Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro: powerful suction, lifting wipes, improved station

Hey guys, welcome to Robotobzor! Today, we’ll review robot vacuum Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro. At a cost of 900 to 1350$, this device boasts lots of modern solutions. For example, a system for detecting objects on the floor, the function of lifting wipes when driving on carpets, and a combined station for self-cleaning, as well as rinsing wipes. You can even connect the station to water and sewerage, having purchased the appropriate module. Overall, a lot of things have been implemented and accordingly a lot of things need to be tested. Now, I’ll test Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro in detail, after which I’ll tell you about the pros and cons of the model, and tell you if this should be your next vacuum.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/47TBfLU

Kit

The vacuum came in this box:

1. Apart from the robot and station, the box includes:
2. A power cord with a Chinese plug.
3. A power cord with a European cord.
4. Two holders with wipes
5. Documents in Chinese.

Pretty simple. There’s no spare accessories in the kit. It is worth adding here that the kit for connection to utilities is sold separately. It comes in a box like this:

And it’s kit includes:

1. Plastic tubes for connecting to the sewage and water.
2. A perforated hose into which the tubes from the station can be hidden.
3. A magnetic control unit through which water flows from the water supply to the station.
4. Angle adapter for connecting tubes to the station.
5. 1/2″ to 1/4″ inch plastic bore with a ball valve.
6. Plastic pipe bypasses.
7. John Guest type angle connectors.
8. Set of screws, for setting the module in the station.
9. Documents in Chinese.

Appearance

Now let’s see how Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro is set up. Let’s start with the vacuum itself. It comes in white and gray, and is round. It stands 103 mm (4 In.) off the floor.

There are wall sensors on the sides of the bumper on both sides. In the center there is a sensor system for detecting and carefully avoiding obstacles. The technology is called TrueDetect. It is important to note that only obstacle avoidance is implemented. The remote house tracking function through the camera is not provided, unfortunately.

There’s one control button on the body, and the Lidar handles navigation. A spring-loaded cover protects it. Under the top cover, you’ll find the dust container held by magnets. There’s a power switch and a QR code for Wi-Fi connection next to it. You can wash the dust collector and the triple filtration system (mesh, HEPA, and foam filter) with water. The container holds 400ml (13.5oz) of dirt.

The robot also has a small 80 ml (2.7 Oz.) water tank. But it’s hidden inside the housing. Water is pumped into the tank automatically at the station and delivered to the wipes during the cleaning process.

There are 6 anti-fall sensors on the bottom. A carpet detection sensor is near the swivel roller. It has two quick-release, three-beam side brushes.

The center brush unit is fluid, and the brush itself has bristle blades. You can disassemble one side to remove hair and fur.

Wipe holders use a secure ball lock to prevent accidental detachment during cleaning. Wipes are held to the holders with Velcro, holding on strong. An important feature is that the holders with wipes automatically lift 9 mm when the robot is on carpets. This lets the robot to vacuum and clean the floor, leaving carpets dry and clean simultaneously.

Now, let’s take a look at the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro’s self-cleaning station. The platform for docking the robot isn’t removable. Above it is a compartment with a 3-liter (.79 G.) garbage bag. The bag is four-layered, including a layer with silver ions and a layer of activated carbon, giving antibacterial protection. Additionally, there’s a module with silver ions in the back of the station for further disinfection. The station seems to have a robust system for bacteria protection, although its effectiveness may vary. There’s one control button on the station’s top.

Under the top cover, there are two 4-liter (1 G.) tanks for dirty and clean water. There’s a cardboard box with a brush and detergent placed between the tanks, though a plastic compartment would be better, but one isn’t included. An interesting decision. Also, it’s surprising that the station doesn’t have an automatic detergent dispenser for rinsing wipes; it needs to be added manually from a bottle. It’s possible they assumed it’s covered by the automatic module for water supply and drainage, but who knows.

It’s important to note that Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro can be connected to water and sewage if the needed module is purchased. The connectors are located at the back, behind the lid. Next to them there is a module with silver ions for water disinfection.

The utility connection module has a compartment for clean water, one for dirty water with a coarse filter, and another for adding detergent, which automatically dispenses during the wipe rinsing process. I’ll provide a detailed explanation of how this module works while testing.

Lastly, I’d like to emphasize that the rinsing of wipes at the station is carried out with water heated to 55 degrees Celsius (131 F.). Thus, according to the idea, the quality of napkin rinsing is improved. The solution isn’t unique, but in my opinion, very helpful.

Overall, Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro comes with several minor enhancements compared to its predecessor, the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni. However, the standout features are the automatic lifting of wipes on carpets, the option to connect the station to utilities, and the ability to rinse wipes with hot water. This upgrade is significant but not the most advanced when compared to models from other companies in 2023.

