LG Hom Bot 3.0 Review: High Tech Option

LG Hom Bot 3.0 comes with features never before seen in robot vacuums such as the on-board camera and optical sensor for navigation.

There’s also a Turbo function to remove more stubborn dirt and an audio feature that tells you exactly what it does plus more, you just have to read the rest below.

All of these features will set you back $550, which is more expensive than market leaders Neato and iRobot.

While the features will amaze you, how do you work on the most important cleaning task?

Well, CNet says it doesn’t match the other two brands I just mentioned saying that while it has all the bells and whistles, the dirt removal is less than satisfactory.

Positives

• It has an onboard camera that lets it know where it is and an optical sensor underneath to know what needs to be cleaned
• Two side brushes for extended reach
• The turbo function increases suction to clean tough dirt that is triggered when the robot passes over carpets or rugs
• 7 custom cleaning modes
• HEPA filter
• easy to empty

Negatives

• More expensive than Roomba and Neato
• It doesn’t clean pet hair as well as Neato on a medium pile rug, yet it picks up more than iRobot
• Some problems with navigation
• Although it has a scheduling feature that you cannot schedule at different times for different days, it can only be scheduled at the same time every day
• small dirt box
• It does not contain any virtual walls or containment feature that you can use to block restricted areas

What do you expect from LG Hom Bot 3.0?

It has 7 ways to clean

1. zigzag mode Which is the default – it moves straight back and forth around the room (great if there are some obstructions).
2. Place cell after cell – This mode divides the room into a grid or cells where the robot cleans each cell back and forth in a zigzag motion.
3. repeat mode – Using this tells the robot to continue cleaning until you shut it down.
4. Turbo mode – Increases suction to remove more stubborn dirt (this runs automatically on carpets)
5. My Space Mode – which is my favorite because it allows you to manually guide the bot around obstacles and what’s great about this is that the Hom Bot remembers it and will use the same path the next time you turn it on
6. spot mode – Cleans a small area with a rolling motion
7. Manual mode

See all cleaning modes in action
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_gIPNzZ3xs

Other features include

• Two 2-3/4″ angled brushes
• It has dual “eyes” – a camera on top and an optical sensor on the bottom for navigation
• Quiet – emits only 50 decibels
• Remembers the optimal cleaning path for every room in your home
• scheduled cleaning
• Comes with a HEPA filter
• Automatically re-dock after it’s finished or if it needs to be recharged

Full specifications can be found here.

Mobility

This is the first robot I’ve seen that uses a camera for navigation. Without sounding too technical, the camera and optical sensor plot a snapshot of your room working together to let the bot know exactly where it is and what areas to clean.

This feature also allows optimum cleaning methods to be remembered around your room allowing it to do its job faster.

Remember to remove obstacles in your way such as wires, toys, rugs, etc as this will get stuck easily and have low clearance.

Will he clean the stairs?

no. None of the robot vacuums work.

scheduled cleaning

Cleaning can be scheduled but the editors at CNet have pointed out that different times can’t be scheduled for different days, so this is wrong.

Shipping time

LG says it will fully charge within two hours.

Filter cleaning

The dirt cup and HEPA filter are located in the middle and can be accessed by opening the lid. The cool feature here is the handle on the container which is easy to remove.

In the package there is a brush that you can use to clean the filter.

Since it’s a HEPA filter, I’m not sure if you can wash it, it’s not specified on the LG website or on Amazon, so to be on the safe side, don’t just brush it and replace it every 2-3 months.

the show length

LG claims this bot has a runtime of 100 minutes, but Trusted Reviews disagree with saying that it lasted about an hour in testing.

Customer Service and Warranty

There were a few complaints about the sub-par customer service. One consumer complained about features that weren’t there. One would have expected a mop pad that was not in the package.

LG offers a 2 year warranty on the unit and 6 months on the battery.

Executing floor cleaning

In a test by CNET, she herself picked long-grain rice on hard floors.

However, it struggled a bit in the sand/saw dust test to pick up a bit less than it did with the cedar.

Carpet cleaning

He didn’t perform well on the rug, especially the plush rug.

Referring back to testing by CNet, it picked up significantly less sawdust/sand on a medium and low pile carpet versus the Neato XV Pro but held the same against the Roomba 790.

The editors at Trusted Reviews stated that this would really struggle on thicker carpets not because of weak suction, but rather, they said that strong suction combined with low clearance caused thicker carpets to bleach.

carpets

It has a low profile If your home has thick carpeting, keep it out of the way.

Pet hair removal

In CNet tests, it did a good job cleaning pet hair from hard floors and medium pile carpets about on par with the Roomba 790.

But not as good as the Neato XV, although it wasn’t as good on low-pile carpets.

Watch it in action

job test

Watch the CNet review here

product specification

Battery Type	lithium ion
charger type	charging station
Shipping time	2 hours
the show length	100 minutes
net weight (with battery)	6.6 pounds
Purchase Weight	11.6 EGP
Dimensions (width and height)	14-1/10″ x 3-1/2″
multi room
self docking
remote control
HEPA filtration
Detecting cliff
self-control
side brush
bin full indicator
drawer cleaning
Cleaning sessions per week	7
Extra filter
containment
brush cleaning tools
Accessories included	side brush set purifier carpet brush
Voltage	110 volts
Made in	China
Guarantee	2 years on Android 6 months on battery

Customer Reviews

Being an $800 robot, not many people bought this product, so there were only a few reviews.

In these reviews, consumers who left positive and negative reviews stated that they had a tendency to stop.

And sometimes even without a hitch in front of him, so a little babysitting is needed.

Well, LG mentioned in the manual that you need to remove potential obstructions on the floor like wires and carpet just to give you a heads up.

The one thing that impressed a number of people here is the ability to learn and remember the good and bad room design. This is good because he will know what obstacles to avoid. And bad because if you move anything, he will think the obstacle is there and you will hit it.

Another issue mentioned here in the reviews is its shape, it tends to scrape panels and/or furniture when cornered.

In terms of cleaning performance, it has been good and used by most consumers on hard floors. Some use this on the rug and have been very happy with the results.

There have been some reported issues though not being able to get back into the charging base on its own and not succumbing to certain furniture.

In general, consumers were happy with the navigation, suction and cleaning modes, particularly the “My Space Mode” that allows you to record the cleaning pattern.

Reviews from other sites

Trusted Reviews

They have claimed that this is the best robot vacuum they have tested saying that it is better than the more established Neato and iRobot.

cnet

Although they loved all the features this robot has, the high price and low carpet cleaning are the biggest reasons why they wouldn’t recommend this vacuum cleaner over Neato.

Where can I buy this?

You can buy this on Amazon but this is not currently available. A newer version is available and it is now with WiFi connectivity and will cost around $550.

This latest version will be eligible for free 2-day shipping if you join Prime.

Extended warranties are also available for up to 3 years if you want that extra peace of mind.

Conclusion

This robot is great for people with medium to large homes with mostly hard surfaces as this won’t work well on thicker carpet based on tests.

Remember that this is not completely hands-free as you will need to take care of it sometimes when it crashes. As with all robotic vacuums, area preparation is fundamental to a smooth operation.

In terms of features, it has almost everything you would want in a standalone cleaner.

My favorite is the ability to “teach” what way to go. It has two side brushes, a motorized brush and an easy emptying basket.

Unfortunately, it’s way too expensive for my tastes due to its limitations, I’d get a Roomba 780 or a Neato XV Pro on top of this. but this