Switchbot K10+ – a Small but Powerful Robot Vacuum Cleaner
When you think of robot vacuum cleaners, the name that usually comes to mind is Roomba, or maybe Ecovacs and Roborock. These brands focus exclusively on robot vacuum cleaners, but I’m never surprised to learn that a smart tech brand that specializes in, say, light bulbs also has a robot vacuum cleaner. So when Switchbot offered me the opportunity to try out its K10+ Mini Robot Vacuum Cleaner ($499), I didn’t expect to think much about it. But I’m happy to report that this device never disappoints—I really like it as an inexpensive, easy-to-use robot vacuum for homes with a lot of tight spaces to maneuver around.
Small but mighty
The first thing to know about the K10 is that it’s tiny and adorable, like all Switchbot devices. It is marketed as a 9.5-inch “mini robot” with a low profile and rugged design. The small size allows it to cut through smaller spaces such as corners and kicks.
Like many new robots, the K10+ alleviates the need to constantly empty the robot vacuum by pairing it with a self-emptying tower. Because the entire unit is smaller than most traditional robots, this tower will fit into small spaces and can be easily hidden. (I put mine under the bathroom sink.)
The K10+ is technically a vacuum cleaner and a mop, but you’ll be more satisfied if you forgo the floor-cleaning feature, which feels like a poorly implemented afterthought.
Better app user interface than competitors
Switchbot connects easily to the app and has never been disconnected from the network in six weeks of use. I was impressed by the simplicity of the app’s features and the clean user interface of Switchbot’s other products like the Bot and Curtains , but was curious how they would scale to include a vacuum feature.
In short, I’m impressed. The mapping feature is easier to use than the Roomba, and certainly less temperamental. On my first playthrough, I let him roam my bathroom, kitchen, hallway, and dining room, which total about 600 square feet. In a short time, it created an accurate map, and the app showed the path the bot took through each space. The application allows you to combine spaces, break them into parts, give them names and create “forbidden zones”. You can vacuum by room by giving them names, or by area by creating them in tabs.
Companies like iRobot have put a huge amount of time and research into creating carefully designed feature sets in their apps, but I’ve never missed them. Switchbot is so easy to use that I’ve never needed anything more.
Does a better job of cleaning and navigating than many other bots.
My house is littered with obstacles that would baffle any robot vacuum: my dining room is cluttered with chairs around the table, shipping boxes I haven’t unpacked yet, and items that are hard to navigate, like dog dishes. My hallway is irregularly shaped, with many niches, and the bathroom is small and filled with many rugs. Each robot struggled with these spaces and eventually got stuck.
The Switchbot K10+ avoided getting stuck most of the time, tripping over the rubber mat only once or twice. It also managed to clean more floors than other bots due to its small size. For example, it can move along chair legs without getting stuck. Even though it’s small, it handles large spaces without issue and doesn’t seem to require charging before it’s done. You can set different levels of dirt removal, from quiet to MAX (no joke, it was powerful), and create schedules for the bot to clean without prompting. And when you tell a robot to go into a space, be it a room or an area, you can even decide in what order it will do so, a feature I haven’t seen anywhere before.
Additional features add utility
Switchbot works with voice assistants, so you can also call it into your service when you need it. Once the cleanup is complete, a report is provided, which is nice, but not necessary.
One of the new features I’m seeing on robots now is RC mode, which is essentially a joystick mode. If your robot vacuum gets stuck under, say, a couch, you can use the digital joystick to send or rescue your bot. K10+ has one, but this bot didn’t require much rescue.
Another useful feature: Switchbot keeps track of all its parts and tells you exactly when to replace, clean, or empty each one. Since I spend a lot of money on replacing Roomba parts, I always check the prices of replacement parts. For the K10+, annual replacements (bags, rollers, brushes, etc.) come in one kit for $60.
It is better to forget about the function of washing floors.
The K10+ is so effective as a vacuum cleaner that you forget it’s also a floor cleaning robot. Unfortunately, this is not the best robot for cleaning floors. Unlike a vacuum cleaner with a self-emptying container, the robot can act like a Swiffer. You attach the plastic clip to a disposable wet pad (the K10+ comes with a pack of wet wipes) and then send it on its way. In mop mode, it won’t act like a vacuum cleaner, and of course, all that wet wipe does is smear things around the floor. Everything is done by hand, so once the “wiping” is complete you need to remove the plastic clip and wipe it down. Compare this to the Roborock s8 or Narwhal, which mop from a water reservoir in the base, empty itself, and wash the head. Sure, these bots are about double the price, but they show how useless the K10+’s mop feature is. If you’re doing that much work, you might as well push the Swiffer around.
Bottom line: Switchbot impresses with this mid-range offering.
If it had included a water tank and a self-cleaning mop, the K10+ would have been a game-changer, but it nonetheless showed me that when it comes to robot vacuums, bigger isn’t always better. The next version of Switchbot, the S10 , promises all of this and more, with a self-emptying mop that you can actually attach to your home’s plumbing. Unfortunately, it reverts to the more standard 14-inch size. For now, at $500, the K10+ is a little gem of a vacuum cleaner and deserves a strong recommendation.