to keep the build up from happening again.
Does Bobi Clean Stairs?
There are no robotic vacuums that can clean up stairs at this time.
Scheduled Cleaning Function
You can choose what time you want to have the Bobi start cleaning your floors, whether you are home or not. But it is not clear whether or not you can choose multiple times a day or just one time per day for cleaning.
Best Roomba For Dog Hair: Top Robot Vacuum On Hardwood Floors
Run Time
The Bobi can run for one and a half hours when fully charged.
Charging Time
It takes four hours to fully charge.
Filter Cleanup
The HEPA filter included in the Bobi vacuum is washable, so there is no need to buy replacement filters. But it is important to fully clean it and let it completely dry before putting it back in.
Warranty
The Bobi comes with a 60 day money back guarantee and a two year manufacturer warranty.
Customer Reviews and Opinions
Customers that have purchased the Bobi Pet have compared it to the 700 series of the Roomba in cleaning ability and features. But the Bobi offers a larger dirt bin, a quieter motor and is more reasonably priced.
However, the Bobi does have a harder time distinguishing larger rooms and can get confused as it cleans. This means that it is not going to work well for cleaning multiple rooms. It also has a hard time detecting black and chrome. So you should stick to simple homes with a basic design.
Where Can I Buy It?
Amazon offers great deals for the Bobi vacuum along with 2-day shipping with Prime.
Final Verdict
The Bobi Pet is a basic robotic vacuum that is simply designed and free of any bells and whistles. If you are looking for an everyday cleaning vacuum to handle basic messes and don’t need Wi-Fi connectivity or multiple room cleaning, then this will do the job. But if you need something more high tech, or need to clean more complex messes, then this is not going to work for you.
For the price, it is worth buying on Amazon, but not worth the $800 that the manufacturer site is charging. For anything over the $300 Amazon price it is recommended that you either wait for a newer model to come out or buy a different band like Roomba. (Roomba 690 review)
