Review on Dreametech D9 Robot Vacuum and Mop Cleaner: Powerful 2-in-1 with Smart Lidar Navigation, 3000Pa Suction, and Alexa Compatibility by Ben Titchenell

My 2.5 year old iLife A4 recently died. Tried cleaning it but still the problem. Since I've wanted a robot vacuum cleaner with a mopping function for a long time, I decided to upgrade to the Roborock E4 because of its good reputation. I didn't want to spend more than 300€. E4 seemed like the best option based on reputation. iLife only costs me $140 but works well. I was expecting much better performance from the E4 since it was twice the price ($270). When I received the E4 I was really impressed with the build quality and packaging. I've read that the zig zag pattern is better than the random pattern my cheaper iLife had. Unfortunately, the E4 had a terrible climb threshold and very poor AI. I recorded a 7 minute video showing him doing the same zig zag pattern over and over before coming to a complete stop. He also had docking issues, he tried 4-5 times, 50/50 chance he successfully docked or accidentally stopped. All of this was on the first day of testing. I ended up returning it, very disappointed that the more expensive and reputable robot vacuum could do far less than my old iLife. I would like to say in advance that I have a medium-sized apartment (890 square meters) with parquet floors. I didn't feel like I needed an expensive robot vacuum for my basic needs. After a lot of research I decided that it is best to use a laser/lidar mapping robotic vacuum. But it seemed like anything decent with swipes cost over $400. The Roborock S5 Max is considered the best in its class, but given the $500 cost and my poor experience with the E4, I passed it. I wanted to pick the 360 S7 Pro as it was under $300 and seemed to have good reviews. But after some more research, I saw that the 360 S9 ($400), Roborock S5 Max ($500), and Dreametech D9 ($290) have very similar specs, battery size, electric water tank, etc. I watched a bunch of youtube. Video to find out if there was some kind of fall from the D9. In the end I decided to pull the trigger based on SmartRobotReviews. When I received the D9 I was very impressed with the good packaging. Dreametech is a Chinese company and it seems they have learned a lot from other more established companies. The setup was eerily similar to the E4. Both use the Mi Home app. In terms of performance, the D9 was able to push the threshold where the E4 failed. He was able to completely clean my entire apartment without interruption. The wash was really good. Meets my expectations as some stains were gone after cleaning. Docking was 100%. I like the perfect presentation of my apartment. E4 didn't have lidar and tried to draw a weird map that didn't look like my apartment at all. So far the verdict has exceeded my expectations which is why I give it 5 stars for price and performance. Reviews have the S5 Max with better performance, but 50% more expensive. A long-term verdict has not yet been issued. I hope that I can live 5 (?) years.