What is it?
A budget autonomous vacuum cleaner that sucks the life out of the competition.
Working from home has its advantages such as getting a longer sleep, avoiding the rush-hour commute and never being very far from the fridge.
One downside is an increased accumulation of floor dust and debris generated from all the extra foot traffic – a constant battle to keep clean.
This is a task ideal for outsourcing to robots as they neither tire nor complain and do the job to the same high standards every time. The Deebot N79S from Ecovacs is a fine example.
Good points?
Utilising what Ecovacs has dubbed "Smart Motion" technology, the vacuum employs a thorough approach to cleanliness by making multiple passes. You can target problem areas through its many cleaning modes, selectable via the Ecovacs home app or an Amazon Echo smart home assistant.
READ MORE: Crime writer Craig Robertson on the otherworldly lure of Joshua Tree in California
Removing dirt is aided by a three-stage cleaning system incorporating a V-shaped brush which sweeps, lifts and vacuums. This ensures practical efficiency and speed without compromising on performance.
The biggest upside is the price which is half that of many comparable products. Everything you want in a robotic vacuum cleaner is present including automatic charging, task scheduling and stair safety technology to prevent it from taking a tumble.
Bad points?
Although the unit provides all basic features needed, it is limited compared to premium models that can offer automatic dust receptacle emptying and hard floor mopping capabilities.
Best for ...
Those tired of constantly cleaning up after fur-shedding pets and crumb-dropping family members.
READ MORE: Hijacking thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt comes to Amazon Prime Video
Avoid if ...
Your home has many levels or steps as these vacuum robots haven't evolved to possess humanoid legs yet.
Score: 8/10.
Ecovacs Deebot N79S Robot Vacuum Cleaner, £219.98 (amazon.co.uk)
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here