Robot vacuum cleaner revew: Aztech VC2000

Aztech is probably more well-known for its range of networking products, but the Singapore-based company is eager to explore opportunities in other market segments too. Recognising that the smart home appliance market is one of the fastest growing today, it has come up with the new VC2000 robotic vacuum cleaner.

Like most robotic vacuum cleaners, the VC2000 makes use of a variety of sensors to navigate its way around and clean the house. In total, it has five front-facing sensors to prevent it from bumping into obstructions and three drop sensors to prevent it from falling down stairs or high split levels.

However, in our experience, we noticed that the VC2000 often finds itself stuck in various places.

Light rugs that do not stay in place often prove problematic for robotic vacuum cleaners and the VC2000 is not immune to it either, but we noticed that it would sometimes get stuck as it tries to climb over low-lying obstructions and also under cabinets and sofas.

It seems that the VC2000 is not that adept at discerning its own height and figuring out whether it could safely go under or over obstructions. Additionally, it was also the robotic vacuum cleaner that has the most difficulty in finding its way back to its docking station.

Fortunately, the VC2000 features a selection of different cleaning modes and we recommend using them instead of its "Auto" mode, which we found to be unreliable since its navigation is somewhat erratic.

Apart from "Auto", the VC2000 also offers three other cleaning modes - "Along Wall", "Spot" and "Zig Zag". This way, the device's movements are more predictable and it is easy to remove potential obstructions that might trip it up.

Alternatively, users can also use the virtual wall barrier, which sets a virtual ine using infrared beams to prevent the VC2000 from going to problematic areas.

Actual suction performance is decent, but there were times where we found the VC2000 to move a little too quickly to effectively pick up some dirt and dust particles.

However, the VC2000 was the only robotic vacuum cleaner to feature an undercarriage UV lamp that Aztech claims can eliminate up to 96 per cent of household bacteria, especially in between tiles. It also features a mop plate, which can be used for mop cleaning.

The VC2000 was also one of the quieter robotic vacuum cleaners in our roundup.

To empty the VC2000's dustbin, users are only required to push on the big "dustbin" button on the top-side, thereafter the dustbin will be ejected from the device.

And as the VC2000 uses brush rollers, regular cleaning is necessary to prevent dust, hair and pet fur from clogging and affecting its suction performance.

AT A GLANCE

Navigation: Sensors
Size: 36 x 9.2 cm
Weight: 3.3kg
Price: $399

Reviews

Read our reviews of the following robotic vacuum cleaners here:

» Aztech VC2000
» Iclebo Arte
» iRobot Roomba 880
» LG Hom-Bot Square
» Neato XV Signature Pro
» Samsung Navibot Corner Clean VR10F71

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