Technical features

Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro main features, given by the manufacturer:

• Navigation: Lidar + TrueDetect
• Battery Li-Ion 6000 mA*h
• Suction power up to 6000 Pa
• Container for trash 400ml (13.5oz)
• Water tank 80 ml (2.7 Oz.)
• Containers in station: 4 + 4 l (1+1 G.)
• Bag in station: 3 L (.79 G.)
• Obstacle size up to 20 mm (.78 In.)
• Robot size: 362*103 mm (14×4 In.)
• Station size: 430*450*580 mm (17×17.7×22.8)

Here it’s worth highlighting the increased suction power, which I’ll definitely have to check in my tests. And as already mentioned earlier, the increased capacity of water tanks.

For those interested, the height of the station with a lifted lid is – 78,5 cm (31 In.).

Functions

When it comes to Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro’s functions, it’s controlled through the Ecovacs Home mobile app. For this Chinese market version, you’ll need a Chinese phone number to log in, and the seller should provide it. Each buyer receives unique access. Connecting the robot to the app is straightforward, and the app interface is in English. However, the robot itself communicates in Chinese through notifications, which can be problematic, as it can’t speak in multiple languages. Despite this, once you’ve done everything, the inconvenience is minimal. You can simply press the start button, and the robot initiates the cleaning process.

Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro’s main functions are up on the screen:

• Self-cleaning.
• Wipe rinsing on base.
• Wipe drying with hot air.
• Wipe rinsing with hot water.
• Object detection on the floor.
• Saves multiple maps in memory.
• 3D-map of the house.
• Automatically zones the space into rooms.
• Choose zones and rooms individually to clean.
• Virtual walls and no-go/no-mop zones.
• Regulating suction power.
• Setting the frequency of wipes rinsing (10, 15, 25 mins).
• Corner Deep Cleaning
• Cleaning log.
• Cleaning schedule.
• User mode.
• Automatic power increase on carpets.
• Carpet avoidance while mopping.
• Automatic wipe lift on carpets

The “Corner Deep Cleaning” feature, which has the robot cleaning along the perimeter, is interesting. Rather than deep cleaning corners, it focuses on having the robot run its rear part close to baseboards and furniture while it moves along the perimeter. Here, the wipes don’t extend beyond the body’s edges, so it doesn’t leave an unwashed area, but it manages to reach the edges of the cleaned space with the wipes. It’s really a unique solution to the baseboards. However, it seems this mode may not be manually activated. Instead, it might be programmed to run automatically as specified by the manufacturer, perhaps once a week.

Another cool feature of the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro is the integrated YIKO voice assistant, which lets you voice control without third-party apps. Pretty cool!

It’s also worth noting again that the remote home tracking function has been removed from this model. Otherwise, there are a large number of functions and settings that allow you to flexibly customize the cleaning parameters to suit individual conditions.

Testing

Navigation

Now, let’s talk about the tests. We started by checking how well Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro moves around a room with things in it. It goes around the perimeter first, and then it goes in a snake-like pattern to clean the rest. It’s good at avoiding obstacles like table legs but sometimes it doesn’t go between them. Maybe that’s just luck. It also cleaned around a box and chair legs before going back to base. Overall, the test went well.

As for the rest of the house, the robot cleans room by room first around the perimeter, then in a snake-like pattern. Every 15 minutes, as I found, it returns to the station and rinses the wipes, then starts cleaning from where it previously finished. Nothing is left dirty, and the navigation is spectacular.

Object detection

The system for finding things on the floor can still be improved, no matter how many sensors and cameras Ecovacs uses. The robot bumped into things like a bathroom scale, a slipper, a shoe, and a charging cord. I should mention that these things didn’t stop the robot, but it did touch them. Different robots might have had a little trouble with stuff like wires. After it finished cleaning, it even ran over a fake pet “surprise.” So, Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro is more careful than other robots that can’t detect objects, but the system still needs work done.

Suction power

The vacuum’s power was impressive. It could clean all kinds of dirt from even tight spaces, like 10mm (.39 In.) crevices. So, it’s a really strong vacuum, and based on how well it worked, it’s better than the older X1 Omni and the main rival in 2023, the Dreame Bot X10 Pro. In short, its suction power is outstanding!

Vacuuming

Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro does a good job collecting different types of dirt on laminate floors. There’s only a small amount of debris left in the corners where round robot vacuums struggle, but it’s better at corner cleaning compared to other round robots. It also picked up a bit of hair on its brushes, but all the dirt ended up in the bag. So, the test went well!

Carpet cleaning

Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro is also great at cleaning carpets. It does a thorough job, which is definitely a positive feature!

Dirt scrubbing

This robot vacuum can scrub away dirt and visit a rinse station to clean its pads in between. This is a big plus because it doesn’t spread dirt around while cleaning. After a few runs, the robot can clean the floor well, not just wipe it. Right after leaving the station, it thoroughly cleans along the edges in a special mode, and the areas it doesn’t clean are very small. Overall, it did really well in this test, better than other robot vacuums.

Scrubbing harder stains

I’m happy to say that Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro can clean stubborn stains like dried coffee and sauce effectively. It’s better at pressing the cleaning pads against the floor than other robots with similar pads, making mopping more efficient.

Mopping on carpets

When it comes to cleaning with carpets around, Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro offers three choices. The first is an automatic lift of the cleaning pads when it goes on carpets, allowing the robot to both vacuum and mop simultaneously, ensuring dry and clean carpets. The second option is to activate the automatic carpet avoidance function while mopping. However, the third mode, involving rotating pads pressed against the carpet, seems less practical. The most noteworthy feature here is the ability to automatically lift the pads on carpets, filling a gap in what Ecovacs used to lack.

Station effectiveness and maintenance

I also tested the cleaning station. After washing the dirty cleaning pads, they actually come out clean. Abit of dirt gets removed with warm water. Interestingly, I didn’t notice any visible difference when rinsing with hot water, as the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro does. This might be a small advantage over competitors, even though it’s not very noticeable.

Drying the wipes with hot air is actually effective. After the drying cycle, the wipes are completely dry and don’t smell bad. That’s a plus!

But washing the station isn’t the most pleasant activity. Since the platform isn’t removable, you have to wash it on the station itself. Ecovacs engineers have simplified this a bit – you press the button on the station for 5 seconds, after that the robot moves off the station, water is collected in the tray and you can clean the tray inside with a brush. Then you press the button again and the water is drained into the dirty water tank. But you can’t clean the robot’s entry ramp in this way, you have to scrub it with a cloth. Could be improved.

Connecting the vacuum to your house

Separately, let me explain how the utility network connection module works. First, you need to assemble the system, which is quite straightforward. Open the top cover on the station, take out the tanks and the box in between them, and remove the two rubber plugs. Then, place the module itself and screw it onto the station using a screw from the top, and close the cover.

Now remove the cover on the back wall and install the angled adapter for connecting the tubes to the station. Screw it on with the two screws supplied with the kit. Next, connect the tubes to the angle adapter. Measure the correct length to fit the corner connectors at the bottom.

Put the station close to the water and sewer connections, and set up the feed-through outlet. Connect the magnetic control unit to the outlet with pipes. For a quick demonstration, you can create a temporary drain, but it’s best to get a sink trap with an outlet for the station’s pipe. Open the faucet on the outlet, and water will start filling the station. Now you can use the “rinse wipes” function to test it.

You’ll notice clean water filling the designated tank, and as the wipes are rinsed, the water level gradually drops. The used water is then drained from the station through the drain tube, which is visible. The module functions correctly. It’s highly recommended to use the designated detergent in the central compartment to enhance wipe rinsing and floor cleaning quality while minimizing streaks.

And that’s it! This module definitely deserves attention, as it increases the autonomy of the robot and greatly simplifies its maintenance. A very cool option, which should appear in more options in 2023.

Self-cleaning quality

Self-cleaning is nearly flawless. I put the robot to work in a room with lots of dirt, and it cleaned everything up. When I returned the robot to the station, I found that the bag was completely clean after the self-cleaning process.

This self-cleaning feature is very well implemented, surpassing the performance of the earlier X1 Omni and even outperforming the Ecovacs Deebot T10+.

Obstacles

The robot has no problem crossing 2 cm (.78 In.) high obstacles while lifting the wipes. That’s a plus!

Dark spaces

It’s also not afraid of black surfaces, driving freely over a black mat. That’s another advantage!

Volume

Well, as for the volume, it’s within 60-65 dB. I can say that considering the high power, it’s pretty quiet!

Opinion

Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. Our evaluation system gave it 182 points and climbed to seventh place in the overall ranking of tested robot vacuums. Now, I’ll share my own opinion about Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro. I liked the following:

1. Good dirt collection quality on anything from floors to carpets.
2. Does a better job of getting the corners, compared with other round vacuums.
3. Does a good job of scrubbing dirt off the floor.
4. High suction power.
5. Can scrub the area right up to the baseboard thanks to the “Corner Deep Cleaning” mode.
6. Availability of a station for self-cleaning the dirt collector, rinsing and drying cloths.
7. Large containers for the station.
8. Multi-stage system for disinfecting the dirt and water containers in the station.
9. The station can be connected to the sewer and water supply by purchasing the needed kit.
10. Rinses the wipes with hot water.
11. Good self-cleaning quality.
12. Automatic wipe lift on carpets
13. Greater accuracy when touching objects and furniture thanks to the object detection system.
14. Lots of functions in the app.
15. Isn’t scared of dark spaces.
16. Good off-road.
17. Pretty quiet.
18. Good assembly.
19. Two side brushes.

As for what could be improved, here’s what I found:

1. The object detection system needs work.
2. No home monitoring function through the camera.
3. The model is made for the Chinese market.
4. Doesn’t support popular voice assistants.
5. The platform isn’t detachable (hard to clean).
6. No auto detergent feed as standard on the station.

Overall, the robot left a very good impression of itself and the listed remarks aren’t life or death for me. I believe that this is definitely one of the best robot vacuums in 2024, and in terms of cleaning quality it is, so far, definitely at the top, compared with its competition. If you’re on the lookout for a reliable robot that will effectively handle its main task while maximizing autonomy at the moment – definitely check out this model.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/47TBfLU

On this note, I’d like to end the review. If you still have questions, feel free to ask them in the comments down below. Have fun shopping, bye